Kate's Forever (Thistle Do Flowers Book 1) Read online

  Kate’s Forever

  Christina Butrum

  Contents

  Also By Christina Butrum

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Also By Christina Butrum

  FAIRSHORE SERIES

  Second Chances

  Unexpected Chances

  Fair Chances

  CEDAR VALLEY SERIES

  All She Ever Wanted

  No Place Like Home – Love in Seattle

  Acknowledgments

  Where it all starts... my readers—my support and encouragement. Without you, I’d be lost.

  Beta readers—your feedback rocks and I thank you for taking the time to provide it!

  Amanda Walker, aka Queen of Covers, you are amazing! If not for your covers, my books would be naked. Plus, do you know how many story ideas have been influenced by your available covers?!

  To my editor, Janet at DragonFly Editing—you’re the best! You fix all of my errors and provide an improved copy for my readers. I couldn’t ask for anyone better!

  Bloggers and fellow authors—you all are the best! Every day I wake up knowing that I have the best of the best in my corner.

  I love you guys!

  Long story short, I have so many thanks to give because I have all of you who make my dream come true each and every day, with each and every book I write.

  XOXO – Christina

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior, written permission of the publisher. The only exceptions are brief quotations in printed reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Kate’s Forever

  Copyright © 2017 Christina Butrum

  All Rights Reserved.

  Edited By: Dragonfly Editing

  Formatted By: Lyssa Cole Books

  Cover By: Amanda Walker PA & Design Services

  To my readers. Because of you Kate has a forever.

  ❤

  She would have never imagined herself falling for the whimsical ways of her best friend’s competition, but as she had figured out on Valentine’s Day, Jordan Hughes was far from the ordinary. He was sweet, charming, and helpful—so helpful that he had saved her from crisis mode when the flowers at Thistle Do had decided to opt out on Valentine’s Day.

  “So...” Jessica interrupted Kate’s thoughts. “You’re actually falling for him, aren’t you?”

  The thought gave Kate butterflies along with anxiety. Falling in love again had not been an option... until she had met Jordan. He was everything her ex-husband hadn’t been, and she couldn’t imagine him breaking her heart like her pitiful ex had on numerous occasions in the few short years they had been together.

  “That a yes?” Jessica asked, rolling her eyes as she continued dusting the shelves. Before Kate could plead her case, Jessica said, “I know it was probably a bit harsh for me to tell you to stay away from him.”

  Kate’s raised eyebrow distracted her from what she was saying. “What? At least I’m admitting that I may have been wrong about the guy.”

  Again, Kate raised an eyebrow. During the entire time she had known Jessica, she had never heard her admit to being wrong. The woman was right ninety-nine percent of the time. For her to claim that she had been wrong... that had taken some effort. Kate laughed as she handed her friend the vase full of fresh flowers. “There’s a first for everything, isn’t there?”

  Grabbing the vase from Kate, she set it in the display case, alongside the other arrangements of flowers—healthy, undying flowers. “Then you should spend more time around me and Brad. I admit to being wrong ninety percent of the time when it comes to that brainiac.”

  The story of how Jessica met Brad had stuck in Kate’s memory since the day she had met the couple. Brad was a goofball, but his brain was fully loaded with useless information that only a select few would ever care to know. Jessica and Brad had proved that opposites certainly do attract.

  “Have you thought about a second date?” Jessica asked, reaching for another vase from the table near the display case. “Because I’ve been thinking...”

  “You, thinking... that’s never good,” Kate said, laughing as she rearranged the plants on the shelf near the bay window. “I’m not sure I really want to know.”

  Chuckling, Jessica stood up and walked to the counter. Kate followed a few steps behind. She watched as a newspaper was lifted from behind the counter. She hadn’t had time to read this week’s release.

  Stepping closer to the front of the counter to get a better look at what she was being shown, Kate realized that it was an article about the town’s couples event, which took place every year after Valentine’s Day. Big, bold, block letters outlined the title I’ll Still Love You after Valentine’s Day.

  Shaking her head, with a smile she stepped away from the counter. The butterflies that had settled were now fluttering about, madly obsessed with making her heart race as she waited for Jessica to announce what she had been thinking.

  Shrugging, Jessica folded the paper in half and read a section of the article aloud, “Couples who want to celebrate their love long after Valentine’s Day are encouraged to submit their photo for the contest.”

  Biting her lip, Kate held back a giddy smile. She and Jordan were not a couple, as much as Jessica had emphasized that word, and there was no way Kate was going to enter that contest.

  “The deadline is near the end of next month,” Jessica said, winking at Kate, who was now occupying herself as she pretended not to hear what was being said. “Says here that the winning couple will win a free trip to their favorite get-away. All expenses paid.”

