Chapter 21

Kate opened her locker and took out her bag, slinging it across her body. As she shut the locker, she glanced at her phone, the screen lighting up with notifications. Her steps slowed as she read the alerts: five missed calls from Lexi in the last hour. A sense of unease washed over Kate as she quickly dialed back.

"Hey," Lexi answered, glasses clinking and people laughing in the background.

"Are you okay?" Kate asked, her heart racing.

"Yeah. Yeah, sorry for all the calls. You're working?"

"Just finished."

"Good. You need to get over here. Like right now."

Relief flooded through her. Nothing had happened. "Where are you?"

"Silver Tides."

"That's the restaurant where your girlfriend works."

"Yes, and technically, she's not my girlfriend. Yet. But Kate, listen to me." Lexi sighed into the phone. "Hollis is here."

Kate's breath caught in her throat as she fell back against the locker. "Are you sure? I mean, you only saw her Friday night when we were sitting outside."

"Hold on." Lexi's voice was muffled, but Kate could still make out what she was saying. "Hey babe, do you know that woman in the red dress by the bar?"

Ash's voice was more distant, but Kate caught the right words. "She's the interior designer."

Kate nearly dropped the phone.

"Did you hear any of that?" Lexi asked.

"Yeah. It's her," Kate said with a sigh. "Fuck."

"You gotta get over here."

Kate leaned back against the cool metal locker. "I don't know Lex. I'm not going to stalk her. What would I even be doing there? And I look like shit. I just finished my shift."

"We'll worry about all that when you get here. Just get here. Kate, you have to. You'll regret it if you don't. At the very least, you might get some closure. You might see her… And not feel anything. And then you can move on."

Kate bit back a laugh. That was the least likely reaction she was going to have. "Okay. I'll see what I can do with my hair." She looked down at her clothes. She was dressed in all black. The same thing she wore to work most days. A simple tank top and tight black pants. "I'm going to look like I'm working there. Is it fancy?"

"Hmm. Yeah. I'm wearing a blazer, but Ash is in a dress, and just about everyone else is either in a suit or a dress. Yeah."

Kate blew out a breath. She was wasting time. At any moment, Hollis could leave. "Fuck it. I'll be there as soon as I can." She hung up and touched up her makeup in the staff bathroom, before fishing her keys out of her bag and getting in her car.

Kate's journey to Silver Tides was a mix of anxiety and anticipation. She couldn't believe she was doing this, heading to a fancy restaurant on a whim, just to see Hollis. The city lights blurred past as she drove, her heart thumping in her chest. She found a parking spot a block away and took a moment to gather herself before stepping out of the car.

As she approached Silver Tides, Kate slowed her pace, trying to calm her nerves. She took a deep breath before pulling open the heavy wooden door. The restaurant was bustling with activity, the clinking of glasses and the hum of conversation filling the air. Kate scanned the room, searching for Lexi and Ash, hoping that she could find them before Hollis saw her. Kate needed to get her shit together.

Kate spotted Lexi waving from a table just to her right. She made her way over, throwing a glance over her shoulder, but she couldn't see Hollis. "Hey," she said to Lexi, letting her wrap her up in a long hug. When she pulled back, she had a lump in her throat. "Thank you for calling me, Lex."

"I couldn't not."

"Hi," Kate said to Ash. "Sorry about all this drama. Did Lexi fill you in?"

Ash smiled, tucking a piece of blond hair behind her ear. "She did, but since Lexi called you, we've obviously been keeping an eye on her, you know, just in case she'd leave. But uh…"

Kate's eyes shifted to Lexi.

Lexi cleared her throat. "I think she's here with someone. A woman around her age."

Kate blinked, her stomach dropping. "Are you sure?" She looked between the two of them. "Couldn't it be someone she works with?" Kate could barely hold a coherent thought in her head. She'd spent the last seven months telling herself that the reason that she hadn't heard from Hollis was because she was still married, and maybe, when she was officially divorced, she'd reach out. But if Hollis was here with someone who wasn't her husband…

Ash shrugged. "Maybe, but I've never seen this other woman before. I've seen Hollis a few times while she was working on the redesign. Not her though."

Kate turned to scan the room again, but she still didn't see Hollis. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She stomach churned, and she felt sick. She was about to go to the bar and get a glass of water when her eyes landed on Hollis. She was sitting on the far side of the bar, barely visible between the people waiting to be served a few feet away from Kate, but it was definitely her. And she was laughing with the woman sitting beside her who was probably in her forties, her strawberry blond hair glistening under the lights above the bar.

A jolt of longing shot through her body as her gaze settled on Hollis once more, but the overwhelming surge of anxiety coursing through her veins was too much. "I'm going to the restroom," Kate said to Lexi tearing her eyes away from Hollis. She was already moving towards the sign above the door at the back of the restaurant before Lexi could answer.

As she pushed open the door, she was relieved to see that the four stalls were empty. She turned on the tap and ran her hands under the cool water before pressing her palm against the back of her neck while trying to take deep breaths.