But not this time. Damn it, she wasn’t an indentured servant and she had her own life.
She had a meeting with a client for another wedding dress on Wednesday. She also needed to get moving on a couple of orders from one of the burlesque-wear companies that contracted her to create some of their custom pieces.
“Katie, I’m in a bind here. I need you. And what’s so important that you can’t help me for a few extra hours?”
“It’s called a life, Joe. You know what that means, right? A personal life.”
He waved his hands as if waving away her words. “I know what a personal life is, bambina. I’ve been telling you to get one for ages. But not now when I’m swamped.”
“Then you need to get some more help like I’ve been begging you to do for the past five months since Mona left.”
The part-time seamstress had left after the birth of her second child. Joe had sent her off with a gift basket and a smile.
“Why do I need more help? I have you.”
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? She’d lead him to believe she was staying.
When that was now the farthest thing from her mind.
But he had to know, didn’t he?
They fought like cats and dogs most of the time and, besides her father, he was the only person who could piss her off in under five seconds flat.
Their Italian tempers clashed, and he was a control-freak taskmaster who demanded her absolute best work every single second of every work day.
She also loved the guy like a second father.
But this was her life they were talking about. The life she wanted to build.
And she wasn’t giving that up. Not for anyone.
“But you’re not always going to have me. You know that, right?”
She swore if he said something stupid, she’d walk out the door and never look back. Holding her breath, she waited, watching his expression.
His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms over his barrel chest. Joe only stood about five eight but he weighed at least one ninety. If they were casting for another Godfather movie, he’d fit right in with his bald head and Mediterranean features.
And his penchant for using bastardized Italian swear words when he was pissed off.
The only way you could tell he was really angry was when his ears went beet red. Then you learned to stay out of his way.
But his ears weren’t red.
“So you’re finally going to do something with that fancy college education your father paid so much money for?”
That was so not the response she’d been expecting that her mouth actually dropped open, though she couldn’t think of one appropriate response.
Finally, she realized exactly what she needed to say. “Yes, I am.”
Joe’s eyes narrowed. “Oh yeah? So how’re you gonna make a living? You got another job I don’t know about?”
The doubt in his voice stiffened her backbone. “I’ve got several. You know I’ve been doing contract work for a couple years and it’s starting to pick up. And I may be investing in a small boutique.”
“Now, Katie, you know how the economy is. It’s the worst time to be starting a new business. It’s a huge risk—”
“But if I don’t take any risks, I’m never going to get anywhere. I love to sew, but this is not what I envisioned myself doing for the rest of my life.”
His eyebrows rose. “So you’re too good for tailoring?”
Ooh, he made her furious, but she reeled it back, struggling for calm. “You know that’s not what I mean. Stop trying to put words in my mouth.”
He held his hands out in surrender. “I’m not. It’s just that I don’t want to see you fail. And it’s a tough time to be out in the world on your own. You need to make sure the people you’re going into business with have your back. Katie.” He was the only person beside her parents that ever used that nickname and it made her a little misty-eyed. “You know I only want the best for you. Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you make such a huge leap.”
She was still thinking about his last words when she sat down to eat dinner with Jared and Annabelle that night.
“Is everything okay?” Annabelle asked. “You’re kinda not all here, if you know what I mean.”
She sighed, knowing exactly what Annabelle meant. “I’m fine. Just thinking about a conversation I had with Joe today.”
“That’s your boss, right?” Jared leaned back in his chair at Annabelle’s dining room table, one arm lying across the back of her chair, his fingers playing with her hair.
They both looked so . . . content, Kate thought. They still had that new relationship glow, so confident in each other.
And here she’d brought all of her problems to dinner.
Not to mention the fact that every time she looked at Jared, she wanted to interrogate him about Tyler.
He’d driven her home Sunday afternoon but hadn’t been able to stay. And she was supposed to have had dinner with her father, but he’d canceled at the last minute. Work, he’d said. She hadn’t argued because she hadn’t really wanted to sit across from him after the weekend she’d had with Tyler.
Her dad probably would’ve been able to tell what she’d been doing just by the look on her face. Then he would’ve given her the “I hope you’re being careful” speech.
Thank God she hadn’t had to listen to that. She might’ve actually broken down and told her dad exactly what she’d done all weekend with Tyler.
Who hadn’t called since he’d left. He had so many responsibilities at Haven, and now this business with the hotel board of directors. She didn’t want to dump her problems on him, as well.
But she was dying to talk to him.
Which is why she’d jumped at the chance to join Annabelle and Jared for dinner tonight when Annabelle had called earlier.
“Yeah, Joe’s my boss. He’s a pain in the ass most of the time but he’s a decent guy. He treats me great, it’s just . . .”
She sighed.
“Just what?” Jared asked.
“He’s too uptight, too set in his ways. He doesn’t understand that I have to take chances if I’m ever going to get anywhere with my career. I don’t want to be a tailor all my life. I want to design. He thinks I’m crazy.”
“He’s also almost seventy years old.” Annabelle set a huge bowl of pasta on the table. Luckily, they’d already opened the wine. “And when he started his business, he charged two dollars to hem a pair of pants and had to walk five miles uphill both ways in the snow to school.”
When Jared aimed a smile at Annabelle, Kate felt like she was intruding. But oh my God, could the man smile.
No, it didn’t do the same things to her that Tyler’s much rarer smile did, but still. It would take a better woman than she was not to notice and appreciate it.
“You know that smile should come with a warning label, right? I mean, really, dude, dial it back. You’ve already sealed the deal.”
If anything, his smile widened when he swung his attention back to her. “Nice to know I haven’t lost my edge.”
Then he winked and Kate shook her head at him, just before she tossed the wine cork at him.
“You’re a menace.”
“Hey, that’s my boyfriend you’re denigrating.” Annabelle sank into her seat and started to eat the pasta Jared had dished onto her plate.
They already acted like a cute little old married couple, which should have made Kate want to say inappropriate things about how they’d become worse than Rita and Sam Shumacher.
The sixty-something husband and wife lived up the street above Rita’s hair salon, and they still held hands and talked about how good their sex life was to anyone who would listen. Or didn’t move fast enough.
But she couldn’t, because she thought Rita and Sam were adorable. And because she wanted the same for herself.