Page 148 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

KATIE

A fter Peter left, I was dead to the world. I didn’t wake up again until eleven o’clock, and that was only because my phone had buzzed all the way off the nightstand and landed with a loud crack on the cement floors.

I sat bolt upright with a gasp, rolled over so quickly that my head spun, and snatched my phone up from the floor, thinking it might have been broken.

Luckily, it wasn’t. There were just some dents and dings on my phone case.

With a sigh of relief, I checked my call log and found a missed call from Hailey, who had promptly texted me after the call went to voicemail and told me she and a few others were going down to the oceanside cafe for some brunch and they wanted to know if Peter and I wanted to join them.

My stomach rumbled with hunger pangs as soon as my eyes scanned the word brunch .

Not wanting to miss out on putting an order in, I messaged her back that I was on my way down before I ripped the covers off and ran into the bathroom to throw myself together in a hurry.

I splashed cold water on my face while dancing on the balls of my feet because I had to pee so badly.

I didn’t bother patting my skin dry before I relieved myself.

Otherwise, I might have peed right there on the floor.

I sprayed some perfume on, swiped deodorant under my arms, and threw on a maxi dress and a knit cardigan and a pair of flip-flops before I rushed out the door and down the hall to the elevator.

My mind wanted coffee and my belly wanted bacon and eggs and I was hellbent on getting both in my body in as little time as possible.

I caught up with Hailey and the others at the oceanside restaurant within eight minutes of rolling out of bed, which I thought was a pretty noteworthy accomplishment. They had a table on the patio decorated with an unlit candle and a yellow daisy in a small glass vase.

I took a seat beside Hailey and grinned at the others, hoping I didn’t look as haggard as I felt. Perhaps I’d had one too many glasses of wine last night.

Kim looked about the same. She wore big black sunglasses and no makeup, and she had herself wrapped up in what was either a pashmina or a blanket. Rick sat back beside her with his arm draped over the back of her chair, and he was mindlessly rubbing her shoulder.

Hailey beamed at me. “Morning. How are you feeling?”

“Not terrible, not great,” I said honestly. “Nothing a hot cup of coffee won’t fix.”

“Told you she’d be fine,” Kim muttered.

I looked around at Jackson and Rick, the only others at the table, and frowned.

Jackson leaned forward. “Kim is pissy because she’s hungover, and Hailey is in her glory because for once she has an advantage over the rest of us with the whole pregnancy thing.”

“No hangovers,” Hailey said cheerily.

Kim pulled down her sunglasses and set them on the table. “No, you just get the pleasures of morning sickness, back pain, headaches, congestion, and swollen feet.”

“Really?” Jackson grumbled. “Just let her enjoy the morning before the rest of the day goes to hell.”

“I’m not that bad,” Hailey spat.

Jackson shot me an imploring look.

I opened the menu, deciding to keep my nose out of this one. “Have you guys ordered?”

Everyone shook their heads. They’d waited for me.

We all picked out our choices from the menu.

I settled on what looked like a delicious breakfast skillet smothered in hollandaise sauce and loaded with crispy bacon, onions, peppers, and shaved hash browns.

My mouth watered aggressively as I placed my order and sat in my chair itching for a cup of coffee.

Everyone’s coffees arrived in less than two minutes. We stirred in cream and sugar, and I added a dash of cinnamon to mine before I lifted it to my lips and sipped.

“Heaven,” I breathed.

Kim nodded her sentiments as she blew on her piping hot black coffee. “It really is. Nothing better to cure a hangover than coffee.”

“Aside from milkshakes,” Jackson said.

Kim arched an eyebrow. “Milkshakes? That’s a lot of dairy on an upset stomach.”

“Try it next time,” he said. “It works like a charm.”

Rick nodded his agreement. “I used to use milkshakes as a cure when I was young and stupid and drinking every weekend.”

Hailey watched me sip my coffee with envy. “Can you describe what it tastes like so I can live vicariously through you?”

I laughed and put a hand on her knee. “I’m sorry, Hailey. You only have a few more weeks to hold out. You can handle that, right?”

She grumbled under her breath about how I had no idea how long a few weeks actually felt with a human brewing in your belly.

I didn’t argue with her. She was right. And I would never know.

I sipped my coffee and tried to stop my thoughts from spiraling down the depressing well of my infertility.

“What an incredible wedding,” I said, trying to change the subject. “Kim, you really outdid yourself. I’ve never seen such a beautiful ceremony or reception. It was truly magical.”

Kim beamed and it looked like she wasn’t hungover at all. She took great pride in her work, like I did mine. It was what had bonded us and made us such good friends after Jackson first introduced us.

“Thank you,” she said. “Vanessa and Rhys had no idea what they wanted. Their ideas kept clashing together, and poor Vanny was exhausted trying to plan the wedding while being a new mommy. So I took the reins. I made sure it was what they wanted, of course. I think they were thrilled with it.”

“How could they not be?” I asked. “It was perfect.”

“Maybe in the near future, I’ll be planning your wedding.” Kim winked.

I sputtered into my coffee. The others chuckled.

Jackson leaned back in his chair and rubbed Hailey’s back in slow circles. “Yeah, this Peter guy? We like him. He’s funny and a good time. And we all saw the way he looked at you.”

“Like a lovesick puppy,” Kim said.

“I was going to say adoring fan,” Rick said.

“Like he loves you,” Hailey said. “Ignore the others. Analogies are useless. Facts are better. The guy is head over heels for you, Katie. It’s obvious.”

