*** If it looks familiar, reposted to fix. Thanks to baterista9 and jessabelle87 for the heads up! ***

A lot happens in this chapter. Really, it's over 5,500 words, so it's more like 2 or 3 chapters. Thought about splitting it up, but…well, might have taken longer, but it makes more sense all together. Plus, reviews indicate you all prefer longer chapters.

Reviews also indicate you all hate Josh. Please try to keep in mind that in this story, even though we're 26 chapters in, the story is pretty detailed and not a lot of time has passed. I still want to play with Josh, torture him a little…

Chapter 26 – Insensitive dolt

Kate had been in the Time Warner Center a few times, mostly for cases, but once for a modeling job when she was a teen. However, she'd never stepped foot in the Mandarin Oriental and she'd never had reason to. She's seen enough billboards and ads to know that it was described as "the most breathtaking luxury hotel" in New York City, and glancing around the lobby after stepping off the elevator on the 34th floor, it seemed the description was incredibly apt. From the marble floors and oriental rugs to the ornate crystal chandeliers, the place was simply gorgeous.

Everywhere Kate looked, there was something beautiful. Even the people seemed prettier than average population, making Kate wonder if there was a correlation between wealth and beauty—or at least the impression of beauty. It wasn't a progressive thought, just an observation—and an easy correlation based on the small amount of time she'd spend abroad in developing countries.

"Lex, this place is amazing. Not sure we need to go to the museum; we could just walk around here all day."

"Yeah, you wait long enough, you'll probably see some little old lady walking around here with a huge hat looking like she's the Queen of England. I saw the same lady three times yesterday, wearing a different outfit each time. Matching purse, matching shoes, matching hat, and a little dog with a matching sweater. So stereotypical."

"Aren't you a bit young be so jaded?" Kate laughed.

"Hey, the least she could do is be original. It's not like she can't afford it."

"Well, imagine if she had been original. You might have seen her dressed up like she was trying out for Moulin Rouge."

"Eww, Kate," Alexis laughed. "You had to go there? Lanie's right. You are a little warped."

"Not to worry. She's got some mega powerful forensic disinfectants—we can wipe that slate clean."

"Are you forgetting all the trauma Dad's inflicted?"

"You're right. You're doomed."

The two arrived at the front desk. Alexis asked them to ring their suite to see if Meredith was in, and when she answered, she asked the front desk to please tell them that her daughter would be coming up momentarily. Kate recognized that she was giving Meredith warning, allowing her to ensure that any visitors were gone and that Meredith was prepared to see her.

On the way to the elevator, Alexis turned to Kate. "You don't have to come up if you don't want to."

"I'm coming. It'll give me a chance to see more of this amazing hotel." Any excuse would do. Alexis wanted Kate with her and Kate wanted to be there for her. She wouldn't need to say anything, she could just be the silent support Alexis needed.

"If it's okay with you, I'll probably take a quick shower and change here so we can head straight to the brunch."

"Sounds good." So, she'd be alone with Meredith. Oh, well.

They rode the elevator up to the 13th floor. The stopped in front of the door. Alexis paused, giving Kate a 'here we go' look and raised her fist to knock. A moment later, a smiling Meredith pulled open the door.

"Alexis," Meredith said, pulling the girl into a hug.

"Hi, Mom." Alexis said, hugging her back. "How was your evening?"

"Oh, you know," she said waving her hand in the air. "Some business, some pleasure."

Kate grimaced imperceptibly as Meredith stepped to her, air kissing her cheek. "Detective Beckett, so lovely to see you. Please come in," she said, gesturing toward the suite.

Kate wasn't sure what to make of this. 'Meredith' was now 'Mom' when Alexis spoke. It unnerved her a bit, and she wondered what this woman had done to deserve the title. Kate had expected awkwardness between the two. Silence. Anger. Anything other than this pretense that all was well. But, Alexis was smiling, so there wasn't much Kate could do other than go with it.

"So, Mom, what are your plans for today?"

"Well, Keith invited me back to the studio. My agent sent over some headshots and clips. He's like to go over them together. Then I'll be meeting up with my friend, Danielle. You remember her? Tall blonde—real fake looking tan? Talks incessantly?"

"The one that tried to bribe me into giving her Dad's number?"

"You remember. Yeah, we're going to hit Saks, have lunch."

"Sounds like a good time."

"Should be. How about you two girls? What are you up to?"

