A/N: We're getting down to the wire here, folks! I think we only have eight or nine more chapters left. A lot can go down in that time. A lot WILL go down in that time. At the end of this fic, I will be previewing my newest fic. It's an idea I had swirling around for a project for a while now. I think it'll be fun. Until then, I hope you enjoy this! Remember to R&R!
28.
"Kimberly! How are you?" The tall, slender, blonde Australian woman said as she stared back at me. Kat was standing by the hostess stand, her arms tucked into the pockets of a pair of light blue jeans. Like me, she wore pink but in the form of a dark pink blazer with a white tank underneath it. Her hair was shorter now, cut to about her neck. She had taken the time to straighten it and she wore a light layer of makeup that made her blue eyes shine. Yeah, this was my replacement. Do you think there was any chance she had a hidden flaw like me? Tax evasion maybe?
"Hey. I'm good. You?" I responded, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. Billy walked into Roma's and I could hear Tommy come in behind him.
"I'm fine. Hi, Billy. Tommy! It's great to see you!" She said, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree when she saw him. I felt my chest tighten as she smiled at him. I knew it was childish. I knew it was petty. But I would have done anything to stand in front of him so she couldn't see him. I didn't though, gripping my purse strap tighter in my right hand.
"Hi, Katherine. You look well." Tommy replied. To my surprise, he reached out and rested his hand on the small of my back. It wasn't in a possessive manner or anything too serious but it did make Kat's smile damper a little as she gazed over at me.
"I didn't realize you were going to be back in town, Kim." She said, applying an obviously fake cheerfulness to her voice. "Aisha had said you were going through some stuff back in Florida."
"Tommy came down to get me." I replied, leaning into his hand. Add this to the list of things I shouldn't be doing to lead Tommy on. It's growing longer every day it seems.
"Oh. Well, that was awfully sweet of you, Tommy. I'm guessing this is what you meant when you said other stuff to do instead of coming to London this summer." I heard the snippiness in her voice before it registered on her face.
"Perhaps we should locate Aisha and Rocky." Billy said, shifting from foot to foot awkwardly next to us.
"Good idea." I replied. Stepping forward, I walked into the restaurant. It was a cute little place, the smell of pizza and sauce in the air. There was a decent size dining room set up in here; fifteen or so tables covered in white table cloths set up to seat two or four people. There was a counter along the far wall where a waitress was helping a customer with a pick up order. I saw the doorway that led to the outdoor seating area. I walked through it, Tommy on my heels. There were more tables out here, set up along the fenced in area. It was very private and personal out here, lights hung over our heads. It was still too light out for them to be bright but I would bet good money it looked romantic when the sun set. Aisha and Rocky were seated at a table in the left side of the patio area. There were three tables pushed together, no one else sitting out here at the time being. Aisha smiled when she saw me, it fading as she saw Kat trickle in with Billy behind me.
"Hey, guys!" she said, standing up. She stepped around the table, fixing her black skirt as she came towards me. She wore a long yellow tank over it, the color making her skin seem bronze. Opening her arms, she pulled me into a hug. "Sorry. I tried to call and warn Tommy but he didn't answer his phone." She whispered in my ear.
"Can I punch her in her 'down under' if she gets too bad?" I asked. Pulling away, she grinned at me.
"This. This is why I missed you." Rocky stood up from the table as well, giving Kat a quick hug before shaking hands with the boys. Aisha stepped passed me and hugged Kat. Tommy pulled a chair out next to Aisha for me. I sat down, setting my purse on the ground next to my feet. He sat on the edge of the table next to me, Billy taking the chair next to him. He pulled out the chair on his other side for Kat before sitting down.
"I think you've gotten a pretty big table for the five of us, Aisha." Kat said, smiling at Aisha.
"Well, I thought Tanya and Jason were going to be here as well. Her plane was delayed and Jason couldn't make it." She replied, sitting back in her chair next to me.
"Hmmm…and I wonder why that is." Kat stated, sarcasm dripping from each word as she glanced at me. I felt Tommy and Aisha both stiffen in their chairs as they looked over at Katherine. I went to ask what she meant but was interrupted by a waitress dressed in all black.
