Finding Katie

Chapter 24

Katie

Only years of practice at guarding my expression made it possible for me to not flinch at such a direct question.

Sarah had hit the nail. My intentions towards Ben weren't honourable. At least, they hadn't been when all this had started.

Now, I was hoping that telling Ben the truth would convince him just how much my intentions had changed. That they had done a complete about-face.

My intentions now were that there would be no lies between us.

Which I would tell Ben as the first. Not the two ladies before me. But I still had to satisfy their curiosity.

I looked from one set of blue eyes to a set of brown and answered the question I could give an honest reply to. "We've been dating for about a month."

Both ladies leaned closer.

"And you like him?" Lisa asked.

My cheeks heated, but I kept to honesty. "Yes. Very much."

"Oi, you two," Ben appeared beside me, his nephew dangling over one arm laughing raucously, and held up his index finger before Lisa and Sarah, "witch number one and two, you leave Katie alone."

"Ben!" It was my turn to squeak, and I stared horrified at him, but his sister and sister-in-law only laughed.

"We played two of the witches in a school production of Macbeth," Sarah explained, patting my hand. To Ben she crossed her arms and asked, "Have you exhausted my son enough to make him cranky at dinner, or do you need more time to work him up into a complete meltdown when the potatoes are the wrong shape for him?"

He considered for a moment, his face serious, then inclined his head in a gesture I could see him use with his clients. "Half an hour more should do it, thank you."

Sarah shook her head at him, but she was laughing when Helen came in and resolutely shooed her son and grandson out into the garden. Then she turned to me with a smile.

She might as well have rubbed her hands together and cackled gleefully.

"So, Katie," Helen said, pulling me down beside her on the sofa and pushing a glass of cold lemonade into my hands from the tray on the table, "tell me all about yourself."

"Mum," Lisa said, her head tilted as if listening, "I think I can hear Dad mutter to himself in the kitchen. Did you put him in charge of the gravy? Remember what happened at Christmas?"

Helen's head veered towards the kitchen with a frown, then looked at me as she got up. "Don't go anywhere." She hurried from the living room.

Falling into the armchair adjacent to the sofa, Lisa grinned at me. "I'm only delaying the inevitable interrogation."

I smiled back at her. "Ben did warn me."

Sarah came over and sat beside me on the sofa. "So, you met Ben at the new rehab centre?" she asked. The curiosity was still in her smile, but there was an underlying seriousness in her voice.

"Yes, I'm a volunteer there."

"Nothing more?"

"Sarah!" Lisa widened her eyes at her friend and hissed, "We agreed not to ask that!"

I set the glass on the table and smiled at them both. I'd much rather talk about the centre than so much else these two might ask me. "It's fine," I assured them. "And no, I've never been a patient at a rehab centre, nor ever been in need of rehab."

Sarah nodded slowly, then side of her lips kicked up in a crooked smile. "It's not fine. I'm sorry. It's just that I consider Ben my brother, and I can't help but feel protective of him since the whole disaster with that bitch Victoria."