by Elsa Kurt
Mitch. He had his warm, strong hands on her arms, saving her from falling. It was like déjà vu. How many times had they been in similar circumstances? Despite herself and her resolve, her heart softened. His expression was earnest and full of…something. He opened his mouth to speak. Suddenly, they were blasted with a beam of bright light. W.T.’s voice boomed over the room like the voice of God, encouraging a wave of laughter to erupt. Katharine couldn’t hear what he’d said over the ringing in her ears. Mitch’s hands were still on her arms. He gave a quick squeeze before letting go. She swayed slightly, then righted herself.
Another ripple of laughter and the spell was broken. Katharine remembered who he was there with, and it wasn’t her. Stop being a fool. She couldn’t keep doing this to herself. Katharine shook her head—more at herself than anything.
Mitch began to speak. “Katharine, I—”
“Let’s get Mitch Ford up on stage now, shall we,” asked W.T. of the audience.
Mitch looked up at the stage then out at the crowd, and back to Katharine.
“Just… go up and do what you do, Mitch.” Katharine turned away and walked back to her table. She didn’t look back, nor up at the stage as he took the podium. But she could hear the rustling of paper and his breath, the microphone picked up and magnified the sounds. He cleared his throat and made a small noise, like a chuckle almost. Then the distinct sound of paper being crumbled into a ball. At this, she looked up. Mitch had his eyes on her, squinting a bit at the glare from the spotlight. Her heart stuttered and kick-started hard against her chest as their gazes locked. The room—which had been awash in clinks and clatters, conversations, and laughter—was hushed in anticipation.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. As you can see, I’ve gone and rather theatrically crumpled up the speech I was going to give you tonight. You’re probably thinking, ‘oh, here’s the part where he makes a dramatic speech, declaring his feelings for a certain woman.’ Well, you’re correct. Please, if you would, indulge a man in love.”
There was an audible, collective sigh throughout the room. Katharine’s was the only breath being held.
“Several months ago, I met a woman. Not just any woman, mind you. She was—is—the most confounding, stubborn, infuriating, baffling…beautiful, incredible, smart, funny…awful, obnoxious creature I’ve ever met. She has thrown things at me, laughed at me, poured drinks over my head, yelled at me…I mean, by rights, I should have a restraining order against her.”
Laughter blanketed the room. Katharine, she too, laughed through the surprise tears that had sprung to her eyes. Janie took her hand, and Tori handed her a tissue. She couldn’t take her eyes off the man on stage. He looked down a moment, chuckling to himself. Then he gazed back at Katharine, wagging his finger at her.
“You. Lady. You are truly something.” To the audience, he said, “We have had one misunderstanding after another. Miscommunications, no communications. Meanwhile, social media and the tabloids have created their own version of…us. What was the name you all gave it?”
Numerous voices called out from the room, “KatMitch!” More laughter followed.
“Well, anyhow, I hate to tell you this, but the majority of all that was made up. Or at least exaggerated. The only thing I can confirm for you all tonight, is this: I am unequivocally, madly, ridiculously and genuinely in love with Miss Katharine Evans.”
The room erupted in applause and cheers. Katharine, beet red, buried her face in her hands. But she was smiling and laughing. She looked up at Mitch on the stage and viewed him with clear eyes for the first time. Brave and vulnerable, sweet and gentle. And best of all: in love with her. The applause died down, and Mitch continued.
“So, now that I have humiliated myself up here, and likely mortified Miss Evans, I’m going to conclude my impromptu speech with part of what I was supposed to say. Tonight, we honor Katharine Evans with the W.T. Thomas Leader in Advocacy Award. Katharine, please come up and accept this award. And please…don’t hit me over the head with it?”
Katharine took a deep breath, released it and made her way to the stage. She received the award from Mitch, shaking her head and smiling as she did. He stepped back and off to the side. When the polite applause died away, Katharine began. Her voice shook, then steadied.
