7. River
CHAPTER 7
River
I’m sitting at the table with the new husband and wife, stunned by the photo Kennedy sent me. I’m trying to veer my thoughts somewhere to help the situation growing in my pants, but I cannot stop visualizing that fucking photo.
My best friend and his bride are looking at one another, talking about their upcoming trip and some things they need to grab before heading to the airport early tomorrow morning. To say I’m just a body sitting across from them is an understatement.
After years of banter between Kennedy and me, it should come as no shock she would send me a taunting photo like that. But something about the gesture still caught me off guard.
I tossed and turned last night—first, for the fact that we crossed a line, and I wasn’t sure if Kennedy would chop my dick off for it or applaud it. Second, because I wasn’t sure where this would lead us. I’m used to many different reactions from Kennedy, but this playful side is one I wasn’t quite prepared for.
A smile spreads across my face, and it catches Sammie’s attention. “What’s that smile for?”
Something is unsettling about the way she’s looking at me. I try to temper whatever is going through my mind to keep this little game I’m playing with Kennedy from being discovered.
I know Sammie, and she can sniff anything out of us. Shit, the moment I knew Ashton was going to propose, I didn’t answer her call for a week. Turns out that was enough to set off the alarm bells for her, and she knew something was up.
“Just someone I hooked up with wants to hang out later.” There, she won’t ask too many questions.
“Oh really? Do tell.” She gives me a Cheshire cat smile and looks over to her husband.
Well, shit. Now I need to make something up and hopefully stop this from going further.
“Um, not much to tell. It really was just a hookup. Nothing special. We fucked around last night, and I barely slept.” The horrified look on Samara’s face, along with Ashton looking pleased I got some, spurs me on to keep rambling. “I better get more coffee and go pack my stuff. Clothes were thrown across the room, and we?—”
“Please stop!” Samara pleads as she puts her hands up, and Ash laughs. “Dude, we get it.” Okay, so maybe I was a bit too descriptive. But it seems my plan worked, and I got them off the scent that something happened between Kennedy and me. I have no clue why I panic thinking she would assume the woman in question would be Kennedy but I’m a panicked state so my mind is in a state right now.
I look at Sam, and she has a pinched look on her face.
“Listen, I think my work here is done.” I move toward my friends, giving them hugs and wishing them well on their trip.
“Oh, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
I wink over my shoulder, chuckling as I hear my best friend yell, “The list is endless then!” At that, I hear a smack across what I assume is his shoulder courtesy of his new bride.
The moment I get to my floor, I take my steps a little faster than I would normally, hoping to catch Kennedy before she checks out of her room. I was going to follow her right as she left the table earlier, but I didn’t want to come off as too eager. I look down at my watch to see she left nearly forty-five minutes ago. Shit, time flew.
But when I turn the corner, I’m greeted by housekeeping, Kennedy’s hotel room ajar, and the employee vacuuming the room.
I can’t hide my disappointment as I scan my room key and walk myself into my room. I don’t know what I was expecting between Kennedy and me, but a part of me feels an emptiness that I was never expecting.
Whatever happened in the last twelve hours between us has left a lot of unknowns circling around my head, and the unease that settles in me at the thought that I won’t get to explore this further with her is pushing the disappointment deeper.
I had called for them to fix something in my room while I was downstairs getting breakfast and housekeeping must have fixed up my bed unexpectedly. I move along my hotel room, gathering my toiletries and a few scattered items I need to throw in my duffle bag, when I hear a knock on my door.
For a second, I hope it’s Kennedy waiting for me on the other side, but then my brother’s booming voice carries over, and I quickly realize whatever line I crossed with Kennedy last night was much like a footprint in the sand. With this new day, a fresh layer of sand has been smoothed out, and I have to let the possibility go that the two of us could be more than enemies.
I open the door, and my brother’s gaze is full of mischief.
“You lucky dog. Who was she? Where did you find her? The hotel bar?” Fuck, news travels fast. Damn Ash and his big mouth. He must have texted my brother right when I left the table.
My brother uses that twin instinct and eyes me a moment longer. “Unless you left out the detail that you were with a leggy blonde who seems to push all your buttons. Is that it, brother? Did said blonde push all the right buttons last night?”
I try to slam the door in his face and walk away, but the fucker kicks his foot out to stop it from closing. I can’t lie and say my brother’s attitude is truly upsetting me. Since Abby left last year, he has been a shell of himself. But in the last few weeks, I’ve seen him come alive again, and I feel like I’m getting my brother back.
“You better be careful not to hurt yourself. Chief Daniels will be pissed if you’re out due to a foot injury.”
“Oh, please. Chief and I go way back. He loves me. He said I’m his favorite,” my brother says as he walks into my room.
