Part 16 (1/2)

”I can only imagine the animal by-products in that c.r.a.p,” Manda said to me as I hustled out of the room.

”Mommy said 'c.r.a.p'!” Zara announced through the swamp on her lips.

Polly and I covered the half block between the Henricks' and Kai's house in short order, but I was still sweating by the time I climbed the stairs to Kai's front porch. The child was a little heat sink, cherubic and gurgling but the temperature of the earth's inner core.

”Hey, ladies,” Kai said when he opened the door. His eyes took me in, and I felt my heart do an impressively acrobatic flip. ”Do you always look this fantastic for children's birthday parties?”

”You look good yourself,” I said as he pulled us into a three-person hug, kissed me on the forehead and Polly on her fat cheek. ”And you smell good. And you just shaved.”

Pulling one hand across his chin, he led us into his house. ”I thought a clean-shaven look would photograph well when I win.” He didn't even try to sound like he didn't care. ”Victory is mine, Cupcake Queen.”

I rolled my eyes and sat with Polly on a worn leather couch. I breathed in deeply, taking in the delicious scent of Kai's house, a mix of vanilla and spice and leather and man deodorant, and I couldn't hide my surprise. ”This is really nice.”

Kai lowered himself into an oversized chair opposite the couch. His mouth upturned into a wry smile. ”I'd love to hear why you are shocked. Did you think I lived in a hovel? Maybe expected more squalor than you're seeing here?”

”No, of course not.” The blasted redness in my cheeks betrayed me. ”I just figured you were a bachelor and that bachelors don't typically have a close relations.h.i.+p with Pine-Sol. Nor do they frame cool art posters.”

Polly started to hunt for something to chew on and settled on a face plant, right into the leather armrest. Kai scooped her up and walked to the kitchen.

”I clean, though not as often or with as much aerobic intensity as some,” Kai called over his shoulder. I followed him, loving the creaks of protest that the old hardwood put up as we walked. The light-filled living room gave way to a dining room that showcased a long rectangle table and mismatched chairs. The rooms were tidy, but lived in.

”I do vacuum on occasion,” Kai continued. Polly squawked her glee at grabbing two fists full of his hair. ”I also brush my teeth. And use the self-cleaning option on my oven about once a year. And I use Q-Tips in my ears to remain wax-free.”

I tsked. ”You shouldn't do that, you know. Q-Tips only push the wax deeper in.”

We'd reached the kitchen, and Kai got Polly happily settled on the s.h.i.+ny wood floor by surrounding her with measuring cups and rubber spatulas. She made lots of happy, grunting noises and then commenced cramming items into her mouth, gumming them with enthusiasm.

Kai leaned against the counter and tugged me toward him. ”How are you?” he said.

I had to concentrate fully on his words because his eyes and face and mouth were so much more interesting. ”I'm well. You?”

He leaned into me, brus.h.i.+ng his mouth on my neck. ”My kitchen is a happier place with you in it,” he said softly against my hair.

The skin on my arms and neck tingled. ”Is that some kind of veiled reference about a woman's place and all that?”

”I'm not very interested in what every other woman is doing right now,” he said, feathering soft, indulgent kisses along my jawbone. ”But I do think your place is absolutely right here.”

I swallowed hard and forgot about trying for a witty reply. In fact, I'd forgotten the day of the week and my mother's middle name when we were interrupted by a sharp rap on the front door.

”h.e.l.lo? Anybody home?” Jack's voice preceded the sound of the screen door opening.

Kai jumped back from me as if burned. His eyes were wide as he called, ”Hey, Jack. Be right there.”

”Close neighborhood,” I hissed while patting my cheeks, hoping they weren't as flushed as they felt.

Kai strode around the corner and into the front hall. I lifted Polly and two spatulas into my arms and walked toward their conversation.

Jack took one look at me and whistled. ”You guys were totally making out. Sorry.” He took Polly before I lost control of her wild lunging.

”What?” Kai said, trying to look relaxed. ”No, listen, we were just getting some things together in the kitchen.”

Jack snorted. ”Dude, I may be an ancient married man to you, but I still recognize a hormone or two when I see it.” He nodded at me, which made my cheeks deepen another two shades. I was going to kill him.

”I'd even say you should go back to the kitchen and carry on, but Manda looked like her head was about to spin off its axis when she sent me over for you two. She says it's time for reinforcements and cupcakes.” He turned to go but not before wrestling Kai's spatulas out of Polly's chubby grip. She howled in protest, and Jack had to holler to be heard.

”See you two at the house,” he said as he took long strides down Kai's front walk. ”Sorry again for the interruption.”

Kai left me to go turn off some lights and grab his keys, birthday candles, and the cupcakes off the kitchen table. I waited on the porch and was deadheading a pot of herbs when he took my hand.

”I feel like a teenager caught making out in my parents' bas.e.m.e.nt,” Kai laughed.

I set a slow walking pace. The party could wait. The week ahead at Thrill was a going to be a doozy, full of promotional events and industry meet-and-greets. These few steps between Kai's house and a gaggle of screaming kindergartners were likely going to be our only moments of alone time for too many days.

”True,” I agreed. ”But Jack has also seen me cry off all my makeup, get a b.l.o.o.d.y nose during a double date then bleed all over my date's white pants, and burn my upper lip into one long mustache scab when Manda and I tried a home waxing kit. He is fully accustomed to seeing me in compromising conditions.”

”Wait,” Kai said, his hand up to stop my words. ”How could you allow yourself to date a man who wore white pants?”

I let him laugh because, honestly, the mental image of Dan Richards and his white trousers was still alarming fifteen years later.

Kai sniffed. ”I'm going to a.s.sume it was Avery Michaels. Don't even tell me if it wasn't because it's so much more fun to think that it was.”

At the mention of Avery's name, I felt some of the blood drain from my fingers, even though they were still coc.o.o.ned within Kai's warm grasp. My mind filled with images of Avery's face so close to mine, his mouth finding me and pus.h.i.+ng hard, the heat of the fireplace on my back and the insistence in Avery's voice and words.

Kai's gentle nudge pulled me out of my silence. ”You okay?” he asked. We came to a stop at the edge of the Henricks' sidewalk.

I swallowed. Tell him, I thought. Come clean. He deserves that.

”Kai,” I began.

He waited.

I couldn't. In fact, I reasoned quickly, I shouldn't. Avery meant nothing to me, and his weird and sudden affection the night before didn't change that. The tension between Kai and Avery certainly needed no fanning from me. To dredge it all up needlessly would be cruel.

I smiled. ”Nothing,” I said. ”Just wanted to warn you about something.”

”What's that?” he said.

”It's the cupcakes.” I frowned as if facing a moral dilemma. ”You're about to go down.” I tried my best to look earnest. ”The first step is always acknowledging you have a problem.”

Kai's phone chimed the arrival of a text. He narrowed his eyes at me for a retort but glanced down at the screen.

”Good grief,” he said while scrolling with his thumb. ”It's Dahlia. She's texted about six times, telling me I need to call her. Weird.” He furrowed his brow at the phone. ”She says she wants to talk with me about you.” He dropped his phone unceremoniously into his pocket and shook his head. ”Probably already freaking out about our fall festival at the farm and wondering if I'm going to bring you.”

I felt my stomach lurch, my close call with total and unnecessary disclosure still fresh. I wanted Kai to like me with no reservations. His sisters, too. I'd almost gotten in the way of that by spilling what didn't need to be spilled. ”What will you tell her?” We started up the walk toward a symphony of little girl shrieks.

He pulled me into a side hug as we walked. ”That's up to you.” He opened the door for me. ”But do you think Avery would lend me his white pants?”