“Take this,” he said, handing her the little burgundy lingerie bag.
“What is it?” She shook it.
“A present for me.” Then he got down on one knee.
She blinked at him; the bag dropping from her fingertips. “What are you doing?”
“Giving you
your
present.” He took out of the small box from his jacket pocket, opened it, and extracted the ring.
KT swallowed audibly. “I hope that’s a pretend rock.”
“No.” He took her hand and kissed her ring finger.
“You should have gotten me a ring out of a bubblegum machine.”
“You deserve more than that.” Then he looked up into her eyes as he slid the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly, but then he knew it would. “I wanted to do it right.”
She stared at her hand, her eyes wide. “This is—”
“What?”
She shook her head and met his gaze helplessly. “This doesn’t feel pretend.”
He heard the panic in her tone, and his heart dipped in disappointment that she wasn’t as excited about this as he was. His gut told him he was rushing the game, that he needed to let this hand play out more before he won.
So he stood and tried to smile carelessly. “It has to look real for your mom to believe it. Don’t worry, KT. We’re just the way we were before.”
“Whew.” She relaxed visibly, looking down at her ring. “For a moment, I thought you’d lost your mind.”
He smiled, knowing it wasn’t his mind that he’d lost.
Chapter Sixteen
KT’s fingers glided over the piano keys distractedly as she wondered what to teach Ashley today. Their last couple lessons had been a revelation—the kid had serious talent. She still didn’t like teaching, but at least the teenager’s skill made it interesting.
“I wondered who was in here.”
She turned around, stopping, and saw Lola leaning in the doorway.
The blonde gestured with her hand. “Don’t stop playing. It was lovely.”
She shrugged, self-conscious. To divert Lola’s attention, she asked, “Is the little monster here yet?”
“Not yet.” Lola grinned and walked into the room. “She’s endeared herself to you that much, huh?”
“She’s precious.” KT made a face. Truth of the matter was she liked Ashley. Not that she’d ever admit that. “We’re making headway though. I didn’t threaten her last time, so that’s something.”
Lola chuckled. “I’ve had one or two of those. I’m always grateful my stepdaughter is so sweet.”
She imagined being in charge of a child. Chance was in the picture holding her hand as she looked at a mutated version of the two of them.
She shook the oddly compelling image out of her mind.
“Is that an engagement ring?” Lola screeched, grabbing her hand.
KT blinked in surprise.
“You’ve been holding out, woman.” Still holding her hand, Lola raised her voice. “Gwen, get your booty in here!”
Gwen came rushing in. “What’s wrong?”
“KT got engaged”—Lola held up the evidence—”and didn’t tell us.”
Gasping, Gwen grabbed KT in a hug. “That’s so wonderful. Congratulations!”
“Who is he?” Lola asked KT before turning to Gwen. “Do you see this ring? It’s awesome.”
Gwen bent over KT’s hand. “It reminds me of a ring my grandmother had. It’s like a tiger’s eye.”
“I love it, because it’s different. I bet he took care finding the perfect ring.” Lola arched her brow. “This man did good. You should keep him.”
Overwhelmed, KT just nodded. “I really want to.”
“Of course you do.” Gwen patted her shoulder. “You said yes to him, after all.”
Well, she hadn’t, because they didn’t have a real proposal, but she would have. She thought she might say yes to anything he asked.
A freaky thought if there ever was one.
“What’s going on?”
The three of them looked to the doorway to see a confused Ashley standing there.
KT retracted her hand from the women’s. “Gwen and Lola were just consoling me because I told them how you see it as your mission to torment me.”
“Yeah, right.” The girl rolled her eyes, but there was a tiny hint of a smile at her lips. “More like they should be consoling me. I mean, come on, couldn’t you guys find a real teacher for me?”
Grinning, Gwen walked up to the girl and patted her arm. “I’ll try to do better next time.”
Ashley snorted. “The bar is low, so there’s that.”
“I think you’re precious, too,” KT crooned with a saccharine smile.
Lola laughed and slung her arm around Gwen’s shoulders. “It’s a love match if I ever saw one.”
“It’s something,” Gwen said, shaking her head as they left the room.