"Oh, I talked Kate into going to lunch with me. Then we're going to the museum. And Dad's making us dinner."

Kate smiled at Alexis, appreciating that she didn't mention the cemetery, but cocked an eyebrow at the last part of her statement. Meredith turned to scrutinize Kate, but Kate didn't let her surprise show, even as Alexis winked at her.

"Well, I'm going to go freshen up. Mom, maybe you could get Kate another cup of coffee?"

"Oh, no. I'm good. Thanks." Kate turned to look out the windows that span the length of the room. The room overlooked Central Park, and from where she stood, the people looked like colorful ants, appearing and reappearing from under the lush greenery of the world's most famous park. Kate smiled at Alexis. "I'll be right here, people watching from afar."

Alexis gave her another 'you sure?' look. Kate laughed. "Hurry up, Lex. We don't wanna be late!"

The girl disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Kate alone with her mother. You'd think she'd feel uncomfortable, but no. Instead, she turned to the window, intending to do just as she said. Meredith, however, wanted to talk. She'd never hidden her curiosity about Kate, but Richard was evasive and Alexis was effusive about Kate, but wouldn't commit to a description when it came to Kate and her dad.

"So, Richard's making dinner, huh?"

"So it seems."

"What's he making?"

"It's a surprise." In more ways than one.

"Probably salmon. If I recall, that's Martha's favorite."

"Could be."

"So, you're going to the Mother's Day brunch with Alexis?"

"Yup."

"Hmm."

"What?"

"Won't that be odd?"

Kate turned to look at Meredith.

"I mean, since you're not really her mother?"

"Well, as I recall, she invited the woman who's really her mother. That woman agreed to come and then, apparently, changed her mind last minute. Someone should be there for her."

"You're right," Meredith said, looking down. "Thank you for doing it," she added, nervously tucking back a strand of hair that fell from her up-do.+

My God this family is confusing! How can she stand there looking bad for letting her daughter down and thank me for stepping in at the same time?

"Meredith, please help me understand what's going on here. Your daughter shows up at my door when you're supposed to be enjoying a Mother's Day dinner? Why? Why would she feel the need to do that?"

"Yes, that's…unfortunate. I'm sure we could have planned that better."

"Planned what better? Did you plan to destroy her evening?"

"No, of course not. I'm just…I play a lot of roles, but this role—it's too real. I'm not cut out for it. Alexis knows that."

"You're an actress! You couldn't have pretended for one night to be what she needed?"

"Of course, I could have. But she shouldn't have to."

"So, that's it? It was a noble gesture on your part?"

"No. That's not what I said." Meredith turned from Kate in frustration, and walked to the window. "Look, I don't expect you to understand."

Kate had a feeling that she was about to get Meredith's best act. The woman had her arms wrapped around herself, head tilted back, like she was fighting off tears. But then she turned to Kate, and grabbed her hands and drew her to the padded bench that ran the length of the window. Maybe Kate was a fool, but the tears in her eyes and the look there seemed sincere.

Meredith blew out a deep breath, and squeezed Kate's hand. "I'm glad she has someone like you in her life. I was surprised at first because I kept hearing your name, but you and Richard weren't together. But, whatever it is, whatever you two have, it's clear that you care about Alexis. He was right to make you her guardian."

"I'm sorry? What?"

"I'm glad that Alexis can—"

"Guardian? What are you talking about?

"What do you mean?

"You said guardian."

"Yes. I haven't had any legal right to Alexis since we divorced, but Richard still checked with me before making you her legal guardian."

"I'm her legal guardian?"

"Of course. Richard said he asked you."

"He did. I mean, he made me promise to take care of her if anything ever happened to him."

"Right. He trusts you."

"But he made me her legal guardian? Wouldn't I have to sign something? Or know about it?"

"Don't you want to be?"

"Well, I…I mean. I've never had to think about it. I thought it was more to comfort Rick."

"But you would take care of her?"

"Of course. Without a doubt. Obviously, I hope there'd never be any reason, but she's the most amazing kid I've ever met."

"Yeah, she is amazing."

"I still don't understand. I guess I'm surprised it's not you or Martha."

"Well, I'm sure he discussed it with Martha. And she loves Alexis, but I'm sure she didn't want the responsibility—not when there's a better option. And she's not exactly a traditional grandmother—or mother, for that matter. As for me, like I said, I'm…well, I gave birth to Alexis. But, the truth is, she never needed me. She had Richard. And he needed her. She grounded him from the moment he set eyes on her."

