“Have a nice lunch,” he said. Then he bent down and brought his face right above Kendall’s with a dark, meaningful look. “I’ll pick you up at six thirty.”
She nodded wordlessly—not because she couldn’t find her voice but because she didn’t trust it. Plus, with the way her grandmother had manipulated her into accepting Brad’s invitation, she figured it would have been a waste of air saying no anyway.
He stared at her steadily, almost waiting for her to fling out one last protest. When she remained silent, one corner of his mouth curled upward. “Great. It’s a date then.”
Kendall watched him go, feeling a little bemused. Now he was calling it a date? What happened to just two friends spending time together?
Once she was sure Brad was out of earshot, she turned on her grandmother. “Okay, what was that all about?”
“Hmm? What was what all about, dear?”
“Don’t play dumb with me. I know what you’re doing. It won’t work.”
“Whatever you say, dear. But honestly, I’m not trying to
work
anything. All I’m interested in is my stressed-out granddaughter indulging in a little fun with one of her good friends. Only ten minutes ago, you admitted that you haven’t had a break. And you’re way too young to be working so hard and not enjoying yourself. What kind of grandmother would I be if I didn’t encourage you to have some fun?”
Kendall’s shoulders slumped. When her grandmother put it that way, she supposed it would be nice to get out. There was even a chance to get her friendship with Brad to where it had started. If she could go back to treating him like she always had, then he would do the same and they would be right where they left things before they had kissed.
Hopefully.
“Well, okay, then. But promise you won’t read anything more into it,” she said, shaking a finger at Maeve.
Maeve smiled sweetly and made a show of crossing her heart. “I promise. Now let’s see if we can finally order.” She picked her menu back up and signaled impatiently for a waitress. “The service here has completely gone downhill. I don’t know what this restaurant was thinking when they let you go.”
…
Damned if he was going to let Kendall go.
Brad shifted the gift he had behind his back and rang her doorbell.
This is it
. He was more determined than ever to convince Kendall that they had a real chance together—no matter what he did for a living or what his sister felt was best for him. No more sitting on the sidelines for him. His game plan had changed since their kiss, and he wasn’t about to lie down and allow her fears or the ghost of Jake to stand in the way of their happiness.
Thanks to Kendall’s grandmother, he couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setup. The PBA fund-raiser was a good venue to spend a little time together. And Kendall needed this. She would see plenty of his friends and colleagues on the force with their respective spouses. A happy relationship was absolutely possible in his line of work, no matter what she had otherwise convinced herself.
He came to her house a bit early with a gift for Deuce. Her dog loved him. Hell, maybe he should have picked a gift up for Maeve; it was nice to have Kendall’s grandmother on his side too. He could use all the help he could get.
He raised his hand, about to ring the doorbell again, when the door swung open. Kendall stood in the doorway, holding her struggling puppy under her arms—the sight of which made him smile. She looked different—more lighthearted, lovelier. His gaze was riveted on her face as he drank in the comfort of her nearness. He was so used to seeing her at her at the bakery with her hair pulled back in a ponytail that he had had no idea how long it had gotten. It fell in soft waves around her shoulders and neck as she struggled to keep Deuce from jumping out of her arms. She wore just a little bit of makeup—more than he was used to seeing on her—but the colors brought out the deep chocolate of her beautiful eyes.
She frowned at him. “Oh, you’re early,” she said, clearly not happy with the prospect of any added time alone together.
“I know.” Brad grinned. “I figured we could hang out a little beforehand.”
“Brad, I think—”
“I came bearing gifts too,” he blurted, holding up the wrapped box he had in his hand.
She sighed. “Oh, no, I really wish you hadn’t gotten me anything.”
“Wish granted then, because I didn’t.”
Her gaze lifted from the box in his hand and her jaw went slack. “The gift’s not for me?”
“Nope.” Brad pulled the top of the box off and showed her the contents, which made Deuce’s tail wag even more frantically. “Unless you happen to have a penchant for gourmet dog biscuits,” he added.
