KATE STOOD IN LINE at the entranceway of the elegant dining hall, praying she didn’t throw up on the sixteen hundred dollar Roberto Cavalli gown Susan had loaned her. She felt somewhat at ease surrounded by her friends and family, but Jake’s hand at the small of her back burned an imprint into her equilibrium, making it impossible to relax completely.
The simple service held at the reception hall had been lovely, but it brought with it a sense of sorrow for her. Shirley had asked Kate to be a bridesmaid, but she had to decline. No way could she afford a gown and all the traditional expenses put upon the wedding party.
By the time the service was over, Kate felt a little less queasy as they searched out their assigned table. Jake had clearly hit it off with Logan and Rob at the Mets game last week, and her sisters seemed to find Jake’s wariness amusing and flirted with him openly. The more they flirted, the harder he gulped and farther he inched away from them.
God, why was that so sexy to her?
Maybe she should’ve just come alone after all.
Once they found their seats, Kate went to pull out a chair, but stopped when long, warm fingers touched her hand. She glanced over her shoulder at Jake, standing so close, his eyes on hers.
“Allow me.” He slid the chair from under the table.
She tore her gaze from his and was about to sit when an all-too-familiar voice echoed behind her.
“Katie, come give me a hug.”
She closed her eyes for the briefest of seconds before turning to the softly spoken command. “Hi, Mom.”
“How are you?” Laurie Parker, elegant as ever, kissed her cheek; then her eyes shifted to Jake.
“I’m good.” Might as well get this over with. “This is Dr. Jake Harris. He’s stepping in for Drew tonight.”
“Dr. Harris, so nice to meet you.”
They shook hands.
“Please call me Jake.”
“Then I insist you call me Laurie.” She turned and said to Kate, “May I speak to you privately for a moment?”
She pulled in a deep breath and fought not to roll her eyes. Great. Here it comes. And so early in the evening, too. “Sure.”
Counting to ten, she followed her mother to a quiet corner of the hall.
Laurie glanced around and then leaned in close. “Darling, I realize you have—”
“Oh, my God, I swear if you give me the wants and needs speech I will throw something.” She crossed her arms tightly.
“Don’t be difficult.”
“He’s not my date, Mom. He’s doing me a favor.”
Her mother’s eyes traveled over Kate’s dress. “That gown doesn’t say favor, dear. It says date.”
She dropped her arms and stared down at the dark burgundy material. “What’s wrong with it?”
“It’s a little revealing, don’t you think?”
“Funny how it wasn’t too revealing when Susan wore it to Dad’s birthday party last year.” A waiter walked by with a tray of champagne, and Kate snatched a glass. “If I remember correctly, you couldn’t say enough about how gorgeous she looked.”
Laurie waved away her comment. “Susan is a little more—”
“Married than I am?” She downed the champagne in one gulp before placing the glass on a nearby table.
Her mother shook her head. “I do hope your friend is driving tonight. He obviously won’t be drinking since he’s clearly not old enough.”
Throw the glass at her. Go ahead. What’s the worst that could happen? They ask you to leave?
But she couldn’t do that to Shirley and Eddie. Instead she hoisted her chin in the air. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he’s home before curfew.”
She stormed off to the table, grabbing another glass of champagne along the way. She’d be damned if her mother would treat her like some sex-crazed cougar. Of course, it didn’t help she felt exactly that whenever Jake was around.
“So which was it?” Susan asked when Kate reached their table. Valerie stood next to her, coming off as unusually eager. “The wants and needs speech or the he’s too young for you speech?”
“Both, actually.” She took a sip of her drink, intending to enjoy it this time.
Valerie turned to Susan, her mouth twisting. “Both, huh? So I guess neither of us wins the bet.”
Kate’s jaw dropped, and then she broke into a fit of giggles. “Thank you so much for trying to capitalize on my drama.”
Goosebumps broke out over her body seconds before a warm hand touched her back. Her giggles faded, and Kate went rigid.
“Everything okay?”
She didn’t face Jake. She couldn’t, not when she felt like this.
It’s the alcohol. It has to be.
“Fine, thanks.”
Susan’s smile slipped as she peered over Kate’s shoulder. “I hope you’re not lying, sis, cause it’s about to get worse.”
“How can it get worse?”
Valerie sent her a sympathetic smile. “Alice is on her way over.”
Despite the hand still on her back, she grew cold. Not her mother-in-law. Not now. Lord, couldn’t they have given her a reprieve for ten minutes? She drained her glass, squared her shoulders, and put on a smile. “Bring it.”
She turned and opened her arms to William’s mother. “Alice, how are you?”
“Kate, it’s been so long.” She hugged her tight.
Alice Henderson’s face showed all of her sixty-seven years, plus a few more. Her once round face was sunken and hollow, her brown eyes devoid of the sparkle they held when Kate first met her. She hadn’t been the same since William died.
