Chapter Fifteen
The closer they got to Danny’s house, the more anxiety poked at Kenzie’s nerves. She was really doing this, and it felt unreal. And when he turned on his blinker to get off the highway, she had to take a deep, shaky breath to steady herself.
It wasn’t as if she could jump out of the truck and walk all the way home—they’d been driving south for over two hours—but she didn’t like not knowing what to expect.
Her life had been predictable for years, every day like the last except for the rotating specials board, and this was a big step for her.
And she didn’t want to jump out of the truck, anyway, if she was being honest with herself. There had been very few things in her life she’d looked forward to as much as this trip with Danny. It was just…nerve-racking.
“My house probably isn’t going to be what you expect,” he said while navigating turns through a busy suburb.
She laughed, and then winced because it was noticeably high-pitched. “What is it you think I expect?”
“I don’t know. People get weird ideas about how much some authors earn and how they live and stuff.”
“You mean I think we’re about to pull up to the castle you live in while you and your brothers work your asses off to make a go of a campground up north?”
He laughed. “It’s mostly my brothers who work their asses off at the campground. But, yeah, like that. I don’t live in a castle.”
“Damn. And I worked so hard at learning how to curtsy without falling over.”
He snorted, and then looked over at her. “I don’t know how anybody does that.”
“Rhylee and I tried to figure it out after watching Bridgerton, but I almost pulled a muscle and she ended up with a bruise on her forehead, so we gave up.”
“Did you tell her you were coming down here? With me, I mean?”
“I did. Her and my dad, both.” She shrugged. “You’re a pretty great guy and your family’s awesome, but there have been a lot of documentaries about women who go off alone with seemingly great guys.”
“How did he—they, I mean—feel about it?”
The way he said it, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel, told her he was actually most concerned about her dad’s opinion of this getaway.
That was good because she didn’t want to recount Rhylee’s excited squealing and underwear inspecting, and if she kept the focus on her dad, maybe Danny wouldn’t notice.
“I got one of those ‘if you’re sure it’s a good idea’ kind of lectures. He’d rather I didn’t, but I’m an adult so there’s not much he can do about it.” She sighed. “I’m sure you know that type of lecture.”
“Definitely. We got several of those when we decided to buy the campground.”
He made a few more turns, until they were on a back road. It was lined with trees, the traffic and noise of the city left well behind them.
“And now you’re taking me out into the woods,” she teased. “That can only end well for me.”
He glanced sideways at her. “To be fair, you’ve willingly gone out into the woods with me quite a few times.”
She couldn’t deny that, so Kenzie looked out the window and tried not to think about the kiss out in the woods. It wasn’t easy—she thought about it a lot—but she was determined to enjoy this getaway without getting caught up in what couldn’t be.
Her first glimpse of the small cape-style house made her smile. It looked cozy and welcoming, and while she hadn’t known what to expect, this house surrounded by trees suited him perfectly.
“Home sweet home,” he said as he parked the truck so her door was lined up with the flagstone walkway.
They grabbed their bags, and for the first time since she’d known him, Danny seemed shy and almost uncertain of himself as he unlocked the front door. Then he stepped back so she could go in first.
It was lighter and more airy than she’d expected from the outside. Somebody had obviously done a serious renovation because, unlike in most older houses, the downstairs was open and had big windows.
And the extremely neutral decorating palette helped the area feel spacious.
“I haven’t gotten around to adding color yet,” he said. “Maybe some art or…something.”
“How long have you lived here?”
“Almost five years,” he admitted, and she laughed.
Even though the decor was definitely on the sparse side, the furniture was all soft leather and warm wood. It felt like the home of a man who liked to be comfortable and relax. And there was a fully loaded bookshelf clearly not just for decorative purposes that she couldn’t wait to check out.
“I’ll show you your room so we can drop the bags, and then I’ll show you my favorite part,” he said.
The upstairs didn’t have the same wide-open feel, but with the pitch of the roofline, that was to be expected. The guest room at the top of the stairs was simple, decorated in the same neutral tones, but there was a colorful quilt spread across the bed.
Kenzie set her bag on the floor, trying not to look Danny directly in the eye while they were in a room with a bed in it.
