To Love Twice

by McCoubrey, Heather

  When she started to nod off, Kate reluctantly put aside her book and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. After finishing her beauty routine, Kate went back into the room to hang up her clothes. As she was folding her pants, the slip of paper that the front desk attendant had given her fell out of the pocket. Picking it up, she gave a slight gasp when she unfolded it and realized who it was from.

  Kate,

  I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you last night and I hope the next time you’re in town, you’ll give me a call. I promise I’m not a crazy stalker, even though this note probably paints me as such. My number is below.

  –Edward

  Kate giggled and refolded the note. She’d love to see him, but it had been three months, surely he’d forgotten about the note and her. He seemed a very sophisticated, well-traveled and busy man.

  No, Kate would leave it up to fate one more time. Fate had served them well once before. Maybe if they didn’t find each other this trip, she’d give him a call the next time, after all, three months was a long time. She thought back to their dinner at Tempo and how much she’d enjoyed the food and the man.

  The next morning she’d shared a taxi with Erin to the airport. Kate had been staring out the window at the passing scenery when Erin had nudged her.

  “You okay, Kate? Where’s your ‘Mary Smile’?” Erin asked.

  Smiling, Kate glanced up at Erin. “I’m happy to get home and see Mary.”

  “But?” Erin asked.

  “But I found out that Papa Don died a couple of months ago.”

  “What?! That’s horrible.” Erin interrupted.

  Kate nodded. “Mama Maria took him back to Italy for the funeral and ended up staying there with her family. She sold the business and a Japanese couple bought it. It’s now called Tempo. Since I was already there, I decided to try it. The food was amazing!”

  “Really? I didn’t think you liked Japanese food,” Erin quizzed.

  “I don’t, but this chef melds the Japanese and Italian. And I gotta say, it works.” Kate paused, sadness washing over her as she thought of Mama Maria. “I told my waiter I’d call him when I got home for Mama’s address in Italy. I really want to send her a card.”

  “Pass it to me as well, please. I didn’t know them as well as you did, but I’d also like to send something.”

  “I will,” Pausing again, Kate wondered if she should mention her encounter with Edward. “The strangest thing happened last night. While I was asking the waiter for information about Mama Maria, this incredibly handsome man joined me. Apparently he used to work at Pappagallo’s a long time ago, and said he liked hearing stories about them because it brought back good memories. We ended up chatting through dinner,” Kate grinned.

  A smile lit up Erin’s face. “You have got to be kidding me! That’s great, Kate! How handsome is incredibly handsome?”

  “Beyond incredibly,” Kate smirked.

  “Sooo…are you going to see him again? Are you ready for something like this? Maybe I’m thinking too far ahead, but I’m just curious. This is what, the first man since Brad that you’ve even shown an ounce of interest in?”

  “I’m not sure. I’ve been asking myself that same question. We had such a nice time and I really enjoyed his company. He’s been to so many places, he said he was in the entertainment industry. He seems well-educated, he dressed very nicely and he had impressive manners. We didn’t exchange any information. It was a chance meeting. Besides, I live in the U.S. and he lives here, for the most part. I can’t imagine anything will really come of it.” Kate said.

  If she’d known that Edward had been just as affected by their chance meeting as she had, she might very well have exchanged phone numbers or email addresses with him before she left London the last time.

  Sighing with pleasure from Edward’s note and the memories of that dinner, Kate turned off the light and snuggled down into the covers. She was asleep moments after her head hit the pillow.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kate woke the next day with a smile on her face. She was still glowing from the note she’d received and after sleeping on it, was still sure she wanted to leave a second meeting to fate.

  Kate was just about to leave her room and head down to breakfast, when the phone rang. Kate hurried over to it and answered. “This is Kate.”

  “Kate, it’s Erin.” Tears in her voice, Erin continued. “I’m sorry I didn’t call last night, it’s been touch and go here all night.”

  Kate sat down on her bed and gripped the phone tightly. “Erin, what’s wrong? What’s happened?”

  Her voice breaking, Erin explained. “It’s Lily, she was hit by a car yesterday. Oh my God, Kate. Her heart has stopped twice and she’s in a coma right now. Luke and I haven’t left her side.”

  “Oh Erin, oh my God, I’m so so sorry. What can I do?”

  “There’s nothing to be done right now. We just have to wait,” Erin replied in a strangled voice.

  “Erin, are you sure? I can be on the next plane.”

  “I’m sure. I need you there, we have so much to accomplish this week. I feel good knowing you’re there,” Erin said. She paused a moment to get her voice under control. “Kate, my baby.”

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t really know. Luke said she got off the bus and was walking up the driveway. Sophie started crying, so Luke turned from the door to soothe her. The next thing he knows, brakes are screeching and Lily’s lying in the street. We don’t know if she saw something, someone or what happened. The driver was this little old woman and she was hysterical. The paramedics had to give her something to get her to calm down.”

  “Was she able to tell you what happened?”

  “No, she was too hysterical and when they finally got her calmed down, she went into shock and wasn’t able to talk. Oh God, Kate. I have chills, I can’t catch my breath. I don’t know how to feel or what to do.”

