Chapter Ten – Cadie
Cadie
What have I gotten myself into?
When I packed up my small suitcase earlier that morning, I knew I was making a mistake. I was getting too close to Kian and couldn’t have that. It was bad enough that I had let myself start to get attached to Opal; now, I was falling for her nephew, who was a lawyer. Maybe that was a good thing…I might need one if I was ever found.
“You okay?”
Turning to look at Kian, I laughed. “Yes, sorry. I was lost in thought.”
“It’s a bit cold out today, not like yesterday when the sun was out, and it warmed up a bit. We don’t have to eat outside on the deck if you don’t want to.”
“The heater?” I asked.
He laughed. “We can try it.”
The guest house wasn’t far from the main house, just a short walk. “Is the guest house just as impressive?” I asked as we made our way up the walk. “And why do you need a guest house when your main house has nine bedrooms?”
Kian laughed. “My grandparents built the guest house before the main house. Originally, there was a small house here, the one where they took the clapboard off for the bathroom. They didn’t want to stay there, so they built this while the main house was being built.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, I used to tease my grandfather that he had more money than he knew what to do with.”
I smiled. “All from being a lawyer?”
“God, no. Don’t get me wrong, my parents aren’t suffering with their law firms. But that’s not where all of this came from. It was here before my father was born. My great-grandfather’s brother moved to Texas after deciding farming was not for him. I’m not sure who it was he met when he got there, but apparently, he fell into the right crowd as far as money-making goes. He talked his brother, my great-grandfather, into investing in oil and gas. That is where the money came from.”
“Ahh,” I said with a nod of my head. “That makes sense.”
“This is home,” Kian said as he opened the door, and we stepped inside. The guest house was more of a guest cottage if you ask me. It was a large open concept with the living room and kitchen all in one area. The colors weren’t nearly as dark, but the same knotty pine wood floors in the main house were also here. The walls didn’t have wood on them, though, and instead were painted a soft shade of white.
The galley-style kitchen had white cabinets and a dark black granite countertop. Gone were the stunning chandeliers in the main house and replaced with recessed lighting and simple pendant lights over the kitchen eat-in bar. The whole area had a clean, modern feel to it, yet it wasn’t too modern. The farm sink and other small details gave it a very cottage feel. Unlike the cabin I was going to be moving into. I couldn’t tell if I was jealous Kian got to stay here or not.
“What are you thinking? You have a little furrow between your brows.”
I chuckled. “I can’t tell if I’m going to ask you if you want to trade. I move in here, and you take the cabin.”
Kian looked around and smiled. “It does have a real cottage feel rather than a cabin feel.”
“It does,” I agreed. “There is two bedroom and two full baths. The one bedroom is used as an office as well.”
“You’re right on the lake. Does it ever flood?”
“Not since I can remember.” Kian looked around and then back to me. “Want to see what it feels like out on the deck? The wind off the lake might make it a bit too cold, even with the heater.”
“Are you okay with just eating here?” I asked.
“I’m perfectly fine eating here. Let’s see what Sally packed for us.”
I watched as Kian took off his coat and placed it over the back of the chair at the island. I took mine off and followed his direction. Kian pushed up his shirt sleeves, and I watched his forearms flex while he took the food out of the basket. I had to look away and focus on something else in the room. The first thing my eye caught was a family photo on the fireplace.
Don’t turn around and watch the hot lawyer unpacking a picnic basket.
Drawing a slow breath, I turned back to Kian and instantly regretted it. He had pulled the long-sleeve shirt off and was now wearing a very form-fitting white T-shirt .
Is that his abs I can see? Look anywhere but at his stomach, Cadie. Anywhere else.
When Kian spoke, I jerked my eyes up and exhaled in relief when I saw he was still focusing on the food.
“How much did she pack for just the two of us?” I asked, moving closer to take a look. What I wasn’t expecting was the smell of Kian. The scent was earthy but dark and exotic. I could smell something strong and sweet with hints of sandalwood. Was that…vanilla?
“Vanilla?”
“What?” Kian asked, pausing with a bottle of wine mid-air.
Startled by his question, I repeated it back to him. “What?”
“You said vanilla.”
I was positive that a look of utter horror appeared on my face. “I did?”
