Worth Waiting For (14 page)

“I think you’re right.
People will enjoy riding on the
Kate
.”

“I know I do.” He
winked at her.

She smiled. She could
never be one hundred percent sad when Brock was around. She swiped a stray lock
of hair from his forehead. “Okay, I realize I was setting myself up for that
one.”

He laughed and then
she joined in. Since Brock had walked into her life it was the most she’d done
of that in months, maybe years. The muscles in her cheeks ached every day.
However, it was a good sort of pain. “How about I give your customers a
discount after they’ve been on the boat?”

“You sure you can
afford to do that?” asked Brock.

“Absolutely, and who
would pass up a discount?”

“I think you’re on to
something there. And I could give your customers a discount for the ride. Hey,
we could even offer a package deal.”

Kate liked the sound
of it all. Maybe if she had a business partner things would start looking up.

***

Brock overslept. He
and Kate didn’t get back to the dock until the early hours of the morning.

She needed to be up
early to accept a delivery from the new bread company so opted to sleep in her
own bed.

He yawned and
stretched his arms up into the air. Last night had been magical. He’d never
considered himself a romantic type of guy but maybe when a man met the right
woman, things changed.
Right
woman?
Have I met Ms. Right?

As each day passed and
he spent more time with Kate it was looking that way. He yawned again. Kate had
given him the morning off so he could start painting the boat. He hoped by next
week to begin giving harbor tours.

He glanced out the
porthole. It looked like rain could be on the way so he’d better get started with
the paint job before he ate breakfast. At least it would dry before any threat
of a storm.

He picked up the
paint can and brush and headed up on deck as he saw Kate’s car pulling up
outside the restaurant. He watched in horror as the front of her car met with
two garbage cans, knocking them on their sides. He lifted his hand to wave as she
got out, but she slammed the car door, and rushed inside, ignoring him in the
process.

Something’s wrong.

He knew her well
enough by now to sense when something was bothering her, because driving her
car recklessly like that had been unlike Kate, who was sometimes overly
cautious.

Brock dropped both
the brush and can, jumped over the edge of the boat, and sprinted across the
street. He tried the door of the restaurant, but it was locked. He ran around
the alley and in the side door by the kitchen, where Henri and Jenine were
already working. “Did Kate come through here?”

“No, but I heard the
front door slam,” said Jenine.

“She looked upset. I
think I’ll go find her,” said Brock. He went through the main restaurant,
stepped into the hallway, and jogged up the stairs. He no longer considered
himself the nosy neighbor but the man whose heart she’d won over. That meant it
was perfectly okay for him to check on her, ask her questions if need be.

He stepped into the
room to see her sitting on the bed, staring into space. “Kate?”

She looked over at
him but didn’t say a word.

“Hey, what’s wrong? I
saw you rush in here like the world was about to end.”

“Oh Brock, seems like
nothing’s ever going to be right with my life again.”

Something bad had happened.
He knew it. He walked into the room, sat, and put both of his arms around her. “
You going
to tell me about it? And this time I won’t take no
for an answer.”

“I went to David’s
new restaurant. I happened to be driving by and I saw the sign going up. I was
angry. I wanted to tell him he had no right to open as my competition.”

She should have just
driven by, looked the other way, but he could imagine how she felt. He could
imagine the built up frustration and anger over what David was doing to her. “And
I take it things didn’t go well.”

“I went inside and
she was there.”

“The woman he ran off
with?”

Kate nodded. “I found
out they’re running it together like he and I did with Sunsets.”

Shitty thing to do right on her doorstep.
No wonder she drove right
into the garbage cans.

“David told me
something else. He said he thought it was only fair before I heard it through
the grapevine. Oh Brock, they’re getting married as soon as our divorce becomes
final.”

Geez, talk about
kicking someone when they’re down. Part of him didn’t think it was any of his
business but the other half wanted to go over there right this minute, punch David
in the jaw and tell him what an asshole he was. And what a fool for letting
a lovely woman like Kate go
. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” He
kissed the top of her head.

“I knew in my heart
that it was over. I’d come to accept that when he had his attorney send me the
divorce papers but hearing that…I don’t know. It made it so final. And the way
he’s been able to leave, and get on with his life, start a new one….”

He hugged her.

“Maybe I should sell
the restaurant, take the loss, and move far away so I don’t ever have to see
the two of them together.”

It was a drastic step
but he couldn’t blame her if she did just that. At the same time, he guessed
she might be acting on the spur of the moment. “Is that what you really want to
do?” Brock looked at her. He suspected he knew the answer to his question, but
wanted to hear it from her mouth…her heart.

 
“I’ve always dreamed about owning a
restaurant. I love this place.”

“Then I think you
should stay and follow your dream.” Yeah, like his dream had been to take over
running his granddad’s company. Everyone had a right to fulfill their goals, no
matter what stood in their way.

“Oh Brock, you should
see what they’re doing to the restaurant. She must have a ton of money to
invest in it.”

“Don’t worry about
that because I’ve seen fancy restaurants that serve the shittiest food, offer
terrible service, and they go under in no time. Money isn’t everything in the
service industry. Don’t give up, because you and I are going to make a list of
simple things we can do to make this restaurant head and shoulders above any
other in town.” He’d help her in any way he could. That’s what you did for a
woman who’d stolen your heart.

