Terran Knights 3: Chapter 13

“How’s this one?” Kathryn asked pushing the plate forward.

It was a small triangle of a cake. White frosting, white cake layer on top, red fruit layer underneath and yellow cake on the bottom. It was the third one that they’d tried today. The first had been a peach cream cheese cake, the second had been a marble cake with heavy chocolate frosting. None of them had hit right for Sarah.

She took the plate and cut off a piece with her fork and took a bite, chewed and smiled. “This is so good. I love it.” Kathryn grinned at her satisfied. Sarah’s smile turned to a frown though as she leaned back. “But I don’t know if Jack or Marco would like it. Well Jack would. He likes super sweet things. Likes just about anything.”

Groaning Kathryn leaned back in her chair, “Come on Sarah. This is the third place. I think we’ve tried like twelve different cakes.”

“I know.”

“Why didn’t you bring Jack and Marco along?”

“Because I said I would do it,” she folded her arms and pouted. “And I forgot that I scheduled this for today. Marco’s busy and Jack.” She rolled her eyes. “I don’t know.”

Sarah set the plate down and shook her head before scooting back far in the little dessert shop. It was close to noon but it was just the pair of them together. Kathryn happened to message Sarah that morning and Sarah asked her to tag along.

“What’s really bothering you?” Kathryn asked staring at her.

“What?”

“Come on Sarah. We may not be best friends but I can tell something’s getting to you.”

She looked at her, biting her lip then shook her head, “It been like half a year since Jack proposed. It was fun at first planning things. But now it’s just constant fights. Jack keeps butting in. He’s like an elephant. I had set up for us to be at a nice outdoor chapel with a decent catering company. Great for the fall. I sampled them and they were great. It was locked in.

“And then Jack springs that he wants to use the catering company of one of our friends from college and even told them we’d use them. He didn’t even ask first! He just assumed he was helping. And this isn’t the first time he’s pulled this kind of stunt. I have a plan Kat. I’ve been planning this for months. For years! And I won’t let Jack ruin it!”

She hit the table and it shook under the blow. Kathryn’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at the table and saw that there was a fine crack in it. Kathryn looked at her accusingly and Sarah looked away embarrassed.

“Maybe there’s a more than one problem at work,” she said. “What’s Marco’s take?”

“He’s not around as much anymore. The crystal and all the alien stuff. Plus Ley being gone. He’s taking the leader thing super seriously,” Sarah looked at the table and then shook her head slowly, “I feel like I’m insane? But Jack is pressing all of my wrong buttons. We got into it this morning before I came out.”

“Sarah you’re my friend,” she started to say then her eyes widened. “But my other friend might have some pieces of advice for you,” Kathryn suggested.

“Who?”

The pair of them were now on the edge of the city, staring out over the lake. They sat together under an umbrella at an outside table sipping drinks. A trio of mimosas. As Sarah sipped on one, she leaned back in her chair and just felt infinitely more relaxed than she had been in the past couple of weeks. 

“So, Kat tells me you’ve been stressing out about your wedding.”

“Losing my mind,” she said leaning her elbows on the table and just soaked in the breeze. “Kat got you up to speed Cal. Am I being crazy?”

Cal sipped on his mimosa, with an open button up, jeans and freshly cut hair. He threw a look first toward Kathryn and then looked over at Sarah, “I do have some experience with this. But I’m guessing when you throw a third person into the mix things get a bit tricky.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sarah asked frowning hard.

“It means that this is your show and you want to run it but they’re not just performers Sarah. They’re you’re husbands. Your partners.” he said looking at her. “You and Jack are really alike so it makes sense you’d butt heads a bit. But talk to each other, really talk and you’ll figure it out. Especially with Marco playing mediator.”

She looked at him and the uncertainty on her face, “You think so?”

“Pretty sure,” Cal shrugged his shoulders. “I can only go off what Kat and you have told me. And my own experiences. And I really really like you three so I don’t want anything to mess you guys up.”

Groaning she looked away again and set the glass on the table. She turned and looked out over the ocean, watching the water ripple and change slowly. She felt the wind on her humid face as she watched people mill about on the pier. “You know when I first met Jack I kinda hated him.”

Kathryn snorted setting down her drink, “Did you really?”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “He was loud, abrasive, a know it all and full of himself. Basically an asshole to new people. I don’t know how Marco and him became friends. He was the last person I wanted to interact with back then.”

“What changed?” Cal asked curious now.

“He did. Kinda. It’s going to sound cliché but it was a group project. Forced us to work together. And in the first meeting where we really got into it. He had his idea. I had mine. And we shouted and fought so much we didn’t even get anything done.”

She laughed softly remembering seeing him in college. “I was dreading the next meet up. But when he did he said let’s go with my idea. He didn’t even mention his. I think Marco talked to him. Told him to cool it. And he did. As we worked we figured out how to get some of his ideas into the project too. It stopped being about who was right or wrong. We just compromised. We got like a B+ but it was a proud B+.”

Cal and Kat exchanged glances and then chuckled, “Where have I heard that situation before Cal?”

“I can’t say for sure. Sounds pretty familiar to something I’ve just heard though.”

Sarah rolled her eyes and finished her drink. “Yeah yeah. I know. I need to talk to Jack. And apologize. And then figure out how we’re going to do this together.”

“By Kat I think she’s got it,” Cal said and waved his hand. “Let’s get another round of drinks! I’ve missed you guys. Marital issues set aside we need to catch up.”