Chapter Twenty-Two
T he past few days had been a hectic flurry of activity. Katherine hadn’t dreamed things would move so fast. The couple who’d initially been interested in their home had made an offer once the asking price was lowered. “It isn’t enough to hurt us,” her mom had said. “We can at least take comfort in that.”
So now they were trying to decide what items would be necessary for the next few months while they were at Katherine’s grandparents’ house in Maryland. Everything not deemed absolutely necessary would go into a storage building. The one thing that gave Katherine a little peace was that they’d hired a moving company to handle packing and moving those things. But still, trying to pack her entire life into just a couple of suitcases was difficult. And she had no idea what to expect at her grandparents’ house. Would she have her own room? She didn’t want to bother her mom with endless questions, so she tried to convince herself it was just an adventure.
Katherine sank down onto her bed and stared at the walls around her. The room still looked the same as it had when she was a child. Sure, toys had been replaced with books, and instead of One Direction posters there were now framed copies of famous paintings. But even so, the room was the same. She leaned her head against the wall and scanned the furniture. The desk was the one she’d used for homework during elementary school all the way through her senior year of high school. On it sat a framed picture of her and Mom on the cruise they’d taken to celebrate graduation. There were the team pictures of her softball and basketball teams from junior high.
This had been a good home. A happy home. The thought that she’d not have it to come back to was nearly more than she could bear. As soon as the “Sold” sign had been placed out front, it occurred to Katherine that she was essentially homeless. It was not a good feeling.
A gentle knock at the door caused her to jump up and grab the nearest item. She could at least pretend to be packing. “Come in.”
Blake poked his head inside. “Hey. Your mom said you were up here packing. I thought you might want to take a little break.”
She nodded. “Sure. Come on in.”
He walked in and closed the door behind him. “Guess your mom’s rule of always leaving the door open when I’m in your room can be broken, all things considered.”
She twisted her mouth into a smile and nodded. “Guess so.” She sank into the old recliner that had been the one she’d been rocked in as a baby.
Blake took a seat on the bed and leaned back against the wall. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, not meeting her eyes.
She wasn’t sure if he was referring to the move or to the declaration she’d made yesterday that they should see other people while she was away. She decided to address the move. “It’s what my mom wants. I think she needs to go back to her home and face her family.” She played with a strand of her wavy dark hair. “Plus I want to meet them, and I want to do it while she’s with me.” Her eyes filled with tears and she looked up at him. “I’m aware of what’s probably her reasoning behind all of this, you know. Even though she denies it. I’m not stupid.”
Blake wrinkled his forehead. “I don’t think you’re stupid. But I’m glad you see this move for what it is.”
“It’s been keeping me up nights ever since the house sold. I’m worried that as soon as she’s made her peace and seen to it that I have a family to support me, she won’t have a much of a reason to fight.”
He nodded. “Kate,” he said, using his pet name for her. “I think you need to put those thoughts out of your mind. You’re getting the chance to spend a lot of quality time with your mom over these next months.” He scooted down on the bed until he was next to the recliner. “And you’ll be surrounded by people who love you. Try and enjoy it.” He grabbed her hand. “I’m sure it’s hard though.”
She gestured around the room. “I guess I didn’t realize how attached I was to this place. It’s all I’ve ever known.” She sighed. “But it looks like I’ll be able to enroll in school. I’ve already talked to a college not too far from where I’ll be living.”
“At least you won’t lose any time.”
“Not too much anyway. Especially since I’m still getting my basics.” She managed a smile. “But I’m not actually taking a full load this semester. I’ll only have to go to classes a couple of days a week. The rest of the time, I’ll just be with Mom, visiting family.”
“How about your biological father? Have you made any decisions there?”
Katherine shook her head. “I’m not sure where he is exactly. But I don’t want to just waltz into his life and claim my place as his daughter. I’m probably going to do a little detective work first.”
Blake raised one eyebrow at her. “Detective work?”
“Don’t look so shocked. I want to know who he is before I decide whether to meet him. You know—is he married, does he have kids, where does he live, what does he do for a living. . . all that stuff.”
“Can’t Jane just tell you the answers to those questions?”
“I don’t know. Probably not all of them. But I think it makes her sad to talk about. And I don’t want her to be sad. So I’m just going to handle it on my own.”
“Of course you are.” Katherine knew her independent streak had always worn on Blake.
She met his brown-eyed gaze. “About us. . .” she trailed off and sighed. “I’ve been thinking a lot about this. I know yesterday I told you we should see other people. But I’m afraid I might’ve made that sound like I thought we’d get back together when I got back here.” She looked down at her hands. “To tell the truth, I’m not sure if I’ll ever come back.”
He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “I had a funny feeling you were going to say that.”
“Do you hate me?” she asked. Even though she knew in her heart that Blake wasn’t the guy for her, it was still hard to know that they wouldn’t see each other for a while. Maybe ever.
“How could I? You’re doing what’s best for you.” He stood. “I hope your mom gets better.”
She folded herself into his waiting arms, thankful that he’d at least had the decency not to put her through an ugly breakup. He could be sweet when he wanted to be, and even though it had turned out to not be not as often as she would have liked, she was glad he’d acted right tonight.
“Goodbye, Kate.” He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, then turned and walked out of the room.
She sat back down in the recliner and wiped away a stray tear. The suitcase in the corner was nearly packed. Tomorrow, she and her mom would set out on the reverse cross-country trip they’d made together all those years ago. And even though it was bittersweet, she knew the memories would last her a lifetime.