A Biker's Tale
Chapter 4 - Confirmation
"Hello Martha, thank you for returning my call."
"Not at all Katherine, I should have called sooner but have been busy setting up my acting school. I talked to Alexis this morning before she went to school, that is only time I have done that after almost a week of missing her. She told me a little about what you wanted."
"I am just worried about him, is he okay?"
"He is in one of his moods, Katherine. He told me that he was going to the Hampton's to think about the future. It was all so dramatic and mysterious so I asked him what had him behaving this way. His answer was cryptic, he said he didn't have a chance, so needed to consider that. Whatever Richard was referring to, I do not have the slightest idea."
"He was referring to me Martha."
"Oh really, and in what manner?"
"Well, you know I have a boyfriend."
"That I do."
"Well a week ago he surprised me by coming home early from a mission."
"Yes, I know about his charity work, quite generous of him to do so."
"Well, Josh had selfishly turned off my cell, not wanting us to be disturb since he had been gone for almost a month on what was to be a 45 day mission. The precinct had been trying to get hold of me for a body drop and when they couldn't, Espo got hold of Rick and asked him to pick me up. Rick did not know about Josh's early return and caught us in a 'morning after' scene when he came for the pickup. It was awkward."
"I see, that is embarrassing, but Richard knows you have a boyfriend, so he should not have been so surprised! Other than maybe for Josh being there when he thought Josh was still away."
"Except Josh developed an attitude upon seeing Castle. He did not like seeing Castle there at my apartment unannounced and so early in the morning. His actions told Rick just that. I think Josh thought that Castle was trying to interfere in our relationship, so Josh treated Rick quite condescendingly. Josh has always been a little jealous about Castle."
"Well Richard will get over it."
"I don't think so, I think Castle seeing me there with Josh and Josh's nasty behavior to Rick caused him to be hurt. More hurt than in the past. Josh let Rick rudely know that being there so early was disrupting our 'morning after glow' to put it simply. Josh had just wanted that intimate early morning moment like so many before. I guess Josh's annoyed reaction to Castle's arrival affected Rick more than it should have."
"You know Katherine that Richard has deep affections for you so seeing Josh with you has always been hard for him. It does make him feel like an outsider with the two of you present."
"I have tried to avoid putting Rick in that uncomfortable situation. I think Josh behaved that way because he had wanted that moment to ask me an important question and Rick ruined it for him."
"Oh, so did he finally get to ask you."
"Yes, that night. Josh asked me to marry him and follow him to a new job in Africa."
"Oh my, that will not go over well for Richard."
"Martha, I told Josh 'No' and sent him off to Africa alone. I wanted to tell Rick about it and let him know that he now has a chance for us, but Rick has not talked to me despite all my voicemails to him."
"Oh, how unfortunate Katherine. The only other time he has acted in this manner was when he broke up with Gina. He moped at the Hampton home for weeks then went on a month long motorcycle trip to the New England states and back. When he got back he was still not over it, completely, but one could see Richard was healing."
"Castle drives a cycle? I never knew, he never told me. Can I ask a favor, Martha, can you call him and ask him to contact me?"
"I am surprised you never knew Richard rides a motorcycle. It was a gift from me when he graduate high school. I bought him the bike so he would have better transportation while at NYU. So Katherine, Richard has been refusing to talk to you. He is so stubborn that way. Richard is like that when he has a great hurt, which seems to be the case now. I certainly can mention that he should call you Katherine, but if he doesn't want to speak to you, no amount of encouragement from me would compel him to do so."
"Should I go up to the Hamptons and try and see him? Yes, I can do precisely that! Martha, may I get the address and directions to the summer home?"
"You can try and talk to him, dear, but like I said, Richard tends to retreat inward when he is suffering from an emotional distress. I will text the information to you."
"Thank you Martha."
"And good luck to you Katherine, he can be unreasonable when in one of those moods."
They hang up and minutes later Kate gets a text message with the info she needed.
Back At The Hamptons
"Mr. Castle, your bike is all checked out. We changed the fluids, inspected the chain, spark plugs replaced with new, among other items we completed. The bike should be ready for that trip you talked about."
"Thanks Mike, you've maintained her for years, so here's my credit card, put yourselves in for a nice tip. Are those spare parts ready that I ordered from you?"
"Sure are Mr. Castle, already loaded on your storage/camper hauler. We checked that one out too, tires, electric cable hookups, and the like."
"Great Mike, you always think of it all."
"Well, you know you got a window of opportunity to hit. If you make it to Fairbanks by late August or early September you may not be able to return back the same way. That is when the cold and snow start to hit. Do you have a Plan B, just in case?"
"Well, I planned to have her shipped back if it was too late for the return trip, then take a scenic train ride back to the City."
"Or, you could store it at my friend's shop there and then return. You could fly back to Fairbanks on the next window of opportunity, and then drive her back. That could be Plan B 2.0."
"You got a friend up there Mike that has a garage and shop?"
