36. Bailey
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Bailey
NOW
I’d hoped the storm wouldn’t actually hit, and now I had the added pressure of knowing Henry trusts me to take care of the people he loves most in this world. I thought maybe, at the last second it would veer off course and dissipate over the ocean.
Unfortunately, this is reality, and it did not do that. It’s ended up only growing stronger with wind speeds picking up and changing it from a Category 1 to a Category 3 hurricane.
We finished preparing the houses and the gallery for the storm yesterday, before Henry had to fly to Seattle for an event with the charity he co-founded with his best friend. Per the evacuation orders that were issued, we’re leaving today for Charlotte.
I know Kait and I shouldn’t have eavesdropped on their conversation, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it—or the way Kaitlyn looked at me afterward.
I’m trying to do the right thing by giving her space since things ended between her and my brother, but it’s nice being around her without having to worry about crossing a line.
Except whatever normality we had was erased the second we heard Henry and Mirabelle talking about their plan to push us together, but with all the storm prep, there hasn’t been a chance for us to talk. I don’t even know where to start.
“Is that everything?” Mirabelle asks as I shut the trunk of her SUV.
“I think so,” I say, running through the mental checklist of everything we packed into the car.
“So I was thinking Javi would ride with me, and you and Kaitlyn would follow in her car,” she says, and I hold back my laugh.
She’s really thought this all through. I didn’t think Henry and Mirabelle had it in them to be so devious, but since hearing their conversation, it did confirm a few of my suspicions.
“Okay,” I agree, deciding to go with it. We’re going to be stuck in the car for hours, and maybe I’ll work up the nerve to ask what Kaitlyn’s thoughts are about their plan.
Mirabelle grins, probably thinking I have no idea what she’s up to.
Honestly, I’m a little relieved to know she’s rooting for me and Kaitlyn. Part of me was worried what my family might think, but this gives me hope they won’t hate me for loving my brother’s ex-girlfriend.
After one final lap around the beach house, we hit the road.
“What are you in the mood to listen to?” Kaitlyn asks, scrolling on her phone.
“I’m okay with whatever,” I say, drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. “You think the storm is going to be bad?”
“I don’t think the storm itself will be too bad, but I’m worried about the storm surge,” she says, and I’m grateful I’m driving because I have to focus on the road instead of staring at Kait the whole time .
“The house has survived a lot of hurricanes. Whatever happens, at least all of us will be safe.”
A sad ballad comes through the speakers, and I recognize it instantly since Kaitlyn used to play it on repeat in high school. Luna also listened to it a lot during those months I stayed with them.
“Did you ever make it to one of her concerts?” I ask, changing the topic as I turn onto the highway that leads to Charlotte. My nerves start to fray when I think of the last time I left Wilmington.
“Yeah, last year. Henry surprised me with tickets for my birthday,” she says, kicking off her sandals to pull her knees up to her chest.
I’m anticipating she’ll end up sitting in a dozen different positions by the time we actually make it to Mirabelle’s house. Kaitlyn doesn’t sit still very well, and at this rate, it’s going to take forever.
We probably should’ve left yesterday to avoid some of the traffic, but at least we’re moving, even if we’re crawling at thirty miles an hour.
The next song comes on, and Kaitlyn starts to hum along. It doesn’t seem to matter what she does—Kaitlyn always has a way of capturing my attention.
“So how many times do you think we’re going to have to stop so Mirabelle can pee?” she asks, after Mirabelle flicks her turn signal only a half hour later to take a random exit.
“I guess it depends how long it takes us to get to Charlotte in this traffic,” I reply, following her lead. The last thing I want to do is keep going without her, and then they end up on the side of the road without us knowing. “I hope for our sake, it’s less than seven.”
“God, we’re never going to make it there at this rate.” Kaitlyn laughs, the sound infectious, and I smile, pulling into the spot behind Mira .
“Maybe not, but at least it gives us a chance to talk,” I say, watching as Mira climbs out of the car, turning back to give us a thumbs up. My phone buzzes a moment later with a text from her.
Mirabelle
Sorry! Have to pee, but didn’t want to wake Javi up!
Honk if anyone goes near the car!
“About?” she asks, and my anxiety spikes, but all I have to do to feel brave is look over at the feisty brunette next to me.
“I wanted to know if I’ve been upgraded from high fives and fist bumps since you didn’t yell at me for hugging you last week,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.
Kaitlyn’s dark eyes widen and a sputtering laugh slips from her. “Are you serious right now?”
