Playing it Kale (The McCain Saga Book 4) (8 page)

“Oh
my gosh
,” I
groan as I sink into my chair.

“Whitney?”

The unsure voice pulls my eyes up to the
doorway.

There stand my parents.

“Mom, Dad,” I say in disbelief as I
stand.
 
I don’t know why I’m standing,
but I do.

“What is going on?”
Mom
says, her brows furrowed deeply.
 
“Why is the news calling me, asking us all these questions about your
musical upbringing and childhood?
 
Why
are
there news vans racing to your work right now?
 
What’s happening?”

“Mom, I can explain,” I say.
 
Even though I really can’t.

“There were reporters at our house, Sweetie,”
Dad says in that timid voice of his.
 
“Even Carson said he’s getting calls.”

I can only imagine how that went.
 
Calls to my completely socially impaired
brother who has no idea what’s going on.

“There was this video posted last
night,” I start.
 
“Of
me singing.”

“Who was that boy?”
Mom
demands, sounding both concerned and annoyed.
 
“He looks familiar.
 
Do you have a boyfriend?
 
Because you know how distracting boys can be
at your age, and you have your work, and school in a few weeks.”

“Mom!”
I stop her right there, fisting a hand in my already disheveled hair.
 
“Kale isn’t my boyfriend.
 
He’s just…”
 
But I don’t have an answer to that.

“The hottest male to
ever be born?”
Ming offers.
 

Super unhelpful.

And suddenly, there’s my boss behind the
growing crowd.
 
Lance.

“What is going on, Miss Ford?” he
asks.
 
I can’t tell if his voice is
annoyed, or just surprised, or what.
 
“There’s news people swarming the doors, the phone is ringing off the
hook, and everyone is demanding to talk to you.
 
Care to explain?”

I sink back into my chair, feeling tired
and completely overwhelmed.

My phone starts ringing, and I look down
to see Kale’s name.

So, ignoring everything else, I answer
it.

“I’m sorry, Whit,” he starts before I
can even say hello.
 
“But this isn’t
going to blow over, and I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to stay at
work.”

“I think you’re right,” I say.
 
There’s emotion biting at the back of my
eyes.
 
I’m grateful Kale allowed me my
own chance to see this crazy lifestyle—even if it was just beginning.
 
I wouldn’t have believed it otherwise.
 
I still don’t.
 
But this is a rude awakening.
 

“I’ve got a security guy to help us out,
and we’re on our way over right now to pick you up.
 
Calvin said it’s probably best if we just lay
low until we can figure everything out.
 
Okay?”

And there’s so much support, so much
caring in his voice, that it makes my eyes well.
 
“Okay.”
 
My voice cracks just slightly.

“We’ll be there in two minutes,” he
says, his voice calm and reassuring.
 
“Be
ready to go as soon as we get there.”

“Okay,” I say again.
 
Kale says goodbye and hangs up.

Everyone looks at me, on baited breath.

“I’m sorry,” I say, directing it to
Lance.
 
“But I think I’m going to have to
miss work today.
 
Maybe
for a couple of days.”

“You think?” he says, raising one
eyebrow.

“What about your research?” Mom asks,
practically in a panic.
 
“You’re going to
hurt your entire department by missing days.
 
When are you going to be back?”

“I don’t know, Mom,” I say, standing and
handing all my files over to Ming.
 
She
just stares at me with huge eyes.
 
“But
this is obviously going to take some time to sort out.”

“
It’s
okay,
Monica,” Dad says, placing his hands on Mom’s shoulders.
 
He was always good at calming Mom down when
she went science-crazy.
 
“Just let her
get things figured out.”

“Call me when you get a chance?” Ming
says.
 
I meet her eyes, and she looks
nervous for me.

“Promise,” I say, wrapping my arms
around her.
 
Her head tucks under my
chin.
 
There’s a good seven inch
difference in our heights.
 
“I’ve got to
go now.”

I give my parents quick hugs
goodbye.
 
Mom still looks
bewildered.
 
Dad looks a bit
uncomfortable with it all, but he presses a kiss to my temple.
 
Lance still looks somewhere between annoyed
and in awe.

I head for the back door.
 
And this weird feeling washes over me.

Somehow I
know
this is the last time I’ll be walking the halls of Evergreen
Micro.
 
I feel as if I’m about to cross
some precipice.
 
Out of the old, and into
the new scary bewildering one.

