by Carol Henry
Sven nodded, his lips tight, his hands shoved in his coat pockets. He looked as sad as she felt—they had shared so much these last two years, but neither of them was able to control their heart’s desires. She was still in love with Mark. But it was too late.
“Let me buy you a drink. I know you didn’t want to hear it before, but I’d like to explain. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
“You don’t have to do this. I think I understand.”
“We need closure.”
Closure? It sounded so mature coming from Sven. Or maybe she hadn’t paid much attention after he’d given her the ring. The ring! Had he bought a new ring for his Marta?
“Thanks, I could use a drink. And you’re right. We need to clear the air. Give me a minute to take these packages to my room.”
“Let me help you.”
“No. I’ve got it.” She didn’t mean to sound so sharp, but then, she hadn’t expected to see Sven again quite so soon. He clamped his lips tight. What did he expect? He’d just dumped her. To be fair, he needed to explain, and she wanted—needed—closure, too. “Give me a minute, I’ll be right back.”
“The hotel has a bar—we don’t need to go out, even though the weather has been mild the last couple of days.”
After dropping her packages on the bed, she removed her coat, ran a brush through her hair, and slinging her purse over her shoulder, she headed back to the lobby.
Sven was waiting, and escorted her toward a corner table in the well-appointed bar. Within seconds, a waiter was at their table to take their order. As much as Katelyn considered ordering a double of anything—hold the rocks—she decided on a simple screwdriver. Appropriate, as she had just been screwed over by the man she was supposed to marry. And she had to travel half way around the word to find out he’d cheated on her.
She didn’t even listen to what Sven ordered. But then, she really didn’t care. The sooner they got this over with, the better. He could swagger himself right on back to his new fiancée. In fact, she really wasn’t sure why she was being so nice and giving him the opportunity to appease his own guilt. She was ready to go home and get on with her life.
Sven kept looking over her shoulder as if watching, waiting for someone. Hopefully, it wasn’t Marta. He fidgeted in his seat, and cleared his throat. Katelyn placed her hand over his, which was mauling the napkin the waiter had placed in front of him along with his drink. He finally looked into her eyes—his wide, expecting. She wanted to comfort him, take the sadness away. Not!
“Sven!”
“I’m so sorry, Katelyn. I had every intention of coming back to Lobster Cove. And to you. But when I came to Bergen, my father’s announcement sent me into a tail spin. I didn’t know which way to turn. I literally bumped into Marta after being told I was out of a home, a job, and no prospects to my name. My parents were selling everything and returning to Norway to live.”
And she hadn’t been there for him to turn to. Had she been, would they still be a couple?
“We, Marta and I, had a thing years ago,” he continued. “When she asked me to go for a drink, I didn’t think anything of it. One thing led to another, and…well…I was shocked to discover we still had feelings for each other—strong feelings. I know my grandmother called Marta my fiancée, but it isn’t official. I couldn’t do that to you. Not without talking to you first. Honest.”
Katelyn took a long sip of her drink; the ice clinked in the frosted glass. She carefully placed it on the table, and proceeded to slip her engagement ring off her finger. She slid it across the table, all the while never taking her eyes off Sven. He stared as if mesmerized.
“Here. This no longer belongs to me. Maybe Marta would like it.”
“You’re unbelievable, Katelyn. You’ve got to be the most understanding, kind, and loveable person I’ve ever met. I’ve broken your heart and here you are thinking of me and Marta.”
Yeah, she was a real saint.
“You make me sound like a Girl Scout who just earned her gold star.”
“You deserve one.”
If she was so loveable, why had he fallen in love with someone else? Why had neither he nor Mark loved her enough to stand by her instead of someone else?
She raised her glass to trembling lips—she should have ordered a double something to drink. She needed it.
Sven looked at his watch. She took another sip, drained the liquid, and then set her glass on the table. This was it. He’d had his say and was about to leave. Was Marta waiting in the wings for him? More than likely.