  Though it had caught her attention, she couldn’t let Jessica see, so she continued tidying the shelves and knick-knacks that lined them. “Maybe you and Brad should enter.”

  Taking a drink from her bottle of Pepsi, Jessica said, “No, because you’re going to enter.”

  Shattering glass ricocheted as it landed on the hardwood floor. Kate’s hands had fumbled the glass candle and her butterfingers had failed her. There was no way talking about this contest, or Jordan for that matter, was doing her any good. “I’m sorry, Jess.”

  Carrying a broom and dustpan over to the front of the shop, Jessica leaned over with the broom and with one quick motion, had the glistening broken pieces picked up and tossed in the garbage. “No worries, it happens quite a bit.”

  As if the conversation had never been interrupted, she picked up where it had left off. Except this time, she was taking it a step further. Further in the direction Kate had no interest in knowing just yet. “Jordan has a history, too, you know?”

  Kate shook her head innocently. She barely knew the guy. Sure, they had gone on a date
, which had turned out stunning and wonderful, along with any other adjective someone would want to use to describe their night together, but that was it. They were both left thinking something could continue, but she wasn’t quite sure about rushing into it.

  “We’ve only had one date,” Kate reiterated. “We have barely talked since that night, and I’m too busy for something more at the moment.”

  Jessica rolled her eyes, clicked the dustpan onto the broom handle and shoved it away in a nearby closet. “No, you’re not too busy, Kate,” she said, giving her a stern look as she crossed her arms. “You’re just scared of getting hurt again.”

  Before Kate could dispute the fact that she really wasn’t scared, that she really did have a good reason to not have enough time—what with work and...

  “You’re only as busy as you make yourself be,” Jessica said, not giving Kate a chance to reason with her. “If you care about him, as much as I know you do, then you will find a way to make things work.”

  She walked to the door as Kate stood next to the counter, leaning on it for support as her friend flipped the open sign to closed. “You never know, he might just be your forever.”

  Grabbing a quick bite to eat had made her run a few minutes behind. Clinging tightly to her purse after tossing her keys in it, she sprinted towards the front office of the Le Claire Elementary School.

  Of all days to stop at the corner café to grab breakfast, she had chosen the busiest day of the week. Everyone and their dog seemed to enjoy the café on Tuesdays; when the owner shared his famously loved and highly prized bagels—homemade to perfection, as some have stated.

  Snarled strands of hair clung tightly to her face as she peeled it away from her eyes and out of her mouth on her way through the door. She had just enough time to check into the office to grab the materials the teacher had insisted she pick up for her in the mornings.

  The heavy steel door slammed behind her, nearly catching her ankle in its steel jammed grip. Kate adjusted the strap of her purse over her shoulder and did her best to straighten the out of control mop on top of her head. She didn’t have time to make a pit stop in the bathroom before someone walked out into the hallway and caught her attention. Perfect.

  “Hey, Kate,” the new teacher, she couldn’t remember his name, called out as she passed by his room. He stood in the doorway to his room every morning, ready to greet the kids as they noisily entered the building. Rumor had it that he wasn’t only waiting on the kids, but for Kate. He had taken a liking to Kate on his first day, when she had offered to show him around.

  “Good morning,” she called over her shoulder as she pushed her weight into the heavy oak door leading into the front office.

  Three secretaries greeted her from their desks with their smiles and friendly waves as she rushed past them. She had less than five minutes to collect papers and make it to her room before Mrs. Evans raised concern.

  Scrambling through her folder in the back room, she shifted papers into her free arm while she struggled to stack the unneeded materials back into the slim plastic bin that sat adjacent to her on the corner of a wooden table.

  Startled by the shrill ringing of the morning bell—the final indication that she was late—papers scattered in every direction as they fell from her overprotective hold. Watching the sight around her in horror, as more than fifty papers glided into makeshift piles, she could feel the pressure of this horrible day as it pressed against her shoulders, weighing her down by every passing minute.

  “Here, let me help you with those,” a man’s voice called out behind her, causing her to shift her squatting position to face him. To her amusement, it was the person she had tried to avoid. He was already on his knees sifting through the papers, trying his damnedest to put them back in order. “It must be your unlucky day,” he said with a light chuckle—one she couldn’t help but react to with an embarrassed smile.

  “It hasn’t been a good start, that’s for sure,” she said, straightening papers before stacking them in the pile on a table next to her. “Thanks for helping.”

  The slight shrug he gave, followed by a smile, was something she had seen before; except it wasn’t from him she had seen it. Jordan had given her the same shrug many times, followed by his perfect smile, which melted more than just her heart.

