Chapter 2
Asheville, North Carolina
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ate was careful not to make too much noise as she removed bowls and utensils from the cupboard. Don and Debbie had arrived after midnight and would most likely want to sleep in. She wanted to make a hearty breakfast for everyone. She'd start them off with her homemade blueberry pancakes. She had thick-sliced hickory-smoked bacon and a special bottle of homemade syrup straight from Vermont. Fresh oranges for juice for the girls and grapefruit juice for Debbie. She was sure she still drank grapefruit juice. She'd been on a diet ever since Kate had met her and, other than alcohol, Kate had never seen Debbie drink anything else.
Kate loved the early mornings. Always an early riser, she'd cherished this time for as long as she could remember. She would start her day with a good strong cup of tea. Alex wasn't a tea drinker, so she bought the best roasted coffee beans she could get at the Daily Grind, a local grocery specializing in gourmet coffees and hard-to-find food items. She readied a pot of coffee, then took the blueberries she'd recently picked, put them in a colander, and rinsed them in the kitchen sink. Kate loved her kitchen almost as much as she loved the art studio that Alex had built for her right after they'd married. It was a loft just above the kennels where all the dogs were kept. When she needed inspiration, she'd simply walk downstairs and play with all the wonderful retrievers Alex bred and raised. Almost always, she'd go back to the studio exhilarated and would work at her pottery wheel for hours. Kate planned on showing the girls how to use it during their visit this year. Though she had wanted to let Emily try her hand at the wheel a couple of years ago, for fear of hurting Sara's feelings, she'd waited until both girls were old enough. That way she could teach them together. At fifteen and twelve, Kate figured they were both ready.
Kate finished her prep work for breakfast and sat at the old oak table in the corner of the kitchen. She sipped her tea, enjoying the quiet. Though it wasn't cold, she lit a fire in the fireplace. Early mornings in the mountains of North Carolina were always a bit on the chilly side, even in the summer. It was these mornings Kate liked best. She loved the pungent woodsmoke billowing from the chimney, the damp, earthy smell from the moist soil, the buds that dotted the hundreds of trees in early spring. She opened the window over the kitchen sink to admire the view. As the sun ascended above the mountaintops, clearing away the purple-gray fog suspended over the Blue Ridge Parkway, Kate observed the first rays of daylight.
This is God's country
, she thought. Never had she seen a sunrise like that on the parkway. In the fall, it was breathtaking. Golds, reds, and oranges, ranging in hundreds, the colors decorated the mountains like thousands of brightly colored gems.
The hint of Old Spice sent her spinning around. “Morning, sweetie.” Alex wrapped his arms around her waist. Kate took in a deep breath, loving the smell of Alex's freshly showered still-moist body against her own.
“Coffee's almost ready,” Kate said.
Alex dotted kisses along her jawline. “That's not all that's ready,” he teased.
Kate stepped out of Alex's embrace, playfully swatting him on the chest. “Hey, we have company, or did you forget?”
Alex smiled. “That's never stopped me before.”
After thirteen years of marriage, Kate was as much in love with Alex as she'd been the day they'd married. Their love life hadn't slowed down a bit either. She was lucky. She'd heard other women talk and knew that her and Alex's relationship was unique, one of a kind. She was so happy, she felt a little bit guilty that her friends didn't share with their husbands what she and Alex had together.
“Well, for now you'll have to wait.” Kate poured coffee into Alex's favorite golden retriever mug. “Here you go.”
Alex took a slow sip of his coffee. “You don't have to wait on me, Kate.”
Kate pulled out her chair and sat across from her husband. “I know that. I do things for you because I want to, not because I have to. You know that, too.” She reached across the table and rubbed his forearm. Being married to Alex was easy.
Alex held a palm up. “Okay, okay. You can pour my coffee anytime.”
“And mine, too,” Don said.
Kate stood and gave Don a hug. Alex grabbed him in a bear hug and ruffled his perfectly combed hair. For a split second, Don looked miffed, then he raked his fingers through his messed-up hair. “Damn, buddy, I just spent ten minutes combing this do.”
“And you can still see your bald spot,” Alex teased.
“Hey, Alex, that's not a nice thing to say to company, especially before he's had his coffee,” Kate added. She poured Don a cup and placed it before him on the table.
“So, how long is the cruise gonna last this time?” Alex asked.
Debbie and Don were avid cruisers and had been on more than fifty cruises since they'd married. The four of them often joked that Don and Debbie had spent more time on water than land.
“Two weeks. I hope that's okay with you both,” Don replied.
“Of course it is. We're thrilled the girls still want to come for visits. I know they're getting older, and that's when you usually lose them to boys and makeup. I plan to teach them how to use the pottery wheel this visit,” Kate said.
“Emily will love that. She's always had a keen interest in your work,” Don said. “Sara, on the other hand, I'd be careful. She's going through somewhat of a clumsy stage right now. Make sure nothing valuable is in her path.”
“Are you talking about me, Daddy?” Sara whined from the doorway. “You know I hate it when you do that.” Sara trudged across the kitchen and plopped down on her father's lap. Kate thought she was too big for that but kept the thought to herself.
“Are we having breakfast?” Sara asked of no one.
“I'm making blueberry pancakes and bacon. How's that?” Kate announced.
“Goody! I love pancakes. Can I have six extra-big ones and six pieces of bacon? And make the bacon very crisp the way Mommy does,” Sara said matter-of-factly.
Don added with a smile, “Debbie burns the bacon.”
Sara crossed her arms over her hefty middle. “She does not! I like it that way. She cooks anything I want just the way I want it, too!” Sara glared at Kate as if daring her to contradict her.
