Page 3 of Promise Me, Katie (Bennett Sisters #1)

It wasn’t a surprise when Beth Ann came in that morning weaving tales of mystery, love, and happily ever after, even though the subject was something Katherine had stubbornly refused interest in for years.

She didn’t believe in whirlwind romances like Beth Ann. At least not for herself. And not in Windsong, Washington. A town where everyone seemed to know each other in one way or another. A place where her family held court like small-town royalty.

With her Kentucky-born father, Jerome Bennett, as the chief of police and her mother, Ginny, daughter of British ex-pats, as the grande dame of all things social in the small seaside town, Katherine knew she didn’t stand a chance at starting anything in the romance department.

Certainly not under the all-knowing eyes of her mother, four older sisters, and most of all, Beth Ann: friend, employee, and part-time wannabe matchmaker.

“You okay?” Zach asked near the end of breakfast.

In five years of working together, Zach and Katherine had forged the makings of a well-oiled machine, so it wasn’t hard for him to tell when she was distracted.

“Of course.” She tried to laugh away his concern. “You know me in the kitchen... busy brain and all.”

“Anything good rattling around up there?”

When Katherine blurted out steak salad , Zach looked less than impressed. He’d come to expect more from her, and she’d have to pull her thoughts together to cover up the fact that food had been the last thing on her mind.

“I know it doesn’t sound exciting, but I think if we put a Vietnamese twist on it with matchstick cuts of pickled veg, paper-thin jalapeno slices, and plenty of cilantro, it could be a real hit.

Maybe even top it off with some crispy chow mein noodles for a little extra crunch. Think bánh mì meets steak salad.”

“Whoa…” Zach nodded with appreciation. “That might work.”

With a smile, Katherine disappeared into the walk-in refrigerator and returned with an armful of supplies. “We’ve got just about everything we need. And I can probably talk Georgie or my mom into trying it.”

On Saturdays, Katherine’s mother and sisters came to the diner so the six of them could have lunch together. Not only was it time for them to catch up, but she often asked for their input about the menu.

“Can we even get those crispy noodles from Sid’s?”

“Maybe. But why try finding them at the market when we could probably call Mr. Chen’s and see about getting some delivered.”

“Sweet!” Zach raised his arm for a high five as Katherine leaned in to slap the palm of his hand. “You keep that brain of yours going, and I’ll make the call myself.”

Then Zach dropped hash browns, ham steaks, and scrambled eggs onto two waiting plates, along with slices of toasted sourdough, and rang the bell for pickup.

As Lucy and Lyla dashed in, each grabbing a plate of food and dashing out, Zach headed to the phone on the back wall to dial the number for Mr. Chen’s Chinese. “If I’m lucky, Suzie will answer.”

Katherine knew exactly what Zach meant. Mr. Chen was the sweetest man in person. But once you got him on the phone, he was prone to shouting. And not just to clarify the details of an order.He pretty much shouted his way through the entire conversation.

“Oh! Hello, Mr. Chen! Good morning to you, too!” Zach shouted back through the phone as Katherine glanced in his direction. “This is Zach at The Copperwall! Could I please speak with Suzie?”

Katherine mouthed the word sorry to Zach as he shrugged.

Since it was nearly time for her to leave the kitchen and join her family, she hurried to wipe down her workspace and check on the soups they’d prepared between breakfast orders while Zach went through the usual paces with Mr. Chen.

“Yes, The Copperwall Diner! Is Suzie available? Katherine has a special request!”

There was a long pause before Zach bellowed, “Oh, so you’re putting Suzie on? Great! Thanks, Mr. Chen!”

Katherine could tell when Suzie took the phone from her husband because Zach’s voice immediately dropped by at least two octaves, and a smile brightened his face.

As Zach made his request, Katherine thought about Suzie Chen.

Though she was just as sweet as her husband, she was also never one to mince words.

Direct, outspoken, and incredibly funny, she was fun to be around.

Not to mention, by all male standards, Suzie was smokin’ hot.

A fact that only amplified her daughter’s embarrassment and her husband’s delight.

With strict diet and exercise, along with regular visits to the salon, Suzie had the body of an eighties video vixen with hair as white as an angel’s. She was a true one-of-a-kind, and everyone loved her.

“Great! We’ll see you when you get here,” Zach said, then blushed at something Suzie said before he hung up.

“I take it we’re all set?”

“Yeah, but it sounds like she’s bringing enough for a small army.”