Still does, Kate thought.

"She terrified me. I always thought I'd want kids someday, but not then. I was too young. Just starting my career. If it hadn't been for Richard, I wouldn't have had her. I mean she wouldn't even be here."

Kate had never been in that position and she'd never begrudged a woman's choice, but she resented knowing that Alexis hadn't been wanted, that her life hadn't been valued—except by Castle. She imagined how angry Castle must have been and considered the kind of man he was. He could have encouraged Meredith and gone about his playboy ways—maybe been a little more careful in the future. But he fought for that baby and even convinced Meredith to marry him so that she'd have both a mother and a father—something he'd missed out on.

"You won't understand—most women don't. But I didn't want her in my body. I didn't want stretch marks or the pain of pushing her out. When she was born, I didn't want to hold her. They said it was post-partum. That I'd come around, but that wasn't it. I was convinced I was just a vessel, but I stuck around because it was expected. Besides, she was important to my family. They're good people. They deserved her. I didn't. I never have. But they did. And she deserved them."

"Why did you agree to come?" Kate asked, unaware that the door to the bathroom was cracked open.

"I love her. But I missed my chance to be her mother. That's why I couldn't let her pretend, I couldn't let her hold me up in front of her friends and real mothers as someone who'd been there for her or who would be there for her. I mean, I'd certainly try, but I don't have the best track record and, honestly, I don't know how to be what she needs. It seems a little late to start trying. I'm better at being the friend or the crazy aunt that whirlwinds in and then is, blissfully, gone."

"And you discovered all this stuff about yourself when? Because I have a feeling you knew before you ever stepped foot on that plane."

"Well, I—"

"There's no excuse, Meredith. If you didn't really want to be here, you should have told her beforehand. She invited you and you said 'yes.' You could have said you couldn't make it, and planned to do the crazy aunt stuff another time, when it didn't bear the weight of Mother's Day."

"I didn't know what was best."

"Even the most insensitive dolt knows ditching your daughter for a meaningless tryst and a shot at a third-rate role is never the right answer."

"It's not a third-rate role."

"You hurt her for no reason, Meredith. Don't do it again." Kate's message was delivered without the trademark glare she so frequently leveled on Castle. That was play time; this was not. She was rarely this serious.

Meredith was taken aback by the forcefulness behind Kate's words. No one had ever spoken to her like that. Richard yelled, of course, and while anger was clearly an underlying component to Kate's words, there was something more: a promise of intractable pain if Meredith dared to defy Kate's commandment.

Alexis stepped out into the room, ignoring the tension between the two women. "Ok, Kate. I'm ready!"

Kate turned to Alexis with a huge smile on her face. "Wonderful, let's go!" She grabbed Alexis' bag and headed to the door as Meredith stepped forward to hug her daughter.

"Bye, Alexis! Have a wonderful day."

"You, too, Mom." Alexis said returning her hug. She turned to join Kate, and called over her shoulder, "I'll see you the next time Grandpa dies."

Out the door, Kate glances toward the girl. "Don't ask."

"Your dad kills people for a living, then comes to follow me around at work to see actual dead people. Your gram's got graydar. Your mom jet sets to Paris for lunch dates and your grandfather apparently dies multiple deaths." Kate muttered. "And I'm the one who's warped?"

"Don't worry. We still love you." Alexis said intertwining her arm with Kate's.

Kate was sitting in front of her mother's headstone, reflecting on the day. Alexis had walked with her to the gravesite, helping to carry the flowers and gardening tools, while Kate carried the lilac bush, but then walked away to allow Kate some privacy. Kate was thankful, but it wasn't really necessary because aside from saying "I love you" or "I miss you," Kate seldom spoke aloud to her mother at the gravesite. Kate could never get past the fact that her mother wasn't really there, so talking aloud just seemed silly—or at least reserving it for at the cemetery. That's why most of the conversations she had with her mom were all in her head. Sometimes, she wasn't even sure why she came to the cemetery, but there was still something about it.

She watched Alexis walking, pausing to read headstones as she went. Kate wondered to her mother if she was doing the right thing with Alexis? She wondered what advice her mother would give her, what she'd think of Alexis? Of Rick? Instinctively, she knew her mother would love them. She felt certain her mother, wherever she was, was glad that Kate had them in her life.

