Chapter Text
The first half of the day at the McClain estate went without any incidents. Lance was surprised by the fact that Katie had such a great reception with the rest of his family - first cooking breakfast with his mother and then even going to the city with his sisters. He was more surprised by the fact that she hadn’t been bossy or bitchy ever since they stepped foot on the island. It was a breath of fresh air, and Lance was somehow happy that he could see her in a normal environment. Who knew the witch of Altea Equity could be a normal person when she was not in the office?
“Why didn’t you tell us Katie is such a nice girl?’ His mother asked as he helped her prepare for the afternoon barbecue. He didn’t understand why his mother had insisted on having a second party, this time with only their inner circle, when they had already had one yesterday. He was getting sick of these festive gatherings.
“Well, she is very different in private than she is at the office, that’s for sure.”
“She seems almost afraid of something,” his mother mumbled.
“Huh?”
“Nothing, nothing. Now go and grab some wood for the pit!”
Afraid? Of what?
That got him thinking. Yes, Katie was very, very different from usual. She was more relaxed and less cocky and sarcastic, she was smiling, and he even heard her laugh for god’s sake. It was almost like office Katie and present Katie were two different people. It seemed Katie Holt was holding back more than he thought. And Lance will get to the bottom of her story.
~~~~~~~
Katie and his sisters came back to the estate in the afternoon, when his father had already started the BBQ. Lance was talking with Hunk in the backyard when he heard her laughing with Rachel about something. He briefly glanced towards her, stopping in his tracks when he saw her warm smile. She tucked one loose strand of hair behind her ear, and Lance’s world seemed to slow down; his breath caught in his throat.
Since when did Katie Holt make me stop in my tracks?!
“She got you good, buddy,” Hunk said, making Lance turn his attention back to him.
“I - ugh.”
“Call me surprised, though. Even if she’s your type, I wouldn’t have expected you to go for your boss.”
“Ah, Hunk, what?!”
“What what? C’mon! She’s cute, bossy, and puts you in your place. Even so, I don’t understand why every time we phoned, you came across like you hated her guts.”
Shit shit shit cmon Hunk don’t be stupid and don't ask questions.
“We had to keep t - the pretend, you know? If people from the workplace heard about it right before my promotion…” Lance said. Hunk only nodded, and he was thankful his friend didn’t push it more, as Katie stopped right in front of them.
“Hey!” she said. Lance smiled and grabbed her hand gently and gave her a short welcome-back kiss on her cheek. “How was your trip to the town?” he asked, clearly amused by her reaction to the surprise kiss - a blushing mess.
“It was very fun. Your sisters are really nice. What are you guys up to?”
“They were just starting grilling the meat, right, boys?” a voice behind them stated, and Lance turned to see his father.
Shit. I can’t let her be alone with Dad. He already suspects something.
“Have you ever participated in the extraordinary creation of the BBQ?” Lance asked, turning back to Katie.
“No…”
“Perfect, this is your lucky day!”
~~~~~~~
With the BBQ finished, everyone gathered around the fire pit for the traditional McClain campfire. It was already dark by the time Antonio started the fire, and Luis brought his guitar out to start a singing session.
Lance was seated next to Katie, obviously. He noticed she wasn’t as talkative as usual and placed his jacket around her shoulders as he felt the night getting colder.
“Why so silent? Are you not having fun?” Lance asked in a whisper. He was sitting very close to her, as everybody crowded on the big tree benches next to the fire.
“I am actually. The whole weekend has been nicer than I expected,” she answered silently. Everybody was singing and talking next to them, but they could never be sure that they wouldn’t hear them talk.
“There are still 2 more days to go.”
“I know.”
Katie turned back to the fire, getting lost in the flames, in the songs and laughter around her. Lance silently watched her as the red and orange hues of the fire reflected on her pale skin
“I’ve missed this feeling,” she finally said, still in a whisper. “Ever since my parents died,10 years ago, I haven't been around too many people. I haven’t had a big family breakfast, I haven’t had any gatherings around the fire… so thank you for allowing me to experience that again.”
Lance was taken aback by the sudden statement. She had never been this vulnerable before, and Lance didn’t know if it was the couple of beers the two shared with the others or something else. He knew that Katie had lost her parents long before they met, but she had never been more open than the basics about her past.
He leaned in even more.
“It was just me and my brother for a long time. Matt was barely 18 when the accident happened, so he gave up everything to take care of me as much as possible. I get into college, we make our own company, everything looks good for a while,” she stopped and Lance knew where this was going. He grabbed her hand gently.
“He got diagnosed with cancer a year later. I sold the company to pay for his treatment, but it was too late…”
“I’m - “
“I got into investment banking only because I wanted to forget everything about what I used to do with Matt. I used whatever I had left from the sale to learn how to invest, and I got into Altea. Matt and I… We would have been great computer engineers, revolutionising the cybersecurity space, together. But when he left… it didn't feel right to do that without him. ”
Katie finally looked up towards him. Her brown eyes were watery, and Lance almost stopped breathing. He gently wiped her tears with his thumb. For anyone else, they seemed like 2 lovers talking about something intimate, but to him, this was so much more.
“S-Sorry,” she said, turning away from him and breaking the magic.
“Katie, Katie. T-thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot to me that you trust me enough with this information,” he said, and Katie blushed. “And I’m glad you’re enjoying your time here. I really do.”
Katie finally smiled, turning back to him, and Lance’s heart stopped for a second time that night. She dried her tears quickly.“Now you promised you’d tell me how someone of Cuban descent arrives in Alaska and builds an empire?” she asked.
Lance chuckled, suddenly embarrassed. “Well, I am half Cuban. My mom’s part of the family has been living in Alaska all their life. She met Pap at college - love at first sight. He only had Abuelita, and together they moved to Alaska. Simple, right?”
“So the McClain empire is your mother’s?” she asked, glancing at sweet Nancy, sitting across the fire.
“Girlboss, right?”
Katie laughed.
“But for real. My last name is actually McClain-Serrano.You know…if Iverson asks you about it.”
Katie stopped in her tracks, and Lance could clearly see that he had hit a bad spot.
“But let’s forget about him now, should we?”
She smiled, putting a hand around him.”We should!”