“We’ve known him the same amount of time. He was Dad’s best friend, and I think he is still pissed at you for making a pass at his daughter sophomore year,” I retort, rolling my eyes.
I grab my duffle and swing it over my shoulder, hoping the hookup he was inquiring about has passed.
“That’s been long forgotten. He loves me now.” My brother puffs out his chest like he’s the biggest and best between us.
“Keep telling yourself that.” I roll my eyes and walk out the hotel room door, my brother trailing me.
“Don’t think I’m going to forget that look regarding this ‘mystery woman’ you hooked up with.” He winks. “I don’t forget things that easily.” He taps his index finger to his temple, as if I need reminding. My brother and I have that twin thing where we can nearly read each other’s minds, and he will not let this go.
I grab my bags, swinging my gaze around the room to make sure I didn’t forget anything. When I turn back to look at Clay, he’s got a pensive expression lining his features.
“Hey, you okay?” Concern laces my tone.
“Me? Of course.” He grabs one of my bags and strolls out. I know there’s something up, but I don’t want to push him. I doubt being at a wedding after longing for that life he had once built with his ex-wife is an easy transition.
Luckily, he seems to take the hint from my expression that now isn’t the time, and we head to the valet to retrieve the car. The ride home is quick, and I can’t wait to get back and rest off this headache that is in no way an alcohol hangover.
I think this headache stems from the realization that what started as Kennedy being a thorn in my side is now this unknown I’d like to explore. But she headed out before I could talk to her, and now I feel like the opportunity has passed.
* * *
“So, what made you want to be a veterinarian?” It feels like I’m pulling teeth on this date. To top it off, I’m going to have to find a new vet after this disaster.
“I love animals.” Seriously? That’s her answer? I work diligently not to roll my eyes, but I’m cringing internally at how awful this is going.
It’s two weeks since the wedding, a timeframe I have felt each day that passed slowly. I assumed, even with Kennedy’s quick departure from the hotel, I’d hear from her, but the silence was deafening. I have opened my phone, ready to text, at least a dozen times, but each time I’d write something out, it sounded lame, and I held back. As each day went by, it felt more awkward to reach out, and now, it feels like the opportunity is gone now.
I know Kennedy keeps herself at a distance from pretty much everyone, but I honestly thought we would explore this new side we found between each other. In all honesty, I had been growing tired of this turmoil we always conjured up when we were around each other. So when things turned more playful and sexual, I was ready for it. But just as much as I haven’t texted, neither has she. It’s probably best we don’t complicate things more. In all honesty, I’m finding more excuses the more I ponder the reasons why I’ve let the time lapse and I’m now sitting across this disaster of a date.
The woman across from me, my dog’s veterinarian, is quietly back to sipping her tea. The boredom is palpable between the two of us.
This woman has been giving me the vibe she’s interested in me since I started taking Lola, my three-year-old golden retriever, to her a year ago. She would treat my dog, but she’s been giving me flirtatious glances for months now. When I came in to pick up Lola’s flea medication, she ran after me, asking me out for a coffee.
As much as my gut told me not to accept the offer, I decided it might be better to throw myself back out there. This plan backfired quite quickly, I now realize.
I look down at my watch, maybe for the hundredth time, and see I’m inching closer to my departure time. Maybe if I walk slowly to Ashton’s place, it would make sense to leave now.
“Listen, Tabitha, I just realized the time. I should get going.” I thumb my finger toward the door to the small coffee joint we decided to meet at. “Do you want me to walk you back to the office?”
Did I mention I made sure there was an out-clause in this whole date situation? Maybe, subconsciously, I knew this was going to be craptastic, so I called Ashton yesterday to see if I could come by this afternoon. I haven’t seen him since the morning after his wedding.
“Actually, I’m going to stick around. You can head out.” The eagerness is hard to ignore, and it’s the most enthusiastic she’s sounded since we both sat down here forty minutes ago.
Before I can say anything else, someone clears their throat behind me. I look over to see a man around my age, looking at Tabitha like she hung the moon.
I can’t help but ask, “May I help you?”
The man ignores me and goes straight to addressing the vet seated across from me. “Hey, Tab. It’s good to see you.”
I see the flush of her cheeks and her smile grow wide. What is happening? “Do you two know each other?” Seems like a pointless question, but I honestly don’t know what’s going on here. I’m having a hard time connecting the dots.
“Hey, Danny. It’s good to see you too.” She takes a shy sip of her tea, batting her eyes at him and doing all the things I would have expected her to do while on a date with me, not this guy. Again, what the fuck is happening right now?