"Good evening, folks! Glad to see everyone is here now. What can I start you all with to drink?" The girl asked, her long red hair pulled back in a tight bun on the back of her head. She was carrying a stack of menus in her arms that she passed out along the table.
"I'll take a Riesling; the dryer the better." Kat said, opening her menu.
"Um…Kat." Aisha said, leaning forward. "I think it might be best if we keep this a dry dinner."
"Thus, the dry wine." She replied, grinning at Aisha over her menu. Aisha pursed her lips, giving Katherine a look. "What? Why are we not drinking? That's the fun part about weddings! You get together, you eat food, and you drink!"
"It's fine, Aisha." I said, putting a hand on her arm. I gave her a supportive smile, appreciating what she was trying to do for me. "It's not going to bother me."
"You sure?" I nodded.
"Yeah. If you want to get wine, you can. Honest. I'm not going to die if you guys have a drink with dinner."
"Only if you are sure." She said, sounding uncertain.
"I am." I replied, feeling my patience beginning to fray. She nodded, turning to our waitress who had taken Rocky's order of a beer while waiting for Aisha.
"I'll have a glass of merlot." She said. The waitress nodded, jotting the information down. She turned her sights on Tommy and Billy next.
"Water will be suitable for me, thank you." Billy stated.
"That sounds good to me." Tommy added, gazing over the menu. The waitress turned to look at me.
"I'll stick with water as well." She nodded. I took the menu that she had handed me and opened it. I found a list of your typical Italian dishes one would find at an Italian eatery. My eyes lingered by stuffed rigatoni. My stomach growled at the idea, reminding me the only thing I had to eat today had been a donut, 10 hours ago.
"Alright! Take a minute to look over our choices while I run and get those for you." She smiled, heading off towards the main dining hall again.
"Are you against drinking, Kimberly?" Kat asked, closing her menu and setting it down in front of her.
"We don't have to talk about that right now." Rocky said, leaning forward.
"Yeah. That's a discussion for another time." Tommy added.
"Why? What are you, pregnant? I knew Tommy wanted to get back with you but that's seems a bit fast, even for you guys." She said, chuckling. Tommy closed his menu and tossed it down on the table.
"Kat, might I have a word with you?" I said before he could speak. I could feel his anger bubbling over and I knew if I didn't do something, he would do something he would ultimately regret. If he had the power to do so, the Dragonzord might be appearing on Main Street any second.
"Sure." I set my menu down on the table and stood. Kat stood up, pushing her chair in. Tommy went to as well but I put a hand on his shoulder.
"I've got this." I said in a soft voice.
"You sure?"
"I think I can handle her, Karate Guy." I teased, shooting him a wink. He smiled, leaning back into his chair again. I stepped around him and led Kat back into the main dining room. I stopped walking in the far right corner of the room, a good distance from anyone who was still in there eating. "Alright. Are we going to discuss the reason you're being such a bitch to me or we going to keep up these catty insults all night? Believe me when I tell you that you will not win that game." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. She smiled, shaking her head.
"Right. Cause you're better than me." She stated. "How could I forget? Kimberly Ann Hart, the best thing to ever happen around here."
"What the hell did I do to you, huh?" I asked.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. But I'm not just going to let you have a free pass on what you did to these guys. Leaving was bad enough but after what you did to Tommy, it about broke his heart. And then with the vanishing act, it was like watching him get that letter over and over again with everyone being the recipient. I'm glad they've accepted you back with open arms again but I'm not that trusting. You hurt them. All of them. Especially Tommy and Jason. The two of them wanted nothing but to make sure you were safe and alright after Trini died and you just disappeared off the face of the Earth. Not a call or even one of your infamous letters. Nothing. Even being in a whole different country, I could recognize how much they missed you but you didn't even care, did you?" It stung to hear her talk about Jason more than Tommy. Had Kat kept in touch with all of them? Was Jason returning her phone calls instead of mine?
"Look, I'm sorry that Tommy didn't want to be with you but that's not my fault-." She scoffed, cutting me off.
