Shattered and Bruised

Chapter 2

        Kaitlyn took one final look in the mirror. Her light green eyes looked tired. She quickly applied some make-up and left her light brown hair lay softly on her shoulders. Well, not perfect, but it will have to do, she thought. She was wearing a floor length black silk skirt with a blue short sleeved silk blouse. Kaitlyn, being 5’ 7”, opted for some simple black flats as her four inch heels would have made her taller than him.

                Looking at the clock in her bedroom, she saw it was five minutes to one. Kaitlyn grabbed her black hand-bag, making sure she had everything she would need. As the doorbell rang, her heart raced. She didn’t know why she was so nervous, they would probably end up arguing like last time. It would end up being a disaster and she would return home, broken-hearted again. Maybe she should have listened to the guys, this was a really bad idea. But it was too late now.

        She opened the door, “Hi.” She stared at him. He hadn’t changed much. He was 5’ 10”, dark brown hair, ocean blue eyes and average build. Brad was wearing a simple black suit with a gray striped tie.

        “Hi. You ready?”

        “Yes.” Kaitlyn walked out the door, making sure it was locked before she closed it.

         Kaitlyn looked out to the road, she saw the black sedan and his driver standing outside with the backdoor open. Of course he didn’t drive himself now, not with all the money he had, he didn’t need to. She looked at the driver, thinking that he looked familiar to her.

“Good Afternoon, Kaitlyn.”

        Then it hit her, “Jake? Is that really you?” Her parents and Jake’s parent were friends for as long as she could remember. They had spent so much time together as children that they had joked about being brother and sister, but they lost touch after high school.

        “Yep, it’s me. How have you been?”

        Kaitlyn started to answer when Brad interrupted her, “Can we have this little reunion between the two of you later? We have reservations.” He was completely annoyed.

        “Sorry, sir.” Jake responded as Kaitlyn got into the car.

        Yeah, she thought, this was a bad idea. As Jake closed the door, Kaitlyn turned to Brad and said, “You didn’t need to be so rude! Or is that the way you treat all your hired help?” She was angry at him now.

        “Kat, please, let’s not fight. I’m sorry. This week has just been extremely stressful.”

“Maybe we should just cancel lunch.” Kaitlyn said, really wanting to get out of this.

“No, please, I’m sorry.” Brad begged.

                They rode the rest of the way in silence. She really did not want to be here now. As much as she hated to admit it, the guys were 100% right on this one. The car came to a stop and Jake opened the car door. As she got out, Jake took her hand to help her.

        “Thank you, Jake. It was nice seeing you again.” Kaitlyn smiled at him.

        “My pleasure ma’am.” Jake responded, knowing that Brad was watching him.

                She looked up at the restaurant. They were eating at The Lodge, a semi-casual restaurant. Located at the end of town, it looked like a ski lodge, like one that you’d find in Aspen or any other expensive ski hill. The tables, the chairs, even the hostess desk were made from logs. When they entered the host jumped to attention.