Chapter 14 Kat
KAT
“You don’t have to carry that,” I tell Tom as we walk up and down the aisles of the craft store, his large hand gripping the shopping basket as we go.
“Get what you need,” he replies, looking at the mess of little toys, stickers, and fun little extras that I like having on hand plus the entire rack of clear plastic bags with the little ties because I was running low.
“Thank you,” I start, letting my shoulders drop a little as we head back toward the front of the store. “I don’t usually get to do this with anyone else,” I admit, running my hand over the petals of a fabric flower.
“I’m not sure I’m your ideal company.” His statement pulls a small laugh from me, because he’s wrong. Any company is ideal when you don’t have any to begin with.
I connect with so many people every single day, but I’ve never felt more alone in my life.
I don’t have a group of girlfriends, no one that I can completely be myself around at least. Bailey comes to visit, or I fly down to see her a couple of times a year, but that’s hardly enough to sustain the kind of human connection I crave.
“I appreciate it. Truly.”
“You don’t spend time with Hazel?”
“We’re friendly enough to grab lunch or sometimes we’ll get together to write or brainstorm but it’s different.
I mean,”—I pause, the sentiment not quite right—“we used to be closer before her sister passed away, but the loss has understandably changed her. We’re more like work friends now, not personal ones. ”
“Did she tell you what happened?”
“They went to Vermont for a girls’ weekend, I think, just to get away. That night Portia ran out to get them snacks. It was dark and rainy and Hazel said it looked like someone forced her off the road.”
“Not that she just lost control?”
“I’m not sure. We haven’t talked about it much. I didn’t want to upset her. I kind of assumed she thought maybe a deer had jumped out.”
“Could be. Did you ever meet Portia?”
“A couple of times but just in passing really.” Needing a subject change, I ask the only thing I can think of. “Does anyone ever call you Thomas?”
He grunts in response, and I can feel a smile pulling at the corner of my lips.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Most people call me Oakden.”
“That’s so…boring.”
“No one has ever accused me of being fun.”
I stick my tongue out at him as he sets the basket on the counter, the girl behind the register blushing furiously as she blinks at the man beside me.
Trust me, girl, I get it.
“Did you find everything you needed?” she squeaks and I smile brightly at her before handing over a reusable bag.
“We did, thank you so much,” I say as she fumbles with the scanner. I glare at Tom and he meanders toward the door, the girl heaving a breath as she visibly settles down.
“This looks like a fun time.”
I glance at her name tag and nod. “It will be. Oh my gosh, I love your nails!” I tell her, the pretty pink color adorned with sparkly silver dots. “I can’t remember the last time I had mine done. I usually get the press-on ones, but I haven’t had time.”
“I can never keep those on,” she says as she laughs. “I get one, maybe two days out of them.”
We continue making small talk as I pay for everything. “Thanks so much, Anna,” I say before Tom steps up and takes the bag from me, rendering the poor girl speechless again. Shoving him toward the door, I give her a little wave and then huff as we make our way into the parking lot.
“Where to next?”
“Home, but you can’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“That!” I motion toward the store as he opens the passenger door of his SUV so I can climb in. “How are you going to blend in if that’s how women react to you?”
“I thought you were worried about the kids.”
“I was, but now I evidently have to worry about grown women being catatonic at the sight of you.”
He chuckles, the sound unexpected and throaty, and I resist the urge to squeeze my thighs together because damn, that’s sexy.
“I will blend in just fine at the school. I’ll be charming but I can’t help if they make me out to be some kind of,”—he pauses—“what’s the thirsty thing?”
“Thirst trap?” I ask, gaping at him.
“Yeah, that. Royce had to tell me what it meant.”
Without waiting for a reply, he closes the door, his gaze scanning the area around us as he walks around the hood and climbs in.
“I have no idea what to do with you,” I tell him, my mind spinning on the fact that he just referred to himself as a thirst trap and that his nephew had to explain it.
I can only imagine how that conversation went.
“I’m not that complicated, Kat. My job is to keep you safe. I plan to do that as unobtrusively as possible.” I narrow my eyes at him when he turns to look at me, but he just shrugs. “Anna from the craft store notwithstanding.”
“It’s amazing you can even fit through the door with that ego you’re carrying around,” I grumble but he doesn’t respond, only turns up the radio as a Descending North song plays through the speakers, and all I want is to be home.