Blank Slate Kate

Chapter 21

"And then it turned out you were!" Hannah chimes in, but I know Jake's trying to make a point of my name. He's already told me he doesn't think Ryan should call me Donna since I'm more comfortable with Kate. I think, honestly, that Ryan's been under a fair bit of stress since his wife ran away and lost her memory and if calling me Donna makes things easier for him I'm okay with it. After all, it is my name.

Hannah turns to me, suddenly serious. "You could be my CEO too."

I blink. "But you're your own CEO."

Her cheeks redden. "I shouldn't have said that here." She glances from Ryan to Jake then back at me. "But I mean it. I'm good at the fashion stuff." She gestures at the plan. "This stuff? I get tangled up. It'd be great to have a partner who could handle the business side for me. You'd be an amazing partner."

Hannah's always seemed sweet but a bit ditzy, so the focus and determination in her voice and eyes now surprises me. Her business matters to her, more than I'd realized. "Hannah, I don't know..." I have a career. In another city. How can I be her partner in Toronto?

She holds up a hand. "Don't decide now, just think about it." She looks to Ryan. "Sorry for this, but it's true. If she decides to stay in her Toronto life she'll need a job, and I want her to know it could be with me."

I look between the two men, from Jake's smug amusement to Ryan's surprise that tempers into understanding mixed with pain, as Ryan takes a deep breath and says, "Well, her firm can be run from pretty much anywhere so she does always have a job." Then he turns to me and leans forward and takes my hands. "But if you wanted to change careers I'd support you doing it. Whatever and wherever you want to be."

"Even if I decided to stay here?" I whisper, hardly able to believe this. "Even if we ended up living apart?"

I sense Jake shifting in his chair, no doubt bothered by my connection with my husband, but I ignore him. I'm too busy watching Ryan's face to assess if he's serious.

"I'd rather you were in Ottawa, of course. I need to stay there, for work and for my mother." His eyes, serious and focused, hold mine. "But..."

He taps his wedding band, and I know what he's saying.

Now and forever.

*****

We hang out at Starbucks a while longer, then Ryan checks the traffic report on his phone and says, "The highway's clear now so I should probably head out."

I'm surprised by my disappointment. I didn't think I wanted to see him, but we've had a great weekend together and now I don't want him to leave, and I especially don't want him to leave me with Jake. I don't want to hear Jake badmouthing him. "Are you sure you shouldn't wait a little longer? Just to let the backlog of cars through?"

Ryan looks at me, surprised, then a smile tugs at his mouth and warms his eyes. "A few more minutes wouldn't hurt. But then I really should go."

"I'll get you a coffee for the road," I say. "It's a long drive."

He grimaces. "Don't remind me. But at least I didn't get stuck in the traffic jam."

Jake and Hannah don't need another drink, so I buy a new coffee for Ryan and one for myself, add the right amount of sugar to both drinks and the drop of milk Ryan likes to his, then sit down next to him. He takes the cup, says, "Thanks," and takes a sip. "Perfect. You got it exactly right."

I smile at him, feeling warm and fuzzy, and he smiles back.

Jake clears his throat. "So, Kate, what are you up to this week?"