Chapter 4

Katherine sighs. Is this the longest book meeting ever? This afternoon really is getting longer and longer. It started with Kirsten trying to start a serious discussion about the book she picked out (failing miserably, of course), included Mrs McCluskey prattling about her last hip surgery and especially that hot shot doctor who performed it, and is ending now with Gaby and Tom walking on the edge between heated discussions and fraternizing exchanges about parenthood. Loudly, since the martini shaker had been refilled lots of times. Watching these two drinking too much is enough to give Katherine another headache. It has to get five at some point! But she is brave, she doesn't run, she stays through it, even now, when Tom all of a sudden remembers the time Gaby had kissed him, and they almost go there again if it wouldn't be for Lynette, who just enters the front door in the right second.

"Hi Tom. How's it going?" she yells in her husband's direction. Mrs McCluskey seems dissapointed. Kirsten and Katherine are just relieved and jump up, not giving Lynette the chance to invite them for another cup of whatever, and Tom turns to Lynette with a somewhat defending voice:

"Honey, we are just exhilarated... because of all the coffee we had" Yeah sure Tom. Lynette's gonna buy that one. She turns to Katherine and Kirsten:

"Oh, don't leave yet! You guys sure you don't want another coffee? You can stick an olive in it anyway!" she smirks.

"No Lynette, thanks. I gotta go, I should check on Bree in the town hall, before she starts terrorizing our staff too much" She cracks a smile. "Thank you Tom for inviting me, and let me know the next date, okay?"

"You won't get away with coming late again" Tom smirks. "Say hi to Bree from us!"

"I will" Katherine smiles, says goodbye to the others and finally leaves the Scavo-house.


Katherine steps onto the street which is still black and damp from the rain showers today. At least they had stopped while she was inside, so she doesn't need her umbrella, she walks and breaths in the fresh air. The cool does well to her head, and she feels better now, here, outside. The rather noisy chattering wasn't that pleasant (yes. Considering her hangover.) but then again it wasn't like she was paying that much attention. Her gaze drifts to Bree's house. The garage is still empty, no sign of Bree's car, she isn't back yet. Katherine thinks about actually driving downtown to meet her there, but it is her day off and they should be finished by now, Bree might probably already be on her way home, and Katherine would walk over to her house later. She crosses the street, shooing a random memory of Mike sitting with her on the steps up to the porch, and she looks down the rather empty Wisteria Lane, while it is getting dark.

At home she starts cooking herself dinner, thinking about some menu for an upcoming event, and looking out the window each time she hears a car passing by. Now she is being ridiculous. Why doesn't she wait outside the porch like a maniac right away? Katherine finds herself waiting for Bree to return, and she is getting damn impatient. Because she knows one thing for sure, they really need to talk this over tonight, otherwise Katherine won't be able to find any decent sleep, with that thing lingering between them.


Bree is having a casual getting-to-know-each-other afternoon tea time with two potential clients. It's a young couple, getting married, and they are very vague about their wishes, though Bree is under the impression that it started well and that she has them. But there's no deal without a signature, so she has to keep up the smiling. It isn't hard though, with watching this fiancées, fully in love, how close they are, laughing about the same things, holding hands since Bree got to the table, and just the many times they tenderly kiss, so happy to let everybody around know that they're happy. Was there a hint of cynism? No, Bree stops herself, it's actually really nice to watch, and she trails her thoughts back to her engagement time with Rex while Viola and Jack keep her waiting for an answer. That time she was as happy and hopeful as they are, or was she? And then, Orson of course, That was perfect. But the way it turned out, people can change, and a happy beginning seems to be no guarantee for a happy ending. She couldn't really stay with a man who wanted to force her to love him. Now she is starting all over again with Karl, but there are not too many romantic gestures, at least she doesn't know which are real. Karl turns out to be a great actor. (as many already told her.) Bree watches an infectious warm smile spreading over Viola's face, and Jack touches her cheeks, Bree can almost feel the gentle touch on her own skin, and she suddenly blushes when a warm memory of Katherine's hand returns to her. She clears her throat and focuses on the couple again, or no, better not the loving couple, better to look on the table, on her designs and plans and menu examples, but she kind of sees Katherine's face right now hovering over her papers. How odd.

After the two agree to engage Bree's company for their wedding, she waits for them to leave to take a deep breath. She looks at her hands and arms to distract herself, but suddenly feels soft fingers sliding them down. She looks at her purse, only to remember how it carelessly fell to the hallway floor after she closed the door behind her (them!) last night, and how she was looking for it everywhere earlier today. She stares at the rather dull flower arrangement in the middle of her table, and goddamn, she imagines a sardonic smile on Katherine's lips while mocking it! They really need to talk later.