“A few months ago, I was the woman they called, ‘the mean neighbor lady,’ among other things, I’m sure. They, uh, weren’t wrong. I have spent most of my life avoiding…people. You could rightly say I had built a wall around myself, shutting out anyone and anything that might possibly hurt or disappoint me. I liked safe. Quiet. Alone. It wasn’t until that man—back there, behind me—came along and turned my universe—my quiet, safe, one-woman universe—upside down.” She turned to look at Mitch, took a deep and shaky breath, and said, “You see, I uh, I fell head-over-heels for Mitch Ford the moment I saw him,” She turned back to the audience again, fighting past the tremble in her voice, “and that made me feel…angry. I didn’t want to fall for anyone—especially not a guy who lives under a spotlight. I wanted to be left alone. But something weird happened, and alone began to feel…lonely. Then two amazing, persistent and patient women came into my life, and made me realize it wasn’t so terrible letting people in.” Katharine sighed and paused. “Anyhow, Mr. Ford is as equally confounding, infuriating as he claims me to be. And he is way more amazing and incredible, too.”
The audience ‘awwed’ and clapped. “Now that we’ve both taken a turn at public declarations, I’ll move on to the planned part of my speech. There is only one other man I know who embodies those qualities. He has taught me—or tried to teach me—what it means to forgive, to be generous of heart and spirit, and to do unto others as you wish done to you. He is brave and smart, and incredibly kind… he’s my big brother. Nate Evans, please come up and accept this award for your work with Nate’s Great Cause!”
Everyone in the room stood and applauded Nate. Alyssa kissed his cheek and beamed. Katharine’s heart was fuller than she’d ever dreamt possible as she watched Nate cross the stage. She handed him the award, hugged him tightly, and then stepped back to stand beside Mitch. Katharine gazed up at him, and he winked, then put his arm around her and placed a soft kiss into her hair. Together they watched as Nate gave a beautiful, eloquent acceptance speech. Katharine had to use the handkerchief Mitch subtly handed her to dab her eyes periodically.
Once offstage, Katharine and Mitch were pulled in different directions, it seemed everyone craved a piece of their time. They laughed and shrugged helplessly from across the room at one another. As much as she longed to be by Mitch’s side, Katharine discovered a new confidence. A kind of inner calm settled inside her. They had nothing but time.
“Miss Evans! Over here, please,” called yet another patron of the event. Katharine huffed good-naturedly and turned to greet yet another new face. As she did, she caught sight of Leanne the Amazon stomping toward the doors with Sam close on her heels. Her smile grew. Good riddance.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur, and suddenly they were being shuttled into the waiting limousine again. Katharine searched around in vain for Mitch, but she couldn’t find him. “Wait,” she called out as the attendant handed each of them into the car.
“Sorry, Miss, we have a long line of cars waiting. We have to keep everyone moving,” he replied.
Katharine sank down next to Tori, feeling a little bit crestfallen. A short while ago, the man of her unrealized dreams had told her—and an entire audience—that he loved her. Now she was in a limo with her nearest and dearest, but Mitch was nowhere in sight. It was too surreal to believe.
“Um, Katharine? Your purse is buzzing,” said Janie.
Katharine fumbled with the clasp, frowning slightly. Everyone she knew was right there in the car with her. Everyone except…
“Mitch,” she breathed into the receiver. The downturned corners of her mouth reversed into a smile.
His voice, like warm honey, spoke softly, “Hello, you. Trying
to sneak off on me, hmm?”
“No, I—”
“I’m teasing, Miss Evans. May I call on you tomorrow morning?”
“Why, yes, Mr. Ford, you may. Goodnight, Mitch.”
A chuckle on his end, then, “Goodnight, Katharine. Sweet dreams.”
Katharine sighed dreamily and fell back against the seat, phone pressed to her heart. She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to contain the fit of girlish giggles that threatened to burst from her chest and stared unseeing out the tinted window. A small cough suddenly reminded her she wasn’t alone. Slowly, she turned her head. Six pairs of eyes, six stifled smirks greeted her.
“Oh, shut up, all of you!”
They all erupted into laughter, Janie, Tori, and even Alyssa climbed over the men to give Katharine hugs. The guys laughed, rolled their eyes and shook their heads as the women squealed and talked over each other.
“Oh, my God, Katharine that was so romantic—” sighed Janie. Then, “I hope you were taking notes, Jimmy.”
