Savior
Chapter 28
-xx-
Cate tapped away at her laptop, though the bid form on the screen was mostly empty. Her mind was anywhere but inside the bustling real estate office.
After meeting with her father at the courthouse, she decided that a trip into the office would help to clear her mind.
The protective order against Cole had been dropped. The judge cited a lack of evidence that he was on her property, or that he had been stalking her. He claimed that there was no way to decode whether the gifts that had been tracked back to Cole's credit card were harmful.
Cate did what she knew best in the courthouse; she jutted out her chin, held her head high and stormed away from the courtroom when they were done. She kept her shoulders back and feigned an understanding tone when she spoke with her father on the courthouse steps.
She bit her tongue as Cole and his father walked out behind them. The brunette blinked back tears that threatened and released slow and steady breaths as the younger Hanson stepped too close to Cate as she was in conversation with her dad.
"Keep him away from my daughter, Freddy," she could hear her father tell Cole's father as they walked away. Her manicure chipped as she dug her nails into her palm. She could basically feel his breath on her neck as he passed her.
Though it was early in the morning, she could have sworn he stunk of hard liquor. Booze and cigarettes, she corrected in her head. Cigarette ash that was not enough to keep the protective order in place.
The smirk he wore as the judge dismissed the protective order brought shivers down her back. Cate fought every fiber in her body to not turn her eyes to the blonde man.
Cole's father thanked the judge repeatedly "for understanding" and disregarding anything the FBI found out. As far as the judge was concerned at the moment, the FBI did not have jurisdiction or any say in the matter.
Cate watched her own father grip the wooden rail behind her, fighting everything to not yell out of turn. Her lawyer tried to reason with the judge, but was turned away.
Cate walked to her SUV in the parking garage as quickly as she could and dialed Derek's cell phone number immediately. As his voice echoed throughout her truck, she finally let herself break down. "What do I do now?!" she begged into the call.
"We'll figure this out," was his reply, and she knew full well he would find some way to solve this issue.
She released the bun her hair was in and sighed. The offer was not going to write itself, she decided as she shook out the brown curls.
Cate barely got her clients information entered when a cup of coffee was placed next to her laptop.
Startled by the actions, she turned to her right to see her best friend in the office, and let out a relieved sigh. "I tried to ask you if you wanted anything when I was leaving, but you seemed pretty out of it," Grace said. "I figure since you run on coffee, you wouldn't mind."
The brunette gave her friend a relaxed smile. "Thanks," she began as she leant back in her office chair. "I really appreciate it."
The redhead rested against the desk and narrowed her eyes softly at her friend. "What's going on, Cate?"
Cate released a sigh. "The temporary protection order was dropped today." She tried her best to keep her voice level, but low enough to not disrupt anyone in the office. She knew Cole had made some friends in the office before he transferred. "I feel like I'm back at square one."
Grace placed a comforting hand to her shoulder. "I'm here for whatever you need," she offered. The brunette gave her a tight lipped smile in return. "I need to know one thing, though." Cate's brow rose, as if to urge her on. "How in the hell did you get that tan over the weekend?"
She laughed harder than she meant to. Cate took a quick sip of her coffee, thankful that her friend knew just how she liked it. "Derek and I went to the beach for the weekend." She grinned at the admission. If she could have, Cate would scream from the mountain tops her adoration for that man. "He knew I had the week from hell, and swept me away for some R&R."
The redhead sighed softly. "He's so perfect for you, Cate." The two smiled. "I am so happy you have found someone so great."
"Me too," she began, "Even if that sounds a little selfish."
"It's not selfish," Grace answered. "You are the most deserving person I've ever met. You've had some pretty shitty cards dealt over the past few years, and you're finally getting your happy ending." Cate giggled as the redhead gushed. "Speaking of deserving," Grace began and pointed to Cate's computer. "Pull up the company emails from this morning."
