Page 34 of Promise Me, Katie (Bennett Sisters #1)
The Copperwall was brimming with customers that morning, and it wasn’t long before Beth Ann was in the kitchen informing Katherine that they had a line of people waiting outside.
“Why?” Katherine asked, then rushed over to the calendar on the wall. “I thought the BOGO cinnamon roll special was next week.”
“It is.” Beth Ann followed her. “But we’ve still got a packed house and about twenty more customers waiting outside.”
“To be seated?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s going on?” Katherine asked, looking at Zach.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Is it a holiday?”
“No,” Katherine said, then went out front to see for herself.
“Whoa,” she said as she looked around, not sure what to make of the busy diner. There had never been a turnout like it before. Not even when she first opened The Copperwall.
“Oh, Katherine dear, youarehere!” Florence exhaled in relief, waving her over as her tablemates added how pleased they were to see her. “We were so worried when we didn’t see you at breakfast yesterday. Then, when the place was closed early, we didn’t know what to think.”
“You’re never closed on spaghetti-and-meatball Monday,” one of the other ladies added.
“Sorry about that. It couldn’t be avoided.”
“Were you sick?”
“Did you run out of meatballs?”
“Did Grace Chen quit?”
Katherine stiffened at the barrage of questions.
“No, no, and no,” she answered, reminding herself that they didn’t mean to pry. “Everything’s fine. Nothing for you to worry about.”
Florence smiled, giving her hand a sympathetic pat. “Well, whatever it was, we were praying for you all the same.”
“Thanks, ladies. Your concern means a lot.”
As the morning went on, Katherine was in and out of the kitchen more than usual at the request of Beth Ann and the Fraser twins.
They were tired of answering questions from people wondering how she was doing.
Over and over, everyone asked if she’d been sick or hurt or worse.
Some even seemed to require in-person proof.
Like Officers Kendall and Patrick when they finished their shift and stopped by for coffee and a half dozen chocolate chip muffins.
“The Chief said you were taking some time off,” Kendall spoke first. “We’re glad to see you’re okay.”
“Real glad.” Patrick nodded. “But I wasn’t too worried. I bet Kendall twenty bucks it was for lady reasons.”
“Eeew…” Lucy and Lyla chorused as Kendall elbowed Patrick in the ribs. As Katherine turned away to bag their baked goods, and pour coffee into to-go cups, she pretended she hadn’t heard them.
“Shut up, knucklehead,” Kendall whispered to his partner. “You can’t say that kinda stuff to a female. It’s a sensitive time for them. Do you wanna make her cry?”
“No.” Patrick pouted.
“No wonder you’re still single.”
“Here ya go,” Katherine said, interrupting them from whispering and elbowing each other. “Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your breakfast.”
Officers Kendall and Patrick thanked Katherine, then waved to Lucy and Lyla on their way out the door.
Later, when the breakfast crowd finally dwindled to a few customers, Katherine felt relieved and exhausted and needed to escape out back for some fresh air.
Waving to Florence and company on their way out the door, Katherine promised to see them tomorrow for breakfast, untied her apron, and asked Beth Ann if she could hold down the fort for a few minutes.
“Take your time, Katherine. We got it covered.”
Passing through the kitchen, Katherine let Zach know she’d be outside if he needed her and picked up one of the apple crates her mother found at an antique sale.
Once she was outside, she put the sturdy old crate on the ground and sat down to rest. Breathing in the cool morning air, she thought about how lucky she’d been to have Beth Ann and Zach by her side, and decided it was time to give them both a raise.
Maybe even the Fraser girls and Grace, too.
“Baby girl? Are you alright?”
Turning to see her mother, Katherine jumped up to hug her. “This is a nice surprise.”
Though Ginny Bennett was caught off guard by such a warm greeting, she happily accepted the hug.
“How was your water aerobics class?”
Ginny tsked, shaking her head. “So, you’ve seen your father.”
Katherine hesitated. “What makes you say that?”
“How else would you know about my new class?”
“I saw him yesterday,” Katherine admitted.
“So, did he come here or go by your place to walk off his guilt?” Ginny said, with the questioning rise of one brow. “I knew I should’ve hidden that pie before I left the house.”
At that moment, Katherine knew her father had kept his promise not to tell her mother anything that had happened the day before. If he had shared the details about Justin storming into Matthew’s kitchen and finding her and Matthew together, Ginny Bennett would’ve never brought up the pie thing.
