Chapter 3 #4
“Oh. Well, crud, I put my foot in it, didn’t I?
” his mom said with a little head shake.
“In that case, maybe you should come visit me and Kaden. Since our son is neglecting us, we can show you around San Francisco. We’d love to have you.
Any friend of Gage’s is a friend of ours.
Have you ever been here? We can get tickets to Alcatraz.
It’s fascinating. And the sea lions down at the pier are a not-to-be-missed sight—”
“Mom,” he interrupted.
“What?”
“Slow your roll,” he told her.
He was surprised when he heard a soft giggle from Kinley. He looked at her with one brow raised.
“Slow your roll? Did you really just tell your mother that?” she asked.
“He did,” his mom complained. “See how abusive he is?” But she was laughing when she’d said it. “I like you, Kinley. And I was serious about you coming out to visit. I can’t imagine how it feels to have lost your parents, and I’m more than willing to be a surrogate mom for you.”
“You are not allowed to adopt Kinley, Mom,” Lefty said sternly. Kinley looked up at him, and continued, “You can befriend her, share beauty tips, and corrupt her into not showering for weeks at a time, but under no circumstances are you and Dad allowed to adopt her.”
“Why not?” Molly asked.
Lefty merely raised his eyebrows.
“Oooooh!” his mom said. “Right. Okay, no adoptions, because it would be awkward if you started dating your sister, wouldn’t it?”
“Mom!” Lefty shook his head. “You’re impossible.”
“I learned it from my kid,” she said with a smile, then turned her attention back to Kinley.
“I’m serious, hon. If you need a break from all the assholes in DC, you’re more than welcome to visit us.
And before you ask, Gage already told us a little about you, how he met you in Africa and how you work in DC.
We’ve got more than enough room in our house for you to stay for however long you want.
My husband will bore you to death by showing you his sports memorabilia room—don’t believe him when he tells you it’s Gage’s inheritance…
it’s all junk—and I’ll take you out one night to the Castro District and we’ll party at the gay bars down there.
It’s super fun, and those boys are so entertaining. ”
“Okay, that’s it. I’m hanging up now,” Lefty said.
Kinley put her hand on his forearm, and he knew he’d stand there and listen to his mom talking about getting drunk in a gay nightclub all day if Kinley wanted him to.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’ve never been to San Francisco. If you…if you and your husband ever come out to DC, I’m happy to be your tour guide. I haven’t seen everything myself, as I tend to stay inside a lot, but I can see if I can find the good gay bars and take you out.”
Molly Haskins threw her head back and laughed hysterically. “I’d love that, thank you, Kinley. Son, take me off video chat and speaker.”
Lefty did so and brought his cell up to his ear. “Hey, Mom.”
“I like her,” she said immediately. “She’s different than any woman you’ve dated before. She’s smart and funny and too good for the likes of you.”
Lefty almost choked. “Thanks, Mom,” he drawled.
“Tread lightly with her,” she suggested. “She’s shy, and I’m guessing she’s not used to someone like you.”
“Someone like me?” Lefty asked.
“Yeah. Someone good. Who will treat her like a princess and who doesn’t want to hurt her.”
It felt great to know his mom saw him that way. “I will.”
“Good. And make sure she knows I was serious about the invite to come out here. And if she wasn’t serious about Kaden and I going to DC, let me know. Because I’m so planning that trip.”
“Okay.”
“And, Gage?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for sharing Notre Dame with me. Meant the world.”
Lefty closed his eyes and sighed. “Love you, Mama.”
“Love you too, son. Now…off with you. Go save the world or something.”
“Will do. I’ll call when I’m back in the States.”
“See that you do,” she said. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
Lefty clicked off the phone and found Kinley staring at him, curiosity shining in her eyes. “She likes you, wanted to make sure I knew that. And she told me that you’re too good for me.”
“No, she didn’t,” Kinley protested.
Lefty took her hand in his once more and started walking slowly back toward the area where her hotel and the conference was located. “She did,” he said. “And she also wanted me to find out if you were serious about playing tour guide for them if they come to Washington, DC.”
Kinley shrugged. “Yeah, although I’d suck at it since I haven’t seen much myself, beyond the museums. But I can do some research if I know what they’re most interested in.
I can find out which museums they’d like and get tickets.
I might even be able to finagle a tour of the White House if they’d like that. ”
Lefty stopped and brought his free hand up to her neck, as he’d done earlier during breakfast—and felt electricity shoot through his body in an arc.
“If they come out to visit, all they’ll be interested in is getting to know you, Kinley.
