Romancing the Cookhouse

⁕Katrina⁕

Katrina Rosalyn Walsh looked around the commercial property her realtor had found for her a few days earlier. It had once been a restaurant space, but had closed almost a year ago. The previous owners sold it, and the new owners attempted to convert it into a bookstore.

That didn’t go well. Everyone was reading online now.

Don’t get her wrong — she loved paperback books. But it’s easier to read on her phone: you don’t have to keep a light on all the time, and you can easily read while on the toilet or lying in bed.

Katrina was eager to restore this place to its former status as a restaurant.

“Do you like it?”

Katrina turned to her realtor, who was also her best friend, Mari Hebert.

“I do,” Katrina said, nodding.

“The owner is willing to rent it if you are not ready to buy it immediately.”

Katrina nodded and said, “That way, they make more money. If I don’t like it, they’ve already earned that money, and then they can rent or sell it to someone else. If I do like it, they’ve made all that money plus whatever they’re selling it for.”

“Actually, the rent will be deducted from the total cost,” a deep voice said f behind them.

They turned, and Katrina froze when she saw the man standing behind them.

“Fletcher?” Katrina asked, looking the man up and down.

“So you do remember me,” the man said with a smile.

Katrina opened her mouth, then quickly shut it.

“You two know each other?” asked Mari.

“We went to school together,” Fletcher said, looking at Mari.

Katrina cleared her throat. “How are you doing?” she asked.

Fletcher looked at her and smiled. “Doing pretty well.”

“Do you own this place?” Katrina asked, looking around.

Fletcher shook his head. “My brother does. He bought it for his girlfriend, who shortly afterward dumped him. Luckily, the idiot had put it in his name rather than hers. The bookstore wasn’t doing well, so he asked me to help him sell it.”

Katrina nodded, recalling Fletcher’s brother, Lloyd Henderson, who was part of the popular crowd at school. Fletcher, in contrast, was considered a nerd — not that she ever thought of him that way. He was smart, yes, but also cute and sweet.

And now — she looked at him from head to toe and almost moaned. He was even hotter than his brother. His blonde hair was short as always, and his bright blue eyes looked right through her. His body was no longer skinny, as it had been in high school; it was now thick with muscle.

⁕Fletcher⁕

Fletcher Elvis Henderson watched as Katrina Walsh eyed him. He almost smirked at the shocked expression on her face.

‘Yep, I’m not a skinny nerd anymore,’ Fletcher thought, wishing he could say it out loud.

“This place is perfect for my restaurant,” said Katrina.

‘So, she was converting the place back into a restaurant,’ Fletcher thought, watching Katrina.

“Are you sure?” the realtor asked.

Katrina looked from Fletcher to her realtor and nodded. “This is exactly what I was looking for.”

The realtor turned to Fletcher and said, “It’s up to your brother whether he wants to sell it to her.”

“Are you buying or renting?” Fletcher asked, looking directly at Katrina.

She was still the most beautiful woman in any room. He had had a crush on her since the moment they met in fourth grade. She was always kind to him, but never showed any emotions toward him.

She only dated the popular boys — the tall, muscular ones, like his older brother, Lloyd.

Not that she ever dated Lloyd, but he knew his brother had the hots for her in high school.

-A memory flashed through Fletcher’s mind-

’Kids were beating him, slamming his head into a locker. Then they stopped, and one of the kids screamed as he was slammed into a locker. Fletcher thought it was his brother, but when he turned, he saw Katrina standing over the boy, seething.

“Don’t ever lay a hand on him again,” she told the kid.

The boy cursed at her as his friends helped him to stand, and then they ran off.

“Are you okay?” Katrina asked, looking at Fletcher.

“Yeah,” Fletcher said, staring at her in shock and awe.

She smiled and patted his shoulder.

“You should let your brother teach you how to defend yourself,” she said, then turned and walked away.’

Fletcher shook his head as the memory faded. Damn, he hadn’t thought of that in years.

“Are you in agreement?” the realtor asked.

“What? Sorry, my mind was elsewhere.”

The realtor looked at Katrina, then back at Fletcher. “I said Miss Walsh would like to start by renting the place. If it works the way she hopes, she will buy it. If not…”

“I get it,” he said, nodding.

“Why is your brother offering to rent the place?” Katrina asked.

Fletcher looked at Katrina and said, “Because I told him it was the right thing to do. He doesn’t care what I do, as long as I sell it and he gets his money back.”

Katrina nodded. “Sounds like your brother.”

Fletcher smirked. Of course, she remembered Lloyd — everyone from high school remembered his brother.

“Hey, did you know our reunion is coming up next month?” Katrina asked with a smile.

Fletcher nodded in response and muttered, “I’m not going.”

She pouted. Why was she pouting? It wasn’t as if she had expected to see him there — had she?

“You really should go,” she said, looking him up and down. “Everyone will be surprised when they see you.”

He snorted. Of course, they will be.

“Are you going?” Fletcher asked.

She shrugged. “I was thinking about it, but there really isn’t anyone I’m interested in seeing again — except maybe one person.”

The way she looked at him, he almost believed she was speaking about him.

But there was no way Katrina Walsh was eager to see him — not when she had thought he was still a skinny nerd.

“Okay, let’s get these papers signed,” the realtor said as she walked back into the building.

Fletcher looked at the realtor. He hadn’t even noticed her leaving, let alone coming back.

“I made two documents: one for the sale of the property and one for renting it. I need your brother to sign this,” the realtor said, handing Fletcher a piece of paper.

“Okay,” Fletcher said, nodding.

“Sign this,” the realtor said, handing the papers to Katrina.

Katrina read the papers and then signed them. The realtor took the documents from her and handed them to Fletcher.

“I need your brother to sign these as well.”

Fletcher nodded.

“Do you understand everything?” the realtor asked.

Fletcher smirked and replied, “I do.”

“Good.” The realtor turned to Katrina, said something, and then headed for the door.

Katrina looked at Fletcher and said, “Thank you. I hope to see you again.”

Fletcher nodded and watched her leave. “Me too,” he said quietly to himself.

~***~

⁕Katrina⁕

“Who exactly was he?” Mari asked as they walked to her car.

“That was Fletcher Henderson,” Katrina answered.

“I know his name, smartass.”

Katrina smirked as she got into Mari’s car.

“Which one is he?” Mari asked as she started the car.

“The cute nerd,” Katrina said.

“The one you saved from the bullies? The one you got suspended for?”

“The principal suspended the jackass as well after learning what he did to Fletcher. The kid learned his lesson well: you don’t turn someone in for something you did yourself. It makes you look worse when you’re the bully and the other person is the hero.”

Mari chuckled and pulled into the light traffic. “Didn’t you have a crush on him?”

Katrina smiled and said, “I thought he was cute and wished he saw me as more than the popular slut he believed me to be.”

Mari sighed and said “He’s hot.”

Katrina nodded in agreement. “Understatement.”

Mari looked at Katrina, then back at the road. “Maybe he’ll go to the reunion, and you can rehash what should have been.”

Katrina placed her chin in her hand and sighed as she looked out the window.

“Yeah, maybe we will.”