Compass Read online

  Her blue eyes skim my face. “What’s going on?”

  I bring my hand to my lips and shake my head.

  Tilly’s gaze darts to the waiting room. “I have to help Dr. Hunt. He’s going to clip that poodle’s nails. After that, I’m off the clock. Are we talking cheeseburger or martini?”

  It’s our sliding scale when something is wrong in my world.

  Tilly’s life has settled since she found her prince charming in the form of a black-haired police sergeant named Sebastian Wolf.

  If Tilly isn’t with her husband, she’s working here as a vet assistant or hanging out with me.

  “Both,” I spit out as I look down at the silver watch on my wrist. “Should I sit in the waiting room until you’re done?”

  “No.” A man’s voice from the left startles me. “You should drag Matilda out of here now. I owe her a few minutes since she stayed late last night.”

  Dr. Donovan Hunt tosses me a mega-watt smile.

  He’s Tilly’s boss and clearly the type of all the women who flock here to have him check out their cats, dogs, and whatever other creatures he can cure with his magic touch.

  Tilly wanted to set me up with him once until I pointed out the obvious to her.

  I don’t want her working with a potential ex of mine.

  I like my friendship with Tilly just as it is and that’s drama free.

  “I can leave?” Tilly asks as she rounds the reception desk with her bag slung over her shoulder. “You’ll handle Finn on your own?”

  The poodle barks at the mention of his name.

  “Kate looks like she needs a friend to lean on.” Donovan nods at me. “I have a sister, so I know how it works.”

  I ignore what I think might have been a subtle insult about the way I look.

  I glanced in the mirror in my office before I walked the two blocks over here. I know all the color has drained from my face.

  That happens when the man you once loved strolls back into your life five years after he trampled all over your heart.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Hunt.” Tilly tosses him a wave over her shoulder.

  “Take good care of Kate,” he offers with a friendly grin.

  I manage a small smile back as Tilly grabs my hand and steers me out of the clinic.

  ***

  An hour later, we’re on the sofa in my apartment. Tilly traded her blue scrubs for a pair of my sweatpants and a red T-shirt. I’m dressed in black yoga shorts and a yellow tank top.

  We’re both looking down at our plates on the coffee table and the scraps of what used to be two cheeseburgers and a shared order of fries.

  We splurged on delivery because we saved money by not going to a bar to order martinis.

  Tilly sips on the glass of water in her hand as she glances at me. “Sebastian is having dinner with his brothers, so I can hang out all night. You don’t have to tell me what’s going on, Kate, but I’m here for you.”

  Since Tilly and I met, she’s been one of the most supportive friends I have.

  I include my friend, Olivia Donato, in that category too. Her time right now is spent doting on her four-month-old daughter, Arleth.

  “Someone came into the boutique today.” I tread lightly to give my heart time to ready for the words I have to say aloud.

  “More than one someone I hope.” Tilly smiles, twirling a strand of her long brown hair around her finger. “You can’t keep the doors open with one customer a day.”

  I know she’s trying to lighten the mood because my sullen silence through dinner wasn’t normal. Usually, I can’t shut up about what’s going on at work.

  “Who was it?” Her hand reaches for mine.

  I glance down at the simple silver band on her ring finger. Tilly and Sebastian eloped in Mexico. When they first told me, I had to hide the disappointment on my face. I wanted to help Tilly choose a perfect gown and plan the wedding of her dreams.

  Once she described their intimate beach wedding to me, I understood everything.

  They followed their hearts and it took them to that spot as the ocean water kissed their bare feet and they exchanged vows.

  Maybe if Gage and I hadn’t planned a celebration to please three hundred other people things would have been different. Maybe they would have turned out exactly as they did.

  Questioning the past is a fool’s pursuit.

  That’s another gem courtesy of my mom.

  “Tell me who was at the boutique, Kate.” Tilly leans closer to me, a soft smile on her lips.

  I say his name, trying to keep my voice from trembling. “Gage.”

  Her brow furrows as she processes what I just said. “Gage? Your Gage?”

  He hasn’t been my Gage in forever and after he left, I questioned if he ever was.

  My silence spurs Tilly on. “Are you saying you saw Gage Burke today? He was at Katie Rose? He was at your boutique?”

  I nod slowly. “He was there. In the flesh.”

  “Fuck.” The word leaves her lips slowly. “This is huge. I want every detail.”

  Chapter 5

  Kate

  “You sold the Chanel?” Tilly’s eyebrows jump up. “Why are we not drinking champagne tonight and feasting on escargot?”

  “Ew.” I scrunch my nose at the mention of snails.

  I probably shouldn’t have opened my story with the sale of the Chanel gown, but I was trying to ease myself into talking about Gage.

  “None of that matters,” Tilly goes on with a shake of her head. “Where does Gage fit into this?”

  “He’s the best man in that wedding.” I almost laugh at the irony of my words.

  Gage would always tell me he was the best man; for me, for the job of pediatrician, for the task of cooking me his infamous baked shrimp scampi every Sunday night.

  “Is this wedding taking place in Manhattan?” Tilly asks with a tilt of her head.

  I didn’t bother asking the question.

