Page 46 of Promise Me, Katie (Bennett Sisters #1)

After plenty of prodding and promises that everything would run smoothly without her, Katherine agreed to leave the diner in the capable hands of Zach and Beth Ann.

Still, walking out before the end of breakfast caused a twinge of anxiety. A year ago, Katherine would’ve been angry at anyone for even suggesting she take a day off.

But today was a very different day. And the thought of more time with Matthew helped her feel at ease with her decision to leave. Also, with his parents returning to Kinsey soon, she thought it would be nice to see them again before they left.

Of course, it would’ve been really nice if Matthew was still sleeping in her bed. But when she got home, he was gone, so she went next door to find him.

“Oh, Katie, I’m sorry, but Matthew isn’t here,” Mrs. Brandon explained after opening the door. “I guess you didn’t hear about the accident.”

“What accident?” Katherine’s chest tightened in fear.

Hearing their conversation, Mr. Brandon came to the front door. “Don’t worry, Katie, Matthew’s fine. But two other officers were involved, so he was asked to go to the scene and help out.”

“Oh my gosh. How bad was the crash? How did it happen?” As Katherine questioned Matt and Sarah, her legs started to buckle under the weight of her worry.

Thankfully, Matt reached out for her, wrapping an arm around her before insisting she come inside and sit down.

“It happened this morning. Matthew called just a few minutes ago to say it wouldn’t be long before they finished collecting evidence and towing away the vehicles.

He also said Officers Kendall and Patrick were both banged up, with lots of bumps and bruises from the impact and some cuts and scratches from broken glass, but otherwise, they’re fine.

They were being taken to the hospital for observation but only as a precaution. ”

“But they’re alive and well? And Matthew’s okay?” Katherine’s body trembled in fear. Her eyes filled with tears, and she bit her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything ever happened to him.”

After Matt asked Sarah to get Katherine a glass of water, he sat beside her on the couch. “I know it’s hard not to worry, but worrying won’t help the situation. He really is safe.”

“I wish I didn’t worry so much.”

“I understand.” Matt nodded. “But Matthew has always had a strong sense of duty and loyalty. So, when he got the call from your dad asking for help, nothing was going to stop him. On the bright side, by the time he got there, Jerome and Justin had a fair amount of the chaos already under control.”

Katherine nodded, but she couldn’t stop her troubled thoughts from racing. “Do you think it might be too much for him?” she asked as Sarah returned with the water. “What if it brings up memories of being at Julia’s accident?”

Sarah frowned. “Now you know why I’m so worried.”

“Of course, it’s not going to be easy,” Matt added. “But this is his job, and he’s either got to work through it, or he’s going to have to give it up and find something else.”

Katherine’s heart went out to Matthew. She knew how much he liked being a cop.

“Did he say how it happened?”

“I guess it started out as a routine traffic stop that quickly turned into a police chase. When Kendall and Patrick pulled up alongside the vehicle, the driver stomped on his brakes, then swerved, clipping the tail end of the cruiser. Before they knew it, they’d spun out and slammed into a barrier on the side of the road while the driver lost control, flipped a few times, and landed on the edge of an irrigation ditch.

If you ask me, the idiot was lucky he didn’t land upside down in the water. ”

“Oh my gosh,” Katherine gasped, her hands balled into tight fists. “But he survived, right?”

“Matthew said the guy wasn’t banged up any worse than Kendall or Patrick. So once the emergency crews got him out of his car, they were taking him to the hospital to get checked out, then to jail for who knows how long.”

Of course, Katherine was relieved to hear Kendall and Patrick would be okay, but she couldn’t stop worrying about Matthew from the moment Sarah told her there’d been an accident. She didn’t want her mind to go straight to the worst possible scenario, but it had.

Seeing someone you love walk out the door and come face to face with God only knows what was a frightening prospect. And until this moment, she hadn’t thought about the reality of loving another police officer.

When she was a little girl, it was never as big of a concern when it came to her dad. In her mind, he’d always been invincible. Still, looking back, she remembered times when her mother fought to hide her fear and spoke prayers of thanks when her dad returned home safe each night.

Now, it seemed she’d have to feel those same uneasy emotions again when it came to Matthew putting his uniform on and heading out to work.