He smiled. “You did.”
“It’s, um…well…I didn’t mean to say it out loud. I was thinking it, but I guess I said it.”
The smile grew into a wide grin. “Why were you thinking it?”
“You smell like it.”
My hand slapped over my mouth as I sucked in a breath. “No, what I mean is I smell vanilla or something that I think is vanilla, and I think it’s you.”
I shook my head and covered my mouth again…this time with both hands. I closed my eyes and slowly turned away from him.
“Tom Ford, Oud Wood. It has an earthy smell to it. Sandalwood and tonka bean, which they say can smell like vanilla. ”
“Well, you smell divine. I mean, it smells good. Or maybe it’s the food. I’m not sure. It’s making my mouth water.”
His brows shot up.
“Not your smell; that’s not making my mouth water. The food,” I said as I pointed to the food. “That’s making my mouth water. Not you or your smell…or…”
Open a hole in the floor and let me fall in…please.
“Or?” he asked, setting the bottle of wine on the counter.
I could feel the heat move from my chest up to my hairline. “Or nothing.”
He laughed. “No, what were you going to say?”
“I would be very appreciative if you just let it go. Otherwise, I’m going to really embarrass myself.”
His eyes widened. “Well, damn, now I want to know.”
It was clear he wasn’t going to let it go. I would never know what had possessed me to blurt out the following words:
“Your abs! Happy now?” I said, waving my hand in the direction of his mid-section. “You clearly need to buy cotton shirts that aren’t so thin. I can see…”
Kian glanced down and then looked back at me. “My abs?”
“Yes! I can see your very well-defined abs. Which, by the way, do not make my mouth water.”
He pouted, and it was adorable. “Well, that sucks. Guess I need to work them more.”
I rolled my eyes. “You know damn well you do not need to improve anything in that area.” I closed my eyes and groaned. I would keep sticking my foot in my mouth if I didn’t stop talking.
Kian laughed. “We should probably focus on eating this lunch Sally made for us. ”
Nodding quickly, I replied, “Please. Yes. Let’s. If food is in my mouth, I won’t talk.”
He laughed once again.
Looking around at the spread of food, I asked, “What did she pack?”
“Here we have some chili in these two containers.”
“Oh, yum! I haven’t had chili in forever. Are those Ritz crackers? I love those!”
“We’ve got some cut-up fruit and fruit dip. Sally makes the best fruit dip. Not sure how she does it, but it’s delicious.”
Rubbing my hands together, I smiled. “I can’t wait to try it.”
We had decided to eat from the containers, so we didn’t have more dishes to wash. As we ate at the island, I asked Kian about the book he would start writing.
“Do you have a plot for your book yet?”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I know I want it to be suspenseful.”
“Are you going to have some romance in it?”
“Maybe a small storyline, but I don’t think the romance readers will be breaking down doors to read it.”
He winked, and I forced myself to ignore how it made my heart skip a beat.
Friends only, Cadie.
Friends. Only.
I suddenly found my chili very interesting.
“What about you, do you like to read?”
“I do. Romance is my jam, though. Not that I wouldn’t read a good suspense or mystery novel. I’m not even sure of the difference, if I’m being honest. ”
Kian swallowed his food and wiped his mouth. “In a mystery novel, the reader gets to solve the puzzle, if you will. In suspense, the reader is on the edge of their seat, waiting to see what happens next. Well, it’s that way with a mystery novel as well.”
Looking up, I thought about it before I said, “I think I would enjoy a good mystery novel with some romance in it.”
He grinned. “Yeah, I like to read both mystery and suspense. James Patterson is one of my go-to authors.”
“I’ve never read anything by him.”
Kian’s spoon dropped. “What?”
I shook my head and chuckled. “Nope. Like I said, romance is my thing.”
“He writes romance as well.”
Surprised, I tilted my head and asked, “Are you pulling my leg?”
Kian held up both hands. “I kid you not. I should add, he always has another author co-write them with him. There is one I liked that he wrote. It’s called Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas.”
Pulling out my phone, I opened my notes and typed the title of the book in as a reminder. “I’ll buy it later. I’ve been needing a new book to read.”
“Let me know what you think. If you want to dip your toe into other genres, I’ll give you some more recommendations. Patterson writes some great mystery crime romance.”
