My First - Jason & Katie (10 page)

Jason began nodding before Wendy had even finished talking. “Of course, of course, Wendy. Get over to the florist, I’ll take care of Katie.”

“Thanks Romeo,” Aunt Wendy swooned, giving him a little chuck on the chin, “You’re a life saver.”

“No worries, it’s my pleasure.” Jason couldn't help adding a silent 'literally' to himself, but managed to keep even the hint of a twitch of a smile from showing on his lips.

Katie walked back to the waiting area of Mona’s wearing her street clothes and looked around the empty space. Everyone was gone, it seemed. She stood alone in the room with Mona, who was reading a magazine, seemingly unconcerned.

“Hey Mona, did you see where Aunt Wendy went?” Katie asked, puzzled, as she continued to glance around the shop and then to strain her neck to look into Richard’s side of the space. Maybe, Katie figured, Aunt Wendy had stopped by to help the men out.

Nope, it was empty. Hmmm....

“I don’t know where your aunt is, sweetie pie, but it looks like you DO have a driver waiting on you,” Mona said, and the playful tone in her voice set off red flags of warning in Katie's mind.

She turned slowly and saw Jason leaning against his black Chevy truck, looking like he was a living breathing movie poster.

She was so stunned by the sight of Jason that it took her a moment to register anything about his truck. It wasn’t the truck that he had in high school.

Again, she felt a rush of emotion. That was becoming the theme of the day.

Of course, it made sense that he wouldn't be driving the exact same vehicle ten years later. She certainly wasn't. But, somehow, it had never even entered her mind that Jason would drive anything but his black Chevy truck, the one which had formed a matching set with Nick's. The idea of Jason had become inextricably linked in her mind with the thought of that shining, beautiful black truck.

He and Nick had bought their matching set of trucks on the same day, even. They had nicknamed the identical pick-ups “the twins.” They thought that double entendre was pretty clever. It had always annoyed Katie to no end, but looking back on it now, she could certainly see why sixteen year old boys would find that particular nickname pretty amusing.

Katie steeled herself for another conversation with Jason and determined that she was going to keep it light, NO MATTER HOW INFURIATING (or sexy) HE WAS! She breathed in deeply and put on a bright smile, then stepped confidently out the door.

“Hey Jas, have you seen Aunt Wendy?” Katie asked, cheerful tone firmly in place.

“I did, actually. She asked if I could give you a ride. She had a floral emergency that she needed to attend to,” Jason said as he gallantly opened the passenger side door of his truck.

“Oh, okay,” Katie said, resolutely refusing to abandon her cheerful tone even though she now felt virtually bathed in regret for not insisting that she drive her own car here. As she walked past Jason to get into the truck she felt goosebumps rising all up and down her arms, and she realized that riding in this truck with Jason – even if it wasn't technically one of “the twins” - might be too much for her.

“On second thought Jas...it’s a beautiful day. I think I'll just walk,” Katie chirped, scampering away from the truck and down the sidewalk as quickly as her feet would carry her.

“Really?” Jason's laconic tone made Katie stiffen as called after her, “You think that you have enough time to walk all the way back to Harper Lane, change your clothes, and then make it back downtown again by the time the luncheon starts at Salvatore's?”

She knew Jason was just pointing out the obvious, but that irritated her even more, because he was right. Still, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction, and she kept up her fast-paced strides.

“Fine, then,” Jason said, his voice oozing with ‘disappointment’, “I guess you'll just disappoint Sophie. I mean, it's not big a deal. You're just the maid of honor. I guess I'll just drive over to the restaurant and tell her you turned down a ride, so you'll be a little late. I mean, she probably won't care. And you probably won't be more than, what? 45 minutes? An hour late? You never minded being late, right Kit Kat?”

Katie stopped walking, her shoulders slumped. She knew when she was beaten. She heard the truck start up behind her, and then pull up to her side. She looked over and saw Jason grinning behind the wheel, and – grin still plastered firmly to his face – he leaned over and popped the passenger door's handle. Katie sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon.

“Fine, I guess you’re right,” Katie mumbled begrudgingly as she pulled the door the rest of the way open and slid into her seat. She leaned back and closed her eyes, resigning herself to the fact that she was going to be in a small, confined area with Jason for a fairly protracted period of time.

“You’re welcome, Kit Kat.” Jason said cheerfully as he pulled away. Katie did not answer, or even give an indication that she had heard his little dig.

As the truck moved along the familiar streets, carrying them closer and closer to Katie's home, she began to feel a little guilty. After all, it wasn't Jason's fault that she didn’t trust herself around him. It was hers. She needed to “drink a can of suck it up” as Grandpa J always said to anyone that dared to whine or complain.

She only had to spend this one weekend with Jason, so she might as well try to get through it with dignity and class. No matter what Jason might think of her now, she was still holding out hope that all the years that they had known each other prior to that fateful night would somehow trump that incident in his memory. Maybe then they could go on being friends.

In just the few short hours that she had been back in town she had realized (if she were being completely honest with herself) just how much she had actually missed Jason.

And she didn't think this was just her hormones talking, either. In fact, she wished they would just SHUT UP already!

Nope, what she missed was his smile, his voice, his eyes...heck, she even missed arguing with him! And then, of course, there was the fact that he
always
seemed to be around right when she needed something. She had forgotten what that felt like.

Although Katie could see him sneaking little glances over at her, Jason was also silent on the ride back to the house. Katie was not used to that. Jason always had something to say.

Was he upset that he had to play the role of chauffeur? No. That's not something that would bother him. Jason was, by far, the most ‘go with the flow’ person Katie knew.