"He made the trip like you, missed the time window, and got stuck up there. He was waiting for the next window almost a year later. Then fell in love with Fairbanks and decide to stay. He had picked up a job at the local garage for his intended interim stay but when the owner died, he got a loan and bought the shop from the widow. Been there ever since."
"Give me his info Mike and we can make the decision on going to him if it becomes another option."
"Sure thing Mr. C, I have his info already written out on a card. I will attach it to your receipt."
"You're the best Mike, thanks, and make sure it is a big tip. Take a bite out of my wallet, you deserve it!"
"Right Mr. C, I'll make it hurt, but just a little."
Rick was planning to leave the next morning early and then head west to Chicago. It's May now and the window for the Fairbanks Safari is just starting to open. He hoped to make it to Fairbanks by June/July time frame to give him the chance for a return trip. He was essentially all packed and good to go. It would be about an 13 hour trip to the Windy City with passing thru Cleveland en route, about 8 hours away. He planned a nite layover in Cleveland at the Hostel there or camp site which ever one was more convenient. Then out to Chicago the day after.
Early the next morning Castle leaves heading west. Hours later, around noon, Beckett arrives on her Softail Harley. She knocks on the door several times and gets no response, Beckett calls Martha.
"Martha, no one seems to be at home do you think he has left?"
"Katherine, let me have Alexis check his whereabouts on that phone app she has."
It takes a few minutes until Martha gets back to her.
"Katherine, we have him heading back to the city. You two must have missed each other in passing?"
"Thank you, I think I will head back."
"Katherine, it is getting late and you are most likely tired from the trip up. Stay at the house and leave tomorrow early, you can catch him here when you get back."
"Martha, I don't have a house key!"
"No need Katherine. The locks are a dual key and electronic entry. I will give you the code. Make yourself at home till tomorrow. Knowing Richard, he probably forgot to empty the refrigerator so you probably have food for later. Just please clean out the frig so we do not have a science project growing there."
Once Kate is in the house, she is amazed at how large it is. She had seen the pictures of it and the pool, including the beach scene from the back yard. Castle had shared these with her that last summer when he tried to convince her to come up that Memorial Day Weekend. She should have been here, with Rick, if she had not been so indecisive on accepting his invite. In the end she paid for her hesitation by having Gina replace her for that weekend. That had cut her deep, but she had no one to blame but herself. It seems her timing with Rick was always off, it had always been that way with Castle.
She wanted him back and was going the extra length to make it happen, but again missed the chance. Last summer it had been a similar event. She had decided to have that talk with Rick and broke what with Demming should that talk lead to a more intimate relationship. Then Gina showed up and again she missed her chance and failed to have the talk. Had Josh not happened, she would done the talk when he returned, but by then she and Josh were in a committed serious relationship. The union with Josh was a rebound for her part, but at the time she was not aware of it being so.
Kate tours the house on her own and is reminded of how wealthy Rick really is once again. He had never flaunted his wealth in front of her and the team. Although because of it, he was generous in treating them to all sorts of perks. Lunches he paid for, the coffee machine he bought for their kitchen, free tickets for the boys to sports events, and of course use of the Ferrari when they asked. Rick Castle was truly generous in sharing his wealth with his friends and that was another endearing quality of his.
Josh, however, never was liked by her team. He often forgot their names when discussing them with Kate, Josh often referred to Espo as the 'Hispanic' teammate, to Ryan as the 'Irishmen', to Rick as the 'writer guy', and to Lanie as her BFF. Josh was simply not that interested in knowing more about her office partners and friends. He also never got to know of Kate's thoughts about their union moving forward or her ideas on marriage.
Josh did not know about her little endearing items. Like how she wanted to have kids one day with the man she married. Or that deep down, Kate is a romantic. For Josh it had been nothing beyond the physical aspect of their union, which was great. Josh is very good in bed, but aside from that, the union lack emotional satisfaction. It seemed to be mostly physical with Josh. Yet another reason why Josh was simply not enough for her.
As Martha had guessed, Castle had left food in the refrigerator. Enough for lunch and dinner later, and for breakfast the next morning, and a packed treat for the return trip. That pretty much took care for the contents of the frig and allowed her to complete Martha's request that she empty it.
Kate enjoys the Hampton home. Rick's library here is as big if not bigger than the one at the loft. Many additional titles were here compared to the books at the loft. Rick however had some rare first editions here that were not at the loft. She also enjoyed the pool and jacuzzi. Having no swimming suit, she skinny dipped, confident of the privacy of the home and that no one was around to view her in the buff. All she could think about was how much Rick would have loved seeing her swimming au natural. Rick had joked her that time he invited her to the home last Memorial Day weekend that she could skinny dip in the pool. At the time she knew it was meant as a tease, but Kate had planned to take him up on it. She might do it in the future if ever invited here again, assuming of course she could get Rick back.
The day ended with her in a great mood despite missing Castle. She went to sleep anticipating her talk with Rick once she got back to the loft. Come the morning, Kate prepares breakfast and a snack for along the way back to NYC. She left Castle's Hampton Home with the eager anticipation that she would see him at his loft.