A humorless laugh slipped free as I replied, “I don’t need any more crime in my life, fiction or real.”
I instantly realized my mistake the moment the words came out—about crime…to a lawyer. I tried to play it cool, but I could feel Kian’s eyes on me .
Think, Cadie! Think!
I started to put some fruit dip on my plate. “I was robbed in Chicago once, and I never want to go through that again.”
“What?” Kian asked with a frown. “What happened?”
You’ve gone and done it now. Lie on top of lie.
I glanced up. With a soft smile, I shrugged. “A friend and I were walking after we left a movie, and a guy robbed us. I don’t like to talk about it much. He didn’t do anything else, but it scared us both.”
“I imagine it did. Is that why you decided to leave the city for small-town life?”
“That was part of the reason, yes.”
That part of the lie was true. A crime was the reason I had decided to leave Boston—not Chicago.
“Have you ever seen someone get shot?”
My question surprised both me and Kian. He cleared his throat and put his spoon back down. “I can’t say that I have. Of course, that’s not an everyday occurrence like asking someone if they’ve ever seen a car wreck. What about you?”
For the briefest of moments, I almost told him. But if I did, I could potentially be putting his life in danger, not to mention his family. So I shook my head and answered. “No, I haven’t. I imagine it would be hard to see that.”
Kian stared at me for a moment too long, and I thought for sure he knew I was lying. “Did he have a gun?”
It felt like ice completely covered my heart at his question. “Who?”
“The guy who robbed you?”
I let out the breath I had been holding. “Yes, he did. I guess that’s why I asked you that. I think about what would have happened if he had shot one of us. ”
Covering my face with my hands, I laughed. “Oh my gosh! Lighten up the mood, please!”
Kian laughed as well. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”
“I was thinking of going into the bakery. It was sweet of Opal to let me have off today, but there is a lot of baking that needs to be done, and I should go help her.”
“Need some help?”
Staring at him, I asked, “Wait, are you being serious?”
He looked offended. “Of course, I am.”
“Can you bake?”
Kian placed his hand over his heart and wore a fake expression of hurt. “That was fierce, Ms. Waterford. Of course, I can bake. I practically grew up in Batter Up Bakery. Opal used us kids for free labor.”
A bubble of laughter slipped free, and Kian chuckled.
“It’s true! She did!”
“And I’m sure you all loved helping her. I can’t even imagine the treats you got.”
He nodded. “It is surprising the three of us never got diabetes with as much sugar as we ate.”
Leaning back, I patted my stomach. “Definitely a downside to working in a bakery. Man, I am full.”
“Same.”
Kian stood and started to clean up, so I joined him. We worked in comfortable silence as we washed the storage containers and dried them to give back to Sally. Now and then, I would steal a look in Kian’s direction. As handsome and sweet as he was, I needed to keep this budding relationship in the friends zone. The last thing I needed to do was get involved with anyone, especially a man from a very wealthy, and most likely well-known family.
“I think that’s it,” Kian said as he reached for my coat and held it for me to slip into it. I wasn’t used to having men doing things like that for me. My stupid stomach swooped when Kian’s fingers lightly brushed over my neck as he slipped my coat on.
“How about I take this back up to the house? I need to unpack and change. I can meet you at the bakery if you want.”
I could see the look of disappointment on his face. “Um, yeah. We can meet there.”
“Great!” My voice held a little more excitement in it than I wanted. At the same time, I needed to make sure I kept the lines drawn between us. Picking up the picnic basket, I started for the door. “Thank you so much for the tour and for letting me stay here until my furniture comes.”
“Of course,” Kian said, opening the door and holding it while I stepped outside.
A cold rush of wind nearly knocked me off balance. “Feels like it’s gotten colder outside.”
Kian glanced up at the sky. “Clouds have moved in. There goes our nice day. Do you want me to drive you up to the house?”
With a wave, I replied, “Oh gosh, no. It’s a short walk. I’ll see you at the bakery?”
He nodded. “Yeah, see ya later.”
I had the strangest feeling as I turned to head back to the main house. Stopping, I looked around but saw nothing or no one. Picking up the pace, I quickly returned to the house and laughed at myself. My imagination was getting the best of me.