  “Talk to her, Erin. Let her hear your voice. Hold her hand and pray. That’s all you can do. I’ll be praying all day for you.”

  Kate continued to talk to Erin until she was called away by her husband. “Don’t worry about anything here, Erin. I’ve got this covered. Focus all of yourself on Lily and your family.”

  “Thank you, Kate. I’ll keep you updated.”

  The day flew by, which surprised Kate. As worried as she was for Erin’s daughter, Lily, there was so much to do to get the new product lines launched. Kate had been in meetings most of the day with the suppliers and the retailers. Working out the details of everything and trying to make everyone happy was very difficult. She had new admiration and respect for Erin. She made it look so easy, but after today, Kate understood why Erin was plagued with headaches at each product launch.

  Leaving the office well after eight that night, Kate decided to order up room service and check to see if there was an update waiting for her from Erin on Lily’s condition. Kate had paused several times throughout the day to offer up a prayer of healing for Lily and peace for Erin and Luke.

  The next morning, Kate woke early to the phone ringing. Fumbling around for the receiver, Kate managed to knock her cell phone and book of the nightstand before finally grabbing the receiver and putting it to her ear.

  “Hello?” Kate answered.

  “Kate, it’s Erin.”

  Sitting up, Kate turned on the lamp beside the bed. “Erin! Is Lily okay?”

  “She’s awake!”

  “Oh, thank God! Erin, that’s wonderful!”

  “She woke up a couple of hours ago. She asked for some water and told us that she hurt,” Erin snorted. “We haven’t asked her what happened, she’s still pretty out of it.”

  “How are you and Luke holding up? What do the doctors have to say?”

  “The doctors are saying it’s good news that she’s awake and talking to us. She recognized us immediately and knew the answers to all those memory questions they ask. They’ll do some more scans soon to ensure all is okay inside her head a
nd that there’s no surprise internal bleeding.”

  “I’m so happy that she’s pulled through. I can’t even imagine how you and Luke must be holding up.”

  “We’re doing okay. Before she woke up, I wanted to throw a temper tantrum and throw blame everywhere. But I can’t. I know how Lily and Sophie operate, they move so fast-”

  “All kids do, any parent can tell you that,” Kate interrupted.

  “Right. And poor Luke, he’s devastated.”

  “Don’t let him beat himself up over this, Erin. You know he will,” Kate said.

  “Yeah, I’ve been trying to talk him down from that ledge,” Erin’s voice broke. “But I know if I was in his place, I’d be doing the same thing.”

  “What can I do, how can I help?”

  “Doing what you’re doing. You’re such a good friend,” Erin said gratefully.

  “I wish I was there with you,” Kate said softly. “I know that I’m doing good here and that you need me here since you can’t be. But you’re my friend and I feel as if my place should be right next to you.”

  “Thank you,” Erin said. “I want you here too, but I need you there.”

  “And here I’ll stay,” Kate said with a small smile. “Keep me updated and please, call when you get the results from the tests.”

  “I will. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  “Take care of yourself and each other,” Kate said.

  For the second day in a row, the day flew by. She spent most of the day working with the designers to get the designs finalized and a schedule made for samples of the designs to be made. As she left the office and stepped outside, she took several deep breaths of fresh air and could feel some of the stress dissipate. Deciding a brisk walk would further help alleviate her stress, she took off down the street in the direction of the only restaurant she could dream of going to, Tempo.

  As soon as Kate walked in the door, the hostess and chef’s wife, Joni, hurried over to greet her. “Kate, you’re back! How lovely to see you,” she said as she kissed Kate’s cheek.

  “Hello, Joni! How are you?” Kate returned the cheek busses and gave her a hug.

  “Oh, we’re doing well. We’ve been so busy lately, it’s tiring but great!” Joni said excitedly.

  “That makes me happy. I don’t know where I’d eat if you guys closed down shop!” Kate said laughing.

  “Come, let me show you to your table. Ricardo is off tonight, but he did tell me to say ‘Hello’ if I saw you. Consider yourself told,” Joni said as she placed the menu in front of Kate.

  Kate laughed. “Thank you for the message. Please, tell him I also said ‘Hello’. And that I was disappointed that he wasn’t here,” she said.

  “Enjoy your dinner, Kate!”

  Kate smiled to herself as she picked up her menu.

  “May I join you?”

  Kate’s head whipped up and her jaw dropped. “Edward, hello!” While she had hoped that fate would favor them again, she hadn’t really believed it would. Smiling broadly and giving fate a high five in her mind, Kate gestured toward the chair opposite her. “Yes, please!”

  “How are you, Kate?”

  “Better now that you’re here,” Kate smiled. “Yourself?”

  “Sending my heartfelt gratitude to fate,” Edward laughed.

  “As am I,” Kate laughed.

  “Have you been in town, long?” Edward asked.

  “Two days. We’ve been crazy busy at work, this is the first night I’ve had the energy to get out of the hotel.”

  “When do you go back to the States?”

  “Saturday morning,” Kate replied. “Have you already eaten dinner?”

  “No, I haven’t been here long. Just enough time to order a glass of wine and begin perusing the menu.”