***

Kate couldn’t believe
how lucky she was to have a guy like Brock enter her life at the right time. As
he’d suggested, they’d started to make a list of things she could do to draw in
customers.

“Live music,” said
Jenine when Brock had thrown out the need for more suggestions to her and
Henri.

“Yes, yes, romantic
dancing and dining,” said Henri.
“A winning combination for
sure.”
He raised the paring knife he was holding into the air to
emphasize his point.

“I like the sound of
it, but that costs money unless any of you can play instruments and sing,” said
Kate. She leaned back on the chair and took a sip from the can of soda she’d
been cradling in her hands during their brainstorming session. That always
helped fire up the gray matter.

“I might be able to
help you out there,” said Brock.

“You mean you do sing
and play?”

“Not me, but I do
know someone who plays piano. He’s got a half-decent voice, too.”

“Really?
How much will he charge?” asked Kate.

“I think he’d do it
for free for me but it would be for one night only, to sort of kick things off.
I know he’s got a busy schedule.”

“Free, that’s
perfect.”

Brock tapped a pen on
the table. “Can I use the phone to make a long-distance call so at least I can
see if he’s available?
How about next Saturday night?”

“Fantastic, and sure,
use the phone whenever you want.”

“Okay, I’ll go call
him and be right back.”

Kate took the
opportunity to look through the list of suggestions she and Brock had put
together. A frequent diner card, buy five meals get one free. Monday night,
half-price special. Early-bird specials….

“We’re all set,” said
Brock, walking back into the kitchen. He sat down.

“He’ll do it?” asked
Kate.

“Sure, we’ve known
one another for about five years. He’s a really nice guy.”

“And he’ll do it for
free? I mean you did tell him there’s no money involved?”

“Sure, he said he’d
be pleased to help you out.”

“Great. Maybe I
should make a notice and put it out front to advertise him.”

“Good idea.”

“So what’s his name?”
asked Kate.

“Mike
Lively.”

“Yeah, you’re joking
with me again…like you sleeping with Miranda Gibbs.”

“I’m not kidding. The
guy’s name is Mike
Lively
.”

“Jeez, does he ever
get teased about having the same name as
the
Mike
Lively
?” asked Kate.

***

He probably should
have told her about Mikey. Technically, she hadn’t asked if he was the real one,
so he wasn’t lying. He hadn’t volunteered any more information because he wanted
it to be a huge surprise for her when the real deal arrived at her restaurant
on Saturday.

Brock watched Kate
while she talked to someone on the phone. He couldn’t wait to see her face when
she saw Mikey walk through the door to Sunsets. That would make up for some of
the bad stuff going on in her life right now.

She ended her
conversation and headed his way. “You look like you’ve been up to no good,” she
said.

He’d probably been
grinning thinking about how happy she was going to be on the weekend. “Nope,
just looking forward to Saturday night,” he said.

“Me,
too!
Oh, and I forgot to ask you if you’d like
to come along to my parents’ place for supper tonight. I’ve told them all about
you and they’d like to meet you.”

“Check me out, you
mean?”

“Well, maybe a little
of both.”

“Sure, I’d be happy
to.”

“Okay, we’ll leave in
about an hour, and it’s very casual.”

***

Everything in Kate’s
world was so much different from his, but that’s what he loved most. He glanced
at the tiny house…well, tiny compared to his father’s sprawling estate and all
the mansions owned by his business and golf cronies.

Kate’s parents’ house
was like something from a storybook. It was white with light beige shutters. No
white picket fence, though. This one had a chain link one all the way around
the perimeter, and by the looks of things, her parents were avid gardeners. The
front yard was in full bloom, and baskets hung from three spots on the front of
the porch. Hey, it even had two wicker rocking chairs. Yeah, he could see
himself sitting in one, enjoying a beer, with Kate next to him sipping a soda.

He opened the gate
for her and then followed her to the front porch where she rang the bell.

A stocky man in his
late sixties with a gray, receding hairline answered it. “Honey, come on in.”

“Dad, this is Brock
Dolan. Brock, this is my father, Patrick.”

“Pleased to meet you,
sir,” said Brock, holding out his hand.

“Same
here.
Well, come in, both of you.”

Brock put his hand on
the small of Kate’s back as she walked inside, and he followed close behind.
They went into the kitchen where a woman who looked a lot like Kate, only
heavier, was talking on the phone.

She raised her hand
and waved to Kate. “Stella, I have to go because Kate’s arrived. Yeah, honey, I
will.” She put the phone down, turned, and smiled.

“Mom, this is Brock
Dolan.
Brock, my mom, Sue.”

Brock took two
strides over to her and shook her hand.

“Pleased
to meet you, Brock.
Kate’s told us all about
you.”

“Really,” he said. He
pulled a face at Kate as she picked up some chips from a tray on the counter
and dragged them through dip.

“Honey, don’t go
ruining your appetite with too many of those things,” said Sue.

“I thought that’s why
they were sitting here,” said Kate.

“Can I help you with
anything?” asked Brock. Something smelled really good, and he noticed the table
was already set.