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Kate bit back a laugh. That was the least likely reaction she was going to have. “Okay. I’ll see what I can do with my hair.” She looked down at her clothes. She was dressed in all black. The same thing she wore to work most days. A simple tank top and tight black pants. “I’m going to look like I’m working there. Is it fancy?”
“Hmm. Yeah. I’m wearing a blazer, but Ash is in a dress, and just about everyone else is either in a suit or a dress. Yeah.”
Kate blew out a breath. She was wasting time. At any moment, Hollis could leave. “Fuck it. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She hung up and touched up her makeup in the staff bathroom, before fishing her keys out of her bag and getting in her car.
Kate’s journey to Silver Tides was a mix of anxiety and anticipation. She couldn’t believe she was doing this, heading to a fancy restaurant on a whim, just to see Hollis. The city lights blurred past as she drove, her heart thumping in her chest. She found a parking spot a block away and took a moment to gather herself before stepping out of the car.
As she approached Silver Tides, Kate slowed her pace, trying to calm her nerves. She took a deep breath before pulling open the heavy wooden door. The restaurant was bustling with activity, the clinking of glasses and the hum of conversation filling the air. Kate scanned the room, searching for Lexi and Ash, hoping that she could find them before Hollis saw her. Kate needed to get her shit together.
Kate spotted Lexi waving from a table just to her right. She made her way over, throwing a glance over her shoulder, but she couldn’t see Hollis. “Hey,” she said to Lexi, letting her wrap her up in a long hug. When she pulled back, she had a lump in her throat. “Thank you for calling me, Lex.”
“I couldn’t not.”
“Hi,” Kate said to Ash. “Sorry about all this drama. Did Lexi fill you in?”
Ash smiled, tucking a piece of blond hair behind her ear. “She did, but since Lexi called you, we’ve obviously been keeping an eye on her, you know, just in case she’d leave. But uh…”
Kate’s eyes shifted to Lexi.
Lexi cleared her throat. “I think she’s here with someone. A woman around her age.”
Kate blinked, her stomach dropping. “Are you sure?” She looked between the two of them. “Couldn’t it be someone she works with?” Kate could barely hold a coherent thought in her head. She’d spent the last seven months telling herself that the reason that she hadn’t heard from Hollis was because she was still married, and maybe, when she was officially divorced, she’d reach out. But if Hollis was here with someone who wasn’t her husband…
Ash shrugged. “Maybe, but I’ve never seen this other woman before. I’ve seen Hollis a few times while she was working on the redesign. Not her though.”
Kate turned to scan the room again, but she still didn’t see Hollis. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She stomach churned, and she felt sick. She was about to go to the bar and get a glass of water when her eyes landed on Hollis. She was sitting on the far side of the bar, barely visible between the people waiting to be served a few feet away from Kate, but it was definitely her. And she was laughing with the woman sitting beside her who was probably in her forties, her strawberry blond hair glistening under the lights above the bar.
A jolt of longing shot through her body as her gaze settled on Hollis once more, but the overwhelming surge of anxiety coursing through her veins was too much. “I’m going to the restroom,” Kate said to Lexi tearing her eyes away from Hollis. She was already moving towards the sign above the door at the back of the restaurant before Lexi could answer.
As she pushed open the door, she was relieved to see that the four stalls were empty. She turned on the tap and ran her hands under the cool water before pressing her palm against the back of her neck while trying to take deep breaths.
22
Hollis caught the bartender’s attention and ordered another glass of wine for Jen and a water for her. Pride swelled in her chest as she looked around the busy restaurant, knowing that every design detail had been her choice. It had turned out even better than she’d imagined.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” Hollis said to Jen. “This is the most fun I’ve had at one of these unveilings in a long time.”
“You should invite me more often. I’ve enjoyed it, and this place looks amazing. All the subtle nautical touches. I’d forgotten how good you were.”
“Thanks.”
“I was here years ago, and it just didn’t have any atmosphere. The food was excellent, but now, with this redesign, they’re going to have a waitlist.”
Hollis nodded. “It was a fun project. It helped that the owner let me run with my own ideas on this one.”
The bartender came back with their drinks, and Hollis excused herself. “Be back in a minute.” She’d worked on far more homes than businesses, but this would do wonders for her when it came to landing commercial clients.
Hollis weaved her way through the crowd until she reached the back of the restaurant and pulled the restroom door open. She stopped in her tracks, hardly believing her own eyes. “Kate?” Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Kate’s familiar figure, dressed in tight black pants and a form-fitting tank top that showed off her toned arms. “What are you doing here?”
Hollis noted that Kate didn’t look half as surprised to see her. She must have spotted her earlier.
Kate opened her mouth, but Hollis shook her head as she glanced to her right, checking that all of the stall doors were opened.
“It doesn’t matter,” Hollis murmured as her heart raced. In one swift move, she tossed her clutch onto the counter and crossed the distance between them, pressing her lips against Kate’s. Months of longing culminated in this one impulsive moment, her hands cupping Kate’s cheeks as their kiss deepened.
Hollis could feel Kate’s hands on her waist, pulling her closer as she sighed into the kiss. Kate’s lips were so soft, and when she slid her tongue over Hollis’s, it set off a spark inside Hollis, awakening all of the feelings from that weekend together that she’d so desperately tried to forget.
Hollis ran her fingers through Kate’s hair as she matched the intensity of Kate’s kiss. The familiar scent of Kate’s perfume filled her senses, bringing her right back to their first night together.