"You think that's what this is about? I've always known that Tommy wanted you more than me. Hell, he would have moved mountains if it meant bringing you back here to him. And it was my decision to end things once I realized that. But it killed me a little inside knowing he would rather spend the rest of his life pining for a woman that could give two shits about his feelings than be with someone he knew loved him. I respected his decision but that doesn't mean I have to respect you. It seems like everything you touch turns to shit around here, Kim. Hell, you didn't even have the nerve to come back here after Trini died. I was the one who sat with Tommy and held his hand while he dealt with that loss. Not you. I've been the one calling and checking in with everyone here. Not you. But now, they're just taking you back with open arms like you didn't do a damn thing wrong? I call bullshit on that. I didn't even know Trini that well and I was still a better friend to her in death than you were. Now, how far along are you?"
"I'm not pregnant." I hissed, feeling like she had just reached out and slapped me across the face. She was a better friend to Trini? Right. That's why she was trying to crawl into bed with Tommy right after I fucking left. She wants to give ME a lecture on being a good person? I'm going to rip all that pretty blonde hair out of her head and shove it down her damn throat.
"Then what is it? What the hell did you tell them to make them all suddenly okay with you? Well, obviously not all of them. Or else Jason would have been here. I know it's tough for him to get out but he still would have tried to came if he really wanted to. It's good to see someone still has a brain in this group."
"He's the one who sent Tommy to get me, Katherine." I said, stepping towards her. I was almost to the point of seething, my rational thoughts slipping away. "And if I recall correctly, you only replaced me after I had to quit the team. It's not like I wanted to just uproot my whole life and leave them. And I didn't ask you to take my place with them. Especially not Tommy. If you don't think for a second that Aisha didn't tell me all about you trying to weasel in with my boyfriend, you're denser than I though. That's the whole reason I broke up with him. Granted, I was stupid for that but I knew well enough that you were getting your claws in him. I didn't want to get into the way of that. He was better off with you than me any way. I'm a recovering alcoholic. That's why I was away for so long without contacting anyone."
"Oh." She said, a silence falling over her. I nodded.
"It started after Trini died. I didn't handle it well. Or at all, really. So, I started drinking. I hit close to rock bottom. Tommy came down there and saved me. We aren't back together, either. We just came back here together." I explained. "And I recognize how much he wants to be with me but I can't be with him until I fix what's broken inside of me. I don't know when or if that will happen but I know that he's willing to wait for me, no matter how much I tell him not to be."
"That sounds like Tommy." She said, letting out a puff of air. "I didn't realize about your drinking. I'm sorry. I was just upset with the fact you were here and no one seemed to be upset with it like I thought they should. I didn't mean to cause you to break up with Tommy either."
"It's alright. I know the others are trying to keep it a secret to help me but they don't have to. I'm not ashamed of it. Though, I suppose I should be. It's nothing to brag about but I know it's what I need to get over. It's the main reason I'm back. And if it helps any, I wish I could get Tommy to realize you are better for him. He'd be better off at least. He deserves to be with someone who will care for him and isn't afraid to say so."
"I didn't mean to be so mean to you." She said, rubbing her hands together. I smiled.
"Yes, you did. I would have been to. And maybe you should try him again."
"I can't." She held up her left hand. That's when I noticed she had a rock big enough to ice skate on it attached to a gold band around her finger.
"Wowza." I said, grabbing her hand. "That thing is massive. Who is the millionaire?"
"His name is Henry. We met at university. He's a lawyer for a big firm in London." She replied, smiling brightly. "We started dating after I vacationed there with my parents last year. He tried to get time off for the wedding but he couldn't swing it. You'll have to meet him some day."
"I suppose I will." A silence fell over us again, neither one of us looking at the other.
"Kimberly," She said, finally breaking the silence. "I don't think you were right about Tommy deserving to be with me."
"Oh?" I asked, ready to claw her eyes out again. Why? Because he wasn't some hot shot lawyer? "Why?"
"He deserves to be with someone he loves and who loves him back. And I think we both know that person is you and only you."
After our heated discussion, Kat and I made our way back to the table where our drinks were now waiting for us. I sat down, Tommy giving me a questionable look. I smiled at him, patting his arm reassuringly to let him know things were fine. Kat sat as well, grabbing her glass of wine.
