Torn (4 page)

Katie looked at her
quizzically. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk more about
your
evening?”

“
Hell no!” Her forehead
crinkled, then relaxed. “It’s simple. Ian’s a slug, who can’t keep
his eyes from roaming over every tight skirt that passes by, and I
deserve better.”

“
Of course, you deserve
better. Besides, you always said Ian was just for fun—you would
never marry him.”

“
I did say that.” Maggie
sat back on the bed, leaning against the wall. “So . . . where did
you go, and with who?” She sat upright and narrowed her eyes.
“Please tell me you didn’t go to a party without me! What the hell,
Katie?”

“
I didn’t go to a party!”
Katie lifted her arms in surrender. “You’re not going to believe
what I did and with whom.” Katie swooned, leaned back against the
bed, and began telling Maggie about her evening with
Branson.

“
You’re freaking kidding
me?” Maggie shifted on the bed, her eyes wide with wonder. “What
did you do? Where did you go? What’d ya talk about? Tell me
everything!”

“
Whoa! Slow down.” Katie
couldn’t have hidden the wide grin, suddenly cramping her cheeks,
if her life depended on it.“We talked for a couple of hours at the
coffee shop, and then tried to watch a movie in his
apartment.”

“
What do you mean
tried?
” Maggie’s face
lit up, eager to hear the details.

“
Seriously, Maggie! You
don’t think I would give it up so easily do you?” Actually, she
knew she would have, if he’d made a move. He was deliciously
handsome, and it took every ounce of will power not to throw
herself at him. “We tried to watch the movie, but ended up talking
through most of it. A kiss on the cheek when he walked me to the
elevator was as far as things got.” Katie sighed, falling back onto
the bed. “I really like him, Mags. We have a great deal in common
and you saw him—he’s gorgeous.”

Maggie laughed. “Are you going to see
him again?”

“
I hope so.”

Four

Katie was deep into her studies when
her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number and let it go to
voicemail, so she could finish up and head to lunch with the girls.
After packing up her notes and closing her books, she informed
Maggie that she was ready to go. After meeting some friends
downstairs, they slipped on their scarves and coats, and decided to
walk to The Spot for Pepe’s pizza. After eating two slices, Katie
remembered to check her phone to see if the unknown caller had left
a message. She held the phone to her ear and grinned as Branson’s
voice filled her ear.

“
Hi, it’s Branson Stone. I
was calling to see if you were free tonight for dinner and a movie.
My number should be on your caller ID now, so . . . I hope to hear
from you soon.”

Katie couldn’t quit smiling as she
thought of a night out with Branson.

“
Whoever that was has you
grinning from ear to ear—do tell.” Alexa Greer rested her elbows on
the table and placed her chin on folded hands. She was a bossy,
know-it-all that set Katie on edge, to the point she hardly enjoyed
the girl’s company. She was an attractive girl with a cute, brown
pixie cut, but didn’t have a personality to match.

Maggie leaned forward and said, “It
was him, wasn’t it? Branson?”

Katie glared at Maggie for sharing her
life with the table. “Yes. He asked me to dinner and a movie
tonight.” It took all her willpower not to giggle and act like a
boy-crazy teenager, instead she said matter-of-factly, “I should be
able to go, since I studied this morning.”

Alexa’s eyes grew wide in disbelief.
“Branson Stone asked you out?” she asked, the jealousy clear in her
voice and posture.

“
Yes, do you know him?”
Katie asked.

Alexa sat back in her
chair and let the smile fade from her lips. “I don’t know him
personally, but I’ve heard he’s a real player. A lot of girls throw
themselves at him
—
it’s gone to his head.”

Maggie whipped her head
around to Alexa, looking as if she could burn a hole through her
with the power behind her angry eyes. “Well, if that’s true, why
have
you
been
after him for the last two years—attending every tennis match? You
don’t even play tennis!”

Katie stood and started to put her
coat on. “Okay, I’m a grown woman, perfectly capable of discerning
a good guy from a player. I’m going out with him again. I really
enjoy his company. I mean jeez, it’s just a date.”

Katie couldn’t wait to get back to her
room and call Branson in private. She wouldn’t dare talk to him
with an eavesdropping Alexa within hearing distance. As she and
Maggie walked back to the dorm, all she could think about was what
she would wear and how she would style her hair. Excitement and
nerves played with each other on her insides, and she suddenly
wished she hadn’t eaten the second slice of pizza.

***

Branson pulled on a pair of jeans and
looked at his grey sweater. He gave it a couple of good shakes,
trying to get the wrinkles out, and then slipped it over his head.
He thought about Katie. There was something intriguing about her
that he couldn’t put his finger on. She was beautiful, and kind,
but it was her quirky confidence that made him eager to get to know
her better. He enjoyed her conversation, and for the first time in
his life he had chickened out of kissing a girl. She had given him
every chance, and he blew it. He wouldn’t make that mistake
again.

He let his thoughts wander
to the last conversation with his father.
“Dad, you’ve worked hard to build this company. You can’t
just let me step in and take over. Let’s work together—you’re much
too young to retire.”

“
No, your mother and I
want to see the world while we’re still young. You’re a fine
businessman, son, and you’ll do an excellent job of filling my
shoes. Just don’t outshine me too quickly, okay?”

“
So, where are you and mom
going first?”

“
Your mother has always
wanted to see Ireland, so we’ll start there and travel around
Europe. We’ll come back to see you on occasion, of course.” His dad
mussed up Branson’s hair, like he had done since he was a kid, and
he realized it might be best they didn’t work side-by-side after
all.

“
What about the house? Are
you going to sell it?”

