They both watched her dart out the door. Sawyer wasn’t surprised. He’d said what he’d said on purpose. Her leaving was the inevitable result, as much as it pained him to see her go. Better now than to go through this while he had to watch her with Finn.
“I’ll take the burger,” he said to the confused man standing with a plate in each hand. “Box up the salad to go. I’ll have it for dinner.”
Besides, he thought, knowing Kat, this argument was far from over.
* * *
“Nice Lexus.”
Kat looked up from the box of tools she was packing up and saw Hilda in the doorway. “Hey there.”
“I can’t help but notice that your attempts to save the District seem to be backfiring spectacularly. Hot sex, billionaire babies, luxury cars, and yet we’re still closing in a few weeks.”
If those words had come from anyone else, Kat would’ve been insulted. But she knew Hilda better than that. “I’ve screwed it all up,” she admitted. “Now every time I try to talk to Sawyer, there’s family around who want to chat with me and discuss the baby. Pinning him down on the subject is impossible.”
“Well, maybe the protest will make a difference. A little negative news coverage for the Steele family might be just what we need to get Sawyer’s attention and keep it.”
Protest? Oh, no.
Kat dropped her face into her hand. She’d completely forgotten about the protest she had organized outside the Steele corporate offices on July Fourth. It was intended to be the artists’ way of reclaiming their independence from the new owner. She’d planned it weeks ago as a last-ditch effort to keep the place open if all her other plans failed. Before the wedding. Before she knew about the baby. Before Sawyer was in her bed.
And well before she’d agreed to go out with the same Steele family to celebrate July Fourth on their yacht.
“You forgot, didn’t you?”
Kat turned around to face her dearest friend and shook her head in dismay. “How could I have forgotten? I planned the whole thing.”
Hilda wrapped her arm around Kat’s shoulder. “You haven’t missed it yet. No worries. You’ve had a lot on your plate, hon. You’ve got pregnancy brain, so do what I do and put everything in your cell phone. If it isn’t in my calendar it isn’t happening.”
“Right. My phone.”
Hilda gave her a squeeze and stepped away. “What is it?”
“I... They’ve invited me to spend the holiday with them.”
The older woman looked at her for a moment and then nodded. “Well, you should go.”
“I can’t! I’m supposed to be the one fighting to save this place. I can’t go out on their yacht while I know you guys are out there sweating to death with picket signs and bullhorns. I would feel so hypocritical. I can’t. I just can’t.”
“You’re not the only one fighting for the District. You’ve been our most vocal member, but there are plenty of others here that need to do their part, too. Let them paint their picket signs and march their afternoon away. Maybe it’s even better if you aren’t there for that. It could cause you some unnecessary angst with your family.”
“But you’re my family. You’re all I’ve got. All that matters.”
“Not anymore. You’ve got new family now. And they’re excited to include you in their lives. That’s great. I’m very happy for you. It’s what you’ve always wanted.”
“But I don’t want a new family. I want you and Zeke and everyone else.”
Hilda wrapped her in a supportive hug. It was exactly what she needed in that moment, but it wasn’t enough to stop the tears from overflowing down her cheeks and wetting her friend’s T-shirt.
“We’re not going anywhere, Kitty Kat. Family can change, but they never really go away. Whether we’re here at the District, or it closes and we scatter to the winds, you’ll always be able to find us when you need us. I promise.”
It was just like Hilda to say that and refuse to let her feel guilty. “You’ll always be there for me, but I’m not going to be there for all of you. I ruined everything. I’ve lost focus.”
“You did nothing of the sort. You’ve put your focus and your priorities where they belong—on your daughter. Tomorrow, you are going to put on a nice dress and a ton of sunscreen and go enjoy the holiday with your new family. We will carry the torch and things will be just fine. No matter what happens.”
Kat opened her mouth to argue, but Hilda held up a finger to silence her. “No matter what happens.”
* * *