As Zack approached her table, he knew the moment she sensed his approach. Trained to observe, he noted the subtle change in her posture, the slight turn of her head that let her eyes slide toward him, then the way she relaxed in relief.
With a wicked glint in his eye, he decided to make a show of it. No way would Kevin be getting a second date. Zack cast a fulminating look at the man, ignoring how justified it felt, and stepped up beside Kat who looked up at him in feigned surprise.
“What are you doing here with him?” Zack all but growled the words then turned his head to slip Kat a wink on the sly.
“What do you care? You didn’t call me for a week so I thought it was over.” She shrugged and struggled to keep from smiling.
“If I decide it’s over, believe me, you’ll know.”
Kat pasted a disgusted look on her face, “Welcome to the new millennium, where women are allowed to have opinions.” She stood up and faced him, toe-to-toe. “What? You thought I was going to sit at home and wait for you to swoop in whenever you felt like it? Sorry, not happening. Now if you don’t mind…” Kat tossed her head to indicate he should leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kevin and his parents squirming in their seats.
“Oh baby, you know it wasn’t like that. I got busy at work and time just slipped away. You know you’re my pookie-bear. Come on. Come with me, now. Please?”
There were going to be sore places tomorrow where she had to bite her cheek to keep from giggling.
“Ok, snuggly-ugums.” She turned to Kevin, “I’m sorry. You don’t mind do you?” Before he even had time to answer, Kat grabbed her purse and linking her arm with Zack’s, the two of them turned and made it all the way out the door before the first burst of laughter escaped.
“Pookie-bear?” Kat wheezed and doubled over.
“Snuggly-ugams? Did you see the look on his face?”
“No, I didn’t dare to look.”
“I don’t think we fooled his mother though.”
“I don’t care; it was her underhanded way of doing research for a book she’s writing about how people cope with tragedy.” Suddenly, Kat didn’t find the experience quite as amusing. “She could have just asked, I would have talked to her about it but this was beyond the pale.”
Grasping her arm companionably, Zack led her toward the parking lot and his car. No police cruiser tonight, he was driving one of those compact hybrids that ran on gas or electricity. Gustavia wasn’t the only one in the family concerned with the environment.
Without thinking much about it, Kat rested her hand on Zack’s where it curved against her arm. His guard was down and without that prickly exterior, she felt very safe around him. Protected.
Being a gentleman, he opened the door and waited to close it behind her. She took a glance around the car’s interior expecting it to be utilitarian but was surprised to find it comfortable though not overly luxurious. She detected a hint of new car smell.
It wasn’t until Zack had circled back to the driver’s side and slid into his seat that she realized he had just put aside whatever plans he’d had to take care of her.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I just ruin a date? I’ll just call Julie or Gustavia and wait here. Go back inside and have your dinner.” Kat laid a hand on his arm and gave a little push to add emphasis. “I didn’t mean to derail your plans.” A tiny wisp of envy surged up inside her at the thought of him on a date.
“No, it’s fine. My parents have a standing dinner date here every other week and I join them whenever I can. It’s no big deal.”
It would have been a big deal to his sister who had been, until recently on the fringe of her own family dynamic—partly by choice and partly based on a series of secrets and misunderstandings. All of that had been cleared up but Kat felt surprisingly defensive on the part of her friend.
“What about Gustavia? Is she invited to these dinners or is she left out again?”
“Sheath the claws, Kitty Kat. It’s a family thing; she’s obviously family so she shows up when she can.”
Calling her Kitty Kat garnered him a raised eyebrow, but she let it go and settled back in her seat.
“Speaking of dinner, we’ve missed ours. I could go for a slice of meatloaf.” He glanced over at her, “You up for it? I know a little pub that does this killer gourmet version. But I warn you, it’s addictive.”
“I’ve already ruined your rep in front of Kevin, are you sure you want to be seen with me in another public venue?”
“Have a heart. I’m half starved. Wasting away to nothing.” His stomach gave a loud grumbling noise to prove the point.
Casting an eye over his muscular form, she doubted he was in any immediate danger but decided to take pity on him anyway. “Take me to the meatloaf, but if you call me Pookie Bear again, retaliation will be swift and painful.
***
One hand companionably grasping hers, Zack led Kat into Hang. Housed between a barbershop and an auto parts store, the pub seemed out of place in the short, brick-fronted row of connected businesses.
If the smell was anything to go by, the food was going to be as good as promised and probably explained why Zack was a regular visitor. That much was obvious the minute they walked through the door.
A man about the size of a small bear, nearly as hairy and probably just as strong barked out, “Hey Roman,” and stepped around the bar to greet Zack with a brutal looking handshake and a clap on the back that might have knocked a smaller man to his knees before turning his attention on Kat.
Feeling slightly overwhelmed when the big man turned toward her, a welcoming grin on his face, Kat could see that the smile lines around his eyes were deeply etched. He held out a hand the size of a baseball mitt and introduced himself, “Name’s Kane and you are?” He eyed her speculatively then glanced over at Zack.
“I’m Kat.” Was all she had time for before he yanked her into a hug, lifting her nearly off her feet, and planted a great smacking kiss on her cheek.
