The Waitress (48 page)

‘Well yes, but –’

‘When were you going to tell me?’ he cried.

‘I tried –’

‘After all we’ve been through together? What the hell was I supposed to do without you –’

‘Now hold on a minute!’ cried Katie. ‘Give me a chance to explain.’

Dan gave her a curt nod. The skin round his eyes seemed to have suddenly shrunk.

Katie took a deep breath. ‘I realised when I went home that I wanted to run my own café, not run someone else’s. Ideally,’ she paused, ‘ideally it would have been this one. But you and Paul were the owners so I’d never really be technically in control. So I talked it over with my great-aunt – whose money it is – and we both worked out that it was probably better for me to invest in a café that was more . . .’ she struggled to find the right word, ‘safe.’

He frowned at her and she spoke quietly. ‘I think we both know that our kiss at Sandy’s wedding was very wrong. You were – and are – engaged.’

Dan stared at her in shock. So Sukie had told her he was engaged. What else had he expected? His chest tightened. ‘I –’

She held up her hand. ‘Please. I know I wouldn’t have been one of the first you’d tell, but it was not a very nice way to find out.’ He grimaced at the thought of Sukie breaking the news to her. ‘It’s a lot of money to invest in a business,’ she said, ‘and I need to feel . . . in control,’ she
raised
her voice to stop him interrupting, ‘
emotionally
as well as technically.’ It worked. Dan was speechless. ‘I can’t be in control,’ she clarified, ‘when my boss is someone who would kiss one woman when he’s engaged to another. It’s as simple as that.’

Dan stared at her. ‘But-but –’ he started, ‘you didn’t exactly –’

‘I didn’t exactly
what
?’ shrieked Katie, instantly furious.

‘You didn’t exactly take the kiss seriously.’

‘You were
engaged
!’ she shouted. ‘So does it make it all right if the other girl doesn’t –’

‘No, of course not.’ He tried to say something else, stopped and then shook his head, eyes on the floor. ‘I can’t say anything,’ he finished, almost inaudibly.

Katie realised how much she’d hoped for a contradiction. But no. He really was going to marry Geraldine. The hurt was almost as much as the sudden dip in her respect for him.

She needed to talk to Great-Aunt Edna again. This café would be a wonderful investment and now that she had confronted the painful truth about Dan and accepted him for what he really was, maybe she would fall out of love with him and finally be safe.

Or would she be kidding herself and subconsciously hoping that he would leave Geraldine? If so, would he be able to see through her, and abuse that knowledge? Would it all end in tears? Should she just leave now?

‘On my part,’ she said finally, ‘that kiss was a momentary lapse. I am not someone who wants to do that to another woman – or to myself.’

‘I know –’

She held up her hand. ‘As for you,’ her voice was low, ‘it makes you . . . very unattractive.’

‘Please, Katie –’ his voice was agonised.

‘I may not be able to see through a first date,’ she said sadly, ‘but I’ve never two-timed anyone. Particularly if one of them was someone I was engaged to.’ He hung his head down as if it was suddenly too heavy. ‘Anyway,’ she took a deep breath. ‘My great-aunt and I discussed it at length and eventually we decided that it would be a very sensible idea for me to buy the café in my home village. I could do a lot to it and it could be mine for life. That way I’d be back with my family, I’d see my nephew grow up, and my great-aunt would know that her money was keeping a village institution alive.’ Dan gave a feeble nod. ‘It was a tough decision to make,’ insisted Katie. ‘I mean, although I was excited at the idea of taking it over, I knew it was going to be really hard to leave . . . everything here.’

Dan seemed unable to speak. They stood in silence for a while, the only sound his occasional sniff.

‘But,’ murmured Katie slowly, ‘the fact that Paul is no longer involved and that you are actually looking for a business partner –’

‘– like you,’ cut in Dan throatily, ‘a business partner like you, it would be perfect, just think of it –’

She put her hand up and he stopped. ‘It does change things,’ she conceded. He stared at her. ‘I have to talk to my great-aunt,’ she said. ‘It’s all very confusing. I mean for a start, I love this place, but it’s yours and Paul’s –’

‘We’d change it!’ he cried. ‘You and I would be partners – we’d call it Crichton Simmonds –’ She blinked and Dan interrupted himself, ‘Simmonds Crichton –
Katie
and Dan’s!’ he rushed. ‘Whatever you want! If you were joint owner . . . if we owned it together, every decision – every single decision – would be made together.’

