The Husband Hunt - Kat's Season (The Bachelor Series) (9 page)

Pierce strolled towards her in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He held out his arms and looked around as if to say ‘Look at all this. Don’t you love it?”  God, he looked so handsome! Her desire for this man had to be curbed if she was going to make a rational decision about Pierce. “Hello Miss Kat,” he said hugging her.

They passed the afternoon, wandering arm in arm through the mu
seum, talking art, then stopped for baguettes and coffee at a café down a side street in the Village, visiting galleries, laughing. Kat was quickly falling for this charismatic man but wasn’t sure if the feeling was mutual. With all the flirting and fun, Pierce never kissed her again, or said that
he
was falling for her, like some of the other men. She started to doubt his interest and when they finally ended up at his sister’s apartment building for dinner, she asked him in the elevator. “Do you like me?”

He looked her in the eyes. “Yes, of course I do.”

“What do you like about me because I’m not feeling the love.” Kat tried to not sound accusatory.

He looked stunned, then took a deep breath and stopped the elevator. The camera men had gone ahead to set up the shot
of them leaving the elevator and they were finally alone. “I’m having trouble with the cameras in our faces all the time. I’m sorry if I haven’t told you. I guess I’m waiting to be alone with you.”

“That might not happen
for a while.”

“Well, we’
re alone now.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her. Deeply, sweetly. She sank into him and tried to not seem too needy, let him lead. When the alarm sounded for the elevator, he drew back, pressed the floor number and they continued up to the twelfth floor. As the door opened though, he dropped her hand suddenly and motioned for her to go first. The camera waited and followed them down the hall to the sister’s front door.

Inside,
Kat had a strange feeling as she greeted Pierce’s stand offish sister and her husband. Something was wrong. They were behaving strangely, like she’d caught them at a bad moment. She shook hands with the couple but the absence of warmth or a hug was painfully apparent.

Pierce’s mother had been detained in traffic and would come later. When they stopped filming to discuss whether or not to wait, Pierce insisted they continue. “She’s a little flaky and might not even make it.” The producers ex
changed looks, talked for a few minutes, and as things went from strange to worse, Kat knew she had to get Pierce alone to talk.

When the mother still hadn’t shown up by
the end of a meal ordered from a local Indian takeout, Kat pulled away from the table and stood. “Thank you for having me in your home. And now, I think Pierce and I need alone time.” She grabbed her coat from a rack at the door and they left the apartment. Kat and Pierce walked side by side to the elevator until Pierce broke the silence. “Look, I’m sorry about my mother. I obviously should’ve invited my father instead.” He tried to get her to smile but she wasn’t having it. Kat didn’t want to confront him if he was an innocent in this strange family, but she needed answers. By the time they sat down in the deserted lobby on a vinyl couch with cameras arced around them, the questions were bursting to come out of her mouth.

“Your sister didn’t like me much.
Why?”

He looked apologetic. “She’s quiet. Sorry. I’m the outgoing one in the
family.” He smiled.

“What’s going on Pierce? What the hell are you hiding from me?” She stared hard at his face.

“What makes you think I’m hiding something?”

Answering a question with another question wouldn’t work. “Tell
me, if you want to continue. Tell me what is going on?”

Pierce’s expression told her that he was going to come clean
, and she silently prayed it wouldn’t affect their relationship. Like maybe his mother was a spy and the mission went longer than anticipated. “My sister really liked my last girlfriend and she wasn’t convinced that I could move on.”

“The roommate?”

He nodded. “They’re good friends.”

“And your mother?”

“Oh, who knows? She’s great and all but she really is busy. And a little flaky.” He ran his hand through his long blonde hair. “I think she didn’t come because she didn’t like the idea of me going on this show.”

So your family wasn’t supportive of this?

“Not really.” He looked at her with apologetic eyes. “I’m sorry to put you through tonight. You should’ve met some of my friends.”

“And your other sister?”

“She’s traveling. Not in town.” There was a long, awkward pause while he seemed to think then he took her hand and smiled. “I’m sorry about this.” His hand in his hair again. “Oh God, this is hard.” He looked around the lobby. “I’m sorry about a lot of things, Kat.”

“Like what?” She had a bad feeling that he was going t
o say something terrible and he’d be gone after this conversation.

“I’m mostly sorry that
, although I really like you, I don’t feel as strongly as I should at this point.” His thumb rubbed her palm. “I’m not feeling it like you, and don’t know if I will.”

She pulled her hand back like it had been burned. “That’s the only honest thing you’ve said to me all day.” She stood and walked to the window
to look out at the New York night. A light rain had begun to fall. It would’ve been romantic to go for a walk in the rain. But not now. “I think you should leave the show.” She didn’t turn around. Instead, she waited for him to take back what he’d said, explain that he was slow at letting himself love and still wanted to try to catch up with her feelings. That there was great potential because of their shared love of art. Instead she heard the tap of his shoes on the marble floor and then the cameramen scurrying around. Kat didn’t turn around, although she knew they’d want to see the tears in her eyes, get it all on camera. She stared out the window until the show’s SUV drove off with Pierce inside.

The producers were excited. She heard them
talking amongst themselves, re-thinking what had just happened. Words like “so sudden,” “What just happened?” and “did you see that coming?” circulated the lobby until the elevator door opened and Pierce’s sister came out, prepared to leave with a purse, wearing a coat. She looked stunned to see Kat standing there. Camera’s switched on and the crew got in position as Kat approached her.

“I told your brother to leave. He isn’t in love with me
.”

“It’s for the bes
t.” The sister looked like she was holding back a grin.

