3. Katie
3
KATIE
The Northshore dance hall buzzed with the conversations of tourists and locals gathered for Cajun food and music. The band wrapped up the end of their first set, which took place on a stage in front of a swamp-themed mural, complete with alligators and cypress trees with Spanish moss dangling from their branches.
Katie made a point to watch her cousin’s band play whenever she could, especially at low-key gigs. She could sit at a table beside the stage and sip a bourbon and Coke away from the crowds at the bar and line dancing on the expansive floor. She could even grab a snack from the adjoining restaurant to eat in peace in the corner.
The band had outgrown venues like this and were one of the best known country bands in the state, but they still played in this dance hall occasionally. It had been among the first places they had regular gigs, so a couple of times a year they showed their gratitude by dusting off some swamp pop tunes and drawing a huge crowd.
Her cousin, Rachel, the band’s mandolin player, bounced over to where Katie was sitting. Her sunny expression was quickly replaced with one of disgust and concern when she saw Katie. “Ew.”
“Ew, what?” Katie touched around her mouth and looked down to see if she’d spilled something on her shirt.
“Your face. It’s sad.” Rachel pointed at the small plate in front of her cousin. “You can’t be sad with fried boudin balls.”
Katie tossed a cocktail napkin at her. “My face is fine.”
“No, it isn’t. You can’t con me. I know the difference between fine and whatever this is.” Rachel sat beside her, stirring her plastic cup of vodka and soda. She bumped her shoulder against Katie’s. “What’s up?”
Katie put her plate on the table next to her and took a deep breath. Might as well tell her. Rachel would stick around until she could make Katie feel better, just like she did with the stray cats she took in. Rachel’s boyfriend was offshore that week, so her full attention was available to press Katie for details.
“So remember that party we went to the other night?”
Rachel looked up as if the answer was in the ceiling or she was physically retrieving the memory from some storage shelf in her brain. “Last weekend? The one just before Christmas?”
Katie nodded. “Remember that woman I met?”
Rachel looked back at Katie with wide eyes. “I thought you said that was a nonstarter? Did you call her after all?”
“No. It’s still a nonstarter.” Katie let out the heavy sigh she’d been holding in since she first started this story. “Turns out she’s Stephen’s sister.”
Rachel’s big hazel eyes widened even more. “Nooo.”
Katie could only press her lips together and nod.
“You’ve never met her before? I thought you were pretty tight with his family.”
“I am. But she lives in San Diego and doesn’t visit often. She was supposed to be with the family that night, so I didn’t connect the name at all.”
“How did you find out? Honestly, I’m guessing Stephen is probably over the moon that his sister and his best friend were making out.” Rachel nearly choked on her drink to circle back. “No sarcasm. I can see that legitimately tickling him.”
“Maybe,” Katie said. “But he doesn’t know. She met us outside the aquarium and was just as surprised to see me there. I got the distinct impression that she didn’t want Stephen to know about what happened between us, so I had to play along like I was meeting her for the first time.”
That moment had been playing in her head all evening. At first, Katie had been put off by Sydney’s attempt to pretend they’d never met. But whatever the reason for that, Katie decided not to ruin the charade.
For now.
In truth, it was kind of fun to play along. And the rejection of their prior introduction at that party didn’t bother her.
What caught her off guard was the appearance of someone she’d never intended to see again. Remembering the feeling of those beachy blonde waves through her fingers. Those soft, wide lips against her mouth.
“Does her brother think she’s straight?” Rachel asked, breaking Katie’s trip through memory land. “She’s the sister who’s recently divorced, right?”
“Yeah. I have no idea. It never came up.” Katie shook her head. “But she clearly didn’t want him to know we’d met, so I don’t know what part of that she’s hiding from him.”
“That sounds like more family drama than I’d want to touch.” Rachel took a sip of her drink, then gave a sly sideways glance at her cousin. “I thought you said she was a good kisser?”
Katie’s brain swirled. Against her own self-interest, she couldn’t hide her pleasure at the memory. “So good. Unfortunately.”
“Why unfortunately? Now you get to see her again! Assuming you get to stay out of their family drama. Maybe she’ll clear up whatever she was hiding from him?”
Katie shook her head. “Nope. That night was a one-time thing, anyway. I told you. Good kisser, but we have nothing in common. She’s an accountant. I train otters. Not exactly matching puzzle pieces.”
“Why not? Don’t opposites attract?”
“We aren’t even opposites. We’re just… different. Too different. Besides, it’s even more out of the question now.”
“Because she’s Stephen’s sister?” Rachel asked. “He won’t care. He’ll probably be thrilled.”
“Not because of Stephen. Because she lives in San Diego. Even if I wanted to, I’m not starting a long-distance relationship with someone who I’ll see for just a few days while she’s in town for the holidays, maybe once a year.”
Rachel shrugged. “Sounds romantic to me.”
“Only if you consider doomed-from-the-start love stories with no happy ending to be romantic.”
“Oh, hey, speaking of happy endings. I found a?—”
“Nope. Absolutely not.” Katie put her hands up to stop what she knew was coming next out of Rachel’s mouth. “My plate is full with Benjamin.”
