Katia's Promise

They were easily six blocks away, but if Austin’s eyes were not deceiving him, Katia and Mrs. Beabots had just crossed Maple Avenue and were headed to Mrs. Beabots’s house. Scratching his head, he slowly pivoted and started back toward his home.

“She’s thinkin’ of movin’ in with the old lady,” Daisy said from the doorway. “Of course, if you’d had just an ounce of curiosity and chutzpah, you would have walked right up to her and asked.”

Austin glared at Daisy. There were times when Daisy’s bossiness was cute and almost welcome. But at this moment, as he struggled with painful memories, Daisy’s practical, take-charge pep talk was annoying. “So you recognized her?”

She shook her head. “I never saw her before today. But I know about her. You and your mom told me. After that reaction of yours, I figured it out for myself.” She put her hand on her hip. “As if I would call the cops. That’s your answer for everything. The trash man is late. There’s a Jehovah’s Witness at the door. The pool man didn’t show up. ‘Daisy, call the cops!’ If I had a nickel...”

He stuck his hands into his pants’ pockets. “I’m pretty predictable, aren’t I?”

“Down to the minute. I like that about you.” She smiled fondly.

“I just wish I knew what she was doing here. How did she get in? Did you see her come in?”

Daisy shrugged. “I didn’t see half of them. Once I opened the door, it seemed to be a steady stream of folks. I don’t know very many of them, except the mayor—I voted for her. Miss Crenshaw and Maddie. Katia seems to know them pretty well.”

“Really? They’re much younger than Katia. I doubt she would have known them from school. Do you think Katia has been friends with them long?”

“I couldn’t tell you, but they seemed awfully close, chatting during lunch and all.” She studied Austin. “Aren’t you curious where Katia’s been since she left?”

He raked a hand through his hair. “You bet I am. And that is the first question I’m going to ask her. Among a thousand—”

“Chicago.”

“What?”

“She’s been living in Chicago. At least until now. She’ll be living here in Indian Lake soon, so you can ask her all the questions you want.”

Austin was aghast. How was it possible that his housekeeper, who had never met Katia before today, already knew more about her than he did? Austin chided himself. Daisy was right. If he’d had the pluck to face Katia down, he would have found out all these things and possibly more. But he’d retreated; at least, that was what it would look like to Katia and the rest of the townspeople.

There goes Austin McCreary, slipping into his shell again.

For years, Austin had used his reputation as a recluse to serve his own purposes. Austin didn’t like people poking into his business or his personal life and asking a lot of questions he didn’t want to answer.

The underlying problem was that Austin himself didn’t have the one answer he needed. Had Katia ever loved him, and if she had, why would she have left?

Austin felt that his adult life had begun that day at LaGuardia. He’d been abandoned, and he’d felt adrift all this time. She’d left a dull ache in his heart that had never completely gone away. It was his pain that told him he’d found true love with Katia. She hadn’t been just a high school romance. What they’d had was real and he knew he’d never find it with anyone else.

He didn’t know how to respond to the simplest questions, the kind people ask at parties and gatherings, because they always brought back memories of Katia and the plans they’d made for a future together. “Are you married? Do you have children? How’s your business?”

Though he replied with platitudes, the true answers were troubling, even to him. “I’m not married. She left me. I don’t want children except with Katia, but I can’t forgive her for leaving me. I hate my business. Running my father’s company is boring and unfulfilling.”

In truth, Austin felt as if he was sleepwalking through his life. Being numb to his heartbreak was his only coping skill.

But today, Katia had come back. He had to give her credit. She didn’t slink around town, find a place to live, get a job or whatever it was she was here for and then let him find out she was in town. She’d rushed right in.

She’d come to his house and crashed his party. If he hadn’t gotten angry, he might have been able to question her and learn everything he wanted to know. Katia had grit, all right. She had enough for the two of them.

“So are you going to follow her and see where she went?” Daisy asked.

“Isn’t that illegal?”

“You could just cruise by Mrs. Beabots’s a bit slower than you usually do on your way to the plant,” Daisy suggested.

“The plant!” Austin checked his watch. “I’m due there in twenty minutes.”

“I know.” Daisy reached behind her and grabbed his car keys and his briefcase from the entry table. “I assume you’re taking the ’89 Corvette?”

“Why would you think that?” he asked.

“Because it’s the one you moved out of the carriage house and put in the driveway this morning,” Daisy replied in the assuaging tone she used to remind him that she was a better conscience than the one in his head.

“Oh, right.” He took the keys and briefcase. “I’ll be home at six as usual.”

“Dinner will be ready,” Daisy replied with a smile. “Steak and butternut squash.”

“Great.”

He went over to his black convertible, wondering if he should put the top up. If he saw Katia as he passed Mrs. Beabots’s house, would he want her to see him? Should he wave to her as if nothing had happened? Should he stop and talk to her? Maybe he should apologize about the calling-the-police thing. Was she deeply offended by that, or did she even care? He turned on the ignition and backed out of the drive. Daisy stepped back into the house and shut the front door.

Austin’s head was filled with so many questions he thought it would burst.

The heck with it. Probably best to let sleeping dogs...totally alone.

Austin drove down the block, turned left on Iris Avenue and decided to take another route to the plant.

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