Page 63 of Hers to Marry
She looked everywhere before finally finding his eyes. “I’m leaving town.”
His chest collapsed, crushing his lungs. “Leaving town?” he croaked. “When?”
“Tomorrow. I’ve been offered an apprenticeship with a famous chef, and I’ll be gone at least six weeks, and…and then I just might stay.”
Leaving town…Her voice sounded like he was hearing it from a conch shell—echoey and not very clear. “Where?”
“New York City. I’ve never been out of town, so this is a really good opportunity for me. Great, actually. The best ever.”
“Of course it is,” he said quickly. “NYC… It’ll be really different from here. Really busy…crowded.”
Kat smiled easily and the tears on her cheeks continued drying. “I can’t wait. To learn from this chef is a dream come true. It’ll open doors for me.”
Drew didn’t doubt it. He wanted to hear all about how it came about, but if she was leaving tomorrow, she didn’t have time to spend talking to him. If she wasn’t coming back, then… “The bakery…”
She stood on the tips of her toes and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “I’ll love you forever for doing that,” she whispered into his ear. “I’m going to open it one day. I promise. Susie will look after it for me, I’m sure. We could probably start designing the remodel while I’m gone.”
His arms went around her waist, and he held her to him. She rested her cheek on his chest. “Katrina.”
She extricated herself from his arms, leaving his insides caving in from the hole she left.
She wiped underneath her eyes, leaving streaks of icing across her face. He smiled at how adorable she looked. He could see her in the kitchen of her own bakery, but maybe giving orders to other junior bakers and keeping the flour out of her wild and fluffy hair that he’d loved since they were kids.
She chuckled. “Thank you, Drew. I’m going to miss you.”
“I don’t want to lose you,” he said urgently, his gaze clinging to hers.
“You’ll never lose me. I’ll always be your friend.”
He nodded. That’s all he could ask for while still engaged to Parker.
“Thank you, again. I…I will treasure this always.” She clutched the papers to her chest.
“I’ll have my attorney get in touch with you to finalize everything and give Susie the keys.” She nodded. “Promise you’ll name a dessert after me?” he asked with raised brows.
She laughed. “Of course I will. I’ve already started thinking about it.”
“Can’t wait to try it.” And when would that happen? In a few short days, he would be on a honeymoon alone. And then, London. He felt sick again. This wasn’t good for his health.
“Goodbye, Drew,” Kat said softly.
He couldn’t say the words. He just gave a nod and left the kitchen.
