“I’d still like to see the apartment,” Kate said.
“Saturday, I guess. Yes, Saturday. Why don’t you plan to come over then? I’ll need a deposit if you decide to take the place.”
“Will a check be all right?”
“Good as gold when it’s got your name on it,” Mrs. Jackson said, chuckling. “Don’t suppose you have any season or month you’re particularly partial to for weddings, would you?”
“No, I can’t say I do.”
“Well, me and Ethel Martin think you and that Rivers fellow will tie the knot in April. April seems a mighty nice month for a country wedding.”
“I’m sure it is,” Kate said, clenching her teeth.
“Good. Now listen, soon as the word gets out, someone else’ll be wanting that apartment, so if you aren’t here by noon Saturday, I’m going to have to give it to whoever shows up. You understand?”
“I’ll be there before noon.”
“See you then.”
“Goodbye, Mrs. Jackson.”
“You keep thinking about April, you hear?”
“Yes, I will,” Kate murmured, rolling her eyes as she replaced the receiver.
That night, Luke stopped in shortly after Kate had finished dinner, which consisted of a sandwich eaten while she emptied the living-room bookcases. She filled box after box with books, her own and her father’s, as well as complete sets of Dickens, Thackeray and George Eliot that had belonged to her mother. The physical activity gave her time to think. She’d realized the night she had dinner at the Franklins’ that she wasn’t in love with Clay. That same evening, Kate had also realized how much Luke had done for her in the weeks following her broken engagement. It troubled her to acknowledge how unappreciative she’d been of his support.
At Clay’s wedding, she’d only added to the problem by asking Luke to marry her. He’d been willing to comply, willing to continue taking care of her through these difficult emotional times. In his own way, he did love her; Kate didn’t question that. But he seemed far more concerned with protecting her from the harsh realities of life.
All the talk about weddings had brought the subject to the forefront of Kate’s mind. She tried to picture what her life would be like if she were to marry Luke. From the night of Clay’s wedding, Luke had been telling her she was in love with him. It came as a shock to realize how right he was. She did love him, a thousand times more than she’d ever dreamed.
Luke claimed he loved her, too. If that was true, why was she fighting him so hard? For one thing, Luke had delivered his declaration of love in such a matter-of-fact, unromantic way, it was hard to believe he really meant it. If she could be sure that his feelings were rooted in more than sympathy and physical attraction, she’d feel more confident. But Luke kept trying to shield her, as though she were a child. Now that she was moving into a place of her own, she’d be able to analyze her changing emotions more objectively. She’d be completely independent, away from the environment they’d always shared. Once they were apart, once it was clear that she could manage by herself, Luke would be free to pursue a relationship with her as an equal, an adult woman—not a little girl who needed looking after.
“I see you’re at it again,” he said, standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.
“Luke—” she slapped her hand over her heart “—you startled me!” Her thoughts had been full of him and then suddenly he was there.
As he did more and more often of late, Luke was frowning, but Kate wasn’t going to let that destroy her mood. She was thrilled with the prospect of moving into her own apartment and settling into a different kind of life.
“I have good news. I’m going to look at an apartment on Saturday morning.” She dragged a heavy box of books across the carpet. “So,” she said, huffing, “I’ll probably be out of here sooner than we figured.”
Luke interrupted her, effortlessly picking up the cardboard box and depositing it on the growing stack at the far side of the room.
“Thanks,” she murmured, grateful for his help.
“You shouldn’t be doing this heavy work by yourself.”
“It’s fine,” she said, rubbing the dust from her hands. “The only trouble I’m having is with these books. We’ve got so many.”
“Kate, dammit, I wish you’d listen to reason.”
“I’m being reasonable,” she said, fixing a reassuring smile on her face. “All I’m doing is giving you what’s rightfully yours.”