White-Hot Hack (Kate and Ian #2)(57)

“Katie’s last boyfriend died. I feel like I should tell you in case there’s a curse or something.”

He stifled his laugh behind his fist. “Thanks for letting me know, but I’m not worried.”

“Before the one who died, Katie lived in sin with Stuart. I don’t know what happened to him. He seemed like a very nice boy, but he was awfully beige. Do you know what I mean by that?”

“I do, Doris.” He leaned against the bar, thoroughly entertained.

“You, on the other hand, seem very colorful. Like a peacock. Bet it drives Stevie crazy.”

He outright laughed then. “You… really have no idea.”

“Don’t string Katie along. She’s not getting any younger.”

“She’s only thirty. Women are getting married later in life now.”

She made a face and waved her hand at him as if to say what do you know? “I was seventeen when I got married. My husband Tony, God rest his soul, was barely eighteen. How old are you?”

“Thirty-three.”

“Have you ever been married?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“Why, what’s wrong with you?”

“Haven’t found the right girl, I guess.”

“Stop being so picky. Katie would make a fine wife. If you expect me to come to your wedding, you better hurry up. I’m not gonna live forever.”

The DJ announced that Kristin was ready to throw the bouquet. “All you single ladies, please make your way to the dance floor. If you’re not married, we need you out here right away.” Someone pulled Kate onto the dance floor. From her pinched expression, Ian guessed she was not as excited about the bouquet toss as some of the other wedding guests, who were angling for a prime spot in the middle.

“Everyone get out of the way and let Katie catch it! She needs all the help she can get,” Doris yelled.

Kristin threw the bouquet, but Kate ignored it, her feet remaining planted on the floor as it sailed through the air. A young woman almost took out three others as she swooped in, caught it, and held it over her head triumphantly.

Doris shook her head and sighed. “It’s like she’s not even trying.”

Kate exited the dance floor and made a beeline for Ian. He caught the bartender’s attention and motioned for a glass of wine, which he handed to Kate the second she reached him. She took a giant gulp and then bent down to hug her aunt. “Hi, Aunt Doris. It’s so nice to see you.”

“I like your fella. I’m trying to convince him to marry you, but if you keep giving the milk away for free, it makes things a lot harder.”

“Well, that’s… something to keep in mind,” Kate said.

“I have to go to the ladies’ room. That whiskey sour went straight through me and my bladder control is very iffy.”

They watched her stride off with more speed than Ian would have thought possible.

“I’m sorry. She has no filter left,” Kate said.

“No, she does not. But I like her a lot.”

“When I’m ninety, I’m going to start saying whatever I want. I bet it’s very liberating.”

“Why wait until you’re ninety? I’ve been saying whatever I want for years.”

“You certainly have.”

“Did you know your dad’s telling everyone I’m a plumber?”

Kate burst out laughing. “He is?” She composed herself quickly, and her tone was decidedly more somber when she said, “I mean, you have made introductions rather tricky.”

“I’m sorry about that, sweetness. I wish you could tell everyone how happy we are.”

“That’s okay. We know, and that’s all that matters.” The DJ started playing a slow song. “Do you think Will the plumber could take Katie the old maid for a spin on the dance floor?”

“He’d love to. And I want you to know that I would marry the crap out of you if I wasn’t already married to you.”

“You say the sweetest things. But just so we’re clear, when Chad throws the garter, you’re going to be out on that dance floor with all the other single men.”

Not only was he on the dance floor, he caught the garter.



The next morning, Chad and Kristin managed to board their flight and leave for their honeymoon ahead of the big winter storm that had picked up a giant head of steam overnight as it bore down on the Midwest. Steve Watts had been looking forward to putting all the wedding festivities behind him and settling in with six solid hours of football on New Year’s Day, but the snow continued to fall, and by late that afternoon, Zionsville had received nine inches. The Wattses’ satellite dish was completely buried and unable to receive a signal. Steve was not the kind of fan who enjoyed watching bowl games in a sports bar; he wanted to watch them in his own living room with a beer and a bowl of snacks close at hand.

“I can climb up on the roof and brush off the snow,” Ian said.

“No,” Kate and Diane said simultaneously. Kate was lying on the couch with her feet in Ian’s lap, reading a book. “This is why women live longer. We have no desire to climb up on roofs.”

“You can stream most games to the TV from a computer,” Ian said. “It doesn’t require hacking. It’s not even illegal.”