They stared at each other.

‘Katie, you know it makes sense,’ he whispered. ‘We work so well together. We’re a team. I can’t do it without you. I don’t want to do it without you. Please, Katie. I’m begging.’

She looked at him. ‘And how the hell would Geraldine feel?’

‘Bugger Geraldine!’ he cried.

‘Dan!’ she cried, dismayed. ‘That’s a terrible thing to say. And it’s terrible if you think I’d want you to say that.’

He rushed to her. ‘Katie. This is our life.’

She shook her head, annoyed. ‘You need my money, Dan. I’m not a fool. And I won’t let you hurt Geraldine. Or me.’

‘God,’ said Dan, ashen-faced, ‘what do you think I’m like?’

‘I think you’re desperate at the moment,’ she said softly, ‘and you think you’ve suddenly found the answer. But I deserve more than that. And so does Geraldine. It’s her life too,’ she insisted. ‘You’re going to marry her. She matters, Dan. Don’t make me despise you.’

His head jerked back like he’d been slapped in the face. ‘I have to talk to her,’ he murmured, as if to himself.

‘Yes. Talk to her. About everything, Dan. About what happened at Sandy’s wedding as well as the possibility of me becoming your business partner. Or I’ll tell her. And only if she is absolutely fine with that, will I consider
putting
my money into Crichton Brown’s. I won’t take anything less.’

He paused and then gave a firm nod. ‘I’ll tell her everything.’

‘All right,’ said Katie. ‘And I have to talk to my great-aunt. It may be a very wise investment for me, but a very foolish direction. I’m more than money, Dan.’

He held her by the arms. ‘Katie, I’d leave this place in an instant and come with you to your café if you’d let me.’ She stared at him. ‘Sod the money,’ he continued. ‘I want
you
.’ She gasped and he stopped her by talking over it. ‘Look, let me talk to Geraldine.’ She couldn’t move. He suddenly took her hands in his and held them firmly against his chest. ‘Katie. Please. Trust me.’ She let out a spikey laugh. ‘I know you don’t believe me because of . . . but I’ll tell you everything – I’ll explain everything – after I’ve spoken to her. Believe me. Please, Katie. I need to talk to Geraldine. And then I need to talk to you. Meet me back here before the party. Promise me.’ She held her breath. ‘Please Katie.’

She gave a small nod.

They stood in the kitchen, hands held, staring at each other for what felt like hours but was probably only moments. Dan seemed to be struggling to say more, but instead he gave her hands one final squeeze and then let go, turned and left.

She watched him go, his words, ‘I want you,’ ringing in her ears. Did he just mean as a business partner? Or more? Could she ever really be safe with him if she felt like this? Could she ever really trust a man who had treated his fiancée the way he had? She stared at the door after him
as
if it could explain everything. When it opened again, she almost jumped.

She blinked at him. He stopped. She held her breath. Were the next few words going to answer all her questions? Was her future about to be mapped out? He gave her an apologetic smile.

‘Forgot my keys,’ he said, picked them up off the counter, turned and left again.

She had to phone Great-Aunt Edna. She needed advice.

30

The café was closing at six so that the party could start at eight, so Katie had two hours to make contact with Great-Aunt Edna before Dan got back from seeing Geraldine. Plenty of time, she told herself, but after forty minutes of no reply, she was beginning to get concerned. She’d give her another ten minutes and then phone home to ask them to pop round and check that she was all right. Meanwhile, it was officially party preparation time. The others got excited and when Matt turned up after one of his exams to join in the fun, he was greeted like a long-lost friend. They all sat at one of the tables with their preferred choice of caffeine for a quick break.

‘Is Dan coming back?’ asked Sukie.

‘Of course,’ replied Katie. ‘He’s just got some business to attend to.’ It suddenly dawned on her just how horrible the next two hours could be for Geraldine – and Dan. She stared at her coffee. Was she making a big mistake? Was she getting carried away with the moment? Was she playing people off against each other to get her own way? Oh dear, she really did need to talk all this through with
Great-Aunt
Edna. She took out her mobile and went back into the kitchen to try again.

