Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series) (31 page)

“This is the friend you have been running off to see so often? Katherine, the man is a drunk, more than that: a druggie. How is he in anyway appropriate for the image of…”

“Stop right there!” Katherine cut him; he blinked in surprise. “Adam is one of my oldest and closest friends and yes, he’s had a rough run of it lately and made some less than desirable decisions but he remains my friend. Furthermore, he has gone through hell to turn his life around. I have stood by him to help him accomplish that and will continue to stand by him as he establishes himself in a new life.”

“Or falls back into the old one,” Derrick countered.

“No, he won’t fall back into it,” Katherine’s chin rose in defiance.

“Katherine, I don’t want to see you hurt,” Derrick softened his voice.

“Then don’t insult my friends,” she returned and watched him frown.

“You’re right, I’m sorry, just try to appreciate my concern. I don’t want you hurt and my fiancée has been running off to spend time with another man.”

“With a friend,” she corrected.

“Right. Why don’t we return inside so I can get to know him?”

“I’d like that. Adam is a great guy, Derrick; you’ll see that for yourself.”

“I hope so,” Derrick looked doubtful.

Adam watched them approach and knew by the color in Kaitlyn’s cheeks that they had argued. He’d admit that he had been prepared not to like Derrick just based on what he’d heard about him. Now that he had met him he liked him even less.

“Sorry about that,” Katherine offered him a smile.

“Sure, no problem,” Adam assured her.

“So, Adam, what do you plan to do now that you’ve finished with rehab?” Derrick asked Adam.

“I’m not certain as yet but I am kicking around ideas.”

“Katherine says you two have been friends since high school. How exactly did you meet?”

“Kaitlyn and I had Advanced Math together first period and drama last period. My first day there I was having trouble with my schedule and the campus and Mrs. White had Kaitlyn…”

“Katherine,” Derrick corrected.

“Mrs. White had Kaitlyn give me a tour. We’ve been friends ever since.”

“I don’t think he wanted to make friends but I’ve never let that stop me,” Katherine laughed.

“I would think the two of you had to be quite different,” Derrick noted.

“Completely opposite in a lot ways,” Adam admitted. “Kaitlyn simply refused to let me hide.”

“It’s Katherine,” Derrick corrected him again. “Did your high school friends call you Kaitlyn?” Derrick turned to Katherine.

“Only Adam. Apparently I remind him of his grandmother,” she joked.

“Right,” Derrick eyed Adam carefully. “Did you and Mom get a chance to go shopping?” he turned to Katherine.

“Not really. I’ve been busy when she was free and she’s been busy when I was free.”

“Given her schedule you may have to rearrange a few things. She can really help you.  She assured me she can get you in to see her stylist to have your hair straightened and to get a new cut.”

Adam’s head snapped up from his menu at that as he frowned at the man. He looked over to find Kaitlyn frowning at her menu and fidgeting. Before she could respond, the waiter appeared to take their orders. Adam watched Derrick order salmon for both himself and Kaitlyn and frowned. Kaitlyn would eat salmon but she wasn’t crazy over it. What she loved were fried clams. He had a feeling he knew who was responsible for her recent weight loss. He ordered and asked for an extra side of clams. He was going to see to it Kaitlyn enjoyed her meal one way or another.

“So what made you decide to settle here in Tennessee or are you settling in Tennessee?” Derrick asked after the waiter moved off.

“The connections I made here: Kaitlyn and her family, Amy, Tessa, Brandon and Jack. The only place that ever really felt like home was Tennessee.”

“His mom is still here as well,” Katherine pointed out.

“I wasn’t aware of that,” Derrick noted before turning to Katherine. “Mom is expecting us for dinner Sunday; don’t embarrass me this time.”

“I’ll be there,” Katherine promised.

“Please do.”

Adam felt himself grow more and more concerned over the course of the evening. He didn’t like the way Derrick kept Kaitlyn under his thumb or the subtle ways he manipulated her around to his point of view. He was afraid that Kaitlyn was going to be consumed by the force of her fiancé and be lost forever.

When their food arrived, he watched Kaitlyn pick at hers with no real interest.

“Kaitlyn, you have to try these clams,” he offered her some. He watched her hesitate before she accepted.

“Those are amazing,” she admitted.

“Have some; I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach,” he moved some onto her plate. He could see the battle she waged with herself before she began eating them. He was pleased when she ate them all.

“I will have to make up for that somewhere,” she sighed.

“Why? You could stand to gain a few pounds,” Adam frowned at her; she shook her head.

“Everyone woman wants to look amazing on their wedding day and wedding night,” Derrick inserted.

“She would without trying,” Adam shrugged.

“So she will look all the more lovely for trying.”

Adam found that he wanted to deck the man.

“Katherine, could I get a ride home please? I caught a cab straight here from the airport; my luggage is in the cloak room.”

“I rode with Adam but I am sure he wouldn’t mind giving you a ride,” Katherine assured him.

“You rode with Adam?”

“Yes, he didn’t know where the restaurant was and seeing as how he lives in my building we were coming from and returning to the same place,” she shrugged; Derrick frowned.

“I would be obliged if you could give me a ride home,” Derrick turned to Adam.

“Sure, no problem,” Adam assured him.

Adam hung back as Derrick pulled Kaitlyn’s chair, claimed his bag, and laid a hand on Kaitlyn’s back to guide her out of the restaurant. He felt a quiet rage burning in his belly at the way the man treated Kaitlyn. He was puzzled as to why Kaitlyn put up with it. Then he realized that it had probably been a subtle transition rather than an abrupt change in their relationship.