  “What can I say,” he explained, “You helped me on my first day, so it’s kind of like I owe you one.”

  Startled once again by the ringing of the second bell—the tardy bell, like she really needed the reminder—she picked up the stack of papers that there was no time to sort, and before leaving him standing in the room by himself, she smiled. “Thanks, again.”

  “I’d say we’re even now,” he called out after her.

  Needing to get to the classroom, she hugged the papers close to her chest as she jogged to the classroom. She could only imagine how untidy she looked, especially now, after mixing sweat in with the soft brown tangled locks of hair that had once been curled.

  Within a minute, she entered the classroom. Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly before she turned the handle to open the door.

  “Miss Kate!” the children sang out as they rushed to the door, ignoring their teacher’s instruction to stay seated for today’s lesson.

  Walking into the crowd of students, she attempted to give Mrs. Evans a look begging forgiveness, but she must have been too upset, because she stalked toward Kate and with an outstretched hand, grabbed the stack of papers from Kate’s arms. “We have a policy for tardiness,” she scorned. “And not just for the students.”

  “I’m sor...”

  A small, pale hand was held up to stop her mid-sentence. “Save it. I have had a heck of a morning already and I do not want to hear excuses.”

  Defeated, Kate hung her purse on a nearby hook by the small desk she called her own. She had never, in her entire career at Le Clair Elementary, been on the receiving end of such an encounter. She had always been on time, ahead of the clock even, and well-prepared for the day to begin before Mrs. Evans made her appearance in the classroom.

  Sitting quietly, she caught a few sympathetic stares from some of her favorite students. Kids were so innocent and never picked sides, but they sure knew when something wasn’t right. She should’ve known too, but she didn’t.

  “Kate,” Mrs. Evans called out, motioning for Kate to follow her. “Can I have a word with you in the hallway, please?”

  Standing from her seat, Kate ran a nervous hand through her hair and straightened her shirt the best she could. As the kids whispered uh-ohs among themselves, she followed Mrs. Evans into the hallway.

  Allowing the door to close behind them, she stepped to the side, out of the view of the students. They didn’t need to witness this interaction, regardless of what would happen.

  “I know you’re preoccupied with Jordan Hughes,” she said, starting the lecture off on a touchy subject. Kate raised an eyebrow, but before she could respond to the accusation, which made no sense for today’s mess, she was faced with another pale hand in her face to stop any reaction. As if reading Kate’s thoughts, Mrs. Evans said, “It’s not just about today, Kate. I’ve noticed how distracted you’ve been since you filled in at Thistle Do a few weeks back.”

  In disagreement, Kate wanted to voice her opinion. How unfair it was to hold her emotions or her personal life against her, especially since the day was turning out to be one huge flop. How was it fair that Mrs. Evans throw Jordan in her face—like it was any of her business to begin with.

  “I know it isn’t any of my business,” Mrs. Evans said. “But when it becomes a distraction for my teaching, it becomes my business.”

  Kate tried hard to hide how upset this was making her, but she knew she wasn’t hiding it well, with her heated cheeks and narrowed eyes.

  “Kate, I really wanted this to work out,” the teacher said, as if Kate was one of her students. “You’re good at what you do, but I’m afraid I can’t have you assisting me when you’re not c
ompletely present.”

  Sure, in the time she had filled in for Jessica at Thistle Do, she had been distracted—not only by Jordan, but those danged flowers had occupied all of her time. But she had to disagree with Mrs. Evans when it came to the last couple of weeks. She had found herself thinking less and less of Jordan as she focused more on making something better with her career. She wanted to move up in the ranks and become a teacher herself, she could focus on her relationships later.

  “I’ve already talked to Mr. Richards and he has requested to talk with you once we’re done here.”

  Done here, like it was easy to just walk away, like she hadn’t put extra effort to make it work during the last year of being here—to make it just right here in Le Claire. Nodding acknowledgement to seeing Mr. Richards, Kate couldn’t help but feel her world crumble. The kids she had grown to love over the last year were no longer her kids. She wouldn’t see them day to day, or know how their weekend away from school had gone. She wouldn’t be able to watch them grow physically or mentally, as they were challenged during class time and engaged in their daily homework, which she graded.

  Taking a step toward the door, in an attempt to say one last goodbye, Kate stopped when Mrs. Evans said, “I think it’s best that you don’t say anything to them. Let me tell them.”

  The irritation Kate felt deep down inside gnawed at her nerves as she bit her tongue instead of saying what she truly wanted to say. Being the respectful, well-loved Kate had its downfalls—especially in moments like this when all she really wanted was to give this witch a piece of her mind.