Kate's conversations with her mom were very much stream of consciousness. As Kate sat there, she 'told' her mother about the flowers—how she'd never put two and two together, how she was sorry she'd never asked Dad. She told her more about the benefit, how the scholarship was coming, their plans for the rest of the day, the brunch they'd been to.

Brunch had been relatively uneventful. Alexis had to be busy to start, but she immediately introduced Kate to Paige's mom, who was an exceptionally likable and bubbly person, and she was very happy to introduce Kate around. When Ashley arrived, he was quick to spot Kate and introduce her to his mother, Elizabeth—who, Kate was surprised to find, seemed to know all about her and the Nikki Heat series.

Kate figured Castle must have made quite impression because Elizabeth certainly didn't seem like the type to read anything outside of the biography, history or investment realm. Alexis later explained that they were quite fascinated with Kate's work and how it was transcribed to the page. They'd grilled Castle, wondering how embellished the events in the novels were and had been looking forward to meeting Kate for months now.

Elizabeth wasn't the only one who'd taken an interest in Kate. With all the women and their questions swirling around her, the phrase "fresh meat" took on new meaning for Kate. It was a special kind of torture put on by the PTA queens. They wanted to know details about her work, how she knew Alexis, the books, the movie…everything. Kate took their questions in stride and with a smile on her face, but she was an expert interrogator and master deflector. Without really knowing it, they ended up answering more questions than she did and they learned very little about Kate.

Everything was fine until one Ms. Jenna Macaborski, also known as Lauren's mother, leaned over conspiratorially. "Befriending the daughter was a good move. But, what we all really want to know, Kate," she said, pausing to ensure that she had everyone's attention, "is what Richard Castle is like in bed? I, for one, wouldn't mind having his hot bod gliding over mine." Another so-called lady murmured in agreement, while the others had the good grace to look shocked and embarrassed.

That was more than Kate had bargained for. It was not the first time she'd been accused of sleeping with Richard Castle, and though it was a vulgar question, that's not what really bothered her. She was there for Alexis, plain and simple. The idea that her relationship with Alexis was merely a ploy to get into Castle's pants was as ridiculous as it was offensive. Still, Kate hadn't thought her question deserved an answer.

"You know, I think I'm going to go find Alexis. Would you excuse me?" Kate stated, and moved away.

"Wait," Jenna called, catching up with her. "Really, is he as good as I imagine?"

Kate recalled being appalled. "Something tells me you'll never find out." But, really, what the hell do I know about Castle's type? she thought. Seemed to run the gamut…so long as they were, tall, pretty and willing. And, well, Jenna was all three. Especially willing.

"We'll see," Jenna had said. "Maybe you could give him my card? Have him call me. I'd like to arrange a…play date." Then she looked Kate up and down. "You'd be welcome to join us. I'm a good sharer."

Kate had been dumbfounded. Who acts like that? Especially in front of other people with her daughter less than ten feet away at a Mother's Day bunch? Jenna didn't even know for sure that Kate wasn't sleeping with him! She was a real bitch, Mom, Kate thought to her mother.

"I'm not, but I'll be sure to give him your card," Kate had told her, smiling her best tight smile. Oh, Castle. You are never going to hear the end of this.

Alexis made her way back over to where Kate sat with her arms around her knees. When Kate noticed Alexis' shadow, she patted the ground, silently asking Alexis to sit down beside her.

"Have you ever been roller skating? I mean not on rollerblades? Seems like it would be harder than in-line skates, right?"

Alexis nodded.

"I was mediocre…meaning I could stand up, move forward, go backward, but nothing fancy. But one of my earliest memories is of her skating in circles around me, laughing after I'd fallen. I remember I wanted to cry, but she was just so happy, I couldn't. I think now she did it to distract me from the pain."

"I've never had anyone with me here before, Alexis. Not even my dad. Didn't think I could handle it."

Alexis felt out of place, bad for being there and intruding on Kate's privacy, and wouldn't look up at Kate.

Kate reached over for Alexis' hand, and squeezed it, urging Alexis to look at her. "You?" she nodded toward Alexis. "Here?" she nodded toward her mother's headstone. "With me?" she tucked her head and shrugged a little, before giving Alexis a slight smile. "Best distraction I've ever had."

