Page 2 of Promise Me, Katie (Bennett Sisters #1)

Though she was expected to be at work by now, Beth Ann being late was nothing new.

In typical fashion, she’d probably come barreling through the door at any minute with some flimsy excuse as to why she wasn’t on time.

And though Katherine secretly found some of her excuses amusing, she also found them frustrating on the days she was too tired to even think straight.

“Hey, guess what I just heard!”Beth Ann called out as the kitchen door flung open. Like countless times before, she didn’t mean to startle Katherine, but she did.

“Dammit, Bethie, you know I hate when you do that!” Katherine scowled after dropping the pan she’d been scrubbing.

“Sorry, I forget sometimes,” Beth Ann said, rushing over and handing her a towel to wipe the bubbles from the front of her apron.

“ Sometimes ?”

Beth Ann’s shoulders slumped as she let out a sigh. “Yeah… I guess I do that a lot, don’t I?” Then she looked around at how much Katherine had accomplished. “I can’t believe you got all this done already. That’s twice this week. Are yousureyou’re getting enough sleep?”

Feeling her head start to ache, Katherine avoided the question by naming off the items she’d made.

“It smells so good in here,” Beth Ann said, looking longingly at the muffins cooling on the counter. “Hey, did you hear Bella Vaughn is leaving WDSG?”

At the mention of Bella’s name, Katherine turned her attention back to the pan she’d been scrubbing. Although Isabella Vaughn was something of a local celebrity and her mother’s high school friend, Katherine didn’t care to keep up with the latest gossip.

In fact, she hated gossip. Inwardly cringing every time she was reminded of those awful days after Max’s death and the gossip that grew from Bella’s news reports. Reports that quickly made Katherine the talk of the town.

“Nope. Haven’t heard that one.” She scrubbed, hoping her curt reply would put an end to the subject.

“Well, it’s true,” Beth Ann added before Katherine could point out that she preferred not to know. “I just ran into Bella outside, and she told me all about it.”

Katherine stopped scrubbing long enough to glance at the clock. “So,that’swhy you’re late?”

As Beth Ann bit her bottom lip, her expression was heavy with guilt.

“Bethie, you know I need you here to help Lucy and Lyla. You can talk to customers all you want once we’re open,” she said, shaking her head as she went back to scrubbing. “Not to mention the fact that gossip is as bad an excuse as the dog eating your homework.”

“Fine.” Beth Ann rolled her eyes. “I won’t be late anymore.”

When Katherine shot her a disbelieving glance, she caught Beth Ann sneaking a handful of chocolate chips from a storage canister and stuffing them into her mouth.

“Hey! Are your hands even clean?”

“Of course they’re clean. I showered this morning.”

“Beth… Ann… Lucas…”

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it. I’m hungry. I ran out of milk last night and didn’t get my bowls of cereal this morning.”

“ Bowls ?” Katherine asked, emphasizing the plural.

“Yeah… bowls . What’s wrong with bowls ?”

“You know that garbage you eat is full of chemicals, right?” Katherine said, easing the clean pan into the basin of sanitizer before drying off her hands and giving Beth Ann a freshly baked muffin. “Just because the box says fruity doesn’t mean it’s made withactualfruit.”

“I know. But I love my cereal,” Beth Ann whined, then looked down at the muffin and brightened. It was a rare moment when Katherine gave her a coffee cake muffin instead of something healthier filled with fruit and nuts. “Wow, thanks, Katherine. You’re the best.”

“Don’t thank me, thank your ridiculously high metabolism.”

Beth Ann took an enormous bite. “Mmm, trust me, I do.”

As Katherine stared at her friend, she didn’t know what was worse, watching Beth Ann stuff food in her mouth with the fervor of a ravenous teenage boy or her rail-thin body despite living on sugar, calories, fat, and even more sugar.

“Maybe you should take smaller bites,” Katherine suggested before turning back to the sink. “You’re not running so late that you need to inhale your food.”