The kid strode to the piano bench and dropped her backpack. “Are you going to hog up the whole bench, or do I get to sit, too?”
“At least you didn’t say my ass is fat.” KT moved over, setting some sheet music on the stand in front of them.
Ashley groaned.
“Get over it, kid.” She opened the songbook and creased the first page so it’d stay open. “Reading is fundamental.”
“I don’t understand why I need to read.” She glared at music. “I just want to make songs.”
“Don’t look at Erik Satie’s ‘Gymnopédie’ that way, and you don’t make sense. How can you make music if you can’t write it down?”
“I’ll remember it all in my head.”
KT snorted. “Good decision. And then what?”
Ashley frowned. “What do you mean?”
“What’s your purpose?” KT heard herself ask. Mentally, she smacked herself for sounding like Chance, but she also knew without a doubt Ashley had a purpose, and her purpose was to play the piano.
“You sound like a self-help guru,” the kid grumbled. “I just want to play.”
“I don’t know where you come from but based on the fact that you’re here playing this crappy piano”—KT waved dismissively at the upright—”means that you don’t have rich parents.”
The teenager sneered, crossing her arms. “Way to figure that out, Sherlock.”
“No.” She took the kid’s arms and uncrossed them. “Right now we’re not going to play games. This is me and you, being real, and I’m telling you you’re good. I’ve only ever met one other person who had such an affinity for the piano.”
“Who?” Ashley asked, seemingly despite herself.
“Me.” KT grinned. Then she sobered. “If you worked on your technique and learned to read music, you could do anything you wanted. Compose, sell jingles, or play in a bar. Whatever. This is your ticket out into the world.”
Ashley frowned. “Was piano your ticket out?”
KT sat back. “We’re not talking about me.”
“We kind of are,” the kid mumbled.
Yeah, but she didn’t come out of the slums, or wherever Ashley lived. She was a rock princess with a cushy lifestyle. She had all the opportunities in the world, and what was she doing? Wasting them.
Her mother’s voice spoke in her mind:
It’s a crime not to realize your full potential, Karma.
Then she heard Chance ask her:
What’s your purpose?
Guilt made her scowl. “Just play the frickin’ song, Spike.”
Still griping under her breath, the girl squinted at the music and began to haltingly play.
They’d worked on sight-reading the last couple lessons. Ashley was vastly improved, but she was still fighting against it and it showed.
“Stop,” KT said after a particularly painful section. “You’re playing it all wrong, which is impressive considering you’re playing Satie, and his music is so loose. Look at the notes. It doesn’t say staccato.”
Ashley glared at her. “If you’re so great, you play it.”
“Fine.” She pushed the girl over with her hip and played the song the way Satie meant it to be.
She’d always loved Satie and the simple beauty of his work. She closed her eyes and let the music play through her. “The thing about learning to read music is that it opens doors in your mind. You can listen to someone’s rendition of a song, but then you’re going to think of the song the way that person does. It’s like regurgitating someone else’s ideas.
“But if you can read, you can interpret for yourself.” KT let herself go free, doing her own version of the Gymnopédie. “You develop your own opinions and thoughts. You get ideas. It’s knowledge, and knowledge is power.”
She stopped playing and turned to Ashley.
There was shocked amazement on the kid’s face. She stared at KT like she’d never seen her before.
Frowning, KT tried not to squirm uncomfortably. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
Ashley shook her head. “I’ve never heard you play. That was …”
“What?” she asked warily.
“Something I want to do.” Ashley faced the sheet music, her mouth set in a determined line.
KT gaped at the girl, not sure what to say. She was happy when the teenager started to play again so there was no need to say anything.
Chapter Seventeen
The text came in as Chance was putting his shoes on for a run. He looked at his phone, excited that it might be KT, but he immediately deflated when he saw who it was from. “Aw hell.”
Ante Up stopped exploring the bedroom and looked up at him, his snout wiggling inquisitively.
Chance held his phone up. “It’s Tiffany Woods. She’s invited me to attend a cocktail party tonight that Leif is putting on.”
The pig jerked his head with a snort.
“I know I was the one who emailed her to say I hoped we could work something out, but I meant professionally.”
Ante stared at him like he was an idiot.
