Breakaway - A Contemporary Romance Drama Story Read Free Page A

cooking, what did you make for dinner?"
     
    "Roast, carrots and mashed potatoes with gravy," Nathan said.
     
    "Sounds heavenly."
     
    Nathan grabbed a knife from a drawer and went to work slicing the roast. He placed a few slices on a plate and then added a small mound of mashed potatoes and carrots. Picking up the plate, a fork and the gravy boat, he set them down in front of Connie. "Your dinner, Ms. Patterson."
     
    "Thank you, Dr. Holden."
     
    "You're welcome." Nathan fixed a plate for himself and joined Connie at the table. "Anything interesting happen at the hospital?"
     
    Connie sighed. "Today was one of those days where I wish I wasn't a nurse. A man was brought into the ER with a gunshot wound to the chest. We did all we could, but it wasn't enough. He died on the table."
     
    "I'm sorry, babe," Nathan said, reaching for her hand. "Are you all right?"
     
    "Sure," Connie said. "Lets talk about something more pleasant. How did your visit go with Kate?"
     
    Nathan smiled. "It went well. It was so good to see her. That baby of hers is a little angel."
     
    Connie picked up her fork and stabbed a carrot with the tines. "Have you ever had any romantic feelings for Kate?"
     
    A forkful of potatoes halfway to his mouth, Nathan paused and looked at Connie. "What kind of question is that?"
     
    "A serious one," Connie said. "Have you ever-"
     
    No," Nathan said, frowning. "Kate is my best friend. She's always been like a sister to me. What made you ask me if I ever had feelings for her?"
     
    "Because every time you talk about her your eyes light up and you smile," Connie said.
     
    "Oh," was all Nathan could say. He lowered his head and started to eat.
     
    "You never told me how you two met?" Connie said.
     
    Nathan swallowed. Without taking his eyes off his plate, he said, "When I was ten Katie and her family moved into the neighborhood. Mom invited them over to dinner one evening. I wasn't too thrilled when I found out she wanted me to befriend Katie. I didn't want to have anything to do with Katie. She was a girl and therefore she was gross. So I did my best to ignore her whenever I saw her at school or on the bus. It worked for awhile."
     
    "What changed that?" Connie asked.
     
    Nathan raised his head and gazed at her. "She saved my life."
     
    Connie's eyes grew wide. "How?"
     
    "Mom agreed to watch Katie after school one day. As always she had a snack waiting for me when I got home. Anyway, to make a long story short, I started choking on a piece of apple. Mom began to panic, but not Katie. She calmly stepped up behind me and performed the Heimlich maneuver on me. Everyone wanted to know how a nine-year-old girl knew how to do that. Katie said she saw it on TV. After that day we were inseparable."
     
    "I want to meet her," Connie said.
     
    "She wants to meet you too," Nathan said. "How about Wednesday evening?"
     
    "My house and I'll cook dinner," Connie said.
     
    "I'll call her later and see if she can make it," Nathan said.
     
    Dinners in the Lewis household were spent in silence. Kate sat at one end of the long dining room table and Edward sat at the other end. They didn't look at each other. Kate felt like she was having dinner with a stranger. She longed to get up and leave the room, but couldn't. One of Edward's endless rules was that she had to sit there and wait until he was finished eating. Holding back a sigh, she set her spoon down and removed the white linen napkin from her lap.
     
    "Is there something wrong with the food?"
     
    Her heart skipped a beat when he spoke. Kate looked down the table at Edward. "N-no. I'm afraid I'm not very hungry."
     
    "Why not?" Edward raised an eyebrow. "Did you have a big lunch with your boyfriend?"
     
    "Nathan is not, nor has he ever been my boyfriend," Kate said softly. "You're my husband. I've always been faithful to you." She lowered her gaze. "May I go?"
     
    "What are you doing tomorrow?" Edward asked, ignoring her question.
     
    "I thought I would