When Alexis smiled back at her, she said, "Of course, having something to do helps, too." Kate reached for the gardening tools. "Where should we plant this?"

For the first time, Alexis looked to the headstone. To the left, a large angel chiseled out of white stone kneeled and hunkered over a glossy slab of black marble. A glass teardrop was evident on the angel's cheek, and glistened in the sun. In the black marble, Kate's mother's name and lifespan were etched. And there, below "loving wife and mother" was a quote that caused Alexis' breath to catch in her throat: the measure of what a human being can be.

"Maya Angelou," Alexis whispered.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"It's one of dad's favorites."

"It always stuck with me…nothing else seemed right."

"Kate…before dad settled on 'extraordinary', he asked for permission to use that very same quote to describe you."

Kate shook her head in disbelief. "It's true. I could show you drafts. Even Ms. Angelou's reply."

Kate was still shaking her head. "But, he—"

"He thought it was a copout—no pun intended—not being able to come up with something original for you."

"A whole book wasn't enough?" Kate said incredulously.

"Where you're concerned?" Alexis asked pointedly. "Never enough."

"If your dad ever finds out, he'll arrest me for plagiarism."

"Are you forgetting he's not actually a cop?"

"What? No. Never."

Alexis laughed. "Come on. Let's get this thing planted. I'll move it around and you tell me where it looks best."

After a little while, Kate was pretty sure they would have made better use of an actual shovel more than the garden spade, but it was better than clawing through the ground. And when they stood back and admired their work, Alexis asked if it was odd to say it looked beautiful? Kate shook her head 'no' and had to admit…the lilac bush looked like it belonged there. It was the perfect bookend to the angel on the other side—one mourning death, one celebrating life.

Before they left, Kate pressed a kiss to her fingers, before placing her fingers over her mother's name and whispering "I love you." She was surprised when Alexis did the same, but she heard a "Thank you" instead. Not for the first time, Kate's eyes filled with tears.

"Hey Dad! We're home," Alexis called, stepping through the door.

Kate followed, immediately noting that whatever Castle was cooking smelled delicious.

Castle called out, "Kitchen" and Martha appeared from somewhere behind the stairs to hug Alexis.

"Happy Mother's Day, Gram," Alexis said hugging her grandmother. "Did you have a nice party?"

"Oh, it was wonderful, Dear," Martha said. "But you know," she said walking toward Kate, while still looking at Alexis, "You could have come home. I would have kicked them all straight out." She was her usual animated self, with her arms waving around her head, jabbing a finger toward the door.

Martha brought her arms down around Kate, to give her the hug Kate had come to expect. "No reason to ruin your fun, Martha," Kate said hugging her back. "We had a good time."

Martha whispered in her ear, "Thanks for taking care of our girl" before pulling back to study Kate. It was a mother's inspection—the kind Kate hadn't been subjected to in years. The older woman was silently checking to ensure that the younger woman was holding up. Red eyes? Circles? Hallows? She must have passed inspection because Martha gave her arms a little squeeze, before releasing her and leading them to the kitchen.

Kate was surprised at how quickly she'd become comfortable with Martha and all her eccentricities. She would have thought Martha would be more the type to offer a polite handshake, maybe lean in for a light hug. To top it all off, the woman looked like she'd be all bones and jutting edges. So, needless to say, Kate was surprised to find her embrace warm and comfortable. She'd been awkward and stick-like the first few times Martha hugged her, but now she squeezed back.

At the counter, they all sat to watch Castle work.

"Kate," Martha said, "I'm glad you could join us for dinner."

"Well, thanks for…inviting me?" Kate asked. She wasn't really sure she'd been invited. More, Alexis had said her dad was making dinner, and Kate hadn't assumed an invitation. She wasn't surprised to be invited, but when she'd indicated that it was a family dinner, Alexis wanted none of it. Dinner was part of sharing the day with her. Kate was joining them, and Gram would be disappointed if she didn't and Dad had already planned on her being there.

"So, what are you cooking, Castle? Smells great."

"Butter-balsamic asparagus is roasting in the oven, horseradish mashed potatoes—Mother's favorite—"

"Mango's better," Alexis piped up.

"What?" Kate asked.

"Oh, nonsense," Martha answered.

"Mango what?"

"Mango mashed potatoes," Rick explained.

"They're Alexis' favorite," Martha added.

"That sounds nasty," Kate wrinkled her nose.

"Nope. Quite delicious." Castle answered.

