Resilient (2) (25 page)

“Wow. You made me breakfast? I was just starting to get hungry.”
 

He was wearing long gym shorts and no shirt. She appreciated that fact. If he never wore a shirt again she would totally be on board. He must have just taken shower because his light brown waves were damp. She wasn’t sure what looked more delicious, the huge omelette on the tray or him. But of course Xander would win that contest hands down. Preferably her hands down on the table while he took her from be—

What? Two times last night wasn’t enough?

Smirking, he took her mug and replaced it with a tall glass of orange juice.

“Do you think you can control yourself long enough to eat?” he asked smugly. She flipped him off.

Always so cocky, speaking of cock…Jesus, get a grip, horn ball.

“Easy there, Romeo. I was just admiring your wardrobe choice this morning. It’s funny, I’m wearing a shirt and you’re not, you’re wearing underwear…and I’m not.” She tilted her head and grinned. It was his turn to get a look.

“Who said I was wearing underwear?” He smiled seductively.

She set down her glass and stood. “Honestly, I think this whole breakfast is the most important meal of the day stuff is totally overrated.”
 

Xander’s kitchen table was very hard, but somehow Katrine didn’t notice…

Chapter 24

“I thought you said we were going to eat at your favorite place in New York?” Katrine asked. She was confused because they were in a deli on the corner. No tables, just a counter and a middle-aged man with a white apron behind it. The case was filled with more kinds of meat than she thought existed. She had nothing against delis, she was just surprised.

“We
are
going to eat at my favorite place, once we get my favorite sandwiches.” He said it like that cleared everything up. Xander rattled off his order, thanked the guy like an old friend, and grabbed the two bags. Nodding towards the door, he smiled and said, “Come on.” Katrine followed him out. Why was it she never knew where she was going to end up when she was with him? She loved that.

“Here we are. This looks like a good spot.” He plopped down on the grass and tapped the spot beside him. In a million years she would’ve never guessed he would take her here. The man could go to any restaurant in the city, and here they were, eating deli sandwiches under a tree. Xander had come into her room wearing baggy cargo shorts and a fitted blue t-shirt, so she knew the dress she had out on the bed wasn’t appropriate. She’d switched to shorts and a nice tank top, thank god for that.

“You always surprise me, Xander.” She chuckled, shaking her head.
 

“Oh my god…this is the best sandwich I’ve ever tasted.” Eye roll…four kinds of meat, two cheeses, maybe more. Every vegetable you could put on a sandwich. The bread was soft in the center and crusty on the outside.

 
“Aren’t they good?”

He didn’t apologize for the fact that he didn’t take her to an actual restaurant. In fact, he didn’t even ask her if she minded eating on the ground in Central Park. He just knew she was the type of person that would enjoy this and that made her chest warm. He was right. Out of all the fancy dinners they’d had, this one, sitting side by side, would go down as one of her favorites.
 

It was late afternoon and the sun was starting to set, just when the sun turns from gold to blood orange. The rays from the dimming sunlight shot through the branches, making the leaves look like they were on fire. Some called it twilight, some the gloaming. Whatever you called it, it was perfect.

She swallowed a bite, laid her head on his shoulder, and whispered, “Smile list.”
 

They walked around the park hand in hand for a few hours, telling stories and laughing. Sometimes they said nothing at all. And
 
it was in the quiet moments, their clasped hands swinging in between them, that she felt true contentment. The kind that can’t be contrived, the kind that just was, without effort and without thought.
 

 
He wanted to know all about her job and school. Katrine wanted to ask why his little spy didn’t fill him in, but decided to bite her tongue. Yes, she was capable of that sometimes.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been doing all of the talking it seems.”

“Don’t apologize. I love hearing your voice, it’s very soothing. Plus I like how you talk with your hands. Even if I’m holding one of them, you manage to fling both in the air, it’s so cute.” He brought their joined hands up to his mouth.
 

“I want to know what you’ve been doing, too. Not who, but what. Okay?”