She laughed. “Fortunately, no,” she said, stepping back and allowing him to enter. “I’ll stick to the gourmet treats I make myself.”
Kendall only bent halfway forward before her dog jumped to the ground. Brad held up a biscuit for Deuce to beg, and when the puppy stood on his hind legs and barked, he tossed him the treat. And just because the dog was so cute, he sprinkled a few more biscuits on the floor as a freebie.
Kendall rolled her eyes. “You’re almost as bad as Grammy, trying to spoil my dog. She’s more attentive to Deuce than she is to me sometimes.”
“Be forewarned that she’ll only get worse with great-grandchildren when you give her some.”
“That won’t be happening anytime soon.” She looked away, but not before he saw a flare of hurt in her eyes. That look gnawed at his confidence, but, dammit, she needed to hear that her life wasn’t over.
“Why not?” he asked. “You’re young. Don’t you think you’ll ever get remarried?”
“I—I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “I suppose. I can’t afford to think that far ahead. I guess I’m finding that relying on just myself is easier right now.”
“You mean
safer
?” he countered.
She seemed to think about it, then frowned. He was surprised she didn’t try to correct him but instead, turned and led him toward the kitchen.
“Can I get you a drink?” she asked.
“No thanks.” He pulled out one of her kitchen counter stools and made himself at home.
Kendall nodded, and a few moments of silence passed between them. She picked up a dish towel, nervously fussed over it, and then hung it up again. “So, um, would you like a snack?”
“No, thanks. There’ll be plenty of food there. I want to save my appetite.”
“Good idea.” More awkward silence fell.
She looked around again then at her watch and then sighed. “Well, why don’t we just leave now?”
“We have some time,” he said, trying to hide a smile. Did it make him a bad guy that he was enjoying her discomfort more than he should? But damn if she didn’t look cute when her anxiety level was up.
He patted the stool next to his. “Have a seat.”
Kendall stared at the stool as if it had yellow eyes and fangs, but she eventually sat down. She was close enough that he could smell her skin, fresh and sweet, like one of those delicate pastries she’d been baking the week before.
“I thought we could have a little talk,” he said.
Her eyes went wide as if he had suggested something much more intimate. “Talk?” she repeated, biting her lip. “Um, sure. I guess we can talk.”
“Good, but before we do, we should get something out of the way,” he told her with all seriousness. Try as he might to be on his best behavior and keep to the friend zone she so desperately wanted to place him in, he had to let her know he wanted her. After all, he had nothing more to lose. He obviously couldn’t make their friendship any more awkward than it already was.
Once she nodded, he didn’t waste any time. Sliding off his stool, he backed her up against the counter in a most unfriend-like, yet most satisfying, manner. Her breath caught and she raised a hand against his chest but didn’t utter any other form of protest. Thank God, because he couldn’t turn back now when she smelled exactly like what he’d envisioned heaven smelling like: woman and cookies. And turn back he didn’t. Instead, he pressed his mouth against hers and quite effectively began kissing the breath right out of both of them.
Kendall wrapped her hands around the nape of his neck, holding him closer. Little catchy moans urged him on as he broke away from her lips and ran openmouthed kisses along her jaw. Every nerve ending in his body sizzled and he wanted more of her. He reached up to grip her head with his hands, anything to keep her from moving away. Was she shaking? Then he realized it was him.
He quickly released her. His original intention was to prove a point, not prove he could go up in flames. “There,” he whispered. He blew out an unsteady breath and willed his vision to come back. “That’s much better.”
“B-better?” she panted.
“Yeah. It’s better we get the awkwardness out of the way now.” He dropped his arms and forced himself to pull away a few steps. Then stepped back once more for good measure and so that her scent wouldn’t interfere with his brain functioning. “This way we can relax and have a good time tonight. I mean, I don’t want our friendship affected just because of that kiss we shared the other night. Now that we kissed again, it’s not that big of a deal.”
Not that big of a deal?