Cate did as she was asked. She sat up a little taller in her chair as she scrolled through until Grace told her to stop. She clicked on the email the redhead pointed to. "What is this?"
Grace's face lit up bright. "It's an all inclusive trip to Aruba." The two women grinned at each other. "It's all based on points accumulated in the next two months, but if you work the way you have all year, it's yours in no time, Cate."
She pursed her lips into a tight smile. "How many are they taking?"
"As many that qualify," Grace replied with a shrug. "Maybe the two of us can go gallivanting around Aruba in October."
They both giggled. "It'll be a good excuse to break out the bikini I bought over the weekend."
Grace's mouth dropped open. "A what? You? You haven't worn one since before," she didn't finish the sentence, but they both knew what she was getting at.
Cate shrugged. "Derek makes me feel so comfortable in my own skin," she confided. "The scars aren't going anywhere, so I may as well get used to them." Cate bit her lip. "I felt so good about myself."
"Well, you're a babe, so it's about time you started acting like one."
The brunette laughed. "Thank you, Grace," she began, "I needed this." The two knew Grace was trying her best to get Cate's mind off of the morning and a little girl talk was always the best way to get there. "Let's grab this trip to Aruba, right? I can hear the frozen cocktails calling us already."
Grace gave a quick wink and grin before heading back to her desk. Cate picked up her cell phone from the desk and stopped when she got to the home page. She grinned at the home screen, a quick selfie the two had taken before dinner over the weekend. The sun was setting over their shoulders, but the grins on both of their faces were her favorite part. Cate was the first to pinch herself when she noted how happy she was in her current relationship, but her face could not deceive her and always showed how proud she was.
Wanna go to Aruba in October? xo
She hit send on the text and went back to reading the rules of the contest. She grinned when she realized that it was everything she would normally do, and given her track record, she was a shoe in for one of the spots.
Bringing that bikini with you?
She rolled her eyes at Derek's reply. Just as she was about to send a reply to him, she had an e-mail come in from an e-mail address she never expected to see.
We need to talk. Let's meet for drinks tonight. I will be at Magnolia's at 8pm.
Cate quickly closed her e-mail app and rested her head against the desk top.
-xx-
"Cate?" Derek called out as he stepped into the apartment. He had worked later than he planned to, but picked up dinner on his way home after calling Cate. "Baby, where are you?"
She popped her head out of the bathroom as a cloud of fog followed her. "Hey you," she offered with a bright smile.
"Showering without me?" he asked jokingly.
Cate chuckled. "I was going to meet my sister for a drink after we had dinner." She slid into the hallway as she adjusted the towel around her body.
Derek tried to hide his disappointment, but realized that she probably wanted to see her sister after the day she had. He shrugged off the nagging feeling he had about letting her go out by himself, but nodded. "As long as I get you for dinner."
She winked in his direction. "Of course. I'm just going to go get dressed first."
Derek placed a quick kiss to her lips before heading back towards the kitchen.
Cate released a long breath as she walked into the bedroom. She pulled a pair of jeans and a simple black off the shoulder top out of the closet. She slipped her lace bralette on, followed by the top and adjusted the black piece so the lace showed on her shoulders. Cate slid into her jeans before starting out of the bedroom.
-xx-
Cate placed her fingers over her lips and smiled as she could still feel Derek's lips on hers from the kiss he planted before she left the apartment. She took a few deep breaths to steady her nerves and wiped her suddenly sweating palms on the sides of her jeans.
She anxiously cracked her knuckles before reaching out for the heavy front door.
The second she stepped into the dimly lit restaurant, her past came flying back to her. This was the restaurant where she and Cole had a standing reservation almost every Friday night. For the longest time, she had the regular menu memorized and the bartenders all but named a martini for her.
Cate released one more deep breath before venturing towards the bar. As she slid on to the barstool next to an older gentleman in a suit and tie, she pursed her lips before turning next to her.
"What do you want, Freddy?"
-xx-