“Hell yeah. I told you I’d follow your lead, sunshine. Are we allowing hugs, or am I still strictly in the high five and fist bump zone?” I ask, giving her a slanted smile, and Kaitlyn purses her pretty pink lips. If I leaned over, would she let me kiss her?
I’m afraid if I kissed her once, I’d never want to stop.
“I’ll answer your question if you answer mine,” she bargains, and at this point, I thought I’d made it pretty clear I’d answer anything she wanted to know.
“Deal.”
“Who’s the friend you always step out of the room to talk to?” Kaitlyn asks, going straight for my jugular. She really doesn’t hold back when she wants to know something, but I like that about her. She doesn’t let me hide, and I think that’s something I need more of.
“Luna,” I answer, and I can only imagine what Luna will say when I tell her about this later. “She’s Carter’s half sister. We were really good friends and stayed in touch after Carter kicked me out. She did a lot to help me when I was on the streets, and she’s kind of like family to me now.”
Kaitlyn’s fiddling with her necklaces, twisting them between her fingers as she chews on her lower lip. “Javi’s mentioned her before I think.”
“Yeah, they met a few times, and Javi really likes her.”
She shifts again in her seat, and I glance back at Mirabelle’s SUV to see if she’s come out yet, but she hasn’t. Kaitlyn’s brows are furrowed when I look at her again, and I can tell she’s thinking hard about something. “You can just ask whatever it is you’re thinking about,” I say, and she huffs.
“Sometimes it’s annoying how well you can read me.”
“My bad.”
Her lashes are dark against her tanned skin when she turns toward me. “Were you and Luna ever together?”
Holy shit. Is she jealous? I feel my throat catch, and I force out a short laugh. Kaitlyn’s cheeks pink, and I realize she’s misunderstanding my reaction. “No, Kait. Luna and I have never been more than friends. She kind of terrifies me, but she’s a great friend. You’d probably really like her.”
“I would?” she asks, raising her eyebrows. Is it awful for me to like Kaitlyn being jealous of Luna? I’m probably jumping to conclusions, but I think it means she cares.
“Yeah,” I say, drumming my fingers on the wheel again. “So I answered both of your questions. Are you going to answer mine yet?”
“You don’t have to worry about hugs,” she says at the same time Mirabelle walks out of the gas station with a bag of candy.
“You sure?” I ask, trying not to sound too eager. I’ve tried really hard to keep myself in check, but with Javi’s health issues taken care of and Kaitlyn and Hunter being broken up, it doesn’t feel selfish to want her.
I think she’d make me feel alive when I touch her, learning what she likes and doesn’t, instead of the overwhelming numbness I’ve felt every time I traded myself for a shower and a night with a roof over my head.
Kaitlyn makes me want to know what it’s like to be touched gently and with care.
“I’m sure,” she says, and I think it might’ve been a mistake to talk about this while we’re trapped in a car for hours together because the last thing I need right now is to be bricked up. The athletic shorts I’m wearing are flimsy and do nothing to hide an inconvenient boner.
Fuck .
“How’s painting going?” I ask, picking a relatively safe topic as I pull back onto the highway, but apparently Kaitlyn hates me.
“Good. I think I’ve finally figured out how to get better at painting you,” she says easily, as if she didn’t just drop a bomb threatening to shred my willpower.
“Fuck, Kait,” I swear under my breath, dragging a hand over my jaw, and she has the nerve to laugh.
“What?”
I glance over at her, and Kaitlyn’s just watching me as if she doesn’t have a fucking clue what she does to me. “Nothing,” I say, hating every second my pants grow tighter.
“No funny comments about offering to pose for me?” she teases, and I think I might be dying.
“Nope.”
I clench my jaw, trying to think of anything other than Kaitlyn caring about me enough to paint me once, let alone practice to get better, or how I volunteered to pose naked for her last time. Basically, I’m a fucking idiot, and now I have to deal with the consequences and hope she doesn’t notice.
“Are you okay?” she asks, and it sounds like she’s trying not to laugh .
“Of course I’m okay. I’m here with you,” I say, knowing that despite how uncomfortable I am right now, there’s still nowhere else I’d rather be than next to her, even if we’re evacuating from a hurricane.
It makes me feel better when I notice Kaitlyn appears as flustered as I am.
Right now it’s just a waiting game to see how hard the coast is hit, but the biggest problem we’ll face here is power lines being taken out with the winds. Since Mirabelle’s house sits next to a lake, it’s also in a flood zone.