Just as I step out the back door, a
black car rolls up and Kale opens the back passenger door.

I slip in, pull it closed behind me, and
take half a second before I look around me.

“You okay?” Kale asks.
 
He looks concerned.
 
And worried.

“Yeah,” I say, not sure if I’m still
numb, or on the brink of a panic attack.

He stares at me for an extended moment,
and finally nods.
 
“’K
.
 
Whit
, this is Tony.
 
He works at Sage’s company and used to do
private security.
 
He’s going to hang out
with us for a few days.”

I look up to the man sitting in the
front passenger seat.
 
He looks over his
shoulder back at me.
 
His head is shaved,
his nose wide.
 
His eyes are dark and
deep.
 
There are a few scars dotting his
face.
 
He looks tough, and kind of scary,
but also warm and gentle at the same time.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Ford,” he says.

“You too,” I say, feeling my brain
glazing over.

“So, I called my agent, Calvin,” Kale
moves on as I relax back into my seat.
 
“And he thinks it’s probably best to get away from Seattle for a few
days and sort through all the agent offers that are about to come pouring
in.”
 
About?
 
I’ve already got like eight voicemails from
people claiming to be agents and record label companies.
 
“Calvin suggested somewhere not too far away,
but secluded enough no one will think to come looking for you there.”

“What about your brother’s ranch?” I
suggest.
 
Now that we’re putting some
distance between us and the insanity, my brain is slowly starting to
clear.
 
“That’s pretty secluded.”

Kale shakes his head.
 
“Everyone who was at the wedding is
announcing to the world that they got an entire show on Friday.
 
People will be watching it.”

“Where then?”
I say as my eyes shift out the window.

“You
ever been
out to the San Juan Islands?” Kale asks with a smile.

I shake my head.
 
“Always wanted to make a trip out, but never
made it.”

“I went to Orcas once to do a shoot,
before I signed with
Shurrock
,” he says as he reaches
across and takes my hand in his.
 
My
heart skips and jumps at his touch.
 
Just like I did when I was in first grade and jumping rope.
 
“It’s pretty, and really
quiet
,
not too many people.
 
And if you have no
ties, no one will think to look for you there.”

“That sounds as good as anywhere else,”
I say.
 

Kale rubs a thumb over the back of my
hand, and the motion is calming.
 
I lean
in a bit closer to him, resting my shoulder against his.
 
“Did you know it was going to be like this?”
I ask him as I look into those dark, hazel eyes.
 
“Did you know it would be this intense?”

For just a second, Kale looks
regretful.
 
“To be
honest, no.
 
I knew things would
happen.
 
But I didn’t expect this much
attention this fast.
 
The world already
loves you with just three minutes of footage.”

I bite my lower lip and just nod.
 
I’m beginning to learn that I’m strong in my
own way, like walking up on stage at the wedding.
 
And I’m smart.
 
But this new world of
lights and reporters and fame?
 
This is something I never went to school for.
 
This is all Kale.
 
And right now, I know how much I need him
right now.

As I look into Kale’s eyes, I know—nothing
about my life is ever going to be the same again.

CHAPTER
FIVE

It takes two ferry rides to get
there.
 
The first from Mukilteo
to Whidbey Island.
 
It’s nearly an
hour long drive from one end of the island to the other.
 
But we cross a huge bridge into Anacortes,
and then we get to the second ferry.

Figuring no one is going to be looking for
us here, Kale and I go up to the passenger deck on the second ferry ride.
 
I wear my Fedora and a huge pair of
sunglasses, Kale wears a Seahawks cap and sport sunglasses.
 
We lean on the railing of the upper deck of
the ferry, looking out over the ocean and the hundreds of islands that surround
us.

“Isn’t this kind of upending your life
right now, too?” I ask.
 
“You’re running
away with me and you barely know me.”

He looks over at me.
 
It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking behind
those shades.
 
“I want to come.
 
I like being with you, Whitney Ford.”

“I hope you’re not just feeling
obligated to take care of me because you set all this in motion,” I say and the
statement sends a sinking rock into the pit of my stomach.
 
Cause
that has to be
the reason why he’s doing all this.
 
Guilt is a heavy motivator.
 
Look
at how I got talked into singing at his brother’s wedding.

Kale takes his sunglasses off and looks
at me.
 
“Whit, you’ve shown me more of
your real self in the past four days than I’ve seen in any of the girls I’ve
dated for months at a time.
 
And I like
it.
 