I keep looking between the two of them, waiting for someone to clue me in. “Oh, um, Danny, this is one of my client’s owners, River. River, this is my ex, Daniel.” The pieces are starting to fall into place.
I stand up, grab the remainder of my coffee, looking at Tabitha. “Thanks for joining me for coffee. I hope you have a good rest of the afternoon.” She nods an acknowledgment of my words but keeps her eyes on her ex.
The moment I move toward the door to leave the shop, I see Danny taking the seat I just vacated. Either this was purely a coincidence, or this woman used me to make this man jealous. I could bet my left nut I was set up as a pawn in her little scheme to make him jealous.
“I nearly peed my pants.” Sammie is retelling a story of Ashton when he went down the zip line in Hawaii. She’s laughing so hard, there are legit tears streaming down her face.
“I wasn’t that embarrassing.” Ashton moans next to her, running his hand down his face.
“You’re right. It wasn’t the volume of the scream you let out; it was the pitch I’m talking about, sweetie.” She pats his cheek mockingly.
I grab the beer sitting in front of me and take a swig. I have an easy smile painted across my face, enjoying this relaxed feeling I get when I’m around the two of them. For just a second, a pang hits my chest, wishing I had this type of relationship with someone.
My shifts at the firehouse have been nonstop lately, but the moment I walk through my front door, the loneliness becomes more evident.
Right around the time of the wedding, some of the guys at the station came down with the stomach flu. Clay and I have been covering some extra shifts, so I haven’t had a chance to see my best friend and his wife since they returned from Hawaii two weeks ago.
As my mind has been consumed with thoughts of Kennedy, I have welcomed the distraction with the extra shifts. Clay hasn’t touched on the subject regarding my “hookup” from the wedding, and I can’t say how relieved I am.
I hear the front door open, and I hear a voice I’ve now come to miss since that night when lines got blurred. When I would usually find this interaction exhausting and always keep my guard up to ensure I take the final jab, I now realize how much I longed to see and hear her in my vicinity.
I look over my shoulder to see Kennedy striding in, a smile stretched out across her face. For the last month, I’ve been telling myself that I have been hyping this woman up, truly putting her on some fucking pedestal because I was horny and needed the release. But now, as I see her again, my thoughts realize two things: one—no, she really is that fucking gorgeous; and two, I’ve become consumed by her in the span of a few simple moments when my skin was near hers.
The moment she spots me in the kitchen, she stops cold in her tracks. She stares at me for a beat, frozen in place. Sammie looks at her and then swings her gaze at me, a questioning look taking over her features.
Kennedy must realize her misstep and recovers.
“Hey, Riv. I didn’t expect to see you here today.” For someone who usually sounds so sure of herself, she sounds quite reserved. We usually throw at least two jabs within the first few seconds of seeing one another, and so far, her words are soft in a tone she’s never reserved for me in the past.
I see the thoughts going through that pretty head of Kennedy’s before she must push them aside, and Sam walks up to her. “Let me take those from you. What did you bring?”
There’s a box that looks like it might carry some baked goods inside. I see the grease stains on the side of the box, and I wonder if she grabbed them from that bakery next to the stadium.
“They’re your favorite Danishes from Ginger’s Bakery. Thought you’d like it with your coffee this afternoon.” She smiles and continues to move further into the house, putting her purse down and removing her shoes near the couch.
Her eyes connect with mine one more time before moving beyond me to land on my best friend seated in front of me at the kitchen table.
“It’s good to see you, Ash. Looks like that Hawaiian sun did you some good. You’ve got a helluva tan going.” She smiles wide for Ashton, and a part of me is jealous that she didn’t greet me with that beautiful smile.
I watch her move closer to us, hugging Ashton when she rounds the table, yet only giving me a quick verbal hello and moving further into the kitchen to help Sammie with the items she brought with her.
The women are talking in hushed voices, not sure why the secrecy. Hopefully, Kennedy didn’t mention what happened that night because I have kept my mouth shut on my end. I do not need to open a can of worms with the endless questions I know I’ll get from Ashton, especially if he’s the last to know.
“When do you work again?” Ashton asks, picking up his phone when it chimes.
I sneak one more peek toward the kitchen, then move my focus back to my friend. “Tomorrow. It’s finally getting back to normal. The firehouse got hit hard with that stomach bug.”
“Yeah, Clay mentioned that. Did you have someone to watch Lola?”
Lola usually stays with Ash and Sammie when I do my shifts, but I had my neighbor stay with her while I had to work and my friends were off enjoying their honeymoon.
“Yeah, Sally watched her for me.” I take another swig of my beer, noticing the glances Kennedy is swinging my way while she talks to her best friend.
“Oh man, that chick has it bad for you,” Ashton says, and I quickly look at him, panic etched along my features.