“Dang, this is so good,” Beth Ann spoke through a mouthful of sugary goodness before licking the cinnamon topping from her lips. “I almost forgot to tell you that Bella and Frank Vaughn sold their house and bought a condo in Florida. They’re moving to Florida. Can you believe it?”

Katherine rinsed the soap from another pan before adding it to the basin of sanitizer. “Well, I should hope so. It’d be a waste of money if they didn’t.”

“Katherine!”

“What?”

“You’re not listening. I’m trying to point out a very important fact.”

“I am listening. You’re just not getting to the point fast enough.”

With a sigh, Beth Ann said, “There’s an open position at WDSG.”

“O-kay.” Katherine’s eyes widened in a who cares sort of way.

“With Bella leaving, the television station has to hire a replacement. And since nobody else in town can do the job…”

Suddenly, Katherine knew exactly where this was going.

“Please don’t,” she said as she tried to walk away, but Beth Ann caught her by the arm.

“Just hear me out. I promise this is really good.”

“No, because I already know what you’re going to say.”

With an exaggerated eye roll, Beth Ann groaned in misery. “You know, sometimes you can be so closed-minded.”

“I’m not closed-minded. I’m realistic.”

“ Realistic ? Ha! Try boring,” she complained. “You know, this could be really great if you’d just open your mind up to the possibility of it.”

“What if they hire a woman?” Katherine asked, hoping to throw a monkey wrench into Beth Ann’s big plan.

“Nope. Not gonna happen. BecauseIalready know his name.AndI also know it’s just a matter of time before he moves to Windsong.”

Katherine felt her stomach tighten, and her head started to hurt again.

“Just think… hunky, big city reporter moves to small town and sweeps local girl off her feet. Tell me, what would be so bad about meeting the man of your dreams?” Beth Ann sighed, glowing in na?ve satisfaction, her eyes drifting upward as if drawn to some magical place in the sky.

“Of course, he’ll be super smart and totallysweet, and you two would fall in love and get married. ”

Katherine bit back a laugh, patting Beth Ann’s hand before removing it from her arm. “You’re cute, Bethie. Confused… but cute.”

Hurrying past the pouting waitress, Katherine knew she had to escape the confined space of the diner’s kitchen because there was no way she would let herself stay trapped inside Beth Ann’s ridiculous love bubble.

“Please, Katherine, be serious!” she whined, following close behind. “You never know what could happen. It could be the most romantic love story of all time.”

“Me?” Katherine scoffed over her shoulder. “I’m the one who should be serious?”

Nearing the swinging door that led to the seating area, she was even more determined to escape. But instead of the clean getaway Katherine had hoped for, she ran smack dab into line cook, Zachary Mason, on his way in.

“Well, good morning, Zach. Did the dog eat your homework, too?”

Instantly, Zach’s happy-go-lucky grin morphed into a mask of complete confusion.

Just beyond him, Lucy and Lyla had been busy at the counter placing menus and napkin-wrapped bundles of silverware in front of each stool, but stopped after hearing Katherine’s odd greeting, to listen as Zach’s eyes darted back and forth between the four waiting females.

“Uh, no…” He scratched his head.

Even though everyone in Windsong knew how much he liked working at The Copperwall, Katherine also knew it wasn’t always easy for poor Zach to navigate through what somedays had to feel like drowning in a sea of females.

The twins’ conversations alone confused him, while open discussions about female issues often embarrassed him. And since he obviously had no idea how to respond to one more random question, he looked slightly alarmed. As if a wave of something feminine was about to crash over him.

“I don’t have a dog,” Zach began again. “But I was just outside talking to Frank Vaughn. Did you know he’s moving to Florida?”

“Oh, Lord,” Katherine groaned.

“See, I told you,” Beth Ann added, beaming with satisfaction. “This is so exciting!”

Though Katherine felt the need to pray for mercy or, better yet, a well-timed bolt of lightning to hit Beth Ann, there wasn’t enough time. A group of Saturday morning regulars had already gathered around the front door, waiting to be welcomed in.