"How 'bout you, Detective? What are your favorite mashed potatoes?" he asked.

"Is there something wrong with just regular old mashed potatoes?"

"No, 'course not."

"I don't know. I just like mashed potatoes over baked or boiled. Plain, parmesan, garlic…doesn't really matter."

"Next time you have to make mango," Alexis said.

"Next time, I will."

"You're gonna love 'em, Kate."

"We'll see." Kate smiled, knowing they'd hooked her for dinner again without even trying and she was already looking forward to it.

Castle checked the chicken he was grilling on his massive stovetop one more time before announcing it was time for dinner.

"So, tell me ladies. What was the highlight of the day? Is there a former fashion faux-pas begging to make a comeback?"

"Now that you mention it, Castle, there was a 15th-century ruffled collar that I think you could pull off. Very Shakespearean. And imitation is a form of flattery."

Castle looked to the other two, "Should I be insulted?"

"Of course, Son."

Alexis laughed.

"So, what about you? Best part?" Castle asked his daughter.

Alexis thought for a minute. Knowing her favorite part was actually just being with Kate…or maybe the quote. Wonder if I should tell Dad? "Either posing in all those exotic costumes—we have some hilarious pictures—"

"What kind of museum did you take my daughter to?"

"She said exotic not erotic," Kate rolled her eyes at him.

"OR," Alexis stressed, "when Kate called Meredith an 'insensitive dolt'. You should have seen the look on her face."

Kate flushed a bright red. "Eavesdrop much?"

"Not my fault sound travels." Alexis cocked her head with a showy grin.

Martha put her hand on Kate's arm, "Insensitive dolt, huh? I guess we should be thanking you for being so kind."

Castle chuckled. "True. She heard far worse from me. Or she will when she listens to her voicemail."

"Speaking of hearing from people…" Kate reached into her pocket, and smirked at Rick. She knew Alexis and Martha would love this story and razz him endlessly.

"I experienced a first today; two, if you count being hit on at a Mother's Day brunch. And wasn't someone assuming I'm Nikki Heat—and by extension sleeping with her creator. Alas, it wasn't even being hit on by a woman."

"Have you ever—" Castle's eyes

"Shut it now, Castle, or I will shoot you."

"So what happened?"

Kate flipped a business card between her fingers and slid it over to Castle. "One Ms. Jenna Macaborski propositioned me as a means to get you in bed. So, not only does she think we're sleeping together, she thinks we're a package deal. Isn't that sweet?" She smiled a fake demure smile, while dropping her head and narrowing her eyes at Castle. Of course, she'd pretend it was his fault just to watch him squirm.

But he didn't. He just picked up the card and laughed. "Jenna who?" he asked Alexis.

"Lauren's mom."

"Mrs. Hinton?"

"Divorced sugar daddy numero dos. Back to Macaborski."

"Ah...figures," Martha said. "She was chasing you when Alexis was in junior high."

"I don't know whether to frame this one—because that's pretty damn funny—or just put it in the cup."

"The cup?"

"Oh, that's where we put all Dad's love interests when they're kind enough to send their 'available' notices through us."

"Even Jim's been adding a few," Martha explained.

"Jim, the doorman, Jim?"

"Yeah. We started it years ago," Alexis said. "But it's gotten worse since Nikki Heat. A lot worse recently, since they began promoting the movie."

"Yes, Detective. So really, this is all your fault."

"My fault? And how's that Castle?"

"Sex sells."

"Are you implying I've sold myself for sex?"

"You could be less sexy. Go butch, maybe?" Castle suggested.

"Castle, are you—"

"You're my muse." Kate kicked him under the table and glared at him.

"I can't write you not sexy. It'd be a lie. And I can't help that you inspire sexier novels—which then sell even better and get made into movies."

"I didn't write them. You'd think you could take responsibility for at least that."

"It's a known fact, Detective. The muse chooses the medium. I'm your medium. You chose me."

"Funny, I don't remember having a lot of choice in the matter." Kate huffed, sipping her wine. That hadn't gone quite the way she planned, but her eyes danced and she found she didn't mind.

Alexis and Martha stared at the two, smiling and awed by their verbal exchange and impressive eye contact.

Hope you are still liking this and that you'll let me know either way! Reviews make my day…especially when I'm at work! Where I will probably be when you have a chance to read this, as it is late…

Blessings to you all!