Sven rose to leave, hesitantly extended his hand toward her, as if he was afraid to touch her, afraid his own feelings for her would resurface. She was tired of pulling back. Tired of hiding her true feelings. But Sven wasn’t the one she needed to confide in—to open up to, and confess to. She needed to talk to Mark. She stood, as well, his hand felt cold and unattached in hers.
“Sven. I’m not happy things turned out this way, but, like I said earlier, you did us both a big favor. Neither one of us wants to be married to someone we don’t love. Let’s leave it at that. You need to go, and I have travel arrangements to finalize—I don’t want to miss my flight home.”
“Katelyn…”
She wasn’t prepared for the kiss. Thinking he was going to give her a simple peck on the cheek, she was startled when he pulled her in for a deep kiss, his lips fully covered her mouth. For a split second the familiarity of his lips on hers, his touch, lit a spark deep inside. The longer the kiss continued, however, the more the spark fizzled and died. She knew it was truly over between them. He released her, stepped back, and sighed. His eyes revealed the truth of it, as well.
It was over.
“Bye, Sven.”
“Katelyn…”
“Don’t. Just go. I hope your grandfather has a speedy recovery.”
He walked out of the hotel. She sat, ordered another drink, and wondered why there were no tears. In fact, she felt nothing at all.
****
The early morning flight was full. Katelyn found her seat, stowed her packages in the overhead compartment, and slid in next to the window. It wasn’t long before an elderly business man and his wife settled in next to her. After a brief smile, hello, and a nod, he had his laptop out and was down to business before the seatbelt light clicked on. His wife had her e-reader out and had settled back in her own world. Which left Katelyn with time on her hands to think about her pathetic life.
How was she going to tell her parents Sven had found someone else—dumped her like leftover meatloaf? Yes, her parents would be supportive. They always had been. Especially when she had suffered the pain and anguish of her miscarriage. She couldn’t have asked for more understanding, loving, and caring parents. But she wasn’t looking for sympathy. She was older, now, and determined to deal with whatever life threw her way on her own. She hadn’t anticipated this bombshell, however, and could certainly use a hug or two.
Her romantic holiday with Sven and his family had blown up in her face. Except for the smug expression on Sven’s fiancée’s perfectly made up, stunning face, the woman had the decency to keep her mouth shut and not make the breakup more agonizing than it had been.
With two men turning their backs on her, Katelyn dug deep inside her soul—where had she gone wrong? Despite what Sven said about deserving a gold star, she wasn’t looking for a star no matter what the color. She wanted someone to love her in return—only her—someone to share her dreams, her life—a family. Was that too much to ask for in a man?
The flight was long. Again she tried to focus on one of the movies available on the screen on the back of the seat in front of her. She wasn’t into horror or sci-fi, and the romance movies had her thinking of things she’d rather not think about at the moment—who needed a reminder of what she had just lost—was missing out on? Who needed to watch beautiful people making love when your own love life just went down the toilet? Even the music was too schmaltzy to listen to and only managed to p
ut her in a deeper funk.
Tired from lack of sleep the past few nights, she couldn’t get comfortable in her seat. She leaned against the narrow window frame and gazed for a time at the fluffy white clouds passing by. She thumbed through the Sky Mall Magazine from cover to cover, leafed through other magazines stowed in the seat pocket in front of her, picked at her meals, and excused herself to walk up and down the aisles to walk off her boredom, and her crappy mood. None of which helped.
Thankful when the jet finally landed back in Maine, she went through the motions of collecting her bag, dragging herself and her baggage through customs. It took her a few minutes to remember where she’d parked her car. Once everything was stowed, she didn’t hesitate to point the car in the direction of Lobster Cove. And home.
Apparently the East Coast had had a snow storm while she’d been gone. The roads were plowed, the sidewalks shoveled, and the Christmas lights were on everywhere for the evening. There was little traffic, not unusual for a Monday night, so it didn’t take her long to pull into her driveway, unload her luggage, unlock the front door, and walk into an empty house. She dropped the suitcase and packages on the floor. She didn’t bother to turn her tree lights on. What was the use? She was the only one to see or enjoy them. Christmas was no longer her favorite time of year.