I blinked and felt my cheeks burn. “What? I don’t know. We haven’t known each other all that long. It’s still pretty fresh.”

“Love has no timeline,” Hailey said simply. “Look at Jackson and me. We’re the polar opposite of one another. We took way too long to figure our love story out. But you and Peter? I don’t know. I’m pretty sure you’re right at the beginning of something epic. Don’t you guys think?”

Everyone nodded.

I swallowed my excitement. I didn’t want to get too ahead of myself. “If I’m being honest, I really care for him, too. He’s special. And different. And he makes me so happy when I’m with him. But we still have a lot of things to talk about before we can get any more serious.”

“Things like what?” Jackson asked as he sipped his coffee.

I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Things like what we want out of the future. And each other.”

Kim nodded knowingly.

All my friends knew that I couldn’t have children of my own.

When I’d first gotten the news from my doctor, I’d been shell shocked, and the first person I called was my brother.

He rushed to my side and got me through the initial week, which were the worst days of them all.

Our other friends rallied to support me, too.

I’d never felt more broken and more loved in my entire life.

My biggest hopes and dreams had been shattered and yet I had people in my life who were able to make me smile and laugh as they pulled me through it.

Without them, I never would have believed I could survive it.

But I had. And I came out the other side a stronger woman because of it. I could still have a family, just not the one I always had in my head. And that was okay.

However, it would be unfair to expect Peter to be okay with a fact I’d wrapped my head around long ago. If he was the kind of man who’d spent a great deal of time imagining what it would be like to have kids of his own, I didn’t want to be the thing that stood between him and that dream.

Nobody pushed me any further to talk about me and Peter over the course of breakfast. I was grateful for it as I stuffed my face with hash browns and bacon. The meal was better than I thought it would be, and I’d already had high expectations going in.

By the time my belly was full and I’d made my way through a second cup of coffee, Rick had arranged for all of us to head down to the art gallery of one of his close friends that was near the hotel.

At first, I was going to decline the invitation but I thought better of it.

Peter said he would be gone for a few hours and I’d only managed to kill one.

I might as well get out there and have some fun with the friends I didn’t get to spend nearly enough time with over the course of a year.

So we piled into a minivan taxi cab, much to the protest of Hailey, who was not terribly interested in climbing up into the seats or spending much time in a car at all.

She was happy when we arrived outside the gallery, a sleek, standalone, modern building with massive windows that showed off the colorful art inside.

We followed Rick in, and he met a man in a light gray suit in the foyer and shook his hand. Rick turned to us and introduced him. “This is my good friend, Walker Vice. He’s the owner of the gallery and the artist. Walker, this is the crew.”

Walker was a good-looking man. He was tall, too—taller than both Jackson and Rick, both of whom would certainly not be considered short.

He had a clean-cut look that I didn’t associate with an artist, but when he reached out to shake my hand, I spotted speckles of blue paint on his wrist and under his nails.

“Nice to meet you all,” Walker said, grinning around at all of us.

“Rick has spent a lot of money in my gallery and any friend of his is a friend of mine. Look around, take your time, and let me know if you have any questions. And if you think art like this is pretentious as hell, feel free to make a mockery out of my life’s work. I won’t take it personally.”

I snorted.

Walker flashed me a devilishly charming smile and pointed my way. “Girl in the back. Thank you for laughing at my joke and not making me feel like an ass.”

I tipped my head to him and gave a little curtsey. “It was a pleasure.”

Walker threw his head back and laughed, then clapped Rick on the shoulder and banished all of us to peruse his collection.

I noticed almost immediately that there was most definitely a running theme here.

All of the paintings, save for a handful, were of beautiful naked women.

One of them caught my eye and I wandered over to it, soaking in the sight of the rich warm tones, red, orange, rust brown, and streaks of gold through her hair.

It reminded me of terracotta, fire, and sex.

The woman was all dramatic curves, her face contrasting angles, her hair dark and wild as her skin.

I glanced at the tag below the frame. The model’s name was there. This was his creative expression of a real woman.

Jackson moved up to stand beside me. “Now that’s talent, wouldn’t you say?”

I nodded, still in awe of Walker’s work. “He has a gift. I’d hang this on my wall and I’m not someone who has any knowledge about art at all. But this? It’s beautiful.”

“Careful, if Rick hears you talking like that, he might buy it for you.”

I laughed. “I have no problem taking money from my rich friends.”

“Only your brother,” he said pointedly.

“Christmas is coming,” I teased. “I wouldn’t complain if this was wrapped up under my tree.”

My brother chuckled. “Noted.”

I didn’t notice that Walker had sidled up next to me until he cleared his throat. I practically jumped out of my skin and he offered me a gracious, apologetic smile. “Sorry, I’ve been told I sneak like a cat. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

I waved him off. “It’s all right. I scare easy.”

“Like what you see?”

I nodded as we were joined by Kim and Hailey.

“This one speaks to me,” I said. “I love the rich colors and her expression. It makes me wonder what she was thinking about when you painted her. She looks almost…” I trailed off and tilted my head to the side to study her more closely.

“Sad? But hopeful at the same time? I don’t know. I can’t explain it.”

“Art isn’t made to be explained,” Walker said simply. “I am pleased that you like it. And should any of you ladies ever want a personal session with yours truly where I capture your image in acrylic, give me a ring.”

“Simmer down, Walker,” Rick called from the other side of the gallery. “They’re all spoken for.”

Walker winked at me. “A guy’s gotta try, right?”

Had I not been falling for Peter, I might have taken this gorgeous man up on his offer.