“
Yes, I figure you’ll want
a place of your own after graduation.” He combed his hair,
straightened his tie, and turned to his son. “You do want the job
at PCS, don’t you? Would you tell me if there was another dream you
wanted to pursue?”

“
Yes, Dad. As long as I
have time for an occasional game of tennis, and a few women—I’m all
in.”

Branson smiled as he thought of his
dad. He was constantly combing back his hair and straightening his
tie. He was definitely in touch with his inner nerd. He thought
about his mom and wondered what on earth she’d seen in his father.
She was quiet, sweet, and very athletic, but didn’t know a thing
about computers, or even how to work the plethora of remotes they
kept on the coffee table. She would often call Branson into the
living room to change the channel to the Game Show Network for
her.

He had been infused with both of their
personalities. His mother pushed him into sports and they ran
together on the weekends. She was never the type to coddle him, but
instead encouraged him to push through cramps and fatigue.
Sometimes, he hated running with her, but when it was over he felt
a huge sense of accomplishment and was grateful for her
drive.

His father was the one who
grew his love for technology, math, and classic sci-fi movies. When
the new
Star Wars
movies came out in theaters, they saw each of them at the
midnight premiere.

He was definitely guided in the
direction they both wanted for him, but he hadn’t any objections
about the career choice.

Branson checked himself in the mirror,
grabbed his coat and keys, and let his roommate know he was going
out.

***

Katie walked outside when she saw
Branson pull up in a silver car. Branson hopped out and opened the
passenger door, gently shutting it after Katie slipped in. “Are you
in the mood for sushi?”

“
I love sushi.”

“
Good. I hear Miya’s is
amazing.”

The menu was filled with
selections of sushi, sashimi, and spring roll choices. Katie had
never seen such a selection and was unsure what to order.
If it comes down to it, I’ll just order the
second thing on the menu. That’s always a safe zone.

“
Do you drink sake? I see
they have one called Cherokee Sumac Love Potion.” He smiled
impishly.

“
Somehow, I don’t think we
need that one.” Katie smiled, and then immediately hid her face
behind the menu. “Oh God, did I just say that out loud?”

“
Yes—yes, you did,”
Branson laughed heartily. “And I have to agree. How about . . .
Okay, they’re all named seductively, but the Bonobo juice sounds
great. What do you think?”

Katie kept the menu up while she
answered. “Yes, that sounds wonderful.”

The sake instantly warmed Katie and
brought a relaxed confidence with it. “Mmm, this is good. I taste a
hint of lime.”

“
Tell me about your
family. Do you have any siblings?” Branson asked before taking
another sip of sake.

Katie thought about Gram
and smiled. Most girls would have felt robbed without parents, but
Katie had the best parent, ally, and comrade in Gram. They often
laughed until they were breathless, traveled all over the coastline
together, enjoyed operas, symphonies, and not a year passed that
they didn’t attend the
Nutcracker
ballet for Christmas. She hated the cold, but
always looked forward to sipping Wassail by the fire and staying up
most of the night retelling stories of their adventures together
over the years. She hadn’t realized until now how much she missed
her, and wondered if Branson would have the chance to meet
her.

“
My parents were killed in
a car accident when I was two. I was raised by my father’s mother,
Gram.” Katie could see the look of remorse on Branson’s face and
wanted to erase it. “Please, don’t look at me like that. Trust
me—I’ve had the most amazing life. Gram was not only a wonderful
parent, but she’s my best friend, and we’ve had a great time
together. I wouldn’t change a thing about my upbringing, except
maybe an older brother. I was always so jealous of my girlfriends
when their older brothers were so protective of them—giving
boyfriends the stink-eye.” Katie laughed, and asked Branson about
his family.

“
My mother is a homemaker,
who is never at home. She’s involved in everything she can get her
hands in. She loves to run—she’s completed half a dozen marathons
and triathlons. My father is just the opposite, and will tell you
that if you see him running it means something is chasing him. I
have two older sisters, who are both married. One of whom has a
son, Jackson. He’s two, mean as a snake, and the cutest kid I’ve
ever seen.”

“
Do they live
close?”

“
My sister with the baby,
Jennifer, lives about an hour away. We see her once a month or so.
My other sister, Laynie, still lives in Texas, so we only see her
about four times a year.”

“
I forgot that you were
from Texas. What part?”

“
Austin. It’s beautiful
there, my dad used to take me to the UT football games. I used to
wear a huge Longhorn hat to every game when I was a kid—thought for
sure I would attend college there. Have you ever been?”

Something flashed in Katie’s mind. She
envisioned the burnt orange uniforms. She furrowed her brow to dig
deeper into the memory, but it ran dry. “I’m not sure, maybe when I
was a kid. I vaguely remember watching them play, but it could have
been on TV.”

“
Maybe you and your Gram
went when you were younger. She does sound great, if she took you
to football games.”

“
I’ll have to ask her.
She’s never taken me to a football game that I can remember. The
symphony, yes. Football . . . not so much.”

“
We should get going if we
want to make the movie on time,” Branson said, paying the check and
gathering their coats.

Within minutes they were in the car,
waiting for the engine to warm enough for the heat to come on. When
it did, Katie rubbed her hands together. “Ah, that’s more like
it.”

Branson shuffled through the radio
stations, settling on a station playing Lana Del Ray. “This
okay?”

“
Yeah, I like her.
Depressing, but she’s got a beautiful voice.”

“
Tell me something, Katie.
Something no one else knows.”

“
Well, Maggie knows
everything about me, but hmm . . . something most people don’t know
. . . at the risk of sounding like a dork, I’ve memorized nearly
every line of
Les
Misérables
,
but
I’ve never seen it live.”