Free Worth the Drive by Mara Jacobs Page B

many clients I had to drink under the table to prove my  worth. Thank God I’m a Yooper girl.”
    Lizzie put the lid down on the toilet and sat down so she could face Katie as she put the finishing touches on her makeup. “Kat, I need to tell you something.” She waited until Katie sensed the seriousness in her voice, and put down her mascara tube to turn to Lizzie.
    “I’m pregnant.” Lizzie said, watching Katie’s face for emotion.
    Katie covered the flash of envy and hurt quickly. “Oh, Lizard, that’s wonderful. You are happy about it, right? I didn’t even know you guys were trying. How far along are you?” The questions tumbled out, and to get a hold of herself, she turned away from her best friend and once again began applying makeup. Her hand shook as she brought the mascara wand to her face and she steadied her other hand on the sink.
    “I’m ecstatic about it. We started trying the minute we set a wedding date , knowing it was goi n g to be a very short engagement, and I’m no spring chicken . I’m just over three months, so we think it’s safe to start telling people.” Lizzie got up from the seat and stepped behind Katie, wrapping her arms around Katie’s waist, making her meet her eyes in the mirror. “ Finn knows, of course, and the kids, but we haven’t told anyone else. I wanted to tell you first, KitKat, an d yet, I didn’t want to have to tell you at all . Does that make sense?”
    Katie put the makeup down and leaned back into her friend’s embrace, allowing the hurt to now show on her face. She tried her best to answer Lizzie, trying to keep the tremble she felt out of her voice. “I understand, Lizard. And you do know that I really am happy for you, don’t you? And Finn too, of course.” Lizzie nodded and touched her head to Katie’s. Their hair melded into a strange zebra pattern, Katie’s so white and Lizzie’s so black. “It’s just….” Katie sighed.
    “I know, KitKat, I know,” Lizzie whispered.
    They stood that way for a minute before Lizzie said, “I have to get going. Are you going to be okay?”
    Katie stepped out of the warm embrace and pushed her friend to the bathroom door. “Of course I’ll be okay. You go out there and sign that client, Little Mama.”
    Lizzie gave Katie one last, questioning glance. Katie gave a bright, reassuring smile and waved her friend off. She heard the hotel room door click shut.
    The hurt came in waves, suffocating her. Lizzie would be a great mother, but she’d never cared about kids before getting together with Finn . Katie, on the other hand, had wanted children for forever it seemed. She slowly turned to the mirror, preparing to do her makeup all over again, as she watched the tears begin to roll down her face.
     
    The restaurant Darío took her to was a far cry from the Armadillo. It was just as small, and off the beaten track of downtown Irving, but it was full of warmth and charm. And Spanish cooking, as Katie found out when she barely recognized a word on the menu.
    “You don’t care for Spanish food? We could go someplace else?” Darío asked.
    “No, I love Mexican, I’m just not familiar with too much on the menu,” Katie said.
    Darío smiled, “That is because it is Spanish, not Mexican.”
    Katie thought of okra and grits, neither of which she’d ever tasted, and the pasties she was so used to in the U.P. “Point taken,” she said. “Why don’t you order for me? I like spicy, but not too spicy. I love beef, but not pork. And I prefer rice to beans.” Darío nodded, perused the menu for a moment and gave their order to the waitress when she arrived.
    They talked of the day’s play. Besides Darío ’s great round, Chad made the cut in his first tournament as a pro – no small feat . Neither one of them expressed any regret in seeing Barclay head home, missing the cut by four shots.
    Over a wonderful dinner that Katie readily admitted was one of the best she’d ever had, the conversation flowed