"I want to apologize to everyone. I guess my attitude this evening hasn't been the greatest. I wish I could blame it on jetlag but I'm a bigger person than that. I want to make a toast for Aisha and Rocky! I am so happy that the two of you are about to begin this journey together. It seems like only yesterday when I met all of you and I am so glad to be able to be a part of your special day. Also, here's to having old friends together again. This weekend will surely be one that none of us will ever forget." She said, holding up her glass. "Here's to new beginnings!"
"Here, here!" Rocky said, holding up his beer. We all clinked our glasses together before taking a sip. I welcomed the ice cold water that was in my wine glass. Though, I would kill for some vodka and a little cranberry juice. I thought against it, knowing very well that Aisha was more capable of kicking my ass than Katherine. I opted to stick with my water, sipping it as the waitress returned and took our orders. The food came rather quickly and soon, the patio was filled with the sound of our chatter and silverware on china.
"Don't forget you boys have to get your tuxes tomorrow." Aisha said, pointing a fork full of salad towards Billy. "Tommy, you sure you don't want to stand up with Rocky?"
"Oh, I'm sure. Plus, someone has to keep Kim company in the audience." Tommy replied. "But I'll make sure the guys get their suits. I'm going with Billy tomorrow."
"Fuck. I have to still find shoes." Rocky mumbled, picking at his plate of ziti.
"Yeah. This idiot decided to not order shoes with his because he swore he had some. Turns out he didn't. So I will be going to the mall tomorrow after my dress fitting to get them." Aisha said, shooting a glare at Rocky. "Speaking of," she turned to me. "Since the boys will be playing dress up, want to come with me for my final fitting?"
"Really? Yes!" I answered, smiling. "Where did you go?"
"Bridal Obsessions. The name is awful but the woman who owns it does beautiful work. I was hoping you would come since you're here."
"I wouldn't miss it. And then I can help you find shoes for Rocky." I said.
"Don't forget we're heading out to my house tomorrow." Tommy added, taking a sip of water. "It's a four-hour drive there. I was hoping to be on the road by three."
"Yeah, okay." Rocky said, laughing. "You're never on time for anything, Tommy. Maybe if you let Kim be in charge, you will get to the wedding at the right time."
"Watch it, Rocko." Tommy said, playfully pointing his knife at him.
"At least we would know that Tommy will be ready and dressed accordingly." Kat said, cutting her lasagna. "And he doesn't have to worry about all that hair anymore."
"Why is it suddenly pick on Tommy time?" He asked, sitting back in his chair.
"It's quite apparently easy to do so." Billy add, grinning at me. Tommy raised an eyebrow at the former blue ranger.
"I thought you were my only ally here, Billy. Apparently, I'm alone in this."
"Affirmative." We all said at once, getting a loud laugh from us all. As I looked around the table at my friends, I felt a happiness fill my chest. There was also a feeling that I couldn't quite place. I realized after a while it was a bittersweet feeling. Jason and Trini should be here right now. She would be here, poking fun at Tommy with the rest of us. She was really good at it as well, making sure to be nice and snarky in the same breath. And Jason would have made sure to check Tommy's ego while making fun of his hair. It was the one thing Jason always loved to point out to Tommy when we were kids. I wished the both of them could be here. I knew Trini couldn't be but Jason could have been. What had Kat meant by her comment earlier? Was he really not here because of me? Why had he sent Tommy to Florida to get me then if he didn't want to see me?
"What are you guys going to be doing in Reefside?" Rocky asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I shrugged, turning to Tommy.
"I just need to check in on things around my house. I figured I would show Kim around. Maybe some of my kids are still poking around before heading off to college. Who knows. We'll be back Thursday though. Just have to figure out which hotel we're going to be staying at." He stated. Billy shook his head, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"If appropriate, the two of you could acquire accommodations with myself. With my father hospitalized, I seem to have spacious room available for persons to enable." He said. I stared at him for a moment, hoping the Billy translating part of my brain would kick in.
"Are you sure, man? We don't want to put you out." Tommy replied.
"Affirmative. I'll make preparations for your return." He said, smiling at the both of us.
"What time are Adam and Zach coming on Thursday?" I asked, glancing over at Aisha.