  After Myles gave me a way out of the appointment, I found Natalie on her way into Corly’s change room with the A-line dress in hand. I grabbed it from her, giving her a weak explanation about needing her to take over with Annalise. She told me she’d do it.

  I know she could see the emotion swimming in my eyes. The brief hug she gave me said more than any words she could have offered.

  She went to the showroom, secured the sale of the Chanel gown and left the boutique at the end of the day with a huge smile and a big paycheck coming her way.

  “Is he living in New York?” Tilly’s eyes widen. “Is that possible?”

  After seeing Gage’s face today, I’d say anything is possible. “I don’t know.”

  She reaches for her phone. She dropped it on the coffee table after calling her husband to tell him she’d be late getting home tonight. “When’s the last time you searched for Gage online?”

  I shrug my shoulders. “It’s been years.”

  She tosses me a skeptical glance. “Years, Kate?”

  “Years, Tilly,” I answer honestly.

  Gage may have owned every one of my thoughts after he left, but when I deleted his voicemail, I swore to myself I’d leave my pain back in Los Angeles.

  It’s been hard, but I’ve resisted the urge to seek out any information about him since that day. It’s not because my curiosity has taken a hike. It’s because I’m fearful that I’ll stumble on a social media profile belonging to him that features a picture of him with another woman.

  My heart is strong, but there’s a limit to what it can bear.

  “He’s a doctor, I think.” I hold up a hand to ward off the question I know is about to leave Tilly’s lips. “I didn’t find that online. He was dressed in an expensive suit today. Gage never wore suits and his dream was to be a pediatrician, so I’m connecting the dots.”

  She glances up from her phone. “Those dots don’t connect, Kate.”

  I scratch the back of my hand, anxiety nipping at me. “What do you mean?”

  “Gage Burke o
wns a bar in Greenwich Village.” There’s a pause before she continues, “The Tin Anchor. That’s the name of his bar.”

  I stare at her, replaying every word she just said in my mind.

  Gage owns a bar in New York City?

  This was supposed to be my safe place.

  I came here after my mom’s best friend offered me a job working in her bridal salon. It didn’t fit with my business degree, but I didn’t care. I craved a fresh start and a job clear across the country was just what I needed.

  My family thought I was torturing myself. They couldn’t understand why I chose to sell bridal gowns to pay my bills since I never had a chance to wear the one I picked out for myself.

  Watching the dreams of other women come true was exactly what I needed at the time. I was forced to push my sorrow aside since all of my focus had to be on helping someone else find the perfect dress for the day they would say their forever vows.

  “We should take a trip to Greenwich Village.” Tilly raises a fist in the air. “We’ll give him a piece of our minds.”

  “No.” I drag myself to my feet, picking up the empty plates as I do. “I’m not going anywhere near Tin Anchor.”

  “Can I?” She wiggles her brows. “I have a few choice words for that man.”

  Everything Tilly knows about Gage came straight out of my mouth in a moment of despair. I’ve only ever talked about him when I’ve felt the weight of my broken heart was too much for me to carry.

  It’s been months since I’ve mentioned him to her or Olivia and just as long since I deleted the last picture I had of him on my phone. It was our engagement photo and when I showed it to Tilly soon after we met, I could see pity in her eyes.

  “Don’t waste your time.” I start toward my kitchen. “The past has no place in the present.”

  “Let me guess.” Tilly jumps to her feet to follow me. “Your mom said that to you.”

  “I came up with that jewel myself.”

  “Here’s a jewel of my own.” Tilly steps in place next to me at my sink. “Your past is part of your present and he knows where you work.”

  I turn to look at her. “You think Gage is going to come back to the boutique?”

  “I guarantee it.” She rinses her plate under the tap water. “Tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” I take the plate from her and put it in the dishwasher.

  “Mark my words.” She leans her hip against the counter. “Today he realized what he lost. He’ll do everything he can to find your heart again.”

  I look down at my chest. “My heart is smarter than that.”

  “Your head is.” She taps my forehead with her finger. “Hearts are another matter and from what you’ve told me, Gage Burke still owns a piece of yours.”

  “He doesn’t.” I laugh off her words.

  “You can lie to me if you want, Kate.” She smiles. “You can’t lie to your heart.”

  She’s right.

  Gage still owns a piece of my heart, but the time has come for me to take it back, once and for all.

  Chapter 6

  Gage

  I rest one foot on the bench and stare out over the East River.

  This is the reward for my daily pre-dawn pilgrimage since I moved to Manhattan.

  The sunrise from this spot is fucking amazing even when low fog blankets the city as it is now.

  Some days, I make the trek on foot, like I did today. Other mornings, I bike here to enjoy the peace that this spot offers before the city wakes and grinds up to full speed.

  New York City is as far from the serenity of open water as a man can get, but I’m learning its charm is unique.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

  I turn at the sound of a familiar voice behind me.

  “Gus,” I flash him a smile. “You made it today.”

  Gray-haired Gus was sitting on this bench the first day I wandered down here. He didn’t offer a last name. I didn’t ask.

  All I know about him is that he’s a native New Yorker with a tarnished band on his ring finger and a thousand stories about the woman he loved.

