“Where are you from?” Ben asked.
“L.A.,” Katherine answered, with a hint of pride that could only be topped by a New Yorker.
“Oh, so you're used to year-round summer. Where's the fun in that?” Ben teased.
“You're joking, right?”
“Come on. Surely you're not trying to tell me you don't feel something is wrong with a hot Christmas?” he asked.
“You sir, have obviously never spent Christmas on the beach,” she reasoned.
It was a tradition for her family to spend the winter holidays at their Malibu beach house. On Christmas day, her mother would pack a cooler full of goodies, and she would play in the ocean from sun up to sun down. It never occurred to her that many children around the country were building snowmen, and the rest were wishing they were. Meanwhile, she was happily working on a sand castle.
“Is this the place?” Ben asked, as they arrived at Batter, a trendy restaurant on the corner.
“Yes! Talia said they make the best pancakes in the city,” Katherine recalled, walking through the door as Ben held it open for her. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure,” he answered.
“Hi! Welcome to Batter! Just the two of you today?” A heavy-set waitress with mahogany brown curly hair asked with a smile.
“Yes,” Ben answered.
“A booth or table?” she asked.
“Booth!” Katherine shot out before Ben could object.
“Right this way,” the waitress replied, then led them to a small booth right at the front window.
Katherine climbed in eagerly. It had been a long time since she was able to sit in a booth. Tim had always refused to dine at any restaurant with booths, calling them low class. Because she was raised with money, Katherine was never impressed by Tim’s wealth, though he would always claim it was the only reason she married him whenever he was upset with her.
“This looks good,” Ben said, snapping her back to reality.
“Let's see what they've got,” Katherine reached for her menu, deciding to push Tim out of her mind.
What she had been through, and was still going through, was awful. But it would be even worse to allow it to ruin the rest of her life. She wanted to move beyond her past, and the best way to do that was to enjoy the present.
“I think I'm going to get the blueberry pancakes,” Katherine said, after looking through the menu.
Batter was all about pancakes, crepes, and waffles, hence the name. They made strange creations like the ham and pineapple waffle, but Katherine wasn't ready to venture to the unknown just yet.
“I was thinking about banana waffles,” Ben looked over his menu menacingly and the two shared a giggle.
When the waitress returned, they each placed their orders. Blueberry pancakes, with eggs and bacon for Katherine, and a banana waffle with a white egg omelet for Ben. Katherine opted for English breakfast tea, while Ben decided on coffee. After jotting their choices on her notepad, the waitress left to place their orders and get their drinks.
“White egg omelet, huh? Are you trying to shame me for my bacon?” Katherine asked with a smile.
“Well, you were the one throwing the punches, so you earned the bacon. I, on the other hand, need to watch it.” Ben laughed as the waitress returned with two steaming hot mugs.
“Maybe next time I'll make up some combinations for you, and see how hard you can hit,” Katherine challenged, before blowing on her tea, hoping to cool it down.
“That would be a sight to see,” Ben laughed, think
ing of Katherine trying to coach him through a session.
Staring across the table, Katherine thought of his decision for the white egg omelet, claiming it was because he needed to watch his figure. In her opinion, there wasn’t anything Ben needed to change about himself. He was fit, and had served as her motivation during the workout.
It had been a long time since she looked at men with interest, having to focus on survival instead. Emotional connections were dangerous for someone on the run, so she avoided them at all cost to protect her safety and anonymity.