“What?” I nearly yell, unease sliding down my spine that he sees right through me and Kennedy. Maybe I’m not doing as great a job hiding this attraction for Kennedy like I thought.
“Yeah. Sally has a major crush on you, dude. Don’t tell me you didn’t notice.” Instant relieve courses through my veins at Ashton’s words.
I wasn’t clueless to my neighbor’s attraction to me. Her cheeks pink up every single time I talk to her. She’s a sweet woman, but I have zero chemistry when it comes to her.
She isn’t my type, if I’m being completely honest. I’m attracted to strong women, those who can power a conversation and won’t just succumb to whatever I want. I know many women like my neighbor Sally—molding their world to fit someone else’s. That might be attractive to some, but I sort of enjoy the pushback in a relationship. I like a woman to speak her mind. It’s becoming more apparent with these lingering thoughts about Kennedy that my attraction is to one woman, and she’s merely standing a few feet away from me right now.
“Well, it’s not something I’m pursuing,” I say, hoping that if Kennedy caught any of that conversation, she understands nothing is going on there.
The ladies meet us at the table with a fresh coffee and a piece of the Danish split in two. Kennedy settles next to me, unease evident in the way she sits stiffly by my side.
“I didn’t really talk to you much at breakfast the morning after. How did you enjoy the wedding?” Ashton asks, which causes Kennedy’s spine to straighten even more as if this question caught her off guard.
“Um, the wedding was beautiful. Every detail was perfect.” I see her swing her smile toward Sam, knowing most of the wedding was planned with so much detail Samara had envisioned. “I was exhausted afterward.” She takes a sip of her coffee, shyness oozing off her, which is new for the usual ballbuster she tends to be.
“I’m surprised you slept through the sounds next door to you with this guy.” Sammie says, and immediately, I snap my head up, shock evident in my expression.
Kennedy looks over to me with surprise in her gaze.
“Yeah, someone rocked his world that night.” She snickers. Fucking hell, Samara. I didn’t know she’d out me like this.
I scratch the back of my neck, unease creeping up my spine, and I can feel the heat in my cheeks as the discomfort doubles as I sit here.
“Oh really? Is that so, River?” Kennedy looks all too amused.
I simply shrug, not knowing how to proceed in this conversation. Little do I know, luck won’t be on my side as Ashton, unbeknownst to him, is going to continue to shove his foot in his mouth.
“I guess that girl is long forgotten, huh, buddy?” Ashton laughs, his tone completely at ease while I feel the hairs stand on my arms, knowing this isn’t going to end well for me.
“Oh, why’s that?” Kennedy asks. I can hear the ice in her tone. This is not how I saw this going.
“Apparently, Rivie here just got back from a date. Too bad it was the date from hell. His vet tricked him into being a pawn in a little scheme to win back her true love at a coffee shop.” Now Ashton is laughing, genuine tears forming in his eyes. Fucker. If he only knew the hole he’s digging for me with his words.
Without looking to my side, I can feel Kennedy’s gaze boring a hole in my skull. She’s probably trying to kill me with her glare. Luckily, she’s not that powerful.
When I sneak a peek toward Kennedy, I see what was a playful look just moments ago, now morphing into one of anger and disappointment.
“Looks like you’re going to need a new vet, River.” That’s from Sammie, but without expanding further on this torturous coffee date that I just left, I decide to veer the conversation in a different direction, asking about their honeymoon.
“How was the luau?” That was part of my gift to them for their wedding. Instead of buying something they likely won’t need, I gifted them something for them to do on their trip.
Samara’s features soften as she reminisces about their honeymoon and how romantic the entire experience was. Hawaii must have lived up to their expectations and beyond.
The entire time we are getting a rundown of the adventures the new Mr. and Mrs. took on the tropical island, I notice how quiet Kennedy is by my side.
She finishes her coffee quickly, looking at her phone, which never pinged, stating an emergency has come up at the office and she has to run.
I can see the disappointment cross Samara’s features, but she doesn’t push her best friend, and soon enough, Kennedy is walking out the door. It didn’t go unnoticed that she barely looked at me, nor did she say goodbye on her way out.
I look over to my friends, their gazes at their front door in bewilderment, wondering if something they said spurred her quick exit.
I can’t leave things hanging like this with Kennedy, so I head out the door, stating I have to take Lola on a walk before the sun sets. It’s nearing summer hours, and the sun stays out longer, something my friends reminded me of as I said my goodbyes, but I can’t get that look of defeat on Kennedy’s face out of my mind.
I need to fix this, even if it leads to nothing but a clear conscience for me. I realize that what she thinks of me matters now that we’ve crossed this imaginary line between us.