I’m not going to
lie,
you’re the damn most exciting, fun person I’ve been around in years.
 
So maybe I’m not ready to say goodbye to that
yet.”

My expression has to be shocked.
 
Cause
that was the
last thing I expected him to say.

“Is that okay with you?” he asks.
 
And it doesn’t sound annoyed like I’d have
thought.
 
It sounds hopeful.
 

And a slow, hesitant smile creeps onto
my face.
 
Color rises back into my
cheeks.
 
“Yeah,” I say. “That’s okay with
me.”

He smiles in return.
 
And in this moment, it feels like the two of
us are rising up and up in a hot air balloon.
 
I’ll never touch the ground again.
 
“Good.
 
Because I’m pretty sure
I’m never going to get enough of you.”

My smile grows, and I have to look away
from him before I turn into a Fourth of July firework.
 
“You know, you’re not what I would have
expected.”
 
I meet his eyes shyly again.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he
says as he closes the distance between us and wraps his arms around me.

He holds me for the rest of the ferry
ride, the two of us making quiet comments about the things happening around
us.
 
Those that are going on in this
moment, the moment of two people being on a ferry, in one of the most beautiful
places in the world; not the surreal world we just left behind.

I am devastated when he has to let me go
so we can get back to our car when the ferry arrives at Orcas Island.

Calvin had called ahead and found us a
place to stay.
 
Apparently he has no
problem spending Kale’s money.
 
It’s a
cabin on the way far end of the island.
 
Three bedrooms, secluded out in the woods.
 
And it overlooks the ocean.
 
When we roll up to it, it feels surreal, like
we’re stepping into a Grimm fairy tale.

It’s so quiet.
 
There’s no traffic sounds.
 
No boats honking.
 
Nothing but the soft breeze
shifting through the trees above.
 
It’s gorgeous.
 
And just what I
need right now.

Just like a gentleman, Kale grabs my bag
and we walk into the cabin.
 
After Tony checks our surroundings out.
 
It’s kind of funny.
 
Who the heck would ever look for us out here?
 
He’s like a real deal bodyguard.
 
He even wears a suit.
 
He just looks like he’s missing an ear piece
and a gun.
 
Who knows, maybe he’s got a
concealed weapon.

And how scary is it that he’s here
because of me?

The entire inside of the house is
finished with wood walls, much like log cabin.
 
A large kitchen is off to the right, a dining area, and just beyond
that, a living room with couches that look like they would swallow you in their
comfort.

“It’s so cozy,” I say with a smile as I
notice the fireplace that takes up the majority of one wall.
 
We won’t
be needing
it in the warm late August air, but it’s perfect nonetheless.

“Yeah, not bad,” Kale says with a smile
as he looks back at me.
 
I can’t help but
return it.
 
I follow him back down the
hall.

Three bedrooms.
 
There’s one for Tony.
 
Calvin’s arriving in just an hour or
two.
 
I’m pretty sure he’s not the type
to be willing to sleep on the couch.
 
So
that just leaves one bedroom left.
 
And
there’s one of me and one of Kale.

There’s a king bed in the last bedroom
that Kale walks into.
 
He sets my bag on
it, apparently he packed one for me, and that’s all kinds of surprisingly sweet.
 
And then my brain starts going crazy trying
to think of solutions to the shortage of bedrooms.

“I’ll take the couch,” Kale says as if
he can read my thoughts.

“You don’t have to,” I say, shaking my
head.
 
“Technically you’re the one paying
for all this, so it’s only fair you get to sleep on an actual bed.”

“Unless you’re cool with me sleeping
in
the bed with you, there’s no way I’m
letting you sleep on the couch,” he says with a shake of his head and that
lopsided smile.
 
“I’m not that much of a
jerk.”

These things he keeps saying turn me all
mushy, and I’m pretty sure my body is going to do something my brain might try
to overthink, when we hear the door open and the sound of a thousand grocery
bags land somewhere.

“I promise I’m not breaking and
entering,” a female voice calls out.
 
Kale and I poke our heads out to see a plump younger woman with brown
hair braided over her shoulder putting groceries and other bags down on the
kitchen counter.
 
“Calvin, whoever he is,
called me and asked me to feed you guys for the next few days.
 
He also asked me to pick up some clothes for
you and the scary-looking guy outside.
 
Not too many options here on island, so I hope what I got works.”

“Uh, thanks,” Kale says.
 