“Why do you say that?” Kat folded her arms across her chest.
She hated this sister, anyhow.

The sister looked over to the cameras. “Are they on? I can’t say with them taping us.”

Kat motioned to turn off and the director of the show shook his head.

The sister shrugged.
“Pierce isn’t over his last relationship.” She touched Kat’s arm on her way by and hurried out the door.

Kat sank to the couch and tears came to her eyes. She felt like she’d just witnessed
a friend’s accidental death. “He’s gone,” she muttered to herself. The cameras continued to film as a producer fed her questions from behind the camera.

“How do you feel now?”

“I feel like I’ve been played for a fool. I feel used and stupid.” She let the tears fall, even though in three months the emotion spent on this moment would seem useless. “I feel like this hometown date took a very bad turn and crashed into a tree.”

She’d been waiting in a botanical park in downtown Atlanta for about five minutes when the SUV pulled up and Ben stepped out. He looked fresh, and gorgeous and the sight of him made Kat want to run and hug him, make all the hurt go away from the last few days. She wouldn’t confess that her heart hurt from Pierce. This was Ben’s day. She had to put the last two days behind her and give this wonderful man her full attention. Wearing faded blue jeans, just tight enough, and a Black t shirt, Ben looked good enough to eat. She’d seen him in suits plenty, but liked Ben’s look in plain old jeans. He moved like he’d spent loads of time on sport teams, shooting hoops, scoring goals, being loved by his coaches.

Not able to wait until he reached her,
she ran to him with a big smile on her face. “I missed you!” He stood still and laughed as she closed the distance between them.

“Me too
.” They kissed long and tenderly, probably too long for the moment, but Kat was hesitant to let go of him now that she had him in her arms. His strength under the T- shirt was intoxicating, and he smelled like clean laundry. “That’s a nice welcome,” he joked.

“H
ey, you’re the one who’s supposed to welcome me to Atlanta.” They kissed again.

“You taste good,” he whispered
.

Ben was so sweet and normal and lovely, she wanted to cry.
But wouldn’t.

“I’m happy to see you.
I can’t wait for you to meet my family.” They grinned at each other. “But first I want you to come by my office to meet my partners, and then we’ll go have lunch at my place.”

At Ben’s office building
, they strolled hand in hand in through the door of the offices of Workman, Sully and Kiekle, with Ben joking that their names sounded like a comedy troupe. His last name was Workman and he got to go first because,” they went unalphabetically,” he explained with a straight face. Ben’s partners were all smiles, fun, young guys with mini basketball hoops in their offices and nerf gun darts all over the floor. Framed posters of sports figures covered the walls. “We represent athletes.” Ben pointed to a football player’s poster hung above a conference table. “He’s kinda famous.”

 
               Kat looked apologetically at Ben. “I’m sorry I don’t know these guys.”

 
               “S’okay” He didn’t seem to mind. He shrugged at his partners and they laughed.

 
               “At least we know you’re not interested in Ben to get at LeVon here.” The partner named Kiekle pointed to a print of a tall black man shooting a basket.

“He’s my client,” Ben explained
, and Kat nodded.

Ben’s apartment was spotless and spar
sely decorated.” It’s not very homey but it’s close to work and serves the purpose.”

Kat couldn’t help
but decorate the place in her mind as she walked through the loft apartment. “It’s nice. Lots of potential,” she said smiling. When Ben grabbed her for a kiss, she imagined them living here, him going off to work every day, her going to the studio to paint, or to teach art somewhere. They’d go for runs in the evening or before work. Ben kissed like a dream come true and Kat cautioned herself to not get carried away. Her feelings for Pierce lingered. Too closely.
And look how that turned out
.

When they ate lunch
on Ben’s deck and Kat teased him about his pretty window boxes, Ben countered “my sister does these for me. You’ll meet Jade tonight.” He grinned and popped a piece of chicken in his mouth. Sitting in the Atlanta sunshine eating a simple lunch with Ben was right where Kat wanted to be that day. He was good company, fun, but serious when he needed to be.

“You told me once that you wanted children?”

“I want at least two years with my wife before we enter that part of our lives. Parenting is really hard, from what I see, and I want some time to build the relationship’s foundation before diapers and late nights and making kid meals that end up mostly on the floor.”

Kat laughed. “It sounds like you’re around young families a lot.”

“Both partners have kids.” He looked sheepishly at her. “I hang out a lot with them. The single scene is not a good one for me anymore.”

“Why?”

“Too fake.” He shrugged. “I never met anyone that had my values or dreams at a club. I kind of gave up on dating last year and everyone was worried.” He laughed. “My sister and mother convinced me to do this show.” He stopped and looked at her like he was just discovering something. “I wasn’t sure what would happen. I only knew that the odds of falling for someone was not good, and that the odds of her reciprocating with twenty-five others vying for her attention, was even worse.”

“And now what do you think?” S
he stopped eating in case his answer made her lose her appetite.”

“
I’m glad I did this. But I also realize you’re dating three other guys and that fact tells me to be cautious.” He raised one eyebrow and grinned sadly.

She nodded. If anyone could understand that, it was her. The time to really fall in love was after the final rose, when it was only two people. Not now.

“I like you,” he added. “I think you know that, but I’m holding back until I know where this is going.”

“But could you see a life with me when this is all over?”

He paused too long. “I’m not sure.” He pulled his chair closer to her and took her hand. “We need more time to get to know each other. You have to agree Kat, don’t you? We are still fresh in this speed dating thing.”

She did agree but she also didn’t want to end up choosing the wrong person when this was all over and having it all be for nothing. That was a thought that terrified her.