“Well, then if you want your bacon well-done, that's exactly how I'll make it.” Kate winked at Don and Alex. “Sara, why don't you run upstairs and see if Emily wants to have breakfast with the rest of us.”
“Do I have to? I hate her. She's such a bitâ, I mean brat. She won't let me look at her diary anymore. Mommy says it's 'cause she's hiding something.”
“Sara, don't call your sister names, and you should be ashamed for snooping. You're old enough to value Emily's privacy, and so is your mother. Now run upstairs and tell Emily it's time for breakfast,” Don ordered. “And leave your mother alone. She'll want to sleep in, I'm sure.”
Reluctantly, Sara slid off her father's lap and headed for the stairs. Once she was out of earshot, Don spoke in low tones. “We've been having some problems with Sara. I think she's jealous of Emily, being older and all. Emily does get to do a lot more than Sara. If she gives you any problems, don't let her have dessert. That's the worst punishment she gets.”
Alex and Kate looked at each other. Kate spoke first. “I doubt we'll have trouble with her. She's always been so sweet. Twelve is a tough age. Not a little girl, but not a young woman either.”
“Well, let's just hope she doesn't act up. I've had enough of her tantrums,” Don said.
Kate placed a hand on Don's shoulder. “She'll be fine. You and Debbie enjoy the cruise and let us enjoy the girls. This might be the last time they'll want to spend their spring break with us. They're growing up so fast.”
Half an hour later, full of pancakes and bacon, Alex excused himself to tend the kennels.
“I thought you hired someone to help out,” Don stated.
“Gertie. She's the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, except for Kate.” Alex winked at Kate as she filled the dishwasher. “Her brother, Reece Wilkes, has been my attorney for the past eight years. He's very well-known around Asheville. He recommended her one day when he came for a visit. Little did I know she'd worked for Kate's parents years ago. Gertie never had any kids of her own, so she's devoted her life to the care of animals. I don't know how I ever ran the kennel without her.”
“Apparently you've managed to make a living playing with dogs,” Don said flatly.
Kate closed the door to the dishwasher a bit too hard. She turned around to face Don. “And has done a damned good job.” Don was always quick to make snide comments about Alex's chosen profession. Her mother and father had once owned the kennel. The kennel and the animals were very dear to her.
“Hey, you two, let's not start this again. We've been over this so many times, I've lost count. I didn't want to study veterinary medicine. I wouldn't have had the guts or the heart. I like raising the pups, seeing that they go to good homes. That gives me more satisfaction than all the money in the world could,” Alex said. “And who cares about money anyway?”
“Some of us weren't born with a silver spoon crammed down our throats,” Don responded. “Some of us have to work our asses off just to make a decent living.”
Alex's parents were extremely wealthy, and Don had always resented him for it even though he rarely mentioned it.
Kate stared at Don. He was well over six feet tall, his black hair always perfectly combed, nothing ever out of place. He was too perfect. And he was also jealous of her husband. Kate had figured him out the first time they'd been introduced. Even though they'd been friends since elementary school, Kate often wondered if Don had stayed close to Alex because of his family's money. When one didn't have it, one always wanted it. Her parents taught her that. They'd been quite well-off themselves, yet lived a simple life raising dogs. Her childhood had been almost perfect. She wished her parents were still alive. She thought about them every day and missed them terribly even though they'd been dead since her freshman year of college. Being an only child of older parents had its downside.
Kate wondered if Debbie and Don knew how fortunate they were to have two beautiful daughters. She'd give anything to have Alex's child.
Apparently Sara was going through a difficult period, but Kate had faith. She knew Sara would get through this awkward phase and laugh at herself in the years to come. Being twelve was tough.
Emily ate in silence as Kate finished the breakfast dishes. She'd had half a pancake and some orange juice. Unlike Sara, Emily was a bit on the thin side. Kate briefly wondered if Emily had an eating disorder, then pushed the thought aside. Emily was too sensible, and she'd always been taller than average and a tad on the lanky side. Emily reminded her of herself at fifteen. Mature beyond her years. Kate was sure Emily was eating enough to satisfy her hunger, and she wasn't going to make an issue over something that wasn't a problem.
Emily got out of her chair and walked over to the sink. She rinsed her plate off and placed it on the bottom rack of the dishwasher. “Something wrong, Aunt Kate?”
Kate smiled at Emily. “Just woolgathering, that's all. You do this when you're old.”
“You're not old, Aunt Kate. You're younger than Mom and Dad.”
“So? What's that supposed to mean?” Kate asked.
“I just never see either of them woolgathering.”
Kate laughed loudly. “Oh, Emily, I'm sure they have their moments, too. You're just not around to catch them in the act, that's all.”
“I suppose they do,” Emily said.
Kate could hear the slight hesitation. “Is there something more?”
Emily shook her head, “I'm going to the kennels. I can't wait to see the new pups.”
“Why don't you see if Sara wants to go. I'm sure she'd love to see the new puppies, too.”
“I don't know if that's a good idea or not,” Emily said, her voice low and eyes downcast.
“Why would you think that?” Kate questioned. Emily looked around the kitchen, then took a step forward where she could stand next to Kate. She looked behind her one last time before speaking. “Promise not to say anything?”
Kate knew trust was an important issue among teens and would do everything in her power to keep Emily's trust, but if what she was about to say was something Kate thought Don and Debbie should know, she wasn't sure if she could keep her promise, but she wasn't about to tell this to Emily. She took a deep breath, “I promise.” For a second she felt like hiding her hands behind her back and crossing her fingers, but she was too old for that, and it didn't mean anything anyway.