Race to a Happy Ending

Chapter 1

It was a hot, autumn, Wednesday morning in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina as Kate Franklin left the highrise bank building and got into her one-year-old, luxury, foreign sedan. Kate loved that car. It made her feel important and it didn't hurt that it was fun to drive. She smiled as she started the engine and sat back to enjoy the relief that the cool air blasting out of the vents brought her. She had just finished her first of two interviews at Bank of America for a position as a loan officer at one of their branches in the outlying small town of Mooresville. It was a reach that she'd even get considered for the position, even though she had the experience, it had been well over three years ago. However, she was hoping for the best since they moved her on to the next level in the interview process. She sat still for a moment to catch her breath. She slid off her designer stiletto heels. It had only been a little over an hour since she'd put them on, and already her feet hurt. "The things we, women, do for fashion," Kate smiled to herself. She was starting to glisten at the brow and she could definitely feel her anti-perspirant wearing off. Why did it have to be so hot today? She looked down at her new, tailored suit she had bought last week at the chic boutique in her hometown of Destin, Florida. The pinstriped black sheath skirt came to the top of her knees and showed off her slim, shapely legs. Over the top of her light blue silk tank, she wore a jacket that matched the skirt. It was one of the latest styles and she was thankful for something new. She hadn't worn something that cost this much for quite some time. Thank goodness for insurance money. It helped finance her new wardrobe in preparation for this trip. Kate sat back, closed her eyes, and thought of all that she'd been through the past year that led up to this point.

Kate grew up in a happy family. Her parents hadn't been wealthy by any means, but they made a comfortable living and made certain personal sacrifices to see that their children never wanted for anything. Kate and her two brothers had been sent to the best private schools in their area. All three had graduated at the top of their high school classes and then moved on to one of the best universities in their home state of Florida. She had majored in business and her brothers both graduated and then went on to law school. It was there, at college, that she had met and fell in love with Mason. Mason Franklin was a quiet, unassuming guy that grabbed Kate's attention from the first moment she had laid eyes on him. It was their senior year in college and they immediately fell in love. He was from Chicago and it about killed her parents when they found out their baby girl had fallen in love with a northener and was being whisked above the Mason-Dixon line. But, eventually, they came to terms with the marriage and the move, mainly because Mason had been such a charmer. He was the type of man that everyone liked and he won their hearts quickly. And he hadn't wasted any time in making Kate's entire family fall in love with him, just as she had.

Kate and Mason lived a life that would make anyone jealous. They had been married for 10 years. And although they had the normal marriage problems, they were happy. Mason worked for an architectural firm and brought in a modest, but comfortable, salary. Kate had worked for a local bank and had been a loyal and dependable employee. They had tried for several years to get pregnant, with no success. And just about the time they had given up hope of ever having children, a miracle happened. Kate had found out she was pregnant with twins. This is what they had been waiting for and she wasn't taking any chances, so she immediately quit her job. Due to several complications and also to the fact that she was considered a high risk pregnancy, she stayed on bed rest until their precious twins, Chase and Caroline were born, happy and healthy. At that point, they'd chosen to make the sacrifice of being a one income family. Kate would not go back to work. If she had considered it before the twins were born, she changed her mind the instance she laid eyes on their precious faces. It was important to both of them that the kids have a mom at home all the time, especially after the years of sacrifice and heartbreak they went through to have children. They were both good with making a budget and somehow made it work.