“Katie…” Sarah said gently, still waiting for Katherine to take the glass of water.

“Thank you,” she responded, reaching out with trembling hands.

The lump in her throat made it nearly impossible to swallow the cool liquid.

But she forced it down, wanting to appear as calm, cool, and collected as possible.

She wanted Mr. and Mrs. Brandon to see she could stand by their son through anything.

But she was struggling. “I’m sorry. There’s so much happening right now.

I’m sure I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed. Maybe I should go.”

As Katherine set the glass down on the coffee table, she tried to stand, but her legs buckled again, and Matt had to reach out to stop her from pitching forward.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Sarah insisted, explaining that it wasn’t safe for her to be alone. “Matt can help you up to Matthew’s room, and I’ll get you a cool cloth and some aspirin. You can stay here until our son gets home.”

Mr. Brandon looped his arm around Katherine, steadying her against his side. “Let’s get you upstairs, young lady.”

“And don’t worry about trying to track down Matthew. We’ll get a message to him that you’re here,” Sarah added with motherly concern. “Do you want us to call the diner and tell them you won’t be in?”

“No,” Katherine managed, though her mouth was dry, her head felt heavy, and her legs were like mushy noodles. “I was there earlier. They know I’ve gone home for the day.”

When they entered Matthew’s room and got Katherine settled on the bed, she noticed their suitcases sitting by the dresser. “I can’t take the room from you. Really, I can go home.”

“Nonsense,” Matt declared. “We planned on leaving today anyway, so don’t worry about us. You’re not in our way.”

Katherine thanked both of them, knowing just where Matthew got his good heart and helpful nature from.

Then Sarah laid a cool, damp cloth across her forehead, and set a glass of water and some aspirin on the bedside table while Matt cracked the bedroom window to let some fresh air in.

“Libby should be getting up from a nap any minute now, and we’ll take her for a long walk through the neighborhood so you can have some peace and quiet.” The door softly squeaked as Sarah was pulling it shut. “Now you rest and don’t worry about a thing.”

Though she tried, Katherine couldn’t relax. She felt terrible that she was here resting while Matthew was out dealing with another car accident. Especially after a rough night of sleep.

Tossing and turning, she couldn’t seem to get comfortable without him by her side.

Every time she moved, her hoodie twisted around her body and bunched up in her armpits.

No matter what she did, nothing seemed to make a difference.

She was uncomfortable, and if she didn’t get comfortable, she certainly couldn’t relax, let alone rest.

Glancing at the door, Katherine strained to hear if Matt and Sarah had returned from walking Libby. “Mrs. Brandon?” she called out, waiting for a response. “Mr. Brandon?”

The house was silent.

Cautiously standing to test the strength of her legs, she felt steady enough to walk, then went to the dresser across the room to find something more comfortable to wear.

Despite the first time she’d been in his room and picked up dirty clothes, Matthew’s dresser drawers were surprisingly tidy.

Near the bottom, she found a drawer filled with folded T-shirts of varying tones of blue, gray, burgundy, and black.

Yet a faded green one in the middle of one stack stood out from the rest. Touching it, feeling how soft and well-worn it was, Katherine decided it was the one she wanted.

She could tell that the cotton had been softened by time and wear.

And she liked the idea that it was a favorite of Matthew’s.

“Whoa, cool blast from the past.” She smiled, examining the old Seattle Supersonics logo on the front.

Slipping into the bathroom to replace her black t-shirt and hoodie with Matthew’s faded T-shirt, Katherine looked at herself in the mirror, wondering what he would think when he found her in his bed with it on.

Leaving her clothes on the doorknob, she returned to the dresser to restore the jumbled stacks to what they were. Shifting the rest of the pile in the drawer, she noticed some file folders at the bottom.

Assuming they were personal papers, Katherine left them where they were. She didn’t even consider looking at them until she was about to place the refolded shirts back in the drawer and saw the words Chandler Fire—Investigation Results written on one of the tabs.

Dropping the neatly folded stack of shirts on the floor, Katherine picked up the first file and then one after another until she had all five in her hands, as the thundering rhythm of her heart quickened by the second.

Outside, an old car rumbled down the road, and she stopped to make sure she was still alone. Then she started to read.

** *