“Daddy came by the house,” Katherine said, figuring it was better to be honest. Well, at least as honest as possible. She didn’t want to tell her mother, or anyone else, lies about them. Yet she agreed with Matthew. What happens between them should stay between them.
“I’ve been telling that man for years that he’s not fooling anyone. Does he honestly believe he can talk shop every night at my dinner table, and I wouldn’t pick up a thing or two?”
Katherine bit back a smile. She always liked hearing her father’s figures of speech spoken in her mother’s accent and vice versa.
“Mom, you know I am always happy to see you, but did you come by for something in particular?”
“No, not really,” Ginny tried to fib, but Katherine’s raised brow forced her to confess.
“Oh, alright… some of the ladies in my class were talking about The Copperwall being closed. Since I hadn’t heard about it from you, I had to come to see for myself.
When I got here, Beth Ann told me you were out back. So here I am.”
Katherine hugged her mother again, then led her back inside the diner. “Let’s have a cup of tea and talk for a bit before lunch starts.”
Surprised to see Katherine so willing to sit in the middle of a workday, Mrs. Bennett studied her, unsure of what was different, yet still intrigued.
“So, what’s new?”
“You tell me, Katherine Bennett. What’s new with you?”
Katherine blushed, remembering why Matthew called her by her first and last name.
“Nothing.” Katherine shrugged as she fought to hide a grin. “Just the same old, same old.”
“And why don’t I believe you?” Ginny said, making it obvious that she was getting a kick out of seeing Katherine’s coy smile and bright eyes. “You know, you look just like your father when he’s got a secret.”
Katherine lifted her mug and took a long drink to cover the grin that was getting harder and harder to hide.
“Something’s going on with you, baby girl, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Maybe I should call your sisters. I bet they would know. The five of you have always been as thick as—”
“Excuse me,” a soft, friendly sounding voice interrupted her mother. “Are you Katie Bennett?”
Startled, Katherine had to dab drops of tea from her chin with a napkin. No one but Matthew called her Katie Bennett.
Putting her cup down, she spun around on the stool to see a smiling couple standing behind her. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Are you Katie Bennett?” the woman repeated.
The man standing next to her was holding Libby in his arms. He looked like an older version of Matthew.
“Mrs. Brandon?”
“Mama,” Libby said to Katherine, then reached out with her chubby little arms as everyone within a twenty-foot radius, including Beth Ann and her mother, stared at them.
Without skipping a beat, Beth Ann hurried over to the closest remaining customers and started a friendly dialogue to distract them from hearing the conversation at the counter.
“Darling, does this sweet baby know you?” Ginny Bennett spoke with a smile. Although she did her best to look pleasant and friendly, she was bursting with curiosity.
“Mama…” Libby repeated, her bottom lip beginning to curl into a pout when Katherine didn’t immediately jump up and reach for her. Matthew’s dad, on the other hand, was eager to hand off his granddaughter.
“Whew,” he said after stepping forward and passing Libby off to Katherine. Then he gripped one shoulder, rotating it in a half-circle forward and another half-circle back. “I don’t know how it happened, but I swear she’s gotten twice as heavy since the last time we saw her.”
As the group laughed, Libby placed her tiny hands on either side of Katherine’s face and smiled, showing all eight of her pearly white teeth.
“Hi, Libby Doll.” Katherine smiled back, planting a quick peck on her cheek. Then she shifted Libby onto one hip and put out her free hand to greet Matthew’s parents.
“Of course, you’re Mr. and Mrs. Brandon,” she said, shaking each of their hands, feeling a bit flustered. “I’m Katherine Bennett-Chandler.”
Mr. and Mrs. Brandon looked confused.
“I mean, yes, I’m Katie Bennett.”
Katherine wasn’t doing as well as she hoped she would when meeting Matthew’s parents and she knew she’d have to regain her composure and fast with the overly curious audience around them.
“This is my mother, Ginny Bennett. Mom, this is Officer Brandon’s parents. Umm—” Then Katherine froze, her face turning red. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that Matthew always referred to his parents as Mom and Dad. Thankfully, Mr. Brandon stepped forward to save her.
“I’m Matt Brandon, and this is my wife, Sarah,” he said, shaking hands with Mrs. Bennett. His wife eventually did the same but with a look of hesitation as she was now watching Libby like a hawk, along with Katherine’s every move.
As Mrs. Bennett recognized Sarah Brandon’s hesitation, she moved in like the protector she was. Charm had always been her innate weapon, and she was never one to shy away from a new challenge. And Matthew’s watchful mother was definitely looking like a challenge.