Zack grinned and watched Kane urge Kat onto a stool at the bar before bellowing toward the kitchen area at the rear of the small pub. “Molly, get out here and see what Zack’s brought with him.”
“Be out in a minute,” yelled a feminine voice, her words punctuated by the rattling of some pans..
“Hey Moll, got any meatloaf back there?” Zack called back to her.
“Course I do. I’ll bring you a plate.”
“Bring two.”
“Two?” Judging from the surprised inflection Kat had the feeling she was about to fall under intense scrutiny.
“You’ll sit here and keep me company.” Kane pronounced before stepping back to draw a foaming pitcher of beer and deposit it on the nearest table. “Unless you want a table, something cozy in the back?” The big man put a lot of innuendo into the question.
“Right here will be just fine.” Kat spoke from her bar stool before Zack could answer. Tonight he had given her a glimpse of the playful man under the mask of responsible authority he normally wore. Curious to learn more about both, she thought Kane might be an excellent source of information. It was obvious there was more than good customer relations between them.
“How do you know Zack? Did you grow up together?”
Kane’s belly laugh startled Kat with its sudden noise.
“Not exactly,” and then the burly man went on to explain how a misspent youth had ended when Zack arrested him then, seeing something in the younger man, helped him get into a program that included a course in culinary arts. He’d met the irrepressible Molly and the rest was history.
Kat swiveled on her stool to get a better look at the place. Small but with plenty of atmosphere. Gleaming wood trim scaled slightly large for the size of the place cleverly framed sections of wall painted in a rich red color. Within the framed areas hung musical instruments and lush, green landscapes.
The bar was situated in the long part of the L-shaped room just far enough away from the small, cleared area around the corner
where a young man played his guitar and sang earnestly, that the music made a pleasant backdrop but did not overpower conversation.
Kat’s belly wrenched and complained at its emptiness as mouth-watering odors continued to waft from the kitchen.
She didn’t have long to wait before Molly swung out of the back carrying a huge tray with several plates on it. Stashing it on the end of the bar, the tiny woman made short work of serving fragrant meals to a couple seated at the closest table while Kane passed Zack and Kat a little bit of heaven.
A huge slab of meatloaf studded with bits of bell pepper, onion, and mushroom then drenched in a tangy homemade ketchup and topped with two crunchy, hand dipped onion rings shared the plate with a mound of creamy, chive-infused mashed potatoes and carrots glistening in an orange, maple, and ginger glaze.
No wonder Zack was addicted to this place.
Out of the corner of his eye, Zack watched with interest as Kat ate slowly but with great relish. Granted, his experience had been somewhat limited—surprising how many women thought cops made bad dating prospects—but he had never seen a woman on a date eat with such enjoyment. After the first bite, she closed her eyes and nearly hummed with pleasure.
Kane introduced Molly who eyed Kat with friendly speculation. Refusing to be intimidated, Kat returned her assessing gaze. By any standards, Molly would be considered petite but standing next to Kane, she appeared positively elfin. Her nearly-white pixie cut hair over emerald green eyes in a face liberally dusted in freckles only drew more attention to her small stature. Put her in a pinafore and curls and she would have made the perfect Goldilocks next to Kane’s bearlike size.
Amethyst might actually feel tall standing next to her.
Before she could help herself, Kat pointed her fork toward Molly, “So, did you two meet over a bowl of porridge?” popped out of her mouth and Zack barked out a laugh.
Embarrassed color washed over Kat’s face but before she could apologize, both Kane and Molly started to laugh as well.
“Good one. Where’d you find her?” Molly directed the question at Zack, putting him on the spot with a wickedly raised eyebrow and revealing her roots as there was more than a touch of Ireland in her voice.
“Friend of my sister’s,” he mumbled.
“Interesting. What’s she like?” Kane demanded of Kat, “Gustavia, I mean. Zack refuses to bring her by.”
That earned the man a punch in the shoulder. “Are you ashamed of her? Still? That’s disappointing.”
“Ow, give me some credit.” Zack rubbed the sore spot where she had smacked him and thought she packed a decent punch. “I was afraid these two would embarrass me by asking for her autograph or something. They’re star struck.”
“It’s us he’s ashamed of, then.” Molly observed then turned back to Kat. “Tell me about her. Does she really dress like a gypsy? Like in the photos on her books?”
“Yes, she really does. You’re familiar with her work, then?”
“I’ve a niece who is positively obsessed with the woman. Offered Zack six months' worth of free food to bring her around but he thinks he’s playing the protective brother.”
Now it was Zack’s face that turned a dull red. “I didn’t want her to think I was using her for free food.” Then Kat knew it went deeper, he was still unsure what Gustavia’s reaction would be if he asked for a favor. The years of separation between the siblings had taken its toll on him, too.
Laying a sympathetic hand on his arm where it still smarted from her blow, she ignored the shot of molten heat that seared at the brief contact and affirmed, “Gustavia would be thrilled if you asked her. She loves to meet her readers but more than that, she would be touched that you included her in your life.”
Kat asked Molly, “Do I get free meatloaf if I bring her in?”