After Alice greeted Valerie and Susan, they moved away, taking Jake with them. Kate wished they hadn’t. Alice was bound to see her with him at some point during the evening, and Kate didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.
“Where’s Andrew? You said he was coming.” The eagerness in her voice made Kate’s answer that much more difficult.
“He couldn’t make it.”
“Oh.” Sadness fell over her face. “I haven’t seen them in over a week. I was looking forward to it.”
And here comes the guilt. “Alice, I try to make sure you see them as much as possible.”
“I know. It’s just that they’re the only living link we have to William.”
Kate hoped Alice didn’t say things like that in front of William’s sisters. Leigh, the youngest, would probably brush it off with her evil-bitch nose in the air, but Roxanne, the older of the two daughters, had enough self-esteem issues to fill a football stadium.
Silence grew between them. Kate searched for something to say, but Alice beat her to it.
“I’m sorry you had to come alone.”
Kate’s mouth went dry. “Actually, my—um—friend, Jake, came along.” She gestured toward his seat.
Alice’s eyes shifted to where Kate pointed, and her mouth fell open, her face a horrified mask. “What are you thinking dating a man half your age? Have you no concern for your children?”
Shock silenced her for a moment, and then her resentment grew. “He’s not my date. He’s my boss.”
“Your boss?” Alice slapped her hand over her heart. “My God, what if you lose your job? What have you turned into?”
Apparently, her mother-in-law didn’t hear the not date part. Her disgusted gasps attracted the attention of guests nearby, pissing Kate off further. She stepped closer, her voice a harsh whisper. “Back off, Alice. I haven’t turned into a damn thing. He’s my boss. He’s also my neighbor, and he did me a huge favor by helping me face yet another happy event without William.”
She hated the tremor in her voice at the end of her tirade, but it had an effect on Alice. She grabbed Kate’s hands, squeezing them. “Please forgive me. I’m just upset about not getting to see Andrew, and I took it out on you.”
“Mom, you okay?”
Kate wasn’t sure if she was happy or not at Leigh’s sudden appearance. She never really liked William’s youngest sister, but at least she was a distraction.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Hello, Leigh.” Kate forced a smile. “Is Roxanne here as well?”
“Yeah. She’s at the table, probably shoveling hors d'oeuvres into her mouth.”
God, she couldn’t stand this woman. Roxanne was a plus-size lady, and Leigh never missed an opportunity to remind her of that fact. She didn’t seem to grasp that Roxanne was a thousand times more beautiful than Leigh could ever hope to be.
“Don’t be nasty,” Alice scolded. “I was just explaining how much I missed the boys, and I got rather choked up.”
Leigh glared at Kate, but said to her mother, “Well, try to remember you’re going to have them all to yourself for a whole week.”
“I am, but I wish I could see them sooner. Maybe we could pick them up a day or two early?”
Before she could answer, Leigh butted in. “I’m sure Kate can spare them since she gets them all the time.”
Annoyance simmered in her stomach. Leigh made her sound like a selfish witch who had no sympathy for a grieving mother when just the opposite was true. Kate did all she could to give William’s family time with her sons. One of her biggest fears was her kids forgetting their dad.
“That’s a great idea. You can get a jump on your travel plans and have more time for fun stuff.”
Leigh let out a huff. “Oh, so now we need a valid reason to spend extra time with them?”
Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the stress or maybe because her feet were aching in her five-inch stilettos. Whatever the reason, Kate’s anger reached the boiling point. She held her arms straight at her sides, her hands balling into fists.
She stepped forward. Leigh backed up. Before Kate could utter a word, Jake was between them, taking her hand.
“Sorry to intrude, but Susan wants to take a group picture.”
Kate tried to shake him off as he led her toward the table, furious he’d denied her the chance to put that queen bitch in her place, but he held firm. “Why did you do that?”
“Because you had that glare on your face. You know, the one that scares away the single moms.”
“Huh, no wonder Leigh backed up.”
They reached their seats. Jake pulled out her chair, and Kate was finally able to sit and kick off her shoes. She busied herself by checking her cell phone, but the silence at the table made her glance up. Instead of all eyes on her as she suspected, they focused on Jake.
“You okay, buddy?” Logan asked.
Her eyes shifted from her brother to Jake. “Why are you asking him? I’m the one who almost gave Leigh a fresh new face.”
“Because one minute we were having a laugh and the next the good doctor shot from his chair, slammed it under the table, and made a beeline for you.” Logan grinned. “Muttering phrases he wouldn’t say in front of his patients.”
Kate turned to her date. “Why were you mad?”
He played with the label on his beer bottle. “They upset you.”
An adorable pink flush rose in his cheeks. She wasn’t sure what troubled her more. That she’d been a damsel in distress and Jake was her knight in shining armor.
Or that she’d just thought of him as her date.