In her flat, Geraldine placed the veil delicately on her bed, just below the tiara. She smiled at it in awe. How could such a fragile thing be so magical? She looked at her engagement ring again and moved it in the light, marvelling at the exquisite twinkle a diamond gave. She placed a box at the bottom of the bed and gently took out the shoes. She lifted them to her nose and drank in the aroma of leather and satin. She pulled the tiny carrier bag out of the wardrobe and eased the stockings out of it as if they were leaves of gold. Then she unrolled them over her knees and up her thighs, where she clipped them on to her suspenders. She slid her feet into the shoes and, with trembling hands, picked up the tiara and veil and secured them firmly on her head.

She turned and looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. The basque was simply divine, giving her the waist and cleavage she’d always dreamed of. She couldn’t wait for the dress to be ready.

She put her hands round her waist and one leg slightly in front of the other. She had tried on this charming ensemble every day since she’d bought them – until the row. The row had totally immobilised her. It was only the second time in their whole relationship that Dan had ever not apologised afterwards, and the first time had been followed by an unceremonious dumping in Pizza Express. She’d been absolutely terrified he was going to do it again and had waited, petrified, for his call and those four ugliest words in a relationship: We Have To Talk.

But this time had been different. She’d learnt from her mistakes. This time she’d proved that they were beyond rows, they were a partnership. As soon as she’d worked out what to do to help him, she’d acted impulsively. She called Paul immediately and when he said he’d have a word with Dan’s old boss she almost burst with pride because Dan would now know how much he needed her. She’d proved they were a team and that she’d grown. She’d been glad that now she’d had an excuse to phone Dan. She had to phone him before actually seeing Paul, didn’t she? Otherwise, it would have been a bit too much like plotting. And so she’d called him. She’d wanted to tell him to his face, but in the end, she’d had to tell his bloody answerphone. Hardly ideal, but there you go. She turned her back to the mirror and turned her neck round as far as she could, to see the back view. She smiled. The answerphone messages had done the trick. Dan had just texted her to say he was on his way round and he’d signed off
D x
. She had done it.

She turned to face the mirror again and bit by bit, lowered the veil over her face. She realised now that you earned a wedding, you didn’t just get it. You had to prove you were worthy of being a partner. It wasn’t just a big party in a gorgeous dress, it was a life-long commitment to someone, and she had proved to Dan – and to herself – that she was ready. She lowered her head demurely behind her veil. She was so glad she’d got the shorter one, it showed off her cleavage at the same time as being virginal. Very sexy. It was at moments like these that she wished her mother lived in this country. But then, she reasoned, she was about to get a mother-in-law
whom
she found far easier to deal with than her own.

Sitting on the bed now, she slowly rolled her right stocking down the length of her thigh. Maybe Dan had actually been waiting for her to prove to him that she could be the partner he needed. Maybe Dan would even mention it in his wedding speech; say that he’d always known he’d loved her, but it wasn’t until she’d helped him win back his job that he knew he couldn’t live without her. Dewy-eyed, she looked at her ring again. Maybe for the first time, she could relax.

When she heard the key in her lock, she started. Dan never used his key. She jumped up and walked out of the bedroom into the lounge.

‘Dan?’ He was standing in the middle of the room and something about his expression brought her up short. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Gerry,’ he whispered. ‘We have to talk.’

Back at the café, Katie had still not made contact with Great-Aunt Edna and was now worried. She’d phoned home and there had been no answer there either. She’d left an answerphone message with strict instructions to phone her as soon as they could. Meanwhile, she had one hour to oversee the transformation of the café into a party venue, and without Dan’s extra pair of hands, every minute counted. So when Hugh popped in to have a quick word with her and she was only blowing up the third of several dozen balloons, she was not best pleased.

‘Can we talk?’ he asked. ‘Maxine’s coming to the party.’

She took a balloon out of her mouth. ‘Can you blow up balloons?’

‘Er, yes.’

‘Right,’ she said, handing him one. ‘Go on then.’

‘Well,’ he said, ‘I just wanted to say –’

‘I don’t see you blowing, Hugh.’

‘Right.’ Hugh started blowing. ‘I just wanted to say –’

‘That’s not big enough.’

He sighed, blew very hard and started tying a knot in the neck. ‘I just wanted to say that I don’t know what came over me at the wedding.’