Zack chuckled, “You’ll have to beat me to it. Why don’t you tell Molly what you do for a living?” If she could poke into his personal life, he could poke into hers.
If he thought she would be embarrassed, he was way off the mark. “I read Tarot cards and sometimes connect the living with those who have passed on.”
Molly breathed. “Ahh, you’ve the sight, then. Just like my Mam. She had a canny way with her.”
“It was my grandmother who passed it on to me.”
“Skipped over your mum, then?”
Unsettled, Kat realized she had never asked but had always assumed that if her mother had had personal experience, she would have offered more or better advice.
To keep from dwelling on the subject, Kat added, “I’m thinking of taking some classes in the fall, though. Up until…” she paused to decide how much she wanted to reveal, “I was a teenager when I started seeing spirits and until then, I planned to become a librarian.”
Zack snorted and then choked while trying not to spray beer all over his food. Kat had to whack him on the back until he regained the ability to speak. “A librarian?”
“Why? What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, just unexpected is all.” Great, now he saw sexy librarian images featuring Kat in the role floating around in his head.
Molly watched the exchange with pleasure while Kane moved around the small area behind the bar to draw more drinks. Her kitchen staff could handle that end of things without her for the next little while; this was too interesting to pass up.
“And just what were you expecting?”
“You don’t want to keep giving readings?” He countered.
“I can do both. Don’t get me wrong, giving readings allowed me a lot more independence than I ever thought possible but having this ability was a choice made for me. I’d like the chance to try something else that interests me. Pigeonholes are for pigeons.”
Now she turned the conversation back on him, “What about you? Did you always want to be a cop?”
By his hesitation, she could tell the question touched a nerve.
“I was supposed to follow in my father’s footsteps and failing that, in my mother’s. They found it disappointing that I had no interest in politics and even less in the medical profession.”
When the conversation turned personal, Molly decided to give Zack some privacy so she fetched a damp rag and some cleanser to begin wiping down nearby tables. All the while, keeping her ears sharp for any good gossip.
“They must be proud of you, though.”
“They’ve come to terms with it since to them it was the lesser of two evils. Dad considers it a stepping stone to greater things and Mom has been happier since I chose to take the position here in Oakville. Safer than being a cop in the city.”
“Lesser of two evils—what was the other choice?”
“A topic for another day. Can’t reveal all my secrets on the first date.”
Date? He thought this was a date? Butterflies took flight in her stomach and her mouth went dry. Objectively, this was the best first date she had been on so far. Good food, decent conversation and that delicious tingle every time his arm brushed against hers.
“…get to know my sister better.”
Uh oh, he’d been talking while she was off in her own little space reacting to his date comment.
“Gustavia is one of the best people I know. She didn’t deserve all that family drama.” He sensed her disapproval and knew he had earned it for his part in things. “Without her help, I don’t think I would have been able to live by myself. My folks have been super supportive and pushed me to be as independent as possible with everyday tasks.” Throwing her normal desire for privacy out the window, Kat continued to explain.
“Gustavia helped me refine some of the systems I relied on but mostly she dragged me out of my shell at every possible opportunity. It’s hard to explain but she found that balance between being helpful and forcing me to do more than I thought I could.” Kat blinked at the sting of tears. “And all without making me feel like a burden.”
He let her talk it out.
“Like my clothes…” she lifted the hem on
her sweater to show him a small, round button sewed on the inside, “…round buttons for blue, square for red, and oblong for yellow. Add a second button for secondary colors so for purple would be a round and a square button. Gustavia took the idea and refined it even more. She added a third button to let me know that a green might have more blue than yellow in it and then instituted the bead system.”
“Glass beads for items that needed to be dry cleaned, plastic for wash and wear. And being Gustavia, she took it another step. She sorted everything by what could go together and for what purpose and used various shapes so I knew I could put on any two items with faceted beads and look fine for a dressed up occasion, round beads for white, square beads for black.”
“I missed out on a lot of years with her.” Zack spoke quietly, “every time I hear a story like this, I feel that cost even deeper. At least she had friends like you.” The hand he laid over hers for a quick squeeze might have been made from lightning for the jolt it gave her.
Best first date so far.
Chapter Ten
The second bedroom nestled into the eaves of Kat’s house was full of memories. Nights she’d cuddled under the covers and listened to her grandmother talk to friends around the dining room table. It only occurred to her now that those friends might not all have been among the living.
With only a single morning appointment and the afternoon free, today was as good a time as any to look for the box Estelle had told her to find.
How much smaller the room looked since the last time she had sat on the floor to sort through old photographs stored in the bottom dresser drawer. Her favorites were the ones from the seventies when the men wore colorful polyester suits and long sideburns. There was one of her dad in a powder blue leisure suit with brown stitching that always brought a smile.
Stalling, she pulled open the drawer to leaf through the stack for it, she would carry it like a talisman when she went into the closet to find whatever was hidden there amid the old rolls of wallpaper, spare blankets, and boxes of things still unsorted after all the years since her grandmother had passed.
Wherever She Goes (The Psychic Seasons Series Book 4) Page 7