“The bathroom is next door. I added an en suite to my bedroom, so you’ll have that one all to yourself.” He stepped back into the hall. “That’s my office at the end, and my room is across the hall.”
“So is your office your favorite part?” she asked.
His face lit up, and he set his bag against the wall near the closed door to his bedroom. “Nope. The construction on the highway slowed us down and I have that appointment, so I’ll show you my favorite space now, before I go. We can save the office for later because it’s not as fun.”
She was surprised when he went back downstairs, and a little disappointed because she wanted to see the room where he wrote his books. But then she smiled as she followed him because his excitement to share his favorite space with her was written all over his face.
As soon as they stepped through the sliding door onto the screened-in porch, Kenzie understood why his office wasn’t his favorite part of the house. “This is beautiful, Danny.”
“Thank you. I spend a lot of time out here.”
“I can see why.”
It was clear which of the cushioned chairs was his by the wear of the cushion and the side table next to it, so she sank onto the other with a sigh. The screen let the breeze flow through but kept the bugs out, and she watched the river flowing through the back of the yard.
“I might never move from this spot,” she warned.
“That’s good because I really have to go.
There’s a Keurig on the counter and the fridge has filtered water, and there are probably snacks if my family didn’t come steal them while I was away.
I’m sorry about the appointment. It shouldn’t take long—just a routine cleaning—but I already rescheduled once already. ”
“It’s going to be such a hardship, sitting on this porch and doing nothing but watch the river. Maybe I’ll read. Take a nap.”
“Make yourself at home, and feel free to poke around. I should warn you I have an incredibly boring medicine cabinet, but whatever you do, don’t pick the padlocks on the freezers in the basement.
” When her eyes widened, he laughed. “I’m kidding.
I don’t have a basement. Just a crawl space I try to avoid as much as possible. ”
She smiled, then tilted her head suspiciously. “I did notice your garden shed is locked.”
“Expensive lawn tractor…or something more sinister?” he said in a dramatic TV voiceover way before leaning over and giving her a quick kiss. “I’ll be late if I don’t literally run out the door right now.”
He was through the sliding door and gone before she could respond, and as she heard the front door close, she pressed her fingertips to her lips and stared at the flowing river.
If Kenzie had to bet, she’d put her money on Danny not even really being aware of what he’d done.
It was one of those natural things to do when a couple was comfortable together, and he wasn’t the only one who’d given in to the impulse.
She’d accepted the kiss the same way it was given—easily, like it was a comfortable habit.
But they weren’t a couple, and she knew she should have turned her face to give him her cheek, or done anything other than accept that it felt completely right in the moment.
* * *
Danny had gotten halfway down the driveway before it dawned on him he’d kissed Kenzie goodbye, and he almost backed into his mailbox.
It had been a reflex—something that felt so natural in the moment, he hadn’t even thought about it.
He almost went back in to apologize, but he didn’t really have time.
It would be awkward and he’d try to smooth it over, but he’d have broken his word to Kenzie in the first five minutes. Plus, he’d have to find a new dentist.
But if she was mad he’d overstepped already, it wasn’t fair to leave her alone in his house with no way to leave if she wanted to. Once he’d merged onto the highway he’d take for two exits, he used the voice controls to send her a text.
Sorry about that. I got carried away.
He didn’t relax until the robotic voice read her response aloud.
All good. Pay attention to the road or you’ll get in an accident and your dentist will dump you.
Relieved because her sense of humor came through despite the computerized rendition, he concentrated on the drive and was only two minutes late for his appointment.
Even though one of his favorite things about his dentist was her fast, no-nonsense manner, it felt like the cleaning took forever.
Then he had to use the cruise control setting to keep himself from speeding on the way home.
Kenzie was still on the back porch, curled up in the chair with her feet tucked under her and an open book in her hand. She looked up when he opened the slider, her mouth curving into a warm smile.
She wasn’t mad at him.
“Did you make it in time?” she asked.
“More or less. Technically, I was two minutes late, but they didn’t call me back until nine minutes past my appointment time, so I think I was seven minutes early.” He dropped into his chair. “What are you reading?”