Chapter 13
“HEY, MA.” RAFE STEPPED THROUGH the kitchen’s back door the following Saturday.
He was proud of himself for playing it cool and professional all week. However, he’d helped weed the garden three evenings and enjoyed partnering with Ahri during a game with the guys at the PC Café at lunch.
“To what do we owe this honor?” his mother asked, amusement coloring her voice as she shot a sidelong glance at Ahri where she sat chopping vegetables.
“When I was here the other day, Lessa mentioned she wanted to go mining.”
“To Foggy Mountain?” His mother frowned. “She just went there with her class a month ago.”
“Is that where she got those stones she carries around all the time?” Ahri asked.
“Yes,” Francie said.
“She wants more of them for a bracelet.” Rafe shrugged. “I told her once she had enough that I’d have them set for her. Is she here?”
“She is. I’ll get her,” his mother said. “Do you want to take Nik too?”
“If he wants to come.” Rafe forced himself not to look at Ahri, but from the movement in the corner of his eyes, he reckoned she’d looked up at him.
“He’ll go anywhere with you,” his mother said with a laugh. “I’ll get them. They’re upstairs pretending to do their chores.”
Rafe wandered over to the table where Ahri was working. “Need any help with that?”
“I’m just finishing.” She started scooping the cut vegetables into a bowl. “Are you taking them to a real mine?”
“Not underground, if that’s what you mean.” He took the seat across from her. “Foggy Mountain has buckets of ore that people buy and then pan the contents for gems.”
Ahri paused, her hands over the bowl. “You mean like panning for gold?”
“Essentially.”
“It’s sweet of you to do that for her. Lessa talks about gems a lot. She even checked out a book on them from the library.”
“She showed it to me,” Rafe said. “That’s what gave me the idea.”
Feet pounding down the stairs made him turn to the door. Lessa burst through and flung herself into his arms.
“Are you really taking me to get my gems?” she asked breathlessly.
“If you want to come,” he teased.
“Yes, yes!” She started jumping up and down.
“Good luck if she’s this excited already.” Ahri stood and picked up the bowl.
Nik came running into the room squealing, his arms waving in the air. She glanced at Rafe, trying not to laugh. He kept his own grin to himself. She’d be coming along, even if she didn’t know it yet.
“Calm down, Nik, or I’m not taking you anywhere,” Rafe said, and his little brother let out a martyred sigh.
“Off to the mines, I hear,” Alex said, entering the kitchen and tickling his children. “You two be good for Rafe. He’s a busy man and doesn’t have to do these nice things for you.”
“I wanna mine for gold,” Nik said.
Lessa let out a disgusted sound. “We’re going gem mining. They only have fool’s gold.”
“What’s fool’s gold?” Nik asked, temporarily distracted.
“It looks like you’re in for it today, Rafe.” Alex sent him a sympathetic grin.
“Yes, sir, I am.”
Lessa grabbed his hand and started tugging him toward the living room, so Nik took his other and joined in. Once there, Rafe pulled them to a stop.
“Do you think there’s anyone else in the house who’d like to go gem mining?” he asked his little sister, whose gaze immediately darted to the kitchen.
“Can Ahri come with us?” she asked.
“Why don’t you invite her?” After Lessa ran back to the kitchen and started begging Ahri to come, he squatted down, taking his time to tie Nik’s shoe which had conveniently come undone.
At the office, Rafe had overheard her confirm that she had another date planned with Ken. Rafe might not be able to date her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t find ways to spend plenty of time with her.
It hadn’t taken very long after he’d made that decision that his old doubts had returned in force. Why did Tess’s final words have to be the ones he couldn’t shake? You were never enough. You’ll never be enough.
“Ow. Not so tight,” Nik whined.
“Sorry.” Rafe loosened the laces. “That better?”
“I guess I’m going with you to the mine,” Ahri said hesitantly from the kitchen doorway. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Rafe stood. “I’ll buckle these two in their seats while you get your things.”
“I’ll be right out.”
He focused his attention on the thought that it was Ahri he’d be spending the morning with and not bad memories.
Lessa spent the beginning of the drive chatting away about the different gems she hoped to mine.
Ahri seemed a little preoccupied and never glanced at Rafe once.
The atmosphere had the feel of a delicate negotiation, and every move had the potential to blow up in his face.
If they hadn’t had several moments of connection like that one in the garden, he might have thought she wasn’t interested in him. He had to hold on to that thought.
