Love's Fate (Love Trilogy #1) (13 page)

The wind coming off the ocean whipped at my hair as we walked along the pier, it was cold but also invigorating. It was not nearly as good as my beach hideout, but still the proximity to the ocean was soothing. Rick held my hand as we walked. His palms were clammy.

After we made the circuit and found ourselves back at the start of the pier I decided it was time to end the evening. I made an excuse about an early morning, which wasn’t untrue. Rick gushed about how wonderful the evening had been. I couldn’t honestly agree. It had been nice. It wasn’t bad. But wonderful would not be the word I would use to describe it. Here we were at the end of our date and I felt no desire to kiss him, no anticipation of when I would see him again.

It was just like it had been with Jared in college. Rick was a perfectly nice guy, but I felt nothing for him. Maybe I wasn’t capable of that sort of reaction to a man. I gave him a brief kiss on the cheek, without a promise of another date. Then got in my car and headed home.

Again I was tempted to turn off and go by my shop on the way home. It was late now, I was sure the painter was gone but I could check on his progress. I realized, however, that there was no reason for a detour. I would see the wall in the morning. I could wait that long.

I woke up with a tangible excitement the next morning. I wasn’t sure why that was exactly. I felt frenzied, as I got ready for work. I couldn’t get to the shop fast enough, I felt like a magnet was drawing me.

As soon as I unlocked the door I immediately turned to the left wall and exhaled. I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding my breath. In one night the painter had made great progress. I could see a sketch of the horizon with the sun crowning the water. He had chosen to paint the scene at sunset. Perfect! Only the right half of the wall had color, golden sand, turquoise waters. It wasn’t even half done but I could see the potential, the beauty. It was going to be perfect.

All my anxiety from the night before vanished and I realized with great relief that the painter was indeed very talented and I had no reason to worry. I went to the kitchen and started my morning routine. I still held a higher level of excitement than usual and I really couldn’t account for that. I even found myself humming as I worked, which was not something I usually did.

“Must have been some date last night.” Amy said startling me

“What? Oh no… I mean… yeah. I guess. Why?” I stammered

“You’re flustered,” she giggled “and I’ve never heard you humming before. Does that mean things went well with Rick?”  She was almost sparkling with excitement and I hated to burst her bubble.

“I don’t know. He was nice, dinner was good.” I shrugged not sure what else to say about it.

But now that she’d pointed it out I realized that I did feel flustered. I was sure however that Rick had nothing to do with it. Although I couldn’t imagine what did.

“Well you’re in an awfully good mood this morning” Amy said examining me more closely now as if she suspected I was keeping something from her.

“I guess I am.”
I shrugged again.

I wasn’t really sure why I felt so light hearted this morning. I didn’t think it had anything to do with Rick. It was almost like I was expecting something, like a kid on Christmas Eve. But I had no idea what if anything I was expecting. Today was just another day like any other.

And like any other day the shop was very busy. I kept to the kitchen most of the day working on some cake orders that needed to be completed. Amy ran the front and only poked her head back occasionally to let me know if I needed to re-stock anything. I was actually surprised when she told me it was almost 3 and she was getting ready to close up. The day had flown by so quickly.

“The painter should be here any minute.” Amy told me as she hung her apron in the kitchen and grabbed her purse.

“’Kay, I’ll still be here a few more hours, I need to finish up this wedding cake they need it by tomorrow.”

The bell on the front door jingled announcing someone’s arrival.

“That must be Michael.” Amy said as she turned and left the kitchen.

My hands froze at the sound of that name. I dropped a piping tube full of icing that left a red streak down the side of the white wedding cake. The realization that I just massacred my cake snapped me out of my momentary shock. Michael was a very common name I knew it couldn’t be him. I wouldn’t even allow myself to speculate. I had a cake to re-ice.

“Okay, painter’s here, I’m on my way out.” Amy said poking her head through the kitchen door.

“Oh my gosh! What happened?” Amy exclaimed as soon as she saw my red-stained cake. She rushed over to my side where I was very meticulously scraping off tainted icing.

“It’s fine.”  I huffed without looking up.

“Do you need me to stay and help?” Amy asked worriedly

“No really, I’ve got this.” I assured her.

“Okay, well I’ve locked the front door. The painter knows to leave out the back when he’s done. You sure you don’t need anything?”  She hesitated at the back door.

“I’m fine.” I looked up at her this time and smiled knowing if she didn’t get that reassurance she’d never leave. She hovered a moment longer and then finally left.

It only took me about an hour to repair the damage to the cake, and then another hour to finish decorating it. As I was finishing up I relaxed into my earlier cheerful mood and even caught myself humming again.

When the cake was done I was tempted to poke my head out into the lobby and check on the progress of the mural and to meet the painter, but I decided I should clean up first. I was a mess.

As I scrubbed the caked in flour and icing out of my nail beds I heard the back door close. I poked my head out of the bathroom but didn’t see anybody in the kitchen. I walked to the lobby but found it deserted as well. The painter must have already packed up for the night. I looked toward the mural and my breath caught.

The left side of the wall was outlined now showing a
cliff
looking over the pristine golden beach below. How could that be possible? This was my beach. My
cliff
. Had I given Amy that picture after all?