And I notice he stands just slightly in front
of me, like he’s maybe protecting me.
 
Seriously?

“I’m Jamie Hayes, by the way,” she says
with a smile as she starts putting food away and sorting everything.
 
“That Calvin guy said I’m not allowed to ask
your names.
 
Which seems super fishy, but
I’m just going to assume the two of you are some kind of celebrity couple on
vacation and don’t want news leaking out.”

Kale and I look at each other and we
chuckle.

“Guess we should have assumed people
would think we were together,” I say with a blush.
 
Which I keep doing every
two seconds these days.
 
“You were
in your underwear in that picture they got.”

“Are you embarrassed of me or
something?” Kale asks in mock offense.
 
“I mean
,
is the idea of the world thinking we
could be together offensive?”

“Shut up,” I say with a roll of my eyes
and a shake of my head.
 
“Don’t even try
to act like that.”

Jamie laughs.
 
“You two are adorable together.
 
So figure out your status,
cause
the two of you are driving me crazy with all your chemistry.”

Once again, we both laugh.

“Come on,” Kale says, taking my hand
dramatically.
 
“Let’s go check out that
beach.”

Like a couple of lovers on a honeymoon,
we walk down to the beach.
 
A little
trail cuts through the trees and underbrush, and suddenly, we pop out on a
sandy, rocky beach.
 
The sun shines
brightly, the air is warm, and for the first time since I woke up this morning,
I feel as if I can breathe.

I drop Kale’s
hand,
walk out into the edge of the water, shoes and all.
 
I close my eyes, spread my arms, and spin.

For a long time I’ve imagined my “big
break.”
 
I imagined what it’d be like to
be famous and to have fans and for my songs to be known.
 
And it terrified me, but it was still
something I wanted.
 
Now that it’s
coming—maybe—it’s just not what I expected.
 
It’s scary.

But when I open my eyes, it’s all been
worth it.
 
Cause there’s Kale.
 
And here’s me.

And he’s so much more than in my
fantasies.
 
Because in
those he was just a hot bod and a famous name.

Here he is, smiling at me, taking care
of me.
 
And saying all these things I
never would have expected.

“You’re so different, Whitney,” he says,
his voice serious.
 
“Thanks for erupting
into my life.
 
I needed you.”

I smile at him as I walk toward
him.
 
“Thanks for putting a little
adventure into mine.”
 
I take his hand
and we both settle onto the sand.
 
Kale
lays his head on my thigh and it could just about kill me.

“Tell me something about
yourself
,” he says as he looks up at me.
 
“Something you don’t normally talk about.”

“Like what?” I ask.
 
With unsure, slightly shaking hands, I reach
up and run my fingers through his hair.
 
He must like it,
cause
his eyes slide closed.

“I don’t know,” he says with a shrug of
his shoulders.
 
“Anything.”

It takes me a moment, to come up with
something.
 
Something
real, because that seems to be what he wants.
 
“When I was in fifth grade, I hit my first
growth spurt,” I start.
 
“This was before
I started doing home school.
 
I was five
six by the end of the school year, a good half a foot taller than most of the
boys in our class.”
 
For a while I was
excited,
cause
I was taller than everyone else, and
that seemed awesome.
 
And then the
teasing came.
 
“And I just kept growing
over the summer.
 
I went to the first day
of sixth grade, and by then, I was five seven.
 
Some boy made fun of me.
 
My
parents had already been begging me to do private tutoring so I could speed
school up.
 
After that, it didn’t take
much more convincing.
 
I switched out
then.
 
By the time I was fourteen, I was
as tall as I am now.
 
Trust me, not even being
a freshman and being nearly five foot ten was pretty awful.”

“Are you really five ten?” Kale asks,
looking up at me with a smile.
 
I
nod.
 
“That’s as tall as I am.
 
I didn’t even notice.”

“Trust me, I have,” I say with an
uncomfortable smile.
 
“So always being
tall has meant that I never, ever wear heels, because no one wants to dance
with a giant.”

“You shouldn’t be ashamed of being
tall,” Kale says with sincerity.
 
“In my
world, girls will kill for your height and these legs.”
 
He actually pats my thigh.
 
The one he’s not laying on.
 
“And all those kids who made fun of you were
idiots.
 
I want to see you wear some
super tall heels.
 
Soon.”

I bite my lower lip to try and hold back
my smile.
 
“You keep talking about these
future events.
 
Like
you’re planning to see more of me once all this blows over.”