“You’re really quiet today,” he said to Ahri when Lessa ran out of things to say. “Did you do anything fun last night?”
“I helped Lessa’s piano teacher with her group lesson,” Ahri said, still not looking at him.
Rafe waited for her to say more, but she didn’t. This was supposed to be a chance for them to get to know each other better, but how could they if she didn’t engage in a discussion?
“Did you like it?”
“The kids are cute, but there are too many of them for just two of us. I’ll be glad when Ezreal has time to help.”
“He can ask around his team for more helpers.”
Ahri nodded but said nothing more. He needed to get her to smile and searched his mind for a humorous topic. At the memory of her turning her face away from Ken, the corner of Rafe’s mouth twitched.
“What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you on a date?” he asked.
She shot him a considering look. “I’ll only share if you do.”
“All right. I’ll even lead off.” Rafe chuckled at the memory.
“I was a freshman at Harvard and was taking out this girl from one of my classes. I was so nervous I forgot my wallet and didn’t realize until the waiter brought the bill.
She said she’d pay, but they wouldn’t take her card.
I called my roommate Ethan to bring mine, but he was in a theater on a date of his own. ”
“What did you do?” Ahri had straightened, finally showing some interest.
“She had to call her roommate to bring another card.” After all that time, his face still heated up thinking about it.
“You couldn’t have called your mother to get her number?”
“That was before Ma married Alex, and finances were too tight.” Rafe shook his head. “Better to suffer that humiliation than hit her up for money she didn’t have.”
Ahri watched him for a few seconds before looking away. “You’re a good son.”
“I try to be the kind of son she deserves.” He coughed at a sudden tightness in his throat. Self-conscious, he said, “It’s your turn.”
“Okay,” she said. “A friend of mine in high school had this really cute stepbrother that I’d been crushing on.
I can’t remember the details, but they were having a party at their house, and I was invited—as his special guest. I thought I’d hit the jackpot.
I took special care with how I looked and everything.
I hadn’t been there very long when she confided in me that he was interested in another girl at the party, and she wanted to set them up. ”
“Ouch. Nice friend.”
“Yeah. I thought I’d misunderstood the invitation. I only stayed for a little while. He’d been really nice to me and even walked me to the door. Nice manners for a host, I thought, but when he acted like he wanted to kiss me, I went brain dead and backed away.”
“Oh no,” Rafe said, understanding. “He’d thought it was a date too?”
“Yep.” Ahri let out a deep sigh. “My friend asked me the next day what I’d been playing at. She was mad at me for treating her brother like that.”
“A date that wasn’t a date but was. Do you think she set you up?” he asked.
“No. She wasn’t that kind of girl. I’ve always preferred to think she was just a little dense about how inappropriate it was for her to talk to me about that if I was supposed to be his date.
I kept hoping he’d ask me out again, but it never happened.
My friend got her way. He and that girl became an item a couple of weeks later.
” Ahri glanced at him. “It’s funny. I haven’t thought about that in years. ”
“Sorry it was a bad memory.”
“It is funny now, looking back. I was just sensitive then and was going through a tough time, and it fit my fatalistic attitude.” She gave a rueful laugh. “Upon reflection, I seem to have had a lot of tough times.”
“I’m sorry.” Rafe reached over and clasped her hand. He’d meant it to comfort her. She shot him a quick glance with those amazing eyes of hers. A shudder went through her, and she laced their fingers, color flooding her cheeks.
Ahri had misunderstood Rafe’s gesture. He should pull back his hand. Except hers felt so good, so right in his that he didn’t want to. Besides, after her story, he didn’t want her to feel rejected by him too.
Fortunately, they’d reached the mine, and he needed both hands. When he’d parked, he took charge of Nik, while Ahri helped Lessa from the car.
“I’ll get the tickets and a bucket.” He strode ahead, leaving her with the children, so he could collect his thoughts. If he didn’t handle this right, she might think him rude.
What should he do? His supposedly brilliant mind betrayed him, only leaving him with the remembered sensation of holding her hand.
Holding her hand. What was he, twelve again?
His mother was right that he needed a life if something as simple as holding a woman’s hand could mess with his head so thoroughly.
“We’re ready,” Rafe said when he had everything.
“What?” Lessa stood with her feet planted, hands on her waist. “Only one?”
“We don’t need two.” He frowned at her. “Nik’s more interested in the rocks than the gems anyway.”
“The buckets aren’t cheap,” Ahri said. “You should be grateful that he’s doing this for you.”
“But he has lots of money.”