“My vehicle is this way,” Adam nodded and led the way. He unlocked the vehicle and got in while Derrick opened Kaitlyn’s door for her before he seated himself in the back.

“Derrick lives downtown; I’ll give you exact directions as we go,” Kaitlyn offered.

“Great,” he gave her a strained smile. “Choose us some music,” he invited.

Kaitlyn leaned forward and skimmed through stations before she settled on a top forty station and settled back.

Adam felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth when the first strains of
Goodbye
filtered into the car. Beside him Kaitlyn glanced back at Derrick and seemed to be considering turning the station before she dropped her hands back into her lap. A moment later she snorted in amusement.

“What is so amusing?” Derrick asked.

“This is one of Adam’s songs, I don’t know, it just struck me as amusing,” Katherine admitted.

“What is this a love song? I wasn’t aware that you did romantic songs.”

“This is more of a song about regrets,” Adam shrugged. Beside him, Kaitlyn was very pointedly looking out the window.

“Oh? Did you write it yourself?”

“I did,” Adam admitted.

“And what was your inspiration?” Derrick asked him.

Adam hesitated. “A friend of mine; I’ve wondered more than once how things might have played out if I had made different decisions.”

Derrick’s cell rang and he fumbled to dig it from his pocket. Adam looked over to find Kaitlyn watching him.

After dropping Derrick off, Adam turned toward home. He knew he had no business interfering in Kaitlyn’s life but he didn’t see how he could keep his mouth shut.

“Kaitlyn, I’m worried,” he admitted.

“About?” she shifted to watch him.

“Derrick seems very controlling.”

“No,” she shook her head, “he’s opinionated to be sure but I know how to stand up to him when it matters.”

“When does it matter, Kaitlyn? He’s trying to shape and mold you into what he wants, not appreciating you for who you are.”

“No, Adam, he’s helping me groom myself for our career, outside that when it’s just me and him we’re talking about he’s much more relaxed,” she argued.

“Kaitlyn…” frustration had him gripping the wheel in a death grip. “Just promise me…don’t let anyone change you.”

Fifteen

Katherine, a cup of coffee in hand, sat beside Adam. Derrick had left for New York the day before and Katherine decided to go see her parents and her grandmother who had just moved in with Julia and Walter. When she had invited Adam he had been quick to agree. Now they were headed east bound on Interstate Forty and the morning fog hadn’t even burned off the low lying areas around the city.

“You’re real talkative,” Adam teased.

“I am not awake,” she admitted.

“Thanks for inviting me along, Kaitlyn.”

“You’re welcome; thanks for driving. Not exactly the drive it was from Knoxville but still not a drive I relish.”

“Driving doesn’t bother me,” Adam shrugged.

They were quiet a moment before Katherine yawned and then spoke again.

“I love the Harpeth River,” Katherine noted as they crossed over the fog shrouded water.

“It is a pretty river,” Adam agreed.

“Do you like to canoe?” Katherine queried.

“I’ve only been once but I enjoyed it.”

“The Harpeth is a great canoeing river. We took the youth last summer and had a blast.”

“Did Derrick go with you?”

“No! Derrick is not really the outdoor type,” she admitted. “We tried going to Cade’s Cove one day and he spent more time putting on bug spray than he did walking.”

“That could prove problematic given your love of the outdoors,” Adam noted.

“We have other interest we share,” she shrugged.

“Such as?”

“Our work for one.”

“You need more than work in common, Kaitlyn.”

“I said for one,” her tone sharpened.

“So I take it you are trying to lose weight,” he changed the subject.

“I put on a few pounds after college,” she admitted.

“How many?”

“About ten.”

“So you’re trying to lose ten?”

“No, I’m trying to lose twenty and I’m almost there,” Katherine shared.

“Why?” Adam frowned over at her.

“When you gain enough that your fiancé notices, it’s significant,” she informed him.

“Derrick made an issue of your weight?” Adam demanded.

“Not exactly, he just noticed that I had gained,” she shared.

“So you are now roughly ten pounds lighter than you were in college?”

“Roughly,” she nodded.

“That’s a shame,” he told her.

“What?” Katherine demanded in irritation.

“I happen to know, personally, first hand; from experience…” his eyes were twinkling, “that ten pounds ago you had an amazing body.”

Katherine felt herself flush with pleasure; it irritated her.

“Adam, that was…we aren’t discussing this,” she snapped.

“Okay, you don’t have to, but Kaitlyn, you did and I’m sure still do have an amazing body. Your figure was very soft and feminine, not angular like so many of the women now.”

“Says the man who was living with a model,” she reminded him.

“Yes, I was,” his voice was heavy. “Men can be opportunistic, Kaitlyn and she was all too happy to be used if it furthered her career.”

“Whatever, I want to look amazing for my wedding so I am making sure I do.”

“Was that your idea or his because those were nearly identical to his words,” Adam challenged.

Katherine felt a stab of pain and winced.

“Kaitlyn, I’m sorry, I’m just worried,” Adam’s voice was heavy. “You don’t need to change a thing; you’re remarkable just the way you are.”

Katherine turned to look out the window, “As I said he didn’t make an issue of my weight.”

“Why does he order for you?”

“He thinks men are supposed to,” she shrugged.

“Think for women?”

“You really don’t like him do you?” she frowned at him.

“I’m sorry; I really didn’t mean to pick a fight with you, Kaitlyn. If you are happy; then I am happy for you,” he assured her.

“Thank you; I am,” she insisted.

“Good.”

They were both quiet, the air around them heavy before Adam chose a neutral topic. They chatted easily for the remainder of the trip.