Katie had agreed to foster a cat for Rachel earlier that year. It was an adult cat, and Rachel had promised it would be easy and that it was so adorable they’d find it a home quickly just based on his pictures.
She’d neglected to tell Katie that it would be quite some time before they could even take those photos. The fluffy orange cat was matted beyond anything Katie had ever seen and developed some sort of kitty cold shortly after he arrived at Katie’s place. They’d had to shave his belly, but Katie still had to work out matts daily until the cat felt well enough to groom himself.
Several months later, however, Katie couldn’t imagine her life without the aloof pain-in-the-butt she’d named after her favorite band’s lead singer.
“This one’s easy. I swear. It’s a kitten. It’s just a little… sassy.”
“That’s easier. Not easy.” Katie sighed. “I’ll ask around to see if anyone else can take it.”
“Thank you!” Rachel hugged her. “You’re the best.”
Katie didn’t have much hope she’d find someone willing to take any cat, much less a sassy kitten. Rachel had Katie regularly hitting up coworkers to see who had room for rescues.
They were all animal lovers at the aquarium, but Katie had already tapped them out with previous requests to take in Rachel’s rescues. She’d have more luck if this was the summer, when the aquarium got in a bunch of temporary college workers to help with the extra tourist influx. But at this time of year, there weren’t any employees left who hadn’t heard her pitch. It was a good pitch. Katie had a knack for persuasion. But her pitch lost its power after the fourth or fifth time hearing it.
“Change of subject.”
Katie nodded toward the table on the other side of the stage, where a couple of Rachel’s bandmates sat with their significant others. Katie was always welcome to sit with them, but she loved the weird peace she got sitting alone while she listened to music in a crowded room. It was like a meditation for her. A good way to forget about a certain someone she wasn’t supposed to see again.
“I’ll allow it,” Rachel said with a grin before she took another sip of her drink.
“How’s the plans for the upcoming tour going?”
Rachel’s shoulders slumped. “So much work. I’m glad I’m not Brynn. I don’t know how she does everything.”
Brynn was the band’s manager who’d been with them since they started taking major gigs and planning their first tour. She wore a lot of hats, from what Katie understood. Too many hats now that the band had grown so much.
“Oh, hey, isn’t your girlfriend an accountant?”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Katie snapped. “And yes, Stephen’s sister is an accountant.”
“Brynn’s thinking about hiring someone to take care of the tour finances. And probably everything beyond that. Do you think she could help with that?”
“Maybe. But she’s just in town for a few days. I doubt it’s something she could do in that time frame.”
“Do you think she can recommend someone? I’m gonna ask around with some other bands if they know anyone who works with musicians or artists in particular. But I’m not expecting much. These are crumpled-receipts-in-a-shoebox people.”
Katie laughed. “More like no receipts and a messy as hell digital trail.”
“That,” Rachel said. “Definitely.”
“If I see her again, I’ll ask if she knows anyone around here. Surely there’s someone in New Orleans that specializes in entertainment finance.”
“Thanks.” Rachel gave her a wink. “Maybe it’ll give you a spark of a conversation and a path to true love.”
Katie rolled her eyes. “No. It won’t. But you will definitely owe me for this.”
“Oh, for sure. Whatever you want. Name your favor.”
“I’m going to hold on to it.”
Rachel tilted her head as she considered the deal. Once she decided, she smiled at Katie and said, “Fair.”
Katie’s phone vibrated on the table beside her. When she flipped it over, she wished she hadn’t.
“There’s that look again,” Rachel said before downing the rest of the liquid in her clear plastic cup.
“It’s Stephen,” Katie said. “He wants me to go to lunch with him and his sister Monday.”
Katie wasn’t scheduled on Mondays, so she couldn’t lie about having to work. Stephen also knew she rarely made plans on her days off, preferring instead to lounge around on her first morning off, binging reality TV on the couch with coffee and Benjamin.
And Katie knew Stephen wouldn’t let her bail on this without a fight. The last thing Katie wanted was to spend all of tomorrow fending off Stephen’s invitation insistence while trying to keep the reason for her hesitation a secret.
Part of her wanted to tell him that reason.
But a larger part of her wanted to respect Sydney’s obvious desire to keep their encounter quiet. No matter how much of a hassle it might be.
If she had to admit it, the little charade was kind of fun. As long as it didn’t go on too long. She didn’t like lying to her best friend.
Rachel aimed her empty cup at Katie’s phone. “Tell him you’ll go. You know you’re going to, anyway. I know how Stephen is. Might as well just go and enjoy being around this woman one more time.”
“I don’t know how much enjoyment I’ll have pretending I don’t know her at all.”
“Still. You should go. She’s Stephen’s sister, after all. It’s not like you’ll never see her again.” Someone called Rachel’s name, and she glanced over her shoulder at the rest of the band going on stage. “Break’s over. I’m not leaving until you send that text, and you don’t want this whole dance hall mad at you for making me late.”
Katie sighed and typed a quick text, then placed her phone face down on the table again. “Happy?”
Rachel grinned. “Absolutely.”