Page 20 of Hers to Marry
Marcus shook his finger in the air. “No, no, no. That’s not how I remember it.”
Kat’s fists were balled by her side, and she was physically shaking. “You backed out of our deal and left me holding the debt.”
Marcus pointed his finger at her. “You signed the paperwork without getting all the proper inspections done.”
“You said everything was good!”
Drew wrapped a hand around her upper arm and moved her behind him. “Hi, I’m Drew.” He held out his hand instead of punching the guy in the face. “And you are?”
“The new boyfriend, huh?” Marcus had to stand on the tips of his toes to cast a mocking stare over Drew’s shoulder to Kat. “That was fast. I figured you’d at least wait a couple of years.”
“Kat’s an old friend.”
Marcus nodded. “Exactly.” He shook Drew’s hand. “I’m her ex-boyfriend. The one she screwed over in a business deal. Now I’ve gotta clear my name.”
“I did not!” Kat shouted.
Drew turned around and placed two hands on her shoulders. “Kat. How about you go check out the tuxes for me, okay? I’ll handle this.” If he could just get Marcus to step outside…
“Don’t worry. I’m only here to pick up my order. I’ll be gone in a minute.” True to his word, Marcus picked up his order and left with a mocking grin and wave.
Kat had taken a seat in Drew’s chair, her face in her hands. Drew squatted and gently moved her hair out from around her face. “Kat? Look at me.”
Kat’s hands fell away, her face marred with tears.
His heart shuddered. He hated how defeated she looked. “Oh, Kat…”
“He’s such a liar,” she whispered. “He’s the one who left the deal and…and the relationship, and I owe the bank all that money.”
“Forget about him.”
“It’s hard to when every month you get a letter from the bank reminding you of your stupid mistake. I trusted him.” Her eyes bored into Drew’s. “It’s feels impossible to get over that. To trust again.”
He nodded. “To forgive yourself for making a mistake,” he added softly. He knew exactly how she felt. Not about getting dumped, but about choices that end up affecting others in ways you couldn’t imagine.
Sometimes permanent ways.
“You’ve got your job at Susie’s.”
She nodded. “Susie’s been good to me. She’s really helped me.” Fresh tears filled her eyes. “But I still feel like such an idiot and a failure. There were so many dreams I had had for that place and…” She grinned and blinked the remaining tears out of her eyes. “New doors open, right? New dreams…”
Drew squeezed her shoulder and then caught a tear with his finger. “It’s not the end of the world. I can help find you another place, if you want. I do flips—and Idon’tlose money. You can have your bakery.”
She shook her head quickly. “No. No, it’s okay. Dreams change, that’s all. I want to focus on paying off the debt so I can get loans in the future, if I need them.” She used her hands and wiped the remaining moisture off her face. “I’m sorry.” She stood abruptly. “We’re supposed to be here shopping for you. Why don’t we get started?”
She moved to a sales associate and began chatting with him, pointing at Drew, who hung back near the chair and stared at his childhood friend. Shehadchanged. Not only was she more fearful, she was easily deterred. He’d never known her to be a quitter before today. He didn’t like this version of Kat. He’d take the old one in a heartbeat.
Kat beckoned him over, and for the next thirty minutes, Drew endured being poked and tugged and hands moving around his end seam. He had hoped to spend this time with his actual fiancée and discuss plans for their honeymoon and then their life in town. He had plans he wanted to share. It never seemed to be a good time for her to listen anymore. Strange, because she used to be so good at it.
His eyes found Kat, who stared at him with large, round, questioning brown eyes. “What? I look ridiculous, right?”
She lifted her gaze to his and smiled. “No. You look very handsome, Drew.”
He shrugged until the coat fit and turned around to look at himself in the mirror. He liked the fit and the charcoal color. Even without the pants and a proper shirt and tie, Kat saw something that he didn’t. He needed the whole outfit to claim he looked handsome. What was she looking at?
“I really like that color. Not the traditional black, but Parker’s not traditional.”
Drew snorted. “She’ll probably walk down the aisle in a pantsuit holding a phone to her ear.” He wished he could take back the bitterness in his tone, but he spoke the truth.
