CHAPTER 24 KAYLEE
Luke and Ellie are having some work done on their home offices since Luke’s starting up a new business venture, so to avoid the construction, Jack offered to host dinner out of the normal rotation.
That means I’m back on my home turf—a bonus since I’m dying to get Ben alone again.
The doorbell rings a little before seven, and I run to open it.
There stands a girl I’ve never seen before.
Kate walks down the hallway just after me, and she skids to a stop when she sees who’s at the door. “Shannon?” she says. “What are you doing here?”
The waterworks start, and I have no idea what’s happening but I move aside so Kate can handle whoever this emotionally disturbed Shannon lady is. “I filed for divorce from Kevin and it’s all so messy and I’m so sorry I hurt you and ruined our friendship but I don’t know where else to go.”
“Come in,” Kate says, and she puts an arm around Shannon’s shoulders.
Wait a minute.
Shannon? Like Shannon-Shannon?
As I recall, a girl named Shannon was formerly Kate’s best friend and she got a real nice payday from Jack’s ex, also JJ’s birth mother, for all the dirt on Jack and Kate.
I was living with my mom at the time, so I didn’t get all the dirty details on it, but from what I understand, Kate hasn’t seen Shannon since the big betrayal.
And now I’m watching as Kate comforts a crying Shannon. Kate is a kind, strong woman—something I’ve learned in watching her deal with my brother—but this has to be hard on her.
Kate starts walking Shannon down the hall and the door opens again. I turn toward the door as it opens, and there stands the very handsome, very sexy man who rocked my world a few days ago.
I sigh as my eyes move to his.
God, he’s hot.
He glances around me to be sure we’re alone, and then he asks softly, “Has your day gotten any better?”
I offer a smile. “Just did.”
He grins back. “Mine too.”
I want to grab his hand and pull him up to my bedroom so he can do whatever he wants to me.
He moves toward me and he’s mere inches from pressing his lips to mine when the door opens again.
He smoothly moves away with a whispered curse as Ellie steps in first holding Nolan.
Luke is right behind her with my mom a few steps behind him.
They’re in the middle of a conversation that started outside, so they didn’t even notice that Ben’s mouth was about to brutalize mine.
I wish it had.
I sigh as an ache presses between my thighs. I want Ben’s mouth on mine. I want to feel his weight as he hovers over me. I’d even settle for his arms wrapped around me for a few beats as I breathe in that fresh scent that drives me wild with lust for him.
But since we’ve agreed to keep this whole thing a secret, none of those things are options.
Instead, I follow behind my family as we all move toward the kitchen.
Just before we turn the corner, Ben stealthily grabs my ass, and I stifle a giggle as I make my way toward the fridge to grab a drink.
Ben joins in on the conversation with Luke, Ellie, and my mom, and Kate turns around to wave to everyone gathered in the kitchen from where she sits on the couch talking with her friend.
Or ex-friend. I’m not really sure what they are now.
I grab a seltzer and walk up beside Ben, and that’s when Jack walks into the kitchen. He pauses when he sees who’s sitting on his couch chatting with his wife.
“Shannon?” he asks. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Shannon turns around and sees all of us gathered in the kitchen. She wipes under her eyes. “I’ll go. I’m so sorry for interrupting your evening.” Her eyes land on Ben. “Oh my God, it’s Ben Olson,” she murmurs.
My hackles rise all the way the hell up.
She stands, flustered, and smooths her hands down her jeans as the room quiets and everyone stares at her.
Jack continues to stare daggers at her, and I have to admit, I’m on his side here. “I’ll ask nicely once more. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I, um…I didn’t know where else to go,” she says.
“So you chose my house after what you did to the woman I love?” Jack booms. “Get the hell out of here.”
“Jack, it’s okay,” Kate says, stepping in. Her eyes meet his as they have some silent conversation. “Shannon, you can stay for dinner if you’d like.”
She holds up a hand. “No, no. I don’t want to intrude.”
“Perfect,” Jack says. “You can go, then.”
Kate gives him a look that clearly says he’s being rude while he gives her a look back that clearly says she better watch what she’s doing.
“You’re not intruding,” Kate says. “We’ve got plenty of room.”
And of course…they add Shannon’s chair just across from Ben’s.
I blow out a breath.
This dinner is going to be agonizing.
The mood is different tonight with an extra guest. The focus is still on the babies, but the lightheartedness seems to have been sucked from the room.
Nobody’s yelling carrots or potatoes, and there’s a lot of forks clinking and the nails-on-a-chalkboard sound of knives scraping against plates as they cut through food.
Kate sits in a different chair tonight, this time beside Shannon as the two of them hold a quiet conversation. Jack, Luke, and my mom all chat, too, and that leaves Ben and me to silence as Shannon continues to attempt eye contact with him throughout the meal.
“So did you get the apartment?” Ben asks even though he knows the answer. He doesn’t know why, though, and he doesn’t know the story, so it’s a good cover in case anyone’s listening. Shannon included.
“Nope.” I shake my head and press my lips together.
“What happened?”
“It’s so embarrassing.” I shield my eyes in a facepalm.
“When I went to pick up my keys they told me they didn’t have any apartments available and somebody must’ve stolen my credit card number when I put down the deposit over the phone.
So I called to cancel my card but I had to get back to school, and my department chair was in there waiting to observe me—”
He interrupts me. “She’s a crazy bitch.”
I laugh. “No arguments there. So she called me in after school and said she had to write me up for leaving school in the middle of the day. Teachers do it all the time, but I do it once and get in trouble.”
“That’s bullshit.” He grabs his beer and chugs down half of it.
“No kidding. And if I get written up again, I get a review in front of the principal. It’s so stupid. I don’t even really like teaching but I also can’t fail at it or…” I trail off before I allow the emotions to show in my tone.