He laughed. “That goes for you, too. I have no desire to hear about you and other guys, especially him.” At the mention of Ian, Katrine flinched inside. It felt like a tiny piece of glass stabbed her in the heart.

“I don’t want to talk about him, either.” She couldn’t keep the sorrow and regret out of her voice, but he didn’t mention it again. He just squeezed her hand. The fact that she was here with him was all he cared about. If Ian had to get hurt in the process, so be it.
 

“How about we pick up some wine and get buzzed on my terrace?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Katrine grabbed her clothes off
 
the hangers and folded them neatly. She was almost finished packing and then it was back to Texas. She went into the bathroom to grab her things when her phone rang.

“Hey, handsome!”

“Hello, gorgeous. A little birdie told me you were in New York,” Tristan cooed.

“That loud mouth little bird is going to get a beating.”

“Well?”

“Yes, I’m here and yes, I’m with Xander.”

“Of course you are. Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Oh yes, I’ve had a very nice time. I’m coming back home today, though. I need to get back to work and I miss Teddy.”

“Nice time? Girl, please, you tapped him like a keg. Don’t give me that nice time nonsense.”

She laughed. “Really, like a keg? What would you know about kegs, anyway? I’ve never seen you even drink a bottled beer, let alone cheap beer in a plastic cup.”

“Darling, like most gay boys in high school, I had to play the part. You’d be surprised.”

“Can we have lunch this week? Then I can tell you all about my trip. And I would love to hear more about your days in the closet.”

“It’s a date. I’ll text you when I know what day works.”

“Sounds good. Love you, Tris.”

“You too.”

She hadn’t told her friends yet. Not because she was afraid, but because she wanted to see how this weekend panned out. Since it went better than she could have ever imagined, she was going to tell them this week. They wouldn’t all approve, but she knew when it came down to it, they only wanted her happiness. And boy, was she happy right now.
 

“How’s my girl doing?” Xander said, leaning against the door frame. After a very steamy shower together, he’d been walking around all morning in very little clothing. She was sorry to see he’d put his shirt back on.
 

“Almost finished.”

“Do we have time for an encore of last night’s terrace activities? I think there are a couple of chairs we missed,” he whispered in her ear, running his hands up her thighs.

“Xander, you’re going to make me miss my flight.”

“Would that be so terrible?” He was now assaulting her neck with whispered words and kisses.

She shivered. “Yes, it would. I have to get back to work.”

“Katrine, my company owns Smith Oil. I’ll write you a note.”
 

She turned towards him. “I would love to stay longer, but you have work, too. Besides, you promised you’d come see me after you got back from Chicago. I’m holding you to that.”

“My offer still stands if you want to join me.”

“Xander, I can’t. It may not be a high powered job like yours, but it’s all mine. I can’t just take off without giving them notice, okay?” She hoped this wouldn’t become an issue.
 

“Hey, I know what you’re thinking. I don’t think your job is less important than mine. I know how much it means to you. I just got you back, so I’m being greedy, that’s all. Don’t take it the wrong way, okay?”

Katrine pressed her lips to his and sighed. “Okay. Thank you for that. And part of me wants to blow everything off and spend every second with you, but you know I can’t. I have responsibilities, and of course there’s Teddy. I’m not sure how this is all going to work, but we’ll figure it out.”

He rubbed her cheek. “Hey, don’t worry. Like I said last night, I will do whatever it takes to have you in my life.”

“Sorry, but things you say right before an orgasm, don’t count,” she teased.

Of course she wanted him too, very badly, but she wasn’t sure how this would work long term. Eventually the long distance would wear on them both. Until that happened, she would enjoy every minute. She wasn’t looking to get married or settle down, so maybe it could work. Maybe if she kept telling herself that…

Xander ordered a driver for the trip to the airport. He said he wanted them to be able to make-out in peace. And they did, almost the whole way. They talked a little too, very little. Mostly about how happy they were to be together again and Xander thanking her for giving him another chance. While they walked to security, he offered to buy a ticket to anywhere so he could keep her company until she left. They stood facing each other, holding both hands.

