Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
Kenny woke alone.
She opened her bleary eyes and groaned when the bright sunshine scorched her retinas.
Her head was pounding, her mouth felt like it had been stuffed with cotton wool, and everything felt just a little off-kilter.
The three tequila shots she had downed in quick succession last night were back to haunt her.
Last night they’d afforded her the bravery to stand up in front of a crowd of strangers and sing.
Today, they were reminding her how low her tolerance for alcohol was.
It didn’t help that she hadn’t eaten much beforehand.
She wished she could blame the crying jag that followed on the alcohol too, but that had been a long time coming. And it almost certainly contributed to the headache and dehydration this morning.
She sat up and groaned.
Everything hurt.
She’d spent the entire night on the overly soft, lumpy, too-small two-seater.
Smith had left sometime after two a.m. after waking her gently to tell her he was going.
Kenny buried her face in her hands with a muffled moan as she recalled the way she’d protested and clung to him.
Don’t go. I’m homeless without you.
Oh God, had she really said that to him?
Out loud?
He’d paused for a moment, tilting his head quizzically, while he stared at her as if her words were cryptic code that needed cracking.
In the end he’d chosen not to respond. He’d left a bottle of water within easy reach, asked if she needed help getting to the bedroom, and then, after tracing the line of her jaw with a gentle, lingering finger, had left.
Her phone buzzed gently but she couldn’t pinpoint its location.
Latching on to that as an excuse not to obsessively replay last night’s disaster over and over again, she began a frantic search for her device.
She kept calling for Siri to “find my phone” like a madwoman, but that damned bitch maintained a stubborn silence. Which probably meant that her phone was face down or covered.
She squeamishly checked down the sides of the sofa, which yielded some loose change, half a slice of moldy toast, crumpled tissues, and various other disgusting bits of detritus.
Right. She was never sitting on this thing again. In fact, as soon as she found her phone, she was going online to find a new sofa. Her landlord could consider it a gift.
She cast her eyes around the room and…
The phone buzzed again, drawing her gaze to her cast, which was propped up against a coffee table leg.
She sighed and rolled her eyes, when she saw the dim light shining through the ventilation slits along the sides of the fiberglass boot.
She hobbled over to the kitchen sink and washed her hands before retrieving her phone. The device also got a quick clean with a sanitizing wipe before she checked her messages.
Of which there were many.
Cade was just checking in.
Gideon had sent a dog meme.
Her father had sent her a picture of a welt on his toe and asked if it was cancer.
She replied:
Dad, it’s a mosquito bite. Use repellent next time you’re outside at night. And stop sending me these gross pics. If you’re really concerned about something, see your GP.
Her father’s reply came a minute later. Unusual for him. He must be between meetings, or something.
Dad Vader
What’s the point of having a doctor in the family then?
His usual argument.
Not your physician, remember?
Dad Vader
You could be, if you became the company physician. Doc Halliday is retiring this year. Top-tier salary, great benefits.
No. A thousand times…no.
Dad Vader
I have to try.
You really don’t.
Dad Vader
Of course I do. I’m rather fond of getting my way. Not to worry, we’ll revisit this. See you in a couple of weeks.
Wait…what?
A couple of weeks?
She racked her brains trying to figure out what her father meant by that. What was happening in a couple of weeks?
She checked the date and then groaned.
With everything going on, she’d completely forgotten about her father’s birthday.
He’d be sixty-six on the ninth of February. For the smaller birthdays, everybody usually just gathered at one of the siblings’ homes. And it was Kenny’s turn to host this year.
Which was a disaster.
She was nowhere near emotionally prepared to be around her family yet. There would be too many probing questions. Too much judgment of Smith.
And then there was the fact that she’d be doing this without his steady presence.
Oh God. Maybe she could cry off. Foist the responsibility onto Fern or Beth.
But she couldn’t do that.
Fern was heavily pregnant and Beth usually hosted every Christmas. And Nox was out of the question. He was God knows where and he’d blown off so many family gatherings over the last couple of years, it was doubtful he’d even attend.
She shoved the problem out of her mind for now, knowing she’d have to address the issue very soon. This gathering was supposed to happen in just two weeks.
But as was becoming a deplorable habit, she was finding it much easier to bury her head in the sand and deal with the repercussions at a later date.
