him, he didn’t dare spend time discussing why he was going to leave. He had to get out of the situation before his control snapped and he actually did something dumb.
Katie hadn’t understood that thirteen years ago, and she hadn’t understood it tonight either. He’d have to pull out all the stops to convince her to give him another shot.
He planned to start by breaking into her apartment tomorrow night.
3
BY SIX O’CLOCK ON SATURDAY NIGHT, the temperature on the patio of Katie’s favorite Mexican restaurant hovered around seventy-five degrees—perfect for sipping frozen margaritas. In the desert she might not have colorful autumn leaves to enjoy, but she had warm October nights and lime-flavored tequila.
Ava sat at a table by the fountain. For the occasion she’d dressed in a black scoop-neck shirt, long black skirt and combat boots.
“Good call, getting this table.” Katie sat across from Ava. “This is my favorite spot, where you can hear the water splash.”
“Splashing water produces negative ions,” Ava said. “Negative ions elevate your mood.”
“I could use that.” Katie signaled a waiter. “Plus a margarita.”
Ava nodded. “I could tell you were bummed when you left last night.”
“Yeah, sorry I was so abrupt.”
“It’s okay. I understand.”
“It was a tough situation. I—” Katie paused as the waiter approached.
The waiter did a double take. “Aren’t you Crazy Katie?”
“Yes.” Katie was used to being recognized once in a while, but it had happened a lot today. Everybody wanted to comment on her Friday night show, which had helped distract her from thinking about Jess.
“My friends and I think that big building is stupid, too.” He winked. “We’re not the kind of guys who have to prove ourselves, if you know what I mean.”
“Glad to hear it. The more support I can round up, the better.”
“I know a lot of people are behind you,” the waiter said. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know. So what will you ladies have to drink tonight?”
“Two margaritas,” Katie said. “And Ava, it’s my treat.”
“Aw, you don’t have to do that,” Ava said. “I invited myself.”
“And you’re also putting yourself through school. I remember what it’s like to be twenty-two and broke. When you’re pulling in the big bucks you can buy me a drink, okay?”
“It’s a deal.” Ava looked very happy at the prospect of an extended friendship with Katie. After the waiter left, she leaned closer. “Do you get recognized a lot?”
“Not a lot, but it happens. Today more people than usual have stopped me to say something about the show, which is good. I need ammunition for Edgecomb.”
“Yeah, you do. And what’s the situation with your ex? Is he still a turd?”
“Yep.” Katie had figured the subject of Jess would come up, so she was prepared. “He didn’t react well to Dr. Astorbrooke’s theories, to say the least.”
“Most guys wouldn’t.”
“What about our waiter? He seemed to agree with me.”
“He’s young. He’s antiestablishment.”
“Jared was fine with it.”
Ava waved her hand. “Jared’s a mensch. You couldn’t ruffle his feathers if you hit him with a fire hose. But your guy—”
“Not my guy,” Katie said.
“A figure of speech. Anyway, you’re hitting this Harkins dude right where he lives. And he doesn’t strike me as being that easygoing.”
“He’s pretty intense.” And girl, can he kiss.
“I know looks aren’t everything, but he’s kind of cute in a Jude Law sort of way.”
“I suppose.” Jess was more than cute. He had a heartthrob quality that made her go all gooey inside. She’d had that reaction the minute she’d caught a glimpse of him in her senior English class and she’d been battling that same reaction ever since he’d kissed her nineteen hours and forty-six minutes ago. Not that she was counting.
Mooning about Jess had affected almost half of her weekend, but she was determined it wouldn’t affect the second half. Having drinks with Cheryl and Ava was a good start. And speaking of Cheryl, she arrived at that moment, all smiles and curly red hair.
“Hey, guys!” Cheryl snagged a chair and settled her curvy little body into it. “Sorry I’m late. I played tennis this afternoon with this yummy-licious new guy from the law firm and I lost track of the time.” She barreled on without taking a breath. “I would have called but my cell’s acting weird. I need to trade it in for a new one, but I hate going through that, you know? New phone, new options, more buttons to figure out. So, I’m thinkin’—” She paused and looked at Katie. “What’s so funny?”
“You.” Katie was so glad she’d agreed to spend happy hour with Cheryl. Nobody could stay depressed with Cheryl around. “You have more energy than a four-month-old Chihuahua. By the way, this is Ava, the person you always get when you call the station.”
“Hi, Ava! It’s good to meet you at last! As for the Chihuahua thing, please don’t tell me I look like one.” Cheryl fluffed her short hair. “A Lhasa Apso’s okay. You can compare me to a Lhasa Apso any old day, but a Chihuahua looks so sort of naked, you know? Which is cute in its own way, but I like to think that I have more—oh, here come your drinks.” She batted her eyelashes at the waiter. “I’ll have one exactly like that, please. Are you a student at the U of A? I ask because lots of the students wait tables here.”
As Cheryl turned to launch into an animated discussion with the waiter, Ava leaned across the table toward Katie. “Is this normal?”
“Completely normal.”
“I was afraid she was on something.”
“No, she’s just being Cheryl. Her courtroom rep is that she wins cases by talking the jury to death.”
Cheryl swung back to them. “You’re explaining me to Ava, aren’t you? Ava, you might as well get used to my motormouth. I’ve been this way ever since I was fourteen months old and I’m not likely to change now. Katie and I recognized each other as soul mates in first grade and we’ve been involved in a conversational marathon ever since.”
“Oh, you won that race a long time ago,” Katie said.
“Hey, you hold your own, DJ girl. The point is, Ava, that Katie’s used to me, but you’re not. If you have something you need to say, just holler shut up, Cheryl and I’ll do my best.”
Katie laughed. “I just want to know if you passed up drinks and dinner with the yummy-licious lawyer so you could meet us for happy hour.”
“I did, but that’s a good thing. I liked being able to tell him I had other plans. It’s good to have them thinking you have a full social schedule, you know? But in any case, I wouldn’t have canceled this to go out with him, because I think that’s just wrong. Men come and go but girlfriends are forever. Am I right?”
Both Katie and Ava nodded.
“Of course I’m right.” She didn’t break stride as her margarita arrived. “Listen, Katie, that show last night was dynamite. Thrusting Skyward. I loved it. What a zinger. I’m going to start field-testing the guys I date to find out how they feel about high-rise buildings. What a great litmus test. I hope that Je—I mean someone from Harkins Construction caught that program. I mean, the whole crew