Katherine laughed. “Well, in that case, let’s hope it’s a hit.”

Back at the flat top, Zach squirted water on the hot surface and started scraping off burnt bits of food when Beth Ann entered the kitchen with one final breakfast order.

“I need a double everything Brown Lace Bagel with a side of fries.” She smiled, tearing a page from her order pad. “And make it to-go.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Zach smiled back, saluting her like a private would a four-star general. Then he added oil to a pan and cracked two eggs into a small bowl.

Standing there watching Zach, Beth Ann glowed in his presence while Katherine wondered how long it would take for the two of them to finally admit they were dating.

“Ahem—”

“Oh, hey, I didn’t know you were still in here,” Beth Ann said as Katherine smirked at her sudden nervousness. “Didn’t Lucy and Lyla tell you your family’s here?”

“No,” Katherine said, giving another quick stir to the baked potato and beef barley soups. “Can you tell them I’ll be out in a minute?”

“Sure.”

“And Beth Ann… not a word about that Brandon person, okay?”

Beth Ann’s smirk widened as she placed a hand over her heart. “You don’t think I would say anything, do you?”

When Katherine shot her a look of warning, it only made Beth Ann burst out laughing. “I swear… if you started something—”

“I didn’t!” Beth Ann insisted, biting back the same scheming little smile that drove Katherine half crazy. “But it doesn’t help when you look at me like that. You’re making me laugh.”

Katherine raised a skeptical brow.

“I swear, I didn’t say anything. Besides, what makes you think I would anyway?”

“How about the look on your face and the fact that I know you.”

Beth Ann crossed her heart. “Not a peep.”

Feeling herself start to relax, Katherine untied her apron and breathed a sigh of relief. With the story of Bella and Frank’s departure quickly making the rounds, she didn’t want it to get back to her family and become the main topic of conversation.

“But if they do know anything—and I’m not saying they do—I didn’t have to be the one to tell them. That order I just gave Zach was for Frank.”

Katherine shook her head as the color drained from her face. “Please don’t tell me that Frank and Isabella are here.”

“Umm… yeah… they are,” Beth Ann said. “They didn’t stick around earlier because Bella wanted to hit the farmers’ market before it got too busy. But you know Frank can only take so much of that health-conscious-cardboard-tasting trail mix she buys, so he insisted they come back for some real food.”

“Dear God, this can’t be happening.”

“Last I saw, your family was pretty much huddled around them,” Beth Ann added, slowly backing out of the kitchen as Katherine noticed a hint of cheerful satisfaction in her voice.

“You know, I should get back out there and make sure the twins aren’t telepathically summoning the leader of their planet. Are you coming?”

Katherine nodded as Beth Ann disappeared through the swinging double doors.

When she looked at Zach, his attention quickly shifted to the oil in his pan, pretending that he’d been waiting for just the right temperature to fry the eggs to lacey perfection.

But they both knew he wasn’t fooling anyone.

Sometimes, Katherine felt sorry for Zach when he got that particular look on his face. It wasn’t exactly a deer-in-headlights sort of look, but it was the same overwhelmed expression she’d seen countless times on her dad’s face. The look of a nice guy being outnumbered by females.

“Try to finish Frank’s order as soon as you can. Maybe we can get them out the door before Bella tells thereplacement part of her story.”

“You got it!” Zach called out, but Katherine hadn’t stuck around for his response. She was already on her way to the dining area to search for her mother and sisters, determined to intervene the inevitable.

“Sorry about the wait. It’s been a hectic morning,” she explained after doing a quick scan of the diner. Fortunately, Bella was nowhere to be found. She did, however, spot Beth Ann standing by the bathrooms, pointing, not so discreetly, to the door of the ladies’ room, mouthing the words in here .

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Katherine slid into the big corner booth next to her sister, Andie. A conversation between her mother and sisters Ellie, Andie, and Georgie about kids getting chickenpox started, leaving her and Maddie with nothing to say on the subject.

“You know, you should really go by Ava’s Salon,” Maddie suggested, reaching across the table and grabbing Katherine’s hands to inspect her cuticles.

Katherine loved her sister Madeline, but they had very different ideas about what was important.

While Maddie was never one to leave a moment to silence when she could talk about fashion, beauty treatments, or spending money, Katherine didn’t care about anything that didn’t relate to family or food.

“I hook those girls up with so much business. I’m sure Ava and I can work out a deal to get your nails done for free.”

“I know.” Katherine tried to smile. “You’ve told me that before.”