CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Katie stared at the wall-mounted television on the screened-in porch of her favorite Mexican restaurant absent-mindedly running her fingertips up and down a glass of water dripping with cool condensation. Her head felt heavy as it rested on the soft cushion of her palm propped up by her elbow on the table. She was in a daze and didn’t realize Stacey had come back from retrieving their cocktails from the bar, watching her with a mischievous grin on her face. Katie blinked several times before reaching for her margarita on the rocks.
“What’s gotten into you?” Stacey asked, sipping on her margarita. The ceiling fans overhead twirled on high in an attempt to keep the shaded porch area from becoming too hot in the summer evening. Her blonde hair moved slightly in the breeze.
With wide, guilty eyes, Katie brought her drink up to her mouth and fingered the red straw. “Nothing.”
“Don’t ‘nothing’ me, missy. I know that look.”
“What look?” She swallowed a large mouthful of her beverage, not quite ready to divulge the details of her weekend with her best friend. It felt strange not to tell Stacey everything. What was up with that? In a way, she felt like she was protecting Clay—she didn’t feel right talking about his childhood trauma. He had trusted her with that information and deserved to be spoken about with respect and kindness. What she had experienced with him wasn’t some bootie-call weekend with a hot guy. What she had experienced was over-the-top, something-she-would-never-forget,special. She had never felt this way about anyone and wasn’t sure how to broach the subject with her bestie.
“There you go again, staring off into space. Girl! What happened?” Stacey reached across the table and grabbed Katie’s wrist. Concern was etched all over her face as she patiently waited for her to speak.
Katie slowly pulled her hand out of her grip and held her fingers in her lap. She could feel the heat rising on the back of her neck. Looking directly at her best friend, she smiled reassuringly and sighed. “I had a great time.” She’d been home for the past four days, working around the clock at trying to keep her mind off Clay. Stacey called her relentlessly, and after several voice messages and worried texts, Katie finally agreed to meet for drinks on Thursday night, the night before Clay was supposed to come back into town.
Stacey’s gaze was penetrating. “I know this look, Katie. You’re falling for him, aren’t you?”
Pursing her lips, Katie looked down at her lap forlornly.
“Hey… hey!” Stacey leaned in trying to get her attention. “If you had a great time, why are you acting so sad? This isn’t like you.”
She looked up and shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m sad…because I miss him. I can’t stop thinking about him night and day. My heart actually…hurts.”
A huge grin spread across Stacey’s face. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “I never thought I’d see this day.” Her face softened, and she tilted her head. “Sweet girl, you’re falling in love!”
Katie sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes wide with revelation. Could her best friend be right? Could she be falling in love? But it was way too soon—or was it? Her hands trembled as she picked up her drink and downed it in three gulps, making Stacey laugh out loud.
“You’ve got it bad! Have you told him?”
The strong alcohol burned her throat, making her grimace and shake her head vehemently. “No! I don’t know what I’m feeling. I haven’t told him anything except I want to see him again. He’s coming this weekend, you know. He’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Are you kidding me? We need to go on a double date! You and Cowboy, me and Brent! Holy shit! Let’s make some plans!”
Katie blushed and shook her head. “I don’t know…”
“Oh, come on! When was the last time we double-dated? Huh? Like,never! This is cause for a celebration shot. I’ll be right back with our buddy, Jose Cuervo!”
She watched Stacey bolt into the restaurant, relieved that she had a moment to ponder the intense feelings that swelled within her. Was she really falling in love with Clay Watkins? The long drive back to Atlanta was agonizing, her thoughts consumed with every detail of the time they had spent together. She could hardly get through the work week, anticipating their late-night conversations as they lay in bed pining for each other over the long-distance line. He whispered sweet nothings into her ear, and the low rumble of his voice did things to her insides that made her desperate to have him near her again. Now she understood the agony of a long-distance relationship. But was theirs a real relationship? Sure, they had joked about being married at the bar with the silly tourists, but he had never indicated that she was officially his girlfriend or that he was even leaning in that direction. Still, he was coming back to Atlanta; to be with her again. That alone should make her happy. But there was something else. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
“Cheers,” Stacey said, interrupting Katie’s deep thoughts. The two girls held up the shot glasses clinking them together. The look on Stacey’s face was one of pure excitement as if she knew what lie ahead for Katie. She could only hope.
***
Clay counted the rings echoing on his phone knowing that after the fourth ring it would go straight to Katie’s voicemail—again. It was close to eleven. They were usually done talking by this time because she had to get up so early for work. Every night he anticipated hearing her sweet voice, soothed by their conversation because he missed her so damn much. He was starting to get concerned that she wasn’t answering, his mind going down a dark trail. What if something terrible had happened? What if he couldn’t get in touch with her? Who could he call to check in on her? He tossed the cellphone on the mattress when her voicemail message came on and clasped his fingers together behind his head, looking up through the skylight at the Batman building. He had it bad for Katie Parker. Their weekend together was like something out of a country music video. He was smitten and on sensory overload with song ideas and thoughts, jotting down note after note on several spiral notebooks he had placed in strategic places throughout his home. He was always prepared for those brilliant moments because he never knew when a lyric or a melody would sneak up on him. His phone suddenly lit up and vibrated across the sheets making Clay sit up with a start.
“Katie! I was beginning to think you had fallen asleep on me.”
“Clay! Hey! How are you?”
“I’m fine, baby. I…I was worried about you. How come you weren’t answering?” He hated it that his voice sounded desperate. Running his free hand through his hair, he sighed with relief finally allowing himself to relax.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been out with Stace. We had margaritas.” She hiccupped before saying, “Excuse me.”
Clay couldn’t help but grin as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Margaritas, huh? How many did you have?” He could tell by the slow timbre of her voice—she was inebriated.
“I only had two. But Stacey gave me a couple of shots of tequila to celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?”