“It’s about time you two got on the same page,” said Tori.
“Mitch Ford is really good looking in a tuxedo,” giggled Alyssa.
“Hey, what about us,” asked Nate.
“Yeah, yeah, you boys clean up pretty well, too,” Tori pacified, then rolled her eyes. “Anyhow, girl, that man had every woman in the room swooning. You are one lucky lady, Miss Katharine Evans. Now, don’t blow it.”
“Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence. It was kind of swoon-worthy, wasn’t it? I mean…is this real life?”
Katharine laughed and shook her head again. The smile hadn’t left her face, though. It was there when they said goodbye to Tori and Justin at her apartment building. It remained on the drive back home with Jim, Janie, Nate, and Alyssa. And still, after they’d dropped her brother and his girlfriend off at his place. When she’d closed her own door behind her and leaned against it in happy exhaustion, she suddenly realized her cheeks hurt. Apparently, her face was unaccustomed to so much happiness.
Her eyes traveled the familiar terrain of the living room, the staircase, the kitchen. She looked down to see her award clutched against her chest and pushed it away a bit to read it. The gold etching glowed in the warm overhead light of the foyer—
“In Honor of your exemplary leadership in advocacy for Down’s Syndrome Awareness and Education, the W.T. Thomas Foundation grants you with the Leader in Advocacy Award…”
Katharine’s eyes swam with tears once again. She’d never done anything for the sake of awards, but she couldn’t deny it was nice to receive one.
“Okay, you big sap. Back to earth,” she said aloud. Katharine brushed the tears away, pushed off the door. Setting the plaque on the ledge and bracing herself, she kicked off her right high heel and then her left, not caring where they landed. She pulled the pearl crusted hair clip out, shook her hair free, and yawned. Once upstairs, she changed into her favorite pajamas—thin, baggy, bunny-face covered sleep pants and faded Frankie Says Relax t-shirt—washed her face and brushed her teeth. She climbed into bed and grabbed a book off the nightstand, knowing full well she’d never retain anything she read. She needed something to make her drowsy enough to sleep… or at least distract her from her happy ruminations and giddy anticipation of tomorrow. After a few minutes, she slapped the book shut and set it on the nightstand with a thud. Katharine next fluffed her pillow, slid down between the soft sheets and turned on her side. She squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to focus on her breathing—inhale slowly, count to five, exhale slowly, began again—but another part of her mind imagined Mitch’s voice calling her name, like Romeo outside her bedroom window.
“Katharine!”
Suddenly, Katharine sat up. She cocked her head. She heard it again— “Katharine!”
She swung her legs out from under the covers and stood, then tip-toed to her bedroom balcony sliding door. The nearly full moon shone through the thin curtain. Hesitantly, Katharine pushed it aside and slid open the door. As always, her gazed was immediately pulled to the lake. The sight didn’t disappoint—dark water rippled gently in the silvery-blue moonlight, causing Katharine to feel like she was at a ship’s helm and sailing through the night.
She let her gaze drop, first to her small dock, then to her hydrangeas. Then, just like Romeo in the famed story, him. Mitch, standing in her backyard, still in his tuxedo, smiling up at her with a handful of daisies. He lifted them up toward her and called up, “I picked these for you. No bees, I checked. Also—full disclosure—I picked them from your yard. Sorry.”
“Mitch? What on earth are you doing here now? At this time of night? Are you drunk?”
“Yes, Miss Evans, I am. I am drunk on love. And by my watch,” he looked down at his watch, “it’s now two a.m. Therefore, it is tomorrow morning.”
Katharine laughed down at him, “You’re crazy. You know that, right?”
Mitch shrugged and grinned, and said, “I couldn’t wait any longer. But… I could leave and come back later if you—”
Katharine turned and went back inside, then rushed down the stairs, to the back door and out onto the deck. There, she paused, bit her lip and looked down at herself. She was in her ratty old pajama’s, and the man of her dreams was standing in her yard in a tuxedo. She looked up again, and Mitch was standing in front of her.
“Ballgown, bunny pajamas…it doesn’t make a difference, Katharine. To me, you are beautiful.”
