She sat outside on the brick patio in the backyard of the Palo Alto home she'd moved in with at the beginning of the summer. Her life had changed so much since last year. After giving up her parental rights, Katherine left Arizona and traveled, looking for herself and running away from the bridges she'd torched. She'd tried her hand at secretarial work for a lawyer in New Orleans, waitressed for two months in Denver, and spent a lonely winter painting in Missoula before drifting to northern California. Since January, Kat had been teaching classes at the San Francisco Institute of Art; she'd finally decided to put her degrees to use. It was the first job she'd had for more than a few months. She surprisingly loved being a professional instead of living off tips and having her butt grabbed when she asked if a guy named Earl wanted his eggs sunny side up or hard scrambled in the local greasy spoon. She had decided to leave the past behind and make a fresh start until her heart had complicated matters. Katherine Nicks had finally settled down with a man that she hadn't expected to fall in love with in a million years. She wasn't looking for a sweetheart at all when she unsuccessfully parallel parked her 1972 Ford Pinto downtown and struck the front bumper of a 1975 Chevy Nova SS, but the owner of that damaged car pursued her and swept her off her feet. He was older and the stability that she needed in her life; he knew all the skeletons in her closet and still managed to love her.
She sighed deeply and sipped her coffee while listening to birds chirping in the fresh morning air. She loved everything about the neighborhood. The neighbors weren't meddlesome and nosy. She twisted the sash of her rich navy silk and satin kimono and looked around the yard, mentally making a checklist of the things she still needed to do. Since moving in, the twenty-six-year-old had been putting feminine touches throughout the bachelor pad, and she'd been working on a garden in the backyard. She wanted the garden to be enchanting since the dining room and living room doors led out to it. Kat imagined African lilies, begonias, camellias, carnations, dahlias, and others blooming and brightening up the landscaped yard. She heard the rustle of the living room door opening, and Kat turned her head, grinning at the man walking towards her. He bent down and greeted her with a kiss. "Morning, beautiful," he spoke and tucked an errant russet strand behind her ear.
Katherine smiled brightly at him and handed him the Saturday edition of The Peninsula Times Tribune and the Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle as he took a seat next to her. She poured him a glass of orange juice and crossed her legs, turning to him. "When you will be back from playing golf today?" she asked while shuffling through Saturday's mail, separating the bills from the junk.
His light blue eyes scanned over the front page of The Peninsula Times Tribune. "I'll be back around lunch. Maybe later," he told her, casually reading the paper and drinking his juice. "What are you doing today? You could come and have lunch with me," he suggested.
"I have to grade papers at some point," she answered miserably. It was her least favorite aspect of her job. She much preferred the studio work. Kat rolled her eyes at his laughter. "It's not funny," she mumbled, playfully pushing his shoulder.
"Want me to help?"
"No, you'd pass everyone," Kat replied and refilled his glass. "You'd be a terrible teacher. Stick to being an insurance broker."
He chuckled and picked up the other newspaper, a devilish grin breaking over his face as he stared at her shapely tanned calves. He rubbed his foot against her bare leg. "I have taught you a few things, Kat."
The brunette simpered and shook her head, leaning close to his ear. "I'll admit that you have, but don't start something you can't finish."
"I always finish," her boyfriend responded, allowing his eyes to drift down to the low-cut plunge bodice.