You can take them to a museum if you want, or some of the monuments, but all they’ll care about is spending time with you. ”
“But…I don’t even know them,” she protested.
“You just spent thirty minutes giving my mother the thrill of her life,” Lefty told her.
“You have no idea how deep her obsession with Notre Dame goes. When you said you cried watching the footage of the church burning, I knew you and her would get along perfectly. And I was right. Thank you for not thinking my mom’s crazy for loving that heap of stone as much as she does. ”
“She’s not crazy,” Kinley protested. “I liked her.”
“Good. Because she liked you too. And I was serious, don’t you dare sign any paperwork letting them adopt you. It would be embarrassing for me to be dating my stepsister.”
Amazingly, Kinley giggled, but she quickly sobered. “They won’t want to adopt me. No one wants me.”
“Wrong,” Lefty said with heat. “I want you as my friend. Gillian, Trigger’s fiancée, will want you as her friend as soon as she meets you. The rest of the guys on my team want you as their friend. Hell, even Jangles and his team like you. You aren’t alone anymore, Kinley, understand?”
She stared at him for so long, Lefty was afraid he’d pushed too hard. That she’d agree just to get him to shut up. But instead, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded.
“Look at me, Kins.” She opened her eyes immediately. “You need me, I’m there, no questions asked,” Lefty told her. “Even if you just need someone to complain to about your day. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered. “But you should know something.”
“What?”
“Donald Duck is more interesting and has more personality than Mickey Mouse.”
Lefty snorted. “As if,” he said, dropping his hand from her neck and pulling her into his side. He had to let go of her hand to do it, but she felt good plastered against him.
“It’s true. He’s funnier and has a much stronger presence on screen than Mickey,” Kinley said with a small grin.
As they walked back to the conference, Lefty realized that he’d had more fun in the last five or so hours than he’d had in a very long time.
He’d liked Kinley when he’d met her in the middle of a crisis, but hanging out with her in a relaxed atmosphere, even he was almost surprised at how attracted he was to her.
They bantered back and forth throughout a short lunch at another café, and he’d learned more about who Kinley was as a person when she ordered a takeout lunch and gave it to a homeless man she’d seen sitting on a bench across from the café.
Knowing he’d have little to no time with her once she went back to work, he stopped her just outside the building where the conference was taking place.
“You’re going to talk to me when you get home, right?” he asked, the sting of being ignored still fresh in his mind.
“I promise,” Kinley said, grabbing his hand and squeezing. It was the first time she’d touched him. “As I said earlier, I’ll try to get better at checking my email and texts, but it might take me a while to get into a routine with that. I’m just not used to talking to other people.”
“Okay, I can be patient. And if I get sent on a mission, I’ll be sure to tell you how long I think I’ll be gone. It’ll always be a guess though,” he warned her.
“I understand,” she said, and Lefty had the feeling she really did.
“I don’t know when our paths will cross again, but I’m looking forward to it,” he told her.
“Me too,” she said shyly. “I can’t promise I’ll be the best friend, simply because I don’t know how, but I’m going to try.”
“You just be you,” Lefty told her. “That’s all I want.”
“Okay,” she said shyly.
“Okay,” Lefty repeated. He wanted to kiss her, but it didn’t feel right. He brought their joined hands up to his mouth instead and kissed her fingers. “Be careful out there, Kins. Watch your back, and if you need me, all you have to do is reach out.”
“Thanks,” she said.
They stood on the sidewalk for a long moment, staring at each other, before Lefty forced himself to let go of her hand.
He took a step back. She gave him a small wave and backed up, as well.
She bumped into the door and wrinkled her nose at her clumsiness.
Then she turned and disappeared into the building.
Taking a deep breath, Lefty turned and headed for the hotel. For the first time that morning, he saw Merlin leaning against a building nearby. He’d said he was going to follow them, and it was apparent he had. The other man nodded and joined him as Lefty passed him.
“You guys seemed to have a good time today,” he noted.
“We did,” Lefty agreed.
“I’ve never really seen her smile,” Merlin observed. “You’re good for her.”
Lefty appreciated the man’s insight. He wasn’t so sure Merlin was correct, but it was too late now. He’d gotten his wish to know Kinley better, and now he couldn’t picture his life without her in it in some way…even if that was only as a friend.
They walked in silence the rest of the way to the hotel.
Lefty needed to relieve his teammate and find out what Johnathan Winkler’s schedule was for the rest of the day.
He hoped to have a chance to see Kinley again, but even if he didn’t, he felt much better about where they stood with each other.
He just prayed that she’d keep her word and talk to him when she got home.