| Chapter Eight The next day was much the same for Howie. He and the guys worked on songs and practiced their moves for the tour. At lunch, he made reservations at a secluded restaurant and gave Kat a call, letting her know when to expect him. Just as the guys were packing up for the day, Mike from management breezed into the room and announced a last minute meeting. "I have plans tonight with a friend who's leaving tomorrow. Can't this wait until tomorrow afternoon?" Howie asked as he shoved his water bottle into a pocket on his bag. "Sorry Howie, it can't" Mike answered. "Then I'm going to need a few minutes to change my plans. Do you have any idea how long this is going to take?" "Shouldn't take more than an hour" Mike said as he turned on his heel and left the room. "I'll be back" Howie said as he dug his cell phone out of his backpack and headed for the hallway and some privacy. He prayed that Kat wouldn't be upset, that she'd understand as he listened to the phone ring. "Hello" Kat answered. "Hi Kat, it's Howie. I'm really sorry, but I'm going to be about another hour or so. They just sprang a last minute meeting on us and I can't get out of it" he said. "That's okay Howie. I understand" Kat answered. "I can change the reservations if you don't mind eating a late dinner" he offered. "I wouldn't mind at all. If they can't change them, don't worry about it. We'll find something to do" she said. "I'll let you know what's up before I leave." They said their goodbyes and Howie walked back into the rehearsal room. "Let's get this over with guys" he said as he bent to pick up his things. As they walked down the hall to the meeting room, AJ whispered, "Everything okay?" Howie nodded and explained, "Yeah. She understood. I changed the reservations and we're going to have a late dinner instead." AJ smiled at his friend and patted him on the back. "Told ya" he teased as he took his seat and the meeting began. ~~~***~~~ After receiving the call from Howie, Kat took a shower, fixed her hair and dressed. She wanted tonight to be special. This was the last time she'd see him for who knew how long and she wanted everything to be perfect. She studied her reflection and was amazed at the change she saw there. Her eyes sparkled in anticipation, the worry lines that usually framed her mouth were gone and she glowed. "Wow look at you!" Kelly said as she stopped just inside the bedroom door. "Do I look okay?" Kat asked as she ran her hand down the line of her black dress. "Honey, you look awesome" Kel said as she appraised her friends outfit. The dress was strapless, and it hugged her curves. Just then the doorbell rang and Kelly said, "I'll get it" as she turned and left. Kat made her way down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. Her breath was locked inside her chest, both from the way Howie was dressed and the look in his eyes. "Hi" she said shyly as he crossed the floor and stood before her. "You look amazing," he whispered before bending and kissing her softly. Without a word to Kel, Howie escorted Kat out to the car and seated her in the passenger seat before going around and getting in on his side. They arrived at the restuarant and were immediately seated in a private booth that was surrounded by potted plants and soft uplighting. The effect was complete with two tall cream candles in silver candlesticks in the middle of the table. Kat felt as if she and Howie really were secluded, just the two of them. The other diners seemed to fade away as they gazed into each other's eyes, their hands clasped on the table top. They spoke in low intimate tones about anything and everything. Their dinner arrived and they ate, all the while keeping the light conversation going. Their waiter appeared and removed their dishes and took their dessert order. A few minutes after the waiter left, a shadow fell across the table. Thinking their dessert had arrived they both sat back and looked up. A tall, red-headed woman stood before them. Her eyes were a greenish-gold, she was supermodel beautiful and her legs gave the illusion that they went on for miles. Assuming the woman was a fan, Kat turned her attention to Howie, only to realize that this woman was more than a fan. She was someone Howie knew. "Sasha. What are you doing here?" Howie asked, with a tense bite to his words. Sasha batted her long lashes and smiled at Howie, turning her back on Kat and totally ignoring her. "I saw you from across the room and I just had to come say hello" she purred. Blatant sexual invitation dripped from every word as she bent down to look Howie in the eye, her ample cleavage straining against her shirt. Howie averted his eyes and looked helplessly at Kat, as he moved away from Sasha. Not taking the hint, Sasha moved closer and touched Howie's arm, runnning her fingers up and down in a possesive gesture. Smirking, she looked over her shoulder at Kat and then turned back to Howie. "I'll call you later lover" she said in a whisper, but loud enough for Kat to hear. Sasha bent down to kiss Howie's lips, but he turned his head away and her lips landed on the corner of his mouth. She looked over at Kat and smiled triumphantly before she turned on her heel and left. Wild and crazy thoughts were circling through Kat's head and she was fighting tears of hurt and embarassement. The more the thoughts circled and the more the scenes of just moments before played in her mind, the angier she became. "I'm sorry about that" Howie said as he reached for Kat's hand. She pulled away, and willed herself not to cry as she asked, "Who is she?" Howie let out a huge sigh and answered, "She's my ex-girlfriend. We broke up almost six months ago and I swear this is the first time I've seen or heard from her since then." "It sure didn't seem like that to me" Kat said. "You don't believe me?" Howie asked, hurt filling his voice. "You tell me! She comes over here, totally ignores the fact that you're with someone else and she's practically all over you like you two still have something going on" Kat said in a low strained voice. "You're right....SHE did all that, but I didn't do a thing. I moved away from her, I kept my eyes on you the whole time, you know I did" he responded in rebutle. "Do you honestly think I'd be here with you, spent the whole weekend with you if there was someone else in my life?" he asked. His words penetrated Kat's anger and her shoulders slumped in shame. "I'm sorry Howie. I was angry and I took it out on you. Please forgive me" she whispered. He reached for her hand and this time she didn't pull away. "All is forgiven. Now lets forget about all this unpleasentness and enjoy our night out" he said as he gently squeezed her hand. Kat lifted her head and smiled gently at Howie. He was right, she wasn't going to let that woman ruin her last night with Howie. They lingered over coffee and dessert as they talked about his schedule over the next few months. When they got up to leave, Howie caught sight of Sasha and before he could turn his head she smiled coyly at him and blew him a kiss. He looked to see if Kat had seen and was thankful that she hadn't. He didn't know what Sasha was up to, but he'd bet his last dollar it was no good. Reunion Index Next Chapter Main Page |