Chapter 32
THIRTY-TWO
L anguidly stretching in her seat as they drove back to Kansas City, she wished they didn’t have to go to work. They had left early enough to have breakfast before reluctantly heading out. The previous day had been the most marvelous one of her entire life.
Kent had driven them two hours away from Kansas City on Monday morning. They’d checked into a hotel, and he’d left her there so she could take a nap while he attended his meeting.
“I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours. I just need to have a consultation with a client of mine. Then we can spend the rest of the day together before we go out this evening. Did you bring your swimsuit?”
“Yes.” Setting the cloth bag down on the bed, she glanced around the room. This room was just at luxurious as the one he had at the Casino Hotel, but it had a more tropical vibe with plants situated around the room and green curtains and accents.
Yawning, she sat down on the bed. “I’ll take the nap and save swimming until you come back.”
“Works for me.” Kent gave her a quick kiss before going to the door. “I don’t want you tired tonight.”
Kent had woken her up from the nap for them to lazily lie by the pool after swimming before they hit the restaurant inside the hotel for lunch once they had showered.
They spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the small town before going back to the hotel to dress for dinner.
She’d bought each of the girls the same toy, just different colors, and splurged and bought herself a cheap bracelet as a memento of the day they had spent together.
Kent had pointed out there was jewelry of a better quality in a glass case not far from where they were standing.
“Pick out something from there, and I’ll purchase it for you,” he offered.
“No, thanks, I want this one.” Holding out the bracelet, she showed him the charms that had been designed to highlight the sights around the town they were visiting.
“I’ll pay for it, then.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because if we ever break up, I’ll feel like I’d have to give it back. If I pay for it, the bracelet will always be mine, and I won’t have to feel guilty.”
Kent didn’t try to change her mind, yet she felt as if he had mentally taken a step back from her.
By dinner, she thought she had imagined his withdrawal due to all the attention he was giving her. Any further misgivings she had disappeared when he took a small box out of his jacket and slid it across the table to her.
She stared at the box, enjoying the novel experience—she had never received a gift from a man before. Swallowing hard, aware he was waiting for her reaction, she opened it.
She stared at the gift inside. Then, raising shining eyes to his, she had trouble getting words out.
“My watch. How did you get it?”
Reaching across the table, Kent removed the watch from the box to wrap it around her wrist, fastening it closed.
“Officer Lee gave me a couple of fence names so I could talk to them. The man who robbed you had sold it to one of the fences. I told Officer Lee I bought the watch. I don’t know if he’ll be able to find the man who sold it to charge him.
I hope you having your watch back makes up for me being unable to find the person who robbed you. ”
“It was never your responsibility. You could have been hurt.” Unable to hide her distress that he could have been injured, she grabbed his hand tightly. “Thank you, Kent. This means so much to me. I never expected to see it again.”
“It was your mother’s; you deserve to have it back.”
“How much did you have to pay for it? I’ll pay you back.”
Kent grinned. “I knew you would say that, which is why I made it a gift.”
She looked at the watch on her wrist; she didn’t want to spoil the moment by arguing. Remembering his withdrawal when she had bought the bracelet earlier, she let it drop.
“You just made this watch even more special to me. Thank you very much,” she said softly.
“You’re very welcome. I’m just as happy to give it to you. I hope this makes it worth you having to take the day off to come with me. Did Bree give you a hard time when you asked?”
Bree had been more accommodating than she’d thought she would be, not giving her a hard time at all when she had texted her.
“She didn’t.” Lifting her glass of wine to her lips, she stared at Kent over the rim of the glass. “Do you think she knew I asked off so I could go out of town with you?”
“Maybe. Would you be upset if she did?”
“We’ve been going out to lunch every day for the last two weeks.
” She shrugged. “So, it’s no big secret we’ve been seeing each other.
” After a sip of the wine, she set her glass down to stare down into the depths of the red liquid.
“From some of the gossip I heard, a few of the attorneys are involved with some of the female staff.”
“Really?” Curiosity filled Kent’s eyes. “Spill the tea.”
Sage shook her head. “I don’t know any of the particulars, and I don’t want to know.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have asked.” Lifting the bottle of wine that had been left at the table, he poured a light amount into her almost empty glass before refilling his.
Biting her lip, she hesitated asking the question burning in her mind. “Were you and Livvy seeing each other before we started going out?”
Kent appeared to be taken aback at her question. “What makes you ask that? Was that some of the gossip you heard?”
“No, if it had been, I wouldn’t have gone out with you.”
“I’ve never gone a date with Livvy, not once,” he said without hesitation.
Relief ran through her.
“I didn’t think you had.” She tried not to show how happy she was at his answer. “I was just double-checking.”
“If you’re done eating, I have another surprise for you.”
“I’m finished. I don’t need another surprise, though. The watch was enough,” she protested.
“Regardless, you’re going to get it, anyway. I’ve already purchased it.”
After he signed his signature on the credit card slip, they left the restaurant.
Curious about where they were going, she incessantly asked him questions, attempting to guess their destination. She failed.
When he pulled into a park, she was surprised to see the parking area was packed.
“Is something going on here tonight?” she asked, looking out her window.
“Yes, I saw it advertised and thought you would enjoy coming.”
Spotting an empty space, Kent parked.
Kent went to the trunk after getting out of the SUV, and when she opened her door, she saw he was holding a blanket and cooler.
“When did you get the cooler?”
“I bought it after my meeting and filled it with drinks and a couple of snacks. They should still be cold.” Closing the trunk, he laid a guiding hand on her back, exerting pressure to get her moving.
They trailed a large group that was walking from the parking lot, but Kent still refused to tell her what was going on.
“It’s a movie, isn’t it?”
“No.”
“A sports game?”
When they rounded a curve, a stage came within sight.
“I love concerts.” She practically bounced next to him. “Who’s singing?”
“Wait and see.” Kent pointed to a shady spot under a tree. “Let’s sit there. There isn’t anyone else nearby, and you should have a good view of the stage.”
She eagerly helped Kent spread the blanket. She took a beer from him, which he had taken from the cooler, and couldn’t help kissing him. “Any time you want me to take a day off, I’m in.”
Hearing the crowd draw silent, she looked toward the stage, and her hand went to grip his arm. “You brought me to a symphony.” Awestruck at the sweet gesture, she had to blink back tears of happiness. She wasn’t crying, but she came close.
Guilt hit her at how much she was enjoying herself, while Glory wasn’t even able to enjoy going out to a restaurant anymore.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She hadn’t told Kent that much about Glory; she wanted to wait until she felt the time was right.
“Do you still want to argue with me for giving you two presents in one night?” he teased.
Shaking herself her dejected thoughts about her sister off, she stared at his pleased boyish expression. Her bottom lip trembled. “No. How could I? Can you do me a favor?” The orchestra began playing, yet Sage couldn’t pull her eyes away from Kent.
“Sure. What do you need?”
Haunting notes filled the air. She recognized they were playing Swan Lake immediately.
“Whatever happens to us in the future, I need you to remember something.”
“What do you want me to remember?” His eyes grew as haunted as the music.
“I loved you first.”