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Chapter Six
My first cooking lesson with Kate went rather well. So on Tuesday, I went back to do it again. And just like the day before, Kate was waiting for me.
“One cranberry muffin and a cup of tea to go.”
I stared at the items she held out for me and smiled. “Actually, I thought I might stick around. So long as it’s okay.”
“For here, then.” She nodded her understanding, then joined me by the front windows.
“And to help,” I said before she could turn away.
“Help?” Kate paused mid-step and looked right at me.
“Yeah. Yesterday you said how hard it was working here by yourself.”
“Oh. That.” Her face darkened. “I was just frustrated. It’s no trouble at all.” She offered me a warm smile, but I could tell it was forced.
“Will you be taking a break today?” I asked in hopes of having some time with her.
Kate glanced at the clock hanging behind the register. “I can only manage half an hour today. I fell behind once you left.”
“Sorry about that.”
She shook her head and waved my concerns away. “It’s my fault for not managing my time better. It’s something I struggle with a lot.”
“I’m the same way. If I don’t have everything written down or planned out, it doesn’t get done.”
“It drives my mother crazy. She’ll call up or drop by unannounced expecting me to go with her on some random outing. The last time she did this, it was so we could look at wedding dresses.”
Oh no.“Clothes shopping is the worst!” I could never find anything that felt comfortable.
“And they were for me as well.”
“Really?”Why so young?I’d never asked Kate her age, but considering how well we got along, she had to have been in her twenties, same as me.
“I don’t have anyone yet,” Kate said, oblivious to my thoughts, “but my mom thinks that if I find the dress, my one true love will find me soon after. She’s being a little too optimistic if you ask me.”
“My folks have tried setting me up in the past. It never ends well.”
“I get that they want what’s best for us, but what’s the hurry, you know?”
“Exactly.”
“At least let me finish school.”
“How much longer do you have?”
“Two years, and that’s if I want to stop after I get my bachelor's.”
“Four years of school on top of what I’ve already done would be way too much for me.”
“So you’ve never gone to college before?”
“Nope. I didn’t even apply since my folks needed me and Dustin at home.”
