Page 55 of Coveting Catherine

“Melody, get your aprons, and you and Emma can bake cookies and paint them. Uncle Leo left the stuff in the fridge.” Catherine redirected the little girls, before she met Kassie’s eyes.

“Yay.” The girls headed toward the pantry.

“I was fine until I heard PITA times two. They know better than to get in our business,” Kassie laughed.

Catherine grinned. It was nice to have her friend back.

CHAPTER FORTY SIX

Catherine waited for Leo to return home. She smiled to herself. She and Kassie made up and now they needed to work on helping Samantha find her way back into the fold. They missed her.

Kassie never replaced Catherine’s position at the hospital. They decided to tour the facility together to catch up on the latest developments. She breathed a sigh of relief. The attorney to settle all the details concerning Ash required a huge retainer. The rest of the money belonged to Melody’s college fund. Catherine informed Kassie she felt well enough to handle the orientation of all the nursing staff and paperwork starting the following week.

Her burns healed, and she managed to get around with the crutches. Her mom moved back to their rental and Catherine decided to stay in Serenity. With a job in place and her mom able to help with Melody, she ran out of excuses to remain at Leo’s home. She planned to tell him when he returned.

“I ran into Bryanna, and she sent a basket of sausage rolls and a casserole for tomorrow.” Leo set the food on the counter as she grasped her crutches to help him with the items.

“I can smell them from the living room. She’s very talented,” Catherine stated.

“Did you and Kassie have a good visit?” he asked.

“Yes. We talked everything out. Now if we can figure out a way to reach Samantha. Kassie said she asked Claire to work with her. I hope it helps her deal with everything thrown at her all at once.”

“Claire’s very good. Chase is also working with Whiskey. They are in good hands. Are you hungry? I stopped at Ty’s and picked up dinner.”

“Thank you. I’m ready to eat. I want to talk to you,” she softly told him.

Leo’s eyebrows went up before he continued to put away the items. He brought the dinnerware to the table and Catherine set it while he grabbed drinks. He helped Catherine into her chair and picked up his fork to dig in.

“What did you want to talk about?” he asked between mouthfuls.

“Kassie didn’t fill my position at the hospital. She offered to give it back to me. I can start next week,” she excitedly told him.

“Congratulations. Do you think it might be too soon? You’re still recovering. I can drop you off in the mornings and pick you up.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I don’t want you to go to any more trouble. My mom can drive me,” she informed him.

Leo felt his gut churn at her statement. The dread started to fill him. He put his fork down.

“It’s silly for Carol to drive all the way up the mountain and back when you’re already here. I can drive you,” he offered again.

Catherine seemed to have lost her appetite too. She took a sip of her water and stared at him.

“I’m healing and mom’s moving back into our rental in Serenity. She can help with Melody. She’s coming tomorrow to help gather my things. I appreciate you letting me stay with you,” her voice dropped.

Leo ran his hand through his hair and swiped his face. His jaw ticked. “You planned to move out without telling me?”

She nervously laughed. “I believe I’m doing it now. We worked out all the details this afternoon.”

“We didn’t discuss anything. Hell, I’ve tried to talk to you for five weeks and you’ve talked circles around me. Yet, you managed to make plans to return to work, schedule carpooling, and move out all in one afternoon,” he told her bitterly.

“Last time I checked, I’m an adult and make my own decisions. I don’t need to ask you when I can work or when I can leave,” the pitch of her voice changed.

His head pounded. Frustration swirled in his chest. He thought they made a connection and now she acted as if he ran a bed and breakfast. She planned to check out of his life in the morning. What about Melody? Did she decide to keep the secret after all? “Maybe I'm thinking of you completely wrong.” Leo picked up his plate and dumped the rest of his dinner in the garbage.

“What do you mean? How do you think of me?” Catherine slowly asked.

“I've sat here for weeks trying to get you to open up and talk to me about Ash and everything he admitted. You refused to budge an inch. I tried to remain patient. I’m surprised you even made up with Kassie,” he threw at her.

---