I ran back into the kitchen and rummaged through my purse. The picture was still there, crumpled in the bottom of my bag. I had never described the
cliff
in detail to Amy and I hadn’t given her the picture. How had she known what to tell the painter?

I felt that frenzied excitement building up in me again, as if there was something about to happen that was just outside my grasp of understanding.

The mural was almost finished. Last night as I’d painted I had overheard the shop owner humming in the kitchen. I was tempted to introduce myself. To ask her to take a look at the work in progress and let me know if she liked it. I figured it would be easier to take the rejection before the piece was finished.

I was actually pretty surprised I hadn’t met her yet. The way Amy had described her to me that first night I was sure she’d be watching over my shoulder the entire time. Instead I was left to wonder what she thought about my work. The more I wondered the more apprehensive I became.

How would it be received? Would she like it? Why had I chosen such a personal piece? I loved the scene I was paintin
g now and I was pouring my heart
and soul into it.

This was my beach, my
cliff
. If she didn’t like it I knew it would be hard not to take it personally. For some reason I had been compelled to paint that particular scene, but now I felt anxious. What if she didn’t like it?

I slowly walked toward the kitchen door. Trying to brace myself for any response she might have. When I reached the door I realized it had gone silent on the other side then I heard the sound of water running in the back bathroom. Like a coward I bolted out the back door. Not ready to face her judgment.

But there would be no avoiding it tonight. I was nervous as I drove to the bakery. I would finish the mural tonight. All of the outlining was complete, just some color to add now. It wouldn’t take long and then it would be time to reveal my work.

Tonight would be the night, the night of the big reveal. I had butterflies in my stomach. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this way. Certainly not after finishing any of my other murals.

Amy was there to let me in as usual.  She smiled warmly when she opened the door and that eased m
y nerves some. If the mural was
unacceptable to her friend surely she would be showing some signs of that now.

“Hey Michael.”  She greeted me
.
“I can’t believe how fast you work. The wall is looking amazing! I wish I could stay to see it completed but my husband has a special dinner planned for us tonight, so I have to run.”

“That’s okay. I wo
rk better without an audience.”
I winked at her and felt surprised at how easily I related to her after only a couple of days.

We had probably only spent a total of 15 minutes together over the last few days but she seemed like someone I could be friends with. I bet Claire would like her. It was too bad she was married. I would have asked her out. Not that I was really attracted to her, I mean she was definitely pretty but by now I was used to the detached way I viewed women. Mostly I wanted to get Claire off my back about dating and it would have been nice to have a girl to bring over to their house for a change.

“Anyway Katherine’s still here, as usual.
”  She said rolling her eyes. “
So she’ll be able to view the final product and to pay you of course.”  She added as she gathered up her things.

My heart stuttered when she said the name Katherine. I felt my face flush and my pulse quicken as my hands began to tremble. She didn’t seem to notice.

“Well if I don’t see you again it was nice meeting you Michael.” Amy said as she went out the door.

I didn’t reply. I couldn’t, my mind was still reeling. Could it be possible? Could it be my Katherine? I chastised myself for thinking of her as mine since I didn’t even know her. But nevertheless could it be her? I found myself drifting toward the kitchen door as these questions ran through my mind, and then the door opened.

My heart stopped.

It was her.

Unbelievably, undeniably, unmistakably her!

“Michael?” she whispered my name, her emerald eyes riveted on mine.

She knew my name! How did she know my name? I didn’t know what to say as I stared at this woman who for years had only existed in my dreams.

“How?”  She took one hesitant step forward allowing the kitchen door to swing shut behind her.

Her eyes told me she knew me. Remembered me. I had so many questions, so many things to say. None of it would come. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. I could only stare.

“Katherine?”  I barely recognized my own voice.

“How do you know my
name?”  S
he whispered as if speaking too loudly would pop the dream bubble surrounding us in this immeasurable moment.

“The wedding…” I closed my eyes to clear my head “I saw you at the wedding talking to Charlie and Claire, I asked them who you were.”  I said this with my eyes still closed, finding it easier to speak when I wasn’t looking at her.

When I reopened my eyes I saw that she had taken a few steps closer and was only a few feet in front of me know. She was smiling slightly.

“You saw me at the wed
ding?”  S
he asked still almost a whisper.

“That wasn’t the first time.”  I said finding some semblance of confidence as I realized she definitely knew me.

“The coffee shop.”  S
he replied smiling brightly now.

“You remember?”

“How could I forget?”

My thoughts exactly. This was better than anything I could have ever imagined. She knew me, remembered me, was happy to see me. My heart was soaring, my mind racing.

“Is this real?”  I asked, still not sure if this was just some very realistic dream.

“I’m not sure. I hope so
.”  S
he answered stepping one step closer as if to make sure I was really there. We were close enough to touch now. I could feel the heat radiating off her body.

“That night in the coffee shop,
I wanted to meet you.”  I told her

“I wanted to meet you too
. Have wanted to ever since.”  S
he told me blushing as she looked down.

“Do you believe in Fate?”  I asked.

“I do now.”

I woke up that morning with an even higher level of excitement than the day before. I couldn’t describe it. I just knew something was coming, something big. I hurried to the shop and got to work with a frenzied pace. I wasn’t sure why I was in such a rush. I didn’t know what I was rushing for, but for some reason I couldn’t move fast enough, couldn’t get through the day fast enough.