"Adam said he's coming in really in the morning. Rocky's picking him and Tanya up at the airport around 5. Zach is driving up from Angela's place in Nevada. He said he'd be around just in time for the BBQ." She replied. "Both of them are excited to see you."
"How do they know I'm here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Cause Aisha has a big mouth." Rocky replied for his fiancé. She looked at me, a look of guilt on her face.
"Sorry! It was an accident. Well, for Zach at least. I didn't realize that Rocky was talking to him and not Adam. And I HAD to tell someone so I told Tanya. She told Adam though. I'm really sorry."
"It's fine. I should have remembered who I was dealing with." I teased, smirking at her.
"I did really well though for a while. I last a whole hour before I called and told Tanya. That's a record for me!" She exclaimed proudly.
"It is a wonder that none of you managed to tell the world who we really were." I mused. "I think Billy is the only one here who hasn't spilled the beans on anything since I've arrived."
"You never know." Tommy said, pushing his now empty plate away from him. "Some of us are better at keeping the bigger secrets than we are the little ones."
"Like what Dr. McAvoy told you?" I questioned. He didn't say anything but smirked behind his glass of water instead. I narrowed my eyes at him. This man was going to be the death of me yet.
We finished up our dinner and said our goodbyes outside of the building. Aisha offered to have us all over afterwards but we all agreed it was getting late and we had an early day tomorrow. Tommy and I dropped Billy off at home before heading back out to the hotel. Our ride was filled with talking about nothing, mostly dinner and how it had gone. I checked my cell phone as he drove, seeing nothing from Jason. I didn't bring it up, hoping my nerves were getting the best of me. Tommy had mentioned he might have had something to do today that kept him busy which would also explain his absence tonight. I wasn't about to let my overactive imagination send me into a tizzy yet.
Tommy pulled into the hotel parking lot and killed the engine. I was exhausted, my eye lids feeling heavy. The mix of the long night, the long hike and then dinner seemed to wear me down. My heart about exploded out of my chest though as my cell let out a loud ring while Tommy and I walked towards the hotel room. I flung my purse off my shoulder and dug for it. Anticipation filled my chest as I grabbed it. It faded though when I saw Joey's name on the screen and not Jason. Opening it, I brought the cell to my ear.
"Hey, Joey. How are you?" I asked, Tommy glancing at me over his shoulder as he unlocked the door.
"Hey, kiddo. You sound good! Sounds like that California sun is doing you some good. I'm doing okay. How are things there?" He asked, his voice sounding raspy as it did when I left. I followed Tommy into the room and set my purse on my bed. Housekeeping had been through and it was made, the corners tucked in tightly and neatly.
"Things are going good. We just got back from dinner with our friends. How are things there? How's the Glenmore? How's Maria and Marcus?"
"Jeez. One at a time, Kim. Everything is fine here. The bar is still standing. Hank said Maria and Marcus are doing well. Your apartment is fine too. Somehow, we managed to live without you." He joked, a light laugh in his voice. I sat on the corner of the bed and Tommy disappeared into the bathroom to give me privacy.
"Well, I'm glad. I hope everything is really okay." I replied.
"It is. You worry too much. Tell me about California. Have you seen a Power Ranger yet?" I laughed.
"Oh yeah. A whole bunch of them." I answered, technically not lying. "I'll try to get their autograph next time."
"Yeah. Yeah. It's not nice to make fun of your boss."
"Ex-boss, remember?" I added, recalling the day he handed me that large envelope of money that was tucked safely in the confines of the safe in the bottom of my closet at home. Most of it was in there. I had put some in the bank as well as a safety net for our trip out here. I hadn't told Tommy about the money, unsure if he would assume I'd move out here with it if he knew. I also wasn't sure if Joey had told him about it either. Who knows with the way my life was going.
"Only an ex-boss if you don't come back here. Is this you telling me you aren't?"
"Ha, ha." I said. "I'll be back in one week, Joey. And you better not mess up those books too much." I heard him sigh on the other end.
"Sure thing, kiddo. Have fun, alright? And really, REALLY, think about your decision. You wouldn't want to make the wrong one when the right one was staring you in the face this whole time."