Chapter Eleven
Katelyn sat across from her mother at the kitchen table, Tuesday morning, tea cup in hand. The warm scent of ginger filled the spacious kitchen—a taste and smell of home and good times, and Christmas. A platter of her mother’s delicious gingerbread cookies sat in the center of the table on a red Christmas platter. Her appetite might be whetted by the fragrance, but there was no way she would be able to swallow anything at the moment. Her mouth felt as if it was full of a dozen cotton balls sucking out all the moisture. How to tell her mother she and Sven were no longer engaged?
“So, dear, how was Norway?” her mother asked, placing a fresh pot of tea on the table. “I bet it was beautiful this time of year. Was it as cold there as it is here? I understand Disney used Bergen as a backdrop for their movie Frozen.”
She hadn’t seen the movie, so she didn’t know for a fact, but after seeing Bergen, she could well believe it possible.
“Yes, Bergen was lovely. The fjords from the top of the hill overlooking Bergen were breathtaking.” She waited for her mother to get the chit-chat pleasantries out of the way, knowing she really wanted to find out why she’d cut her trip short.
“Yet you cut your visit short. What happened? You don’t look very happy.”
That didn’t take long. There was no way to sugar coat the situation.
“I know you’ve been hopeful that Sven and I would marry soon, and have a family of our own. I know you’ve been wishing that for me for a long time, but it isn’t going to happen any time soon. Sven broke our engagement, and I gave him back his ring. In fact, he reconnected with a woman from his past, and according to his grandmother, they are now engaged.”
“Oh, my dear. I’m so, so sorry.” Her mother jumped up and scurried around the table, and pulled her into a big bear hug. The comforting touch ignited the waterworks she’d tried so hard to keep at bay.
“Oh, Mom. I feel like such a loser. First Mark, now Sven. What is wrong with me?”
“Nothing, sweetie. Don’t you even think like that. There is nothing wrong with you. Circumstances always have a way of interfering and causing things to happen that aren’t meant to be. What you need to do is follow your own heart and let it lead you—not let circumstances affect you.”
Her mother handed her a tissue. She mopped her face, blew her nose, and hugged her mother, again.
“You’re right, of course. I even told myself on the flight home I should talk to Mark, tell him about the miscarriage. I was a chicken when I had the opportunity the other day. I know it won’t change anything, but at least I’ll get it out in the open. Stop hiding it.”
“You’ve been holding it in for a long time. You need to release all the old hurt—let the past go. The sooner, the better, no matter the consequences.”
“You’re right. You’ve always been there for me. What would I ever do without you and Dad? I love you both so much.” Katelyn squeezed her mother’s hands. Her mother kissed her cheek.
“We love you too, dear. You’ll get through this. You’ll see. We’re here for you. We’ll help.”
It was time for her to talk to Mark—reveal her secret. If she could stand up and face Sven and his deception, and survive, she could face Mark. What did she have to lose, that she hadn’t already lost?
****
Mark hefted Kurtis onto his shoulder and carried him from the Captain’s Library to his car. His cell phone rang—he ignored it, and continued to buckle Kurtis in his car seat. He made sure his son was settled before he slid behind the steering wheel. Only then did he check his cell phone to see who had called. Damn. It was Katie. Where was she calling from? Linda had mentioned Katie had flown to Norway to be with her fiancé. Was she still there? Was she back home already? What did she want? He listened to the message, his eyes shut as her voice drifted into his ear, his insides—his gut tightened.
“Mark, I need to talk to you. Can you come over tonight after dinner?” There was a slight pause, and then, “Without Kurtis.”
What did she want to talk about? Without Kurtis? His body warmed, and he hadn’t even turned the heater on yet. She’d only been gone a couple of days, but he’d missed her. Was her coming back so soon a sign things had not gone smoothly in Norway? He could only hope. Her invitation had his libido soaring, wanting her, hoping it wasn’t too late. Or was it only wishful thinking?