“Of course, I’d love to continue this conversation, but we have people to feed,” Katherine announced, gesturing toward the awaiting crowd. “Thanks again for thinking of my love life, but I’m just fine without one.”

As Zach took advantage of the distraction and escaped into the kitchen, Katherine continued toward the front door, greeting the Fraser twins along the way. “Good morning, Lucy. Good morning, Lyla.”

“Good morning, Katherine!” the twins responded in angelic yet slightly robotic unison.

Both girls had come to the diner at the age of sixteen as a favor to their grandma Millie.

It had been Millie’s firm belief that a real job would teach them responsibilityand stop any boys from “sniffing around” as Millie put it.

She’d even gone so far as to say the girls were a dangerous combination of na?ve and boy crazy.

Lean and lanky, nearly six feet tall, with long red hair and adorably freckled faces, the Fraser twins were quirky in the best sort of way. They it made Katherine smile every time she saw them.

“Thanks for getting in and getting straight to work,” Katherine praised, shooting a smug look at Beth Ann. “How can a boss not love heron-time, busy little bees.”

With a smirk, Katherine was nearing the front door, feeling quite pleased with herself, when Beth Ann shouted over the tables and chairs between them.

“Brandon!”

Stopped in her tracks, Katherine turned, brows lifted in surprise, as Lucy and Lyla paused what they were doing to watch. The smile on Beth Ann’s face screamed of victory as she advanced on Katherine the way a lioness advances on helpless prey.

“Bella said the most qualified applicant for the position and the station’s new hire is someone named Brandon. And apparently, this Brandon person is very attractive. So, in case you do change your mind, now you know at least his name.”

“Ooo…” the twins added, punctuating the end of Beth Ann’s speech.

“Katherine and Brandon,” she considered the two names together as she walked by. “Katherine… Brandon… it has such a nice ring to it, don’t ya think?”

Lucy and Lyla stood wide-eyed, bobbing their heads in agreement.

But before Katherine could insist that she still wasn’t interested, Beth Ann turned the lock on the door and pulled it open. As customers poured in, they smiled with cheerful greetings and immediate requests for coffee.

“Good morning!” the Fraser sisters said from behind the counter with their synchronized smiles while Katherine stood frozen in place.

Then she remembered that Bella and Frank Vaughn had been outside. They didn’t often come to the diner together, but it didn’t stop Katherine from holding her breath and bracing for the worst anyway.

“Katherine, dear, are you alright?” Dr. Evans’s wife stopped to ask. “You look a bit flushed today.”

“Oh, she’s fine, Florence. Nothing to worry about,” Beth Ann said, appearing out of nowhere. “Although I must say, it does seem to have gotten a little hot in here.”

Beth Ann winked at Katherine as she passed by, leading Florence and her friends to their favorite booth while all four of the silver-haired ladies agreed, discussing the current state of the weather and the warmer days to come.

“And you know it’s bound to get even hotter around here,” Beth Ann added to their conversation, her voice rising ever so slightly in volume. “Don’t you agree, Katherine?”

Katherine’s eyes narrowed into a glare, but it didn’t stop Beth Ann.

“Brrraaandon…” she whispered in a teasing voice as she passed Katherine to fetch the women their coffee.

Shaking off the cobwebs, Katherine grabbed a stack of menus from the end of the counter and delivered them around the room. Not that anyone in this crowd needed them. Besides the occasional special, most of them knew the menu by heart.

“Did you girls hear about Isabella and Frank?” Florence asked just as Katherine arrived at their booth. Then her table mates acknowledged they, too, had heard the latest. “You know what that means…”

In a poorly timed attempt to escape back into the kitchen, Katherine turned and nearly ran over Beth Ann, holding four mugs of hot coffee and an order pad.

“My goodness, are you sure you’re alright?” Florence asked, reaching out to steady Katherine. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your cheeks quite so pink before.”

Without thinking, Katherine reached up and touched the sides of her face as Beth Ann stifled a giggle.

“You know, Florence, I think you might be right,” Beth Ann said. “But I wonder why the rest of us aren’t feeling as hot as Katherine.”