Chapter Five
Carter
Looking at Amelia after we play our umpteenth tic-tac-toe game, I chuckle and wonder if she actually ate any ketchup, or if it all ended up on her face. I reach over her, pull a few paper napkins from the dispenser, dip them in my water glass, and get to work wiping her mouth, chin, and cheeks.
Wadding up the dirty napkins, I catch Kenna staring.
“What?” I ask, placing the napkins on the edge of the table. “Not my first rodeo, you know.”
“You seem like you’re a good dad.”
“I like to think I am.”
“Has it always been just you?”
“Not always, but for the last fourteen years. Christian’s mom, Denise, bailed when he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.”
Her mouth opens and she huffs, brows pinched, looking completely appalled.
I snort. “Yeah, times that by about a million, and that’s how I felt.”
“There are some pretty terrible people in this world.”
Is she still talking about Denise, I wonder, or someone else?
“Were you married to her?”
I’ve never been all that keen on talking about my ex-girlfriend, especially when my son is around, but Kenna asking me about her opens up the door for me to learn more about the attractive, mysterious woman sitting across from me.
Suffice it to say, in this moment, I’m willing to discuss just about anything.
“No. How about you? Ever been married?”
Her nod is curt and stilted, like she doesn’t want to admit to it. She glances out the window as she answers. “Briefly, but not to her father.”
Okay then, maybe I won’t be learning so much about her.
It’s obvious this is not a topic she wishes to discuss.
But why did she bring it up then? Could it be she’s as interested in my past as I seem to be in hers?
I mean, neither of us is in any hurry to leave, even though our dishes were cleared some time ago.
Or am I misreading the situation completely? I like being here because I’m thoroughly enjoying her company. She, on the other hand, may not want to leave because she literally has no place to go.
I rub my hands together like I’m conjuring up a plan. “Okay, let’s figure out what you’re going to do now. Do you have any friends you can stay with?”
Her head shakes as her lower lip gets pulled into and chewed on by her upper teeth.
“Family?”
Her eyes close momentarily, and I wonder if she’s thinking about her dad.
“And hotels are off the table, so…” I blow out a long breath and say words that come as a surprise, even to me. “I have a basement.”
Her eyes snap to mine and she looks at me like I’m Freddy Krueger.
I hold up a hand. “That came out wrong. Let me re-phrase. I’ve been fixing up my walk-out basement for when Christian gets older.
He loves to assert his independence, and I know one day he’s going to move out and live on his own, so I thought I’d prepare him.
It’s not The Ritz or anything, but it has a bedroom, a bathroom, a small living area, a microwave and mini-fridge, and there’s a separate entrance out to the driveway. ”
Her eyes narrow. I can feel it coming. The blowback from my totally inappropriate invitation.
She huffs loudly. “You don’t have an F-150 because it’s too difficult for your son to get into, but he’s going to be able to navigate a set of stairs multiple times a day?”
Does she think I’m trying to deceive her?
“Fair question,” I say. “Actually, while he technically can go up and down stairs, it is a significant challenge and physically exhausting. The plan is to install a stair lift. But those are pretty pricey. I’m trying to find a used one on eBay, but haven’t come across the right one yet.
Which really makes my secret easier to keep as he doesn’t ever go into the basement. ”
“You’re doing it as a surprise?”
“He’s one hell of a kid. I’d do just about anything for him.”
“We’re strangers to you, Carter. How do you know I won’t rob you blind?”
I laugh boisterously. “You could try, but you wouldn’t get much. Maybe a bunch of tools and a whole lot of guy stuff. Listen, it’s small, but it’s clean. I live in a nice neighborhood that’s walkable to this area. My neighbors have three kids—a teenager and twin toddlers.”
“But… why?”
“Why do I want to help out a woman and her kid who are clearly in a bind? Kenna, I’d be a jerk not to.”
“How many other stranded travelers have you extended this offer to?”
I work my mouth from side to side in thought as I stare at the ceiling and silently count off my fingers. Then I smile. “You’d be the first.”