She swiped her father’s message off-screen. Out of sight, out of mind. For now.
She hoped.
She refocused on her screen.
Tina had sent several texts last night, asking where Kenny was. Did she need help? Was she okay?
And then this morning, asking if Kenny had slept well. Did she feel better? Did she want to talk?
Her most recent message, sent just twenty minutes ago, flooded Kenny’s eyes with scalding tears:
Tina
I’m here if you need me. Please reach out anytime.
Kenny tapped out a quick reply, her vision so blurred she could barely make out the words on the screen.
I’m so sorry about last night. I hope I didn’t ruin your fun. I had a lovely time, I truly did. And I enjoyed meeting your friends. They made me feel so welcome. Please convey my sincerest apologies to them.
She sent that message before following up with another one a moment later:
Thank you for being there. It means a lot.
She didn’t want to go into too much detail. Not in text. But she was trying to communicate her feelings more openly. And if during the course of a physical conversation, Tina asked about last night, Kenny would try to explain.
There were a couple of messages from Smith as well.
Smith
I have your spare key. Used it to lock up. Wasn’t sure you were awake and aware enough to do it yourself.
Good call. Thanks. I was asleep before you were even out the door.
Smith
You spent the whole night on that awful sofa?
I was out like a light. I’m feeling it this morning though. Nothing that a hot shower and a couple of aspirin won’t cure.
Smith
Doctor, heal thyself.
Kenny smiled.
You’re always saying I shouldn’t.
Smith
Since there’s no blood or broken bones involved, I think it’s okay. Just this once.
Her smiled widened.
Glad you approve
She wasn’t sure what to make of this light-hearted exchange. It felt a little flirty and she didn’t know if that was his intention.
He started typing something… but the flickering ellipsis disappearing completely as he apparently changed his mind.
Kenny stared at her screen for a moment, uncertainly nipping at her lower lip with her teeth.
I’ll be at MJ’s for brunch at 10.
Long pause. Typing. Pause. More typing.
Smith
I’ll be there at 10:07. Do you think there’s a chance we’ll run into each other?
She grinned at that ludicrous question.
The odds are negligible at best
Smith
That’s what I thought. But on the off chance that you’re still there when I arrive, maybe we should share a table again? My sister has twins to feed…wouldn’t want to rob her of any business.
Agreed. We’d have to share. For the twins.
Smith
Kenny was smiling from ear to ear as she put her phone aside. It was the lightest and happiest she’d felt in months.
Smith arrived at MJ’s at exactly 10:07 and joined Kenny without hesitation.
This time they each devoured every crumb of their croque monsieurs with great gusto.
They didn’t speak much and instead sat in comfortable silence, while conversations from other tables ebbed and flowed around them.
They’d had many silent breakfasts, but this wasn’t like that. Those meals had been sterile, their behavior toward each other cold and indifferent. But there was no iciness here. No indifference.
Smith and Kenny remained completely aware of each other throughout the meal. Present in a way they hadn’t been with each other in over a year. Exchanging frequent, almost shy glances and small smiles.
“You still sore after your night on the sofa?” he eventually asked, after finishing off the last bite of his sandwich. He took a sip of coffee.
“Yep. I’m getting rid of that damned thing. I’m buying a new one today.”
“You’re buying a brand-new sofa?” Smith asked, eyes wide in bemused consternation, as he stared at Kenny over the top of his coffee cup.
“Yes. I refuse to spend another night like that.”
“Uh…plan to spend many more nights sleeping on the couch, do you?” His face didn’t reveal a trace of the laughter she could see lurking in his eyes.
“Because you do have a bed. And I know for a fact that it’s relatively new.
Harris bought it when he first came here.
The landlord moved it into your house after Tina and Harris left. ”
Oh.
He made a good point. Kenny had zero complaints about the bed and she now had an explanation for its surprising comfort.
“Well, aside from the couch being uncomfortable, it’s also filthy. I found some seriously gross things shoved down the back and sides. I refuse to sit on it again,” she maintained.
“So you’re basically buying it for an asshole landlord who can’t even be bothered to clean out his rental property between tenants?”
“No, I’m buying it for myself. What he does with it afterward is his business.”
“Normal people don’t do this kind of shit. You know that, right?” The words lacked judgment. In fact, they were laced with the laughter that she could see in his eyes, but was still conspicuously absent from his expression.