He inwardly rolled his eyes at himself. Truth be told, their second kiss was even better than the first and a
very
big deal to him. And judging by the glazed look still lingering in Kendall’s eyes, it was kind of a big deal to her, too.
“So, do you feel less awkward and more relaxed now?” he asked with a straight face.
She blinked several times. Her eyebrows drew together and her bottom lip jutted out just so, and damn if she didn’t look even cuter when she was thoroughly confused. “I, uh—”
“Good. We’re agreed then.”
He deserved a damn medal for turning away when she looked so ready to be kissed again, but there was a method to his self-induced torture. Plus, she had to be going through her own little version of Torture 101 too, so they could call it even. He would go slow. After all, he understood her fears, and he wasn’t about to risk losing her before he even had her.
“Hey, what’s this?” he asked, noticing the papers she had spread out on the kitchen table.
Kendall stood and immediately began straightening the mess. “Oh, just the business plan Walt was helping me with and some flyers and business cards I made.”
He picked up the card and smiled. “Kendall’s Kreations?” he said, quirking an eyebrow. “That’s pretty cute. The alliteration is catchy and I like the double Ks in the name.”
“Yeah, I do too,” she said, lightly fingering the lettering on the card. “Your sister wanted me to go with Kendall’s Kitchen Korner, but I figured the KKK initials might be bad for business.”
Brad laughed. “Smart move. See? This is why you’ll do great as a business owner.”
“I’m glad you think so. I keep doubting myself and wondering if I made a mistake.”
“Look, Kendall, I can’t tell you everything will work out with the bakery. But I can tell you that I’m proud of you for taking the chance. If a person plays it safe all the time, that person could miss out something truly wonderful.”
“Or lose something wonderful.”
His stomach knotted. But he walked over to her and touched her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “That’s part of life. There’s no way to block that out. You win some, you lose some. That includes people. You take a chance and let people into your life. Some stay and some go, but they all bring experiences and emotions that make up who you are, who you’ll grow to be.”
She nodded but dropped her gaze, not looking entirely convinced. “Well, I’ve seen how you’ve changed at least.”
“Me?”
She took a deep breath, studying him a moment. “Yes. After your parents passed away, I saw you take responsibility for Georgie and how you looked out for her—how you
still
look out for her. I think that experience has made you become a protector, not just with her, but with me and your other friends, too. I also think that quality is what makes you so good at your job.”
He had never thought about that until now, but maybe Kendall did have a point. The death of his parents may have inadvertently led him to his career in law enforcement. It was an area where he felt he could do some good—right wrongs. He couldn’t protect his parents from harm when they had their accident, but it sure seemed to fill a void deep down inside of him, knowing he could protect others. That Kendall somehow saw that and understood the inner need to do just that drew him to her even more. She got him on so many levels—and he got her.
She broke his thoughts when she suddenly placed a hand over his. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t,” he said, giving her hand a light squeeze and bringing it up to his lips. “I like talking to you about memories. In fact, I like talking to you about everything.”
Her cheeks flushed a pretty pink, then she carefully extracted her hand from his. She was still doing her best to keep him at arm’s length. Brad bit down on a sigh, realizing he’d have to string out his patience with her a little while longer.
“Maybe we should go now,” he suggested.
“Okay. I’ll grab my jacket.”
“Don’t forget to put some of those cards in your purse too.”
She stopped and gave him a questioning glance. “But it’s a police event. Don’t you think it’ll be tacky if I go around handing out my business cards?”
“It can’t hurt to have them in case it comes up in conversation. You’re going to have to learn rule number one in business: always be prepared.”
Her brown eyes sparkled. “Oh?” she said, picking up a handful of cards and dropping them into her purse. “And since when did you become such a marketing know-it-all?”
He gave her a droll look. “Since opening up my own little handyman business.”
“Do you carry your cards around with you too?”
“Well, not exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
“I
would
carry my cards around with me, but uh…” He cleared his throat, trying to hide his lips from twitching. “Georgie burned them all.”
She blinked, then threw her head back and laughed. “Now
that
was a smart business move.”