“That is so romantic…but a complete waste of money. Just because you have money to burn doesn’t mean you should. You really are sweet, you know that?”

“Shhh, don’t say that too loud,” he teased. “I’m not ready for you to go. I’m aching for you already…I don’t think I can make it two weeks.” He was almost whining.
 

“Chemistry was never our problem, Xander. It was everything else. Now it’s time for the everything else part…I have to go.” They clung to each other and kissed. Just one of the many couples saying goodbye with tear-filled eyes.

“I’ll miss you,” she whispered, resting her forehead against his.

“I love you, Katrine.”

“I never get tired of
 
hearing that.”

“I love you…I love you…I love you.” He kissed her temple softly.

She felt he needed to say it a few hundred more times to make up for the year they’d lost. Petty? Maybe. He’d suffered too, but he needed to work for it a little.
 

“See you soon.” She blew him a kiss as she got in line.

Chapter 25

Katrine was so excited to see her little man. She went straight from the airport to pick him up. She arrived and did something she’d never done before. She went up to the door of David’s very large two-story, pressed the doorbell and waited.

“Hello, Katrine.” David’s wife said kindly.

“Hi, Ari—um…Felicity.” Oops. “Is Teddy ready?”

“Mom!” He ran to the door and hugged her.

“Hey sweetie, I’ve missed you!”

“Me too, momma.”

David and scarlet snatch stood at the door and waved goodbye. Katrine wrapped her arm around Teddy and they walked to the car. It didn’t bother her to see them together. She no longer had romantic feelings towards her ex-husband. That spoke volumes about the state of their marriage towards the end. The depth of her grief had been abyssal. But thankfully it didn’t last. She always mourned hard but never dwelled. Her dad said she’d always been resilient. Katrine guessed it was just who she was and didn’t know how else to be.

And maybe someday she’d stop making up nick names for his wife, but probably not. She had to get her kicks somewhere.
 

 
On Monday morning Katrine dropped Teddy off at soccer camp, one of many scheduled camps for the summer, along with two vacations: a trip with her to New Mexico, and back to the beach with David’s family, only for a week this time. Now that she was working, she had to keep him entertained.
 

After taking Friday off, she was anxious to get into the office. She was pulling into the parking garage when her phone rang. She usually would have sent the call to voice mail, but curiosity got the better of her and she looked at the screen.

“Hi there, I’m running late and I almost didn’t answer.”

“But you couldn’t resist when you saw it was me, could you?”

“Is there something you wanted or did you just call to be obnoxious?”
 

Xander chuckled. “Did someone not have her coffee yet?”

“Hanging up now.”

“No, wait! Okay, okay. I’ll behave. I really just wanted to tell you to have good day and that I miss you.”

Awwww.

“I miss you too and thank you. I hope you have a great day doing whatever it is you do.”
 

“I’ll have you know I have an extremely busy day. After a full day of meetings, I head down to Boston for two days. I’ll call you tonight after my dinner meeting.”

“Oh, you poor thing, it’s not easy being a big shot, is it?”

“I don’t know about the big shot part, but it isn’t easy.” He sighed. She was officially late, but hated to hang up.

“You sound tired.”

“I am, and my week’s only begun. Sometimes just looking at my schedule exhausts me. Would you still love me if I quit and became a street performer?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure what you’d perform. Do you have any talents I don’t know about?”

“I’m quite the break dancer, actually.”

“Okay. Good thing you have that hefty inheritance or you’d not only be dancing on a cardboard box, you’d be living in one, too.”

“That’s the thing…I don’t get my inheritance until my grandfather dies, and he’ll probably outlive us all, he’s a stubborn old codger.”

“Well, I guess you’d have to live off my meager salary.” She laughed.

“It better not be meager. I won’t have my girl struggling for anything.” He sounded angry.

“Hey, hey, it’s all right. I make plenty and I’m not struggling. But I’m very late, so I need to go. Besides, don’t you have a hostile takeover to oversee?”
 

“Not this week.”