Based on my timeline. Kate is 19. Rick is 26. Alexis is 5. It's 1998, the year before Johanna Beckett is murdered.
Chapter 2
The summer heat nearly forced Kate and Rick back into Starbucks. They walked a couple of blocks until they reached the shade of Central Park. Taking a seat beneath a huge oak that casted a shadow perfectly Rick looked up Kate.
"I swear it's about 10 degrees cooler in the shade." He said as Kate took a seat next to him.
"You do know there are perfectly good benches 30 feet in all directions." She said taking a drink of tea.
"Now Kate where is the fun of sitting on a bench when there are huge trees all over that you could just plop down under."
She just rolled her eyes in return. "You're weird."
"I like to think of myself more as a helpless romantic." They both laughed. "So what are you going to be studying at Stanford?"
She took a sip of tea before answering. "Pre-law."
"Wow! Your parents must be proud."
Kate shrugged and sipped her tea again. "What about you? College? Career?"
"I went to NYU and studied creative writing."
"Oh. What kind of writing do you do?"
"I'm working to be a crime and mystery novelist."
"I thought you said you were a helpless romantic." She joked.
"Well the guy does always get the girl." He laughed. Kate's phone buzzed in her purse, fishing it out she saw a message from her mom.
"Hey I gotta get home." Kate said dropping her phone back in her bag.
"I'll walk you." Rick said standing, lowering his hand to help her up.
Taking his hand Kate looked at him. "I'm a big girl Rick, I think I can walk home."
"I know. But every girl should have someone to protect them." He smiled as they started out of Central Park.
"Okay. Mr. Romantic." She teased.
He looked mock hurt at her. "No that just hurt." They both smiled. "20 questions, you go first."
"What?"
"Don't tell me you've never played 20 questions."
"I have, but you want to play it now."
"Why not, we have nothing better to do. Maybe we'll start an interesting conversation or heated debate." He said, looking over at her. "You start."
"Okay. Well… if you could have any superpower what would it be?"
"Telekinetic. You could have so much fun messing with people." He stated.
"I would say reading minds. Then you could be a step ahead of everyone else. You're turn."
"Who's your favorite 'Friends' character?" He asked after of minute.
"Easy. Chandler. I mean all of the characters complement one another, but when they are alone they just weird or annoying, but Chandler is still the same smart-ass. And plus all the things he says are pretty funny." She explained.
"I have to agree with you on that one. You're question."
Kate thought for a minute, "First car."
"I know this one. I was 16 and I found this great karmann ghia. It was in bad shape, but I fixed it with the help of my friend. That car was my favorite I sold when I went to college. What about you?"
"I had my dad's old '64 mustang for awhile, but it wasn't a permanent deal, when I was 17 I bought a '94 Harley soft tail."
"Motorcycle. Nice. Okay my turn I say worst date."
"I would have to say Jack Foster. He took me out to dinner, but ran off. I went to the bathroom, I come back to the table and he's gone, he left me with alone with the bill."
"Sorry, that had to have sucked. I would have to say it was my second date with Cassie Walker. I was taking her to the movies; she didn't warn me that she was exhausted, so she slept throughout the whole movie. Two hours later I asked her what she thought and I never got an answer because she was still asleep. Next question."
"First date." Kate said glancing at Rick. They had begun rapid firing questions and answers back and forth now.
"Cassie Walker. The first date turned out to be better, we went bowling. She beat me horribly, but we had fun."
"Daniel Bailey. He took me mini golfing. You know what he said on the first hole?"
Rick interjected. "Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac... It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!"
"What is it with guys?"
"Boys will be boys." He laughed. "It's an old quote, we all pretty much memorized it for when we go golfing or mini golfing."
"Well this is the place. Thanks for the drink and everything."
"One more question." He paused.
"Okay. Shoot."
"Will you have dinner with me tonight?"
Kate looked at him for a minute. "Yes."
"I agree with your answer." He smiled.
"My turn. Where do you want me to meet you?"
"Nope sorry, I'm picking you up."
"I don't agree with that answer."
"Too bad my question." He smiled crookedly at her. "What time do you want to pick you up?"
"I'm not answering unless you tell me where we are going." She crossed her arms.
Rick crossed his fingers in his pocket, "Okay."
"6-ish. Now where are we going?"
Pulling his hand out of his pocket, fingers still crossed, "Sorry, my fingers were crossed, I don't have to tell you now. I'll pick you up at 6. Wear something casual." He turned to walk away.
Kate popped the lid of her Starbucks and fished out the last ice cube, she tossed it at him. It hit the back of his head, he turned to look at her. "That's for not telling me where we're going."
"I'm guessing you don't much like surprises." He laughed. Kate narrowed her eyes. "Six o'clock. Something casual." Then he turned and continued on.
"Son of bitch." Kate muttered, as she walked up to her front door. When she stepped inside she saw her mother sitting on the couch with a magazine.
"Hey Katie." Johanna said.
"Mom. Please, how many times have I asked you to stop watching from the window?"
"How could you see. Your back was to me."
"Because Rick kept looking over my shoulder. He was just too polite to ask who the crazy lady was watching from the window." Kate smiled.
"Who's Rick?" Jim asked as he entered the room.
"Katie's boyfriend." Johanna said to her husband.
"Mom!" Kate said, her eyes widening.
"What?" Her mother asked innocently.
"Boyfriend, huh." Kate's father raised an eyebrow.
"We ran into each other at Starbucks, literally." Kate peeled her shirt from her stomach as proof. "Our drinks spilled all over so he bought me a second iced tea, we talked, he walked me home, and now he's taking me out to dinner." Kate explained.
"Where are going?" Johanna asked.
"No idea."
"Is he picking you up?" Jim asked.
"Yes dad, which means you'll have time to torture him. What time is it?"
Jim looked down at his watch. "Half past four. Why? When is he picking you up?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Six." She answered as she walked toward the stairs. She could hear her parents whispering as she climbed the stairs and pushed open the door to her bedroom. It was a mess, clothes strewn all over the floor, labeled cardboard boxes stacked in a corner.
"An hour and half to get ready." Kate told herself. "Something casual." She navigated her way to her closet.
Kate walked to her bathroom. After a showering she walked back to her closet, her towel wrapped around her, her wet hair allowing droplets of water to fall on her back, pulling out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. After she was dressed she headed back to the bathroom to fix her hair, checking her bedside clock as she walked, 5:07. Finishing her hair and make-up she walked out of the bathroom. Her mother was sitting on the end of the bed.
"Jesus mom! Don't scare me like that." She said.
"Sorry didn't mean to scare you. Just wanted to see what you were doing."
"Getting ready." Kate said tossing her clothes from earlier into her hamper. "What time is it?"
Johanna leaned over and looked at the clock. "5:45." She said watching her daughter toss clothes into the hamper.
"Where are my shoes?" Kate asked herself.
"Which ones?"
"My converse."
"Over there." Her mother pointed across the room. "Rick is here by the way."
"What? Why didn't you tell me that earlier?"
"You looked preoccupied." Her mother smiled and walked out of Kate's bedroom.
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