Page 7 of Hers to Marry
Chapter 3
“It was awful!” Kat flung herself onto her mother’s couch and groaned into the cushions.
“I can’t believe Drew is back,” Mary said surprised. “I remember that little boy with the big hair—not as big as yours, obviously”—she fingered Kat’s frizzy, spiral curls—“and the large ears. I hope he’s grown into those things. You know they only get bigger with age. I always thought he looked kin to Dumbo.”
Kat laughed and then came up for breath. “That’s not funny, Mom. He was very sensitive about them growing up.”
She shrugged. “I would be too, if I had ears that big.”
“Mom!”
“Oh, I know, I know.” She rubbed Kat’s back. “It was a shock to see your friend after all these years.”
“Not that—”
“I know! Even more shocking to see Parker—”
“She’s engaged to him! Does this mean nothing?” She nearly snapped the chain of the half-heart necklace from around her neck. “I’m a complete idiot, aren’t I?” She shoved the necklace back into her shirt and flopped back onto the cushions. “Holding out hope…”
Her mother gave her a tired look. “Honey, when was the last time you heard from Drew?”
“Not since we were eight,” she said meekly.
“Uh-huh. Clearly he’s moved on, or your love wasn’t that strong anyway.” She snorted and then laughed.
Kat chuckled. “It’s not funny. I remember how sad I was. My little eight-year-old heart was broken.”
“We told you that what you two were feeling was just…sweet friendship. Itwasn’tlove.”
“That didn’t make it any easier to get over,” Kat mumbled.
“Parker helped, if I recall correctly. You two became fast friends. She moved to town at the perfect time.”
Kat nodded. “Yes, she did. Parker was the best.”
“She sounds like the worst, now,” Mary grumbled.
“Oh, she’s not so bad. She’s a VP now. It’s been her dream to head a company, and that takes a lot of work.”
“It also takes a certain personality.”
Kat sighed. “Yeah, it does. A little rough around the edges, but she has to be tough. Her industry is still very much male-dominated. They won’t respect her unless—”
“She has the same anatomy?”
Kat sputtered. “Right.”
Her mother wrapped her arms around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “Well, I’m proud of you. Your bakery is going to be on the map soon, and you’ll blow up!”
“It’s not my bakery, Mom,” Kat muttered.
“I know, but you’ll try again, and this time, you’ll succeed.”
Kat smiled weakly.I wish I had your confidence.She didn’t have the heart to tell her mother that she was done trying. One failure carried enough embarrassment to last a lifetime.
The doorbell rang. “Oh, would you get that, please? I’ve got to take the lasagna out of the oven. Right on time!”
“You never told me who was coming?” Kat said over her shoulder and then opened the door.