  Kate smiled and looked over her own menu. Everything sounded delicious, and she decided to go with the gressingham duck paired with parmesan and pistachio. She chose chilled white wine to drink. Edward selected the ravioli which was made with dorset crab, prawns, basil and lime.

  After giving their orders and passing the menus to the server, Kate focused her attention on her dinner companion. She was thanking her lucky stars for the chance to meet Edward again.

  As they continued to talk and learn about each other, Kate was amazed at the ease with which they were able to converse. She felt as comfortable with Edward as she did with any one of her friends. He was a good listener and very easy to talk to. They discussed her busy days at work and his travel schedule. He entertained her with stories of some of the pranks he played on his sisters when they were younger. He told her of his latest trip to Austria for work. He never went into detail about what he specifically did, but Kate didn’t really notice the exclusion. She was charmed and entertained and perfectly content to sit in this tiny restaurant with this handsome man.

  After sharing a very scrumptious dessert of bavarese, poached pear filled with ricotta cheese and gently drizzled with blood orange syrup, Kate leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea. “That was delicious. I’m kind of glad I don’t live here, I’d eat in this restaurant every night and end up gaining fifty pounds!”

  Edward laughed, “I doubt that very much.” Taking a sip of his coffee, he glanced into Kate’s eyes. “Do you have plans tomorrow night?”

  “Not really. I would like to visit the aquarium and the London Eye this week, but I don’t have anything specifically planned. With work so crazy, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do any sight-seeing this week, anyway.”

  “Would you care to join me on a driving tour of the countryside?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, it sounds lovely and all,” Kate hedged.

  “But we’re still just strangers, right?”

  Laughing, Kate nodded. “I’m sorry. That must be incredibly insulting to hear.”

  Edward shook his head. “Not at all. How about we meet for dinner again?”

  “I would like that.” Kate’s smile was bright as she gazed into Edward’s eyes. “Very much.”

  “Excellent. Shall we meet at the Mews tomorrow night at seven?”

  “Absolutely,” Kate agreed.

  “Let me give you my number in case you get held up,” Edward said.

  Kate laughed. “It’s ok, I think I have it. You left me a note at the front desk and it included your number,” Kate explained at Edward’s quizzical glance.

  “You got it! Brilliant, I wasn’t sure if they’d kept it all this time.” Edward grinned. “I’m glad that didn’t scare you off.”

  “Not at all. It made me smile,” Kate rose and gathered her things. Edward took her coat from her and helped her into it. When was the last time someone helped her into her coat? Kate sighed with pleasure. It was these small things that she missed.

  He was going to be trouble for her heart and she wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to put herself out there again. The past five years had been hell in some ways and Kate was just now starting to find her footing.

  “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kate smiled and turned to leave. She thanked the hostess on her way out. Once she made it through the door, she paused and inhaled deeply. What was she doing? Her heart felt giddy and light. A feeling she hadn’t experienced in so long.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kate awoke to the ringing of the phone again the next morning. Knowing it was Erin, Kate took an extra moment to wake up and to turn on the light before she answered the phone.

  “Good morning, Erin,” Kate said, her voice gravelly from sleep.

  “Oh, Kate, did I wake you? I’m sorry,” Erin apologized.

  “No worries, Erin. How’s Lily?” Kate asked as she sat up in bed, pulling the covers around her to keep warm.

  “Much better. She was less groggy today. The doctors reviewed the scans and haven’t found any internal bleeding.”

  “Excellent, I’m so happy to hear that,” Kate interrupted. “Thank God.”

  “Indeed. And thank you for all your prayers,” Erin said. “Ho
w are things going in London?”

  Kate gave Erin a report on what had been happening at the office. She tried not to go into deep details, wanting to spare Erin any added stress.

  “It sounds like things are going well. I really appreciate you taking the helm on this project, Kate. You’ve really made it so I can just focus on Lily and my family. You have no idea how much I appreciate that,” Erin said.

  “You know I’d do more if I could,” Kate said.

  “Yes, I do. So, what else is going on in London?”

  “Well, guess who I bumped into last night?” Kate asked her.

  “Not the incredibly handsome Edward?”

  “The one and the same,” Kate laughed. “I went to Tempo last night for dinner and he was in there. We ate together and made another dinner date for tonight,” Kate told her.

  “Are you kidding me? That’s great, Kate! I’m so happy for you!” Erin told her enthusiastically.

  “I have butterflies, Erin.”

  “Of course you do, it’s been a long time.” Erin paused. “Hold on a minute, Kate.”

  “Sure,” Kate said. She could hear voices talking in the background and hoped that everything was okay.

  “I’ve gotta go, Lily is asking for me,” Erin explained.

  “Give her my love. I’ll talk to you soon!”

  As she made her way back to the hotel the next night, Kate decided to splurge on a massage and facial. She stopped by the front desk to schedule it and was pleasantly surprised when they told her she could go straight back and they’d take her right away.

  The spa attendant showed her to the locker room. Exchanging her clothes for the warm terry robe, Kate could feel some of the stress melt away. She should have thought of this sooner; she hadn’t been taking very good care of herself lately and she made a vow to herself to change that.