Page 9 of Against the Odds

“Do you think we could talk later? Maybe Felicity will give you a break? Connor has my number and can give you directions to my house. Would that be okay? I really should take it easy tonight.”

There is no hesitation on my part.

“What time?”

She laughs lightly and I smile in return. Once we’ve established a time frame, I follow Connor out the door and back to the parking lot where his truck is parked. My mind is spinning at seeing Katy. So many thoughts fight for attention. As I climb into the passenger seat of the truck and run my hand down my face, Connor flops into his seat and cranks the ignition. Before he pulls out of the parking spot, he turns to me.

“How do you know Katy?”

“We met in Vegas. Kevin convinced me an impromptu trip would pull me out of what he called my endless bad mood.”

“Did it?”

I groan and rest my head back on the seat. “Yep. Thanks to Katy. Kev was doing his best to get with her sister and the two of us were left to be the third and fourth wheel. We hit it off and ended up having a good time.”

“When was this?”

“Last summer.”

Connor’s quiet as he drives across town. I’ve not known Connor to be the silent type. When we served together, he was quite the talker. Drove me nuts. Actually, our entire unit wanted to find a gag for him half the time. His nickname was Twig back then when it should really have been Chatterbox. Stupid nicknames. Like our buddy, Taylor Cain, I was bestowed with a name that was only one side of me. Casanova had its perks but it left a lot to be desired as well.

“Tell me what I’ll be walking into at Katy’s tonight. A burly boyfriend? Husband? Shit, is she married?”

“Huh? No, she’s not married. No boyfriend either.”

Before I can ask him to elaborate, Connor throws the truck in park and jumps out leaving me alone in the cab. No man in her life? Well, that puts a new spin on things. Of course, there is still a father to her child.

Joining my friend as he waits at the bottom of the porch steps, I ask, “Who’s the baby’s father?”

Connor shrugs. “She’s never said. Katy is Felicity’s best friend, and I don’t know that even she knows.”

I follow him into the house as he’s greeted by a boy wearing a ballcap and a girl who looks like she may hate the world. Both are jabbering at the same time and I, once again, thank God I don’t have any children.

* * *

Leaving Connor and Felicity’s home to see Katy felt almost like leaving for prom with my mom and dad giving me pointers and rules to follow as I tried to step through the front door. Without a vehicle of my own, I’m driving Connor’s “precious angel baby” as he called this gas hog. That assessment is fair. Sure, I prefer a sleek two-door coupe with a turbo engine for getting around, but car choice isn’t blowing gas mileage out of the park. In my defense, I live in a city and traffic eats up half the fuel.

It still doesn’t seem real that I am on my way to see Katy. When I woke the morning after our night together, I looked everywhere for a note. There was nothing. Not a hint she had even existed except the lack of tension in my shoulders, and the vivid memories of the time we spent together. We hadn’t exchanged numbers, hell, we didn’t even share our last names. All I knew was her first name and the way she sounds when she comes.

Giving it up to fate, I tried to put her out of my mind. If the universe wanted us to see one another again, it would happen. I didn’t hold much hope for this moment. Hope isn’t something I’ve held on to over the years but in this instance, I suppose it paid off.

Connor was worthless when it came to information on Katy and her life. Specifically, the pregnancy and who the father may be. Felicity avoided all questions and instead sang her friend’s praises all afternoon. Like I didn’t already know how smart and funny Katy is. Of course, I downplayed just how well we know each other. It’s clear she hasn’t shared the information herself and I don’t want to be the one to spill the beans.

“In five hundred feet turn right.”

I startle at the sound of the British woman filling the cab. It’s a far cry from the sounds of Fleetwood Mac billowing from the speakers. Doing as the computer woman tells me, I make the turn and slow to look at the addresses. And, like any rational adult, turn down the volume of the radio since we all know that helps see numbers. It’s not long before the voice alerts me of my destination.

Stopping at the curb, I kill the engine and sit for a beat, looking at the house. It’s not unlike Connor and Felicity’s as far as traditional tract homes go. A well-maintained yard and a welcome sign flanking one side of the door and a large potted plant on the other, it’s homey. A shadow passes the front window, the blinds keeping me from seeing the woman herself.

My lips curve into a smile as I exit the cab and quickly make my way across the lawn to the front door. With a quick rap on the door, I wait. And wait. Strange since I just saw her moving around but then I hear her sweet voice mumbling on the other side of the door. It sounds like she’s arguing with herself, which makes me laugh. I’m trying to hold in a full-out laugh but when she opens the door with her hair frizzy and in disarray, an untied apron draped across her front, and a large spoon in her hand. She still looks beautiful, but it’s the smoke billowing behind her that makes it impossible to hold in my hysterics.

I laugh and Katy rolls her eyes. I remember that sass well and am glad to see regardless of the current circumstances, it’s still there ready to make an appearance.

“Do not laugh at me. This is your fault. I was on track to have dinner ready,” she shouts as she rushes to the kitchen, “and then I had to use the bathroom. All hell broke loose in those minutes.”

Reaching up to the screeching smoke detector, I concentrate on stopping the horrible noise before responding. Finally the only sound left is Katy’s grumbling and the kitchen faucet filling a pot she’s tossed in the sink.

“Let me open another window and we’ll get this place aired out,” I tell her as I move to a large window in the dining area. The table is set for two and a bowl of salad sits on the table.

---