As Katie stealthily watched him, silently driving down 10th Street, she was momentarily distracted by how ruggedly handsome he had become. As he looked into the rearview mirror with intense concentration, the sunlight beaming through the windshield hit his eyes, and Katie could see gold flecks surrounding his pupils. She was mesmerized.

“Katie, I said do you know him?” Jason snapped.

“What? Who?” Katie asked, returning to her senses.

“The guy on the motorcycle about two car length backs,” Jason said, tension tightening his voice in a way Katie had rarely heard.

Katie looked back and saw a young guy on a motorcycle a few yards behind them. He was probably early twenties, well built, with blond hair and sunglasses. There WAS an air of familiarity about him, when Katie stopped to think...but she couldn't quite nail down what that might be from, or where she may have crossed paths with him before.

“He looks familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it. Why? Who is he?” Katie asked, shrugging. She assumed it was someone that they had known as teenagers, a friend's younger brother or cousin or something like that.

“I don’t know, Katie. That is why I asked if you knew him,” Jason said, his tone even more tense than it had been before. “He was across the street at Cup O’ Joe nursing a coffee when I pulled up to Richard’s. I noticed him staring at the window of Mona’s so I walked in there to see what he might be looking at. The first thing I saw was Sophie in all of her bridal glory, so I just assumed that he was looking at the soon-to-be bride.

“But while I was waiting for you, he just sat across the street sipping away. Until, that is, YOU came out of the shop and started walking down the street away from my truck. Then he got up and started walking the pavement. When you got in my truck, he doubled back, put his helmet on, got on his bike, and now he's behind us.”

“That’s weird,” Katie remembered, a shiver running down her spine (and not the good kind), “because when I pulled up to Mona’s, I had the strangest feeling that I was being watched. I convinced myself I was being paranoid because when I looked around, I didn’t see anyone.”

“You probably didn’t see him because he was holding up a paper and pretending to read it. I saw him raise it a couple of times when he saw Mona’s door open.”

“Should have been my first clue,” Katie tried to joke, “Who reads the print edition anymore?”

Jason did not participate in her frivolity, apparently not looking at this as a joking matter. He asked with an edge in his voice, “Any reason you would have some hot shot following you?”

“Come on Jas. I'm not exactly the ‘girl who gets followed’ type. It’s probably just a coincidence,” Katie answered, trying to downplay.

Although...now that she thought about it, at the law office where she worked they recently hired security to walk everyone to their cars, and also held a mandatory self-defense class when a female associate was attacked in the parking garage after a rapist that she had helped put away was paroled.

But that was in California. A whole world away! Now she was back in Illinois, and she was sure that any potential trouble that had started brewing in the Golden State would not have followed her here. At least...that's what she told herself.

She did start unconsciously thinking through all of the cases that she had been on in the past two years. They were like a brimming file drawer in her head and she shuffled through them one by one.

She was so involved in her mental case review, in fact, that she did not hear the sound of either her phone ringing, or of Jason's voice as he tried to get her attention.

“Kit Kat, your phone's going off,” Jason said as he continued to drive, “and Mr. Motorcycle just turned onto Green Briar.”

“Oh right, my phone,” Katie said, startled out of her reverie, and she rummaged through her purse until she found it. Sure enough, she had a text message. How had she not heard her phone? Man, she really had to get her head in the game! This whole 'checking in and out of reality' thing was beyond unnerving.

She looked at her phone. The text message was from Sophie:

'Katie can u do me a huge favor PLEASE! I am REALLY running late & I need u to stop by the drugstore and pick me up some tampons. Can u believe my luck, aunt flo coming to visit two days before the wedding!! Let me know if u can, MOH Thx XOXO'

Katie immediately texted back:

'Of course I will Sophiebell. See you in a little bit. <3'

Well, Katie thought to herself with a small smile, I guess I know for certain it's not a shotgun wedding.

“Um, Jas? Can you make a detour to CVS? I need to get something before the luncheon.” Katie looked up at Jason when he didn't answer right away and saw that was still looking in his rearview mirror every two seconds.

When Jason noticed her watching him, he replied, “Sure. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it was just Sophie. She needed me to pick something up for her. She doesn’t have time to get before the luncheon,” Katie said, returning her phone to her purse and crossing her fingers that no more text-mergencies would be forthcoming.

“I can drop you off at Aunt Wendy’s so you can start getting ready. Whatever she needs, I'll go get it for her and swing it by Salvatore’s. I assume you’ll want to change before the lunch,” Jason said.

Katie looked down at her plain grey tank top and jeans and knew that she was going to have to dress
slightly
more upscale for lunch at Salvatore’s. At the same time, she didn’t think that Jason would be game for this particular errand.

“I think it’s better if I pick this up, but thanks anyway,” she hedged.

“Come on, Kit Kat. What is it, something girly? Make-up, nylons, hair spray...I can handle it,” Jason sounded much more like his normal, easygoing self since the mystery man was no longer following them.

Katie turned to look at him, a small smile playing at her lips, “Oh, really, Jas? Because it's tampons.”

“Oh.”

“Still think you can handle it?” She teased, waiting for one of his trademark witty comebacks.

To her surprise, he merely shrugged nonchalantly. “Sure. I mean, if you tell me exactly what brand, and any special instructions or whatever, I can pick them up.”

Katie, taken aback by his blasé attitude about something that would have unsettled most of the guys she knew, insisted, “No, Jas, its fine. I can get them.”

Jas shrugged as he turned off 10th Street toward the nearest CVS, “Suit yourself. Well, hey. At least now we know it’s not a shotgun wedding.”

“Jas!” Katie said, shocked, as she slugged him in the arm.

“What? You know that was the first thing you thought,” Jason raised his eyebrows and fixed her with a lightly accusatory stare, albeit one that was tempered with a smile.