“Oh, Mitch. After everything I’ve said and—”
“None of it matters. I said it in front of a roomful of people, and I’ll repeat it now. I am crazy about you. I admit I’m practically dying to know if you meant what you said on stage tonight. Because, if you were playing along for the whole KatMitch thing, I understand. And if you’re not ready to tell me how you feel, that’s okay, too. I won’t pressure you this time. Oh, and—”
“Mitch, I—”
“No, nope, hear me out first, okay? Then, I’ll leave. Katharine, the moment I saw you, I didn’t just think it… I knew you were the one. Even though you were this furious little ball of fire, I remember thinking, ‘by God, isn’t she beautiful, though.’ I tried to deny it, ignore it, excuse it…nothing worked. You have been on my mind twenty-four seven, woman.”
He clasped his hands together, flowers and all, and continued. “But here’s the thing I’ve finally gotten through my thick skull: I know you build a wall around yourself to protect you from all the lousy things people do. I get it that it’s hard for you to trust. So, I can be a patient man, Katharine. I’m not going to try to force you to talk again. I will give you the time you need to figure out how you feel, and I’ll wait for you to be able to say it in your own way.” Mitch paused, taking a deep breath.
Katharine used the moment to break in. “Are you done yet?”
Mitch opened his mouth, but she quickly spoke again. “Good, because I have some things to say to you, too.” She rushed on, afraid he’d start again. “I wasn’t playing the…KatMitch role up there on the stage, Mitch. I meant what I said.” She smiled watching the tension leave his shoulders. “The moment I saw you, my heart practically stopped. Then, yes, I threw a soccer ball at you. And yelled at you. And was really mean, for a really long time. I’m sorry for all of that. I’m sorry for all the misunderstandings, miscommunications… everything. They were my fault, every single one. If I hadn’t been so—I don’t know—closed off from the world, maybe I’d have better social skills. But I don’t. You were right when you said I’d built a wall around myself. It was a massive, towering barrier.”
Katharine shook her head and looked away, then back at Mitch, “But not anymore. I’m not—I don’t want to be that woman anymore.” She stepped down off the deck, took Mitch’s large hand between hers, and looked up into his eyes. “You changed all that. Suddenly, I have visions of a very different kind of life. One with friends and family… and love. I’ve made friends, Mitch. Now, I’m ready for love.”
“So,” Mitch began cautiously, “you
do mean with me, right? Not that guy—”
“Mitch Ford, you idiot, I’m in love with you. Completely, ridiculously, totally. I… love… you. There, are you happy now?” Katharine blushed furiously, and her heart beat like a tom drum, but she kept her eyes locked on his.
Mitch tossed the daisies on the deck. He cupped Katharine’s face, his gaze and smile so full of gentleness, and brought his lips close to hers. He whispered, “And I love you, Katharine Evans,” then, under the moonlight and stars, he kissed her
.
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
“Here, Mitch. You hold the baby for a bit.”
“Wait, I—”
“Oh, don’t be a chicken, Mitch. It’ll be good practice for you,” Katharine laughed and patted her growing bump.
“Alright, Janie, hand over that little football. I’ll show you two smarty pants,” said Mitch as he set down his red, white, and blue cup and reached out to take the swaddled bundle.
“Okay, see, now that,” scolded Katharine with a playful laugh “that little football is a girl, first off. Second, her name is Juliette. If we have a girl—”
“I’m going to teach her how to throw a football, change a tire, and built a house from the ground up,” finished Mitch with a smug grin.
“Good,” replied Katharine, “I would expect no less. Wait until she’s at least three before you do all that, hmm?”
They were on Katharine’s—Katharine and Mitch’s—back deck, soaking in the midsummer's sunshine. Their gatherings had become practically a weekly event over the summer, with some new additions to boot.
“Hey, look who I found at the front door,” called Jim from the slider. “just in time to help me set up the fireworks for tonight.”
“Surprise!” It was Nate and Alyssa, followed by their new neighbors, Vinnie and Caroline Genoma and their kids.
“The addition is coming along great, Mitch,” said Vinnie.