  “Lois favored days like this.” He waves his wooden cane in the air. “Fog is for the fearless she’d tell me.”

  Lois, his late wife, was fearless, just as Katie is.

  I tossed and turned the night away thinking about her.

  I checked out the website for her boutique, Katie Rose Bridal, as soon as I got home last night.

  It opens at ten a.m., and I plan to be at the door at nine fifty-five.

  “Where’s your mind today, Gage?” Gus lowers himself to the bench.

  I shift my stance, dropping my hands to my hips. “On a shower.”

  He laughs, taking in the running shorts I’m wearing and the sweat pouring down my forehead.

  “Lois ran a half marathon once. Did I ever tell you that?”

  Twice, but I’ll listen again if he’s in the mood.

  “She placed second.” He waves two fingers in the air; both are curled from the wear of arthritis on his joints. “I was waiting at the finish line with a dozen red roses.”

  Then he dropped to one knee and slid a diamond on her finger.

  He doesn’t finish the story. A helicopter overhead catches his attention.

  “I’m taking off.” I reach forward to pat his shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “God willing you will.” He laughs. “Make today count, Gage.”

  I plan on it.

  ***

  Sticking to the plan will only take you so far. For me, that’s the showroom floor at Katie Rose Bridal.

  “Is she here?” I ask the question for a second time. “Has Katie come to work yet?”

  “As I told you already, Kate is unavailable at the moment,” Natalie says to me.

  I thought she’d grant me some insight into when I can talk to Katie since we spent a large part of our afternoon together yesterday.

  She helped Annalise into a gown and for the next hour I sat on a bench listening to the maid-of-honor and the bridesmaids tell her that the dress was made for her.

  Natalie tossed me a sympathetic look after the first thirty minutes. Today, I’m getting nothing from her but a brick wall being thrown in my way.

  “I’m an old friend of Katie’s.” I shove a hand into the pocket of my jeans to slide out my phone. “I’ve got a great photo of her when she was in college.”

  Her eyes drop to my phone as I scroll through the album that holds more pictures of Katie than I can count.

  Natalie’s hand lands on mine to stop me. “She called this morning and said she’d be late. I have no idea if or when she’ll show up, Gage.”

  I exhale. “I’ll drop back in this afternoon.”

  “Good idea.” She looks past me when the door to the boutique opens. “That’s my first appointment of the day.”

  I glance over my shoulder at a petite blonde woman holding a bridal magazine.

  If owning a store like this was Katie’s dream, she kept it hidden from me.

  The woman I fell in love with aspired to take over her dad’s company. She wanted to see her name on the door of the CEO’s office at Wesley Pharmaceuticals in Los Angeles.

  I look back at Natalie. “How long has Katie owned this place?”

  “I’m not sure.” She shrugs a shoulder. “She hired me a little over a year ago. If you’ll excuse me, I really do need to get to my bride-to-be.”

  “Don’t let me keep you.” I glance down at my watch. “When you see Katie, tell her I’ll be back.”

  “I’ll do that,” she says cheerfully.

  I take my leave and step out onto the sidewalk outside the boutique. I have no idea if Katie is avoiding me, but sooner or later I’m going to come face-to-face with her. If I have my way it will be this afternoon.

  Chapter 7

  Kate

  “One down and thousands left to go, Kate or should I say Katie?” Natalie asks as she walks into my office.

  “Kate.” I sigh.
“One down and thousands of what left to go?”

  “Days.” She taps her watch. “You successfully avoided your old flame for today. What’s the approach we’re taking tomorrow? Are you going to be busy washing your hair? Or did your dog eat all the invoices?”

  “I don’t own a dog,” I point out with a smile. “I thought dogs were partial to homework. That’s what I remember from middle school.”

  “They’ll eat anything as long as it keeps their owners occupied.” She narrows her eyes. “You can borrow my dog.”

  “I’m good.” I close the appointment calendar on my computer. “I don’t think he’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “He’ll be back.”

  I rub a hand over my forehead. “Did he tell you that?”

  “He didn’t have to.” She shakes her head. “He’s anxious to talk to you. I have no idea what went down between you two, but I know from experience sometimes it’s best to put the past to rest by having one last conversation with an ex.”

  I’ve never talked to Natalie about Gage. Our relationship borders on friendship, but we’re not close.

  “Sometimes, it’s best to avoid the ex,” I counter. “He’ll give up eventually.”

  Just like he did five years ago.

  I don’t say those words even though they’re playing on the tip of my tongue.

  “You can’t hide back here forever, Kate.”

  She’s right.

  When I finally came in at noon, I ducked into my office to take care of a few calls. Natalie followed on my heel to tell me that Gage was waiting at the door when the boutique opened. He promised her he’d be back after lunch.

  By the time he arrived just before two o’clock, I was knee deep in a delivery problem and told Natalie to show him the door.

  He left forty-five minutes later.

  I pulled up the security camera on my computer and watched him stroll out of the boutique.

  The video was grainy, but I could tell that he showed up here in a pair of jeans and a white V-neck sweater. He was dressed the same way on the day we met eight years ago.