Chapter Nineteen

Part One

Walking into the apartment, Kate found Dee and Carrie with their seven permanent staff crowded around the dining table for a Monday morning briefing. Dee read her smile as she entered. ‘Good for you, my love. Good for you.’

Giselle piped up. ‘Did you finally realise you love him, Kate?’ Seeing Kate’s smile widening, she added, ‘You guys said it? Wow! And?’

Kate just giggled where she stood for a moment, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Excited questions flew at her in rapid-fire; mostly revolving around who said what, who said it first, how it was said, and many other variations of the same theme. Her mood was contagious, and their tight group shared in her joy. Carrie pressed a hot cup of tea into her hands once the initial flurry had settled, and everyone insisted on Kate giving them an abridged recap of her weekend before…   >> MORE <<

Part Two

Kate pointed – for Rick’s benefit – to Giselle first, and then the rest of those unknown to him, saying each person’s name in turn. She smiled when she heard Rick mnemonically repeating each name three times at a low mumble, just as she did. She also noticed that Harold had already shaken hands with JC in a very familiar manner before Edison and Dom both stood to greet him warmly. Kate logged that observation away for further exploration at another time.

Madison and Mason walked over and hugged them both, their eyes sparkling brightly. Madison said, ‘Kate, I can’t tell you how happy I am tonight. We have a special surprise for you.’ The room was suddenly silent; not just their table, but the whole restaurant, all with their eyes on Kate. With his family and staff, Alberto was standing in front of his servery and grinning at her.

‘Gentlemen?’ Madison called out. Alberto leaned across and opened the kitchen door…   >> MORE <<

Part Three

She was unable to answer, staring at the box and completely off balance again. Rick looked down. Realising what the scene might have meant, he started laughing. ‘Oh shit, sorry Kate. Relax, it’s not that.’ With a mischievous wink, he opened the box and lifted up a set of two keys on a keychain. ‘This one is for the lab, and this one is for my place.’

‘Rick?’ Kate looked at him, overwhelmed. He pointed to the key fob before passing it to her. The front showed a logo that read ‘Ironwood Engineering Solutions’, and on its reverse side was engraved, ‘Catherine Jones: Director & C.O.O.’

Her face changed and she pounded his chest, ‘You knew about this and didn’t tell me! That’s so cruel…   >> MORE <<