He checked his watch. It was only four. Plenty of time to spend quality time with Kurtis before dinner and make sure he was safe at home with his parents. The kid was so wired waiting for Santa to arrive, he was a bundle of energy. Waiting patiently was part of his make-up—Special Ops had taught him how crucial patience could be, but he kept looking at the time—his watch, his cell phone, the clock in the kitchen—none of which helped speed time.
At 6:30, after dinner, and making sure things were secure, and Kurtis and his folks were settled for the evening, he said the hell with it and jumped in his car. Dusk had settled over the bay, the air chilled, but at least it wasn’t snowing. The roads were plowed. He made his way across town.
Mark knocked on Katie’s door, smiling in anticipation of her welcome. As soon as she swung the door inward and he saw her baby blues, he had her in his arms, kissed her hello before she could say a word. But damn, she looked so sexy with those long legs wrapped in black slacks, off-set by a fuzzy red sweater that accentuated her breasts. And her wheat-blonde hair hanging loose around her face—he had wanted to run his hands through those silky strands again—and again. But it was those deep blue eyes, bright and sparkly, that undid him, and had him reaching for her. His gut tightened. The kiss knocked him back on his heels. Or was it Katie who had just shoved him aside?
Her bright eyes looked more nervous than aroused. Tears? What the hell! He’d done it again. Overstepped, thanks to his raging hormones, and wishful thinking.
“Thanks for coming. Let me take your coat.”
Yep! Her formal greeting didn’t bode well. He handed her his coat, wiped his feet on the floor mat, followed her into the living room, and tried to think of something to say to break the ice and the uncomfortable silence. He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas out there. Why aren’t your tree lights on?”
At least she had a fire in the fireplace. The glow warmed the room.
“I haven’t had time yet.”
The sparkle in her beautiful eyes had disappeared. She looked tired, sad. Her face was pale and drawn.
“Let me take care of that situation for you.” He bent down, plugged in the lights. The room transformed into a cozy holiday scene. There hadn’t been much holiday cheer in his life since he’d
left home for the military. Katie had unknowingly ignited that spark within.
“Mark, sit down. I have something to tell you.”
“I’m so glad you invited me over, Katie. I need to apologize for the other night. For tonight. I just assumed…well, I thought…I…”
“Mark, please. You explained about you and Kurtis’ mother. It’s your turn to listen to me.” She paused, took a deep breath, and then continued. “Remember graduation night when we drove to Cadillac Mountain and made love?”
“How could I forget? Memories of our night together kept me going for years. Holding you in my arms, making love with you. It was as if I’d died and gone to heaven that night.”
“Me too. However…a month later, after you had already left for the military…” She choked back a sob. Telling him this was harder than she’d thought. He stood waiting while she wrung her hands. She shut her eyes, prayed for strength, then continued. “A month after we made love, I discovered I was pregnant.”
“What!” He jumped up, swung around, shoved his hands in his slacks pockets, and then turned and faced her. “Are you sure? Why didn’t you tell me? But where’s the child? You didn’t…”
“I miscarried. Mark, I was going to write and tell you, but by then there was no correspondence from you, no one knew where you were, and I didn’t see the point. The only people who know are my parents.”
“Damn it, Katie. I should have been told. You could have told my parents. They would have contacted me through the Red Cross. I can’t believe you kept this from me.”
She stood, faced him, her hands clasped at her waist, her shoulders back. Dammit. Her lips trembled, but her angry words flew at him.
“I didn’t know what to do. I was eighteen, alone, and for all I knew—now know—you had moved on.”
“Dammit, Katelyn…” He stopped mid-sentence. What could he say? He had disappeared, had a completely new identity, and had turned his back on his family for what he thought was an honorable cause. “For what it’s worth, Katie, I never stopped loving you. I wish I’d known. I would have found a way to be with you. To be by your side.”