She looks at Amelia, happily coloring a bear with a purple crayon.
“I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.”
“You know what else doesn’t feel right? Leaving you and Amelia without a car and with no place to go in a strange town.”
Just then, my phone alarm goes off. I tilt it so the screen lights up, and glance at the clock. Jesus, we’ve been sitting here for hours. I totally lost track of time.
I hold up my phone. “It’s two thirty and I’m on carpool duty.
Listen, you don’t have to answer now. Come with me to pick up Christian and my next-door neighbor’s kid.
I’ll drop them off at my house and you can see the place for yourself.
If you decide against it, I promise to take you wherever you want to go. ”
“You run carpool for your neighbor’s kid?”
“Every Monday and Wednesday. They take care of the other three days.”
She bites her lip again. She’s thinking about it. She looks back outside, the flurries having abated. She shrugs. “It’s not like we have anything better to do. I guess we’ll tag along. Besides, after hearing you speak so highly of Christian, I have to say I’m kind of excited to get to meet him.”
“Great. It’s settled.” I catch Ren’s eye and motion for the check.
Kenna clasps her hands on top of the table in a businesslike manner. “Nothing is settled, Carter. We’re just coming along for the ride.”
I nod. “Of course.”
Ren brings the check, diplomatically putting it on the table between us. When I reach for it, Kenna swipes it away.
I try to get it back. “Oh, no you don’t.”
“Oh, yes,” she asserts. “I said I’m paying.”
I pull out my wallet. “It’s really not necessary.”
“Carter, I’m paying.”
I get the feeling Kenna, whose last name I don’t even know, is not someone to argue with. I hold up my hands in surrender. “Fine. But just tell me one thing.”
She cocks a brow.
“What’s your last name?”
She hesitates, digging in her purse and coming out with two twenties then tucking them under the slot on the check holder. Her striking green eyes look into mine as if she’s trying to figure out if I’m truly the guy I’ve been showing her I am over the past three hours.
Ren appears and Kenna tells her to keep the change, making for one hell of a tip. The total was only thirty-one dollars.
After helping Amelia put away all the crayons into the box, I slide her arms into her coat sleeves. When I look back at Kenna, she simply shakes her head and says, “Bennett. My last name is Bennett.”
I hold out a hand, extending my arm across the table. “Well, it’s been an absolute pleasure to share a meal with you, Kenna Bennett.”
She smiles as she puts her hand in mine. Then our eyes meet once again as our palms touch.
Yeah, she feels it too.
Damn, her hand is soft. And petite, just like she is. And really, really warm.
I don’t want to pull away, but as our physical connection morphs into some sort of suspended-animation handshake, the awkwardness becomes too much and I let go of her hand.
I slide out of the booth. “Come on, pumpkin. Let’s go.”
I get Kenna’s coat out from underneath mine and hold it up for her.
She turns and lets me help her into it. I put my own coat on, and we exit through the back entrance, eyes following us as much as they did when we arrived.
Oh, man… let the rumor mill begin. Nothing stays private in this town, especially when I’m seen taking a woman who is not my sister to lunch.
It’s not that I’m never seen with women.
I’ve been known to, on occasion, go out with them.
After all, guys do have needs. And I’ve been single for a long, long stretch.
But on those rare nights, I usually go to the city, find a bar, strike up a conversation with a nice-looking woman, hit it off, then agree on a no-strings night at a moderately-priced hotel where I’d leave her to enjoy the free breakfast while I’d be home by midnight to relieve whoever was staying with Christian—usually one of my siblings.
Looking at Kenna as we walk to the car, the itch is strong. Stronger than it’s ever been. Is it just because it’s been a while since I’ve gone to the city? Would I feel this way about any attractive woman whose car I just towed and spent three incredible hours with?
Or is it her.
Kenna.
Kenna Bennett.
I get my answer when she looks up at me with those sparkling green eyes as she settles into the passenger seat.
Damn, I hope she says yes.