Chance pointed at the oinker. “Don’t say a word.”
He swore the pig rolled its eyes.
“I want that job. I need to connect with Roger Leif, and this cocktail party is my chance.” He watched the pig duck his head under a shirt Chance had dropped on the ground. “That’s what I think, too. You know what I need to do?”
Ante Up peeked out.
“Take KT with me.” He pulled a clean shirt on and raked his fingers through his hair. “Unless you want to come along?”
The pig snarfled, nestling into the shirt.
“I didn’t think so, and I can’t really blame you.” He scratched the little fellow behind the ears and went to see KT.
When he arrived at her carriage house, he stuck his ear to the door and listened.
The door jerked open, and an annoyed looking KT stood glaring at him. “What the hell, Nolan?”
“You can’t blame me for trying,” he said, easing his arms around her waist and pulling her into him. “It’s like searching for a little heaven on earth.”
She thawed a little, her scowl becoming more like a pout. “What are you doing? There’s no one here to see you do this, you know.”
“I’m being careful, just in case someone’s spying on us,” he lied. He grazed his lips against hers and then nuzzled her neck.
She sighed. “You’re being opportunistic.”
“Yes.”
“I guess I don’t mind.” She wound her arms around his neck.
“You guess?” he murmured, kissing the spot on her neck that made her shiver.
“Do you want a written invitation, or are you going to kiss me, damn it?”
He grinned, wrapping his hand in her long hair and tugging her head back. “Say pretty please.”
Her gorgeous eyes narrowed.
Chuckling, he kissed her and then his amusement faded into something powerful and urgent. He pressed her against the door, his mouth devouring her like she was the oasis he’d spent years searching for.
She murmured against his lips, “Are you still acting in case someone’s watching?”
“No, this is just all for your benefit. Mine, too, but mostly yours at the moment.” He kissed her again, his hand slipping under her top to feel her warm, soft skin and the swell of her breast.
She sighed. “If you just came here to make out, maybe we should take this inside.”
“Actually, I came here to see if you were free to go to a cocktail party tonight.” He massaged the base of her neck. “It’s a business opportunity, and I need to be there.”
“Which means the cannibal will be there,” she surmised.
“Right.”
KT smirked. “So you need me to protect you?”
“Hell yes. I’m not proud.”
“I think my suit of armor is out being cleaned.”
“Damn.” He brushed back her hair. “You think you can find a dress to wear instead?”
She winced. “I hate social gatherings.”
“I know.” He stared at her steadily, wanting her to go. He realized it wasn’t just because of Tiffany but because he wanted her to be with him.
That was something to think about later. For now, he didn’t want to coerce her into a situation she didn’t want to be in. “It’s okay if you don’t go. I understand.”
“No, I’ll go with you.” She sighed. “It’s our deal.”
“I don’t want you to go because you feel it’s your duty.”
At first he didn’t think she was going to respond but then she bit her lip, shrugged, and said, “I’ll go with you so just shut up about it.”
“You’re so enthusiastic,” he joked.
She pushed him away. “Get lost. I need to dig out my armor.”
“Pick you up at seven?”
“I’ll be here with bells on,” she said sarcastically, stepping back into her cottage.
He smiled all the way back to his room.
She was waiting for him at exactly seven, standing on her stoop, tapping her foot impatiently. She wore head-to-toe black, wrapped tightly in a shawl that covered her down to her hips, and an expression like she was headed toward her last meal.
“I think I didn’t mention that it’s not a wake,” he said, walking up to her and kissing her cheek.
She glared at him. “I wore makeup for you.”
He looked at her face. She had a little shimmer on her eyelids and her lashes looked thick and long. Her lips glistened pink, inviting. He wanted to kiss the color off. “You look just as beautiful as usual.”
She frowned. “You can’t tell? You mean I subjected myself to my sister’s torture for an hour for nothing?”
“You’re always beautiful.” He took her arm. “The car’s out front.”
“Where’s Ante Up?” she asked as they strolled through the garden out front.
“With Elise.”
“How did you get Elise Carrington-Wright to babysit a pig?”
“No one can withstand that little porker’s charm.” He glanced at her. “He and I are a lot alike.”