KATHERINE IN GOLD
Copyright © 2015 J.B. Hartnett
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the work of this author.
This is a work of fictions. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Formatted by Max Effect
CONTENTS
Prologue
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-One
Twenty-Two
Twenty-Three
Twenty-Four
Twenty-Five
Twenty-Six
Twenty-Seven
Twenty-Eight
Twenty-Nine
Thirty
Thirty-One
Thirty-Two
Thirty-Three
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Also by JB Hartnett
Contact the Author
FOREWORD
WARNING:
This story deals with a sexual relationship between a fourteen year old girl and an older man which may be a trigger for some people. The act is not detailed. But for some, this may be a little too much. Our main character is coming to terms that what she experienced was not normal and definitely not all right.
This is also a story containing sexual acts, coarse language, and love…
Always about the love with me.
I would like to make a special dedication to my long-time friend, Jenna Petrotta. She and I were roommates in Laguna Beach and her little place behind the high school was the original inspiration for Victoria and Katherine’s apartment. The time I spent in Laguna, living with her, were some of the most amazing years of my life, but even more amazing was the friendship I made with Jenna. So to you, my dear friend, lover of animals, and beautiful soul, thank you for always saying I can.
To my Kimbo, there are no words. You’re my friend, and your friendship is the greatest gift anyone could ever have. I love you.
To “the girls”…Karen, Nancy, and M.K. Thank you for everything. EVERYTHING. You each have your individual strengths that help me in my day to day life. Lucky, doesn’t even cut it.
A special thanks to the bestest, most awesomest beta EVER, Marilyn…you’re the badass of betas.
I’ve been so lucky to have great people supporting me from the very start. Lisa, Becca, Sandy, Coleen, just to name a few.
To all the bloggers who have been with me since the beginning, THANK YOU!!
Louisa M. Another beautiful cover, you rock!
Max Henry, another badass of the formatting variety, awesome!
To my editor, Nancy. As a writer and editor, great critique and suggestions…you will forever be known as the comma-Nazi, but your help is indispensable.
To Tina, BJ, and Mary…Dude (you’re all a bunch of whores).
And finally, to my readers, new and not so new. Sara, Amber, Josina, Lauren, Stacey…Rock Chicks. Every damn one of you. Thank you, for every word you read, for every review you write, for every tear you might shed…damn, I’m sure lucky you took a chance on my stories.
And always…
For Tara
MARCH
Katherine
I was a girl who had great friends. They were also sneaky fuckers.
“Another drink?”
“Diet Cherry Coke,” I replied. “And…” I stopped him by grabbing hold of his wrist. “Make it a strong one. You don’t need to be stingy with the magic cherry sugar sauce, ‘kay? And extra cherries on the side,” I added.
The bartender chuckled, grabbed a new glass, and made a great show of pouring in tons of syrup, then, filling it with a quick squirt of soda. He presented it to me with two straws and a rocks glass with about ten cherries…on the side.
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” I laughed.
The bar was quiet. Only me and about five other people in the place. It wasn’t a usual haunt of mine, but I knew the bartender because he used to work at my normal watering hole.
“So…Kath…what brings you to South Laguna? Hiding from someone?”
“Ah, Nick, you know me too well.” I took my first sip of the drink and declared, “Whoa, that’s a lotta sugar. In about ten minutes, people are gonna think I’m doing lines off the bar.”
He only smirked at my comment as two customers left. He then turned his attention to me again. “You okay? You don’t normally come in here, and I’d know if you came in here.”
Nope, I wasn’t okay.
“Has our therapy session started already?” I joked, pretending to look at the time.
“Up to you, Kath. None of my business, but, it’s a slow night, already finished the book I was reading, bar is stocked…I have time.” He grinned.
“All right.” I rolled my eyes, but I really was grateful for the ear. I needed to get some shit off my chest, and I couldn’t talk to my big mouth bestie, either.
He threw a white towel over his shoulder and said, “Whenever you’re ready.”
“So…I’ve lived here all my life, and my big dream has always been to have my own café.”
He raised one bushy eyebrow and looked me over. “You sure? I’d open a place with you. Hell, customers would come in just to see you.”
“Well, had you mentioned that maybe, oh, five hours ago, I might have considered it.”
“What happened five hours ago?”
“I met the man I think I might have to kill…also, my potential business partner.”
“You wanna tell me a little more?” He chuckled.
“He calls me Katherine. I hate that!”
“Is that it?”
“Well, it’s like this: I told my best friend about my big dream…that I wanted to open a café; I just didn’t want to do it alone. I have the drive, I’m great with customers, and I know I can secure a business loan without digging into my savings. So, Tori…you remember Tori?”
“Giggly and talkative when she’s had a few. Yep.”
“Tori tells all this to our friend, Dee. She runs that bridal boutique, Beachy Bride?”
“Yeah, I know the place. Up from the tattoo shop?”
“That’s right. And Dee has this thing going with Frodo who works at the tattoo shop.”
Nick lifted the sleeve of his tee. “He did this tat for me.”
I studied the skull memorial for someone named Joseph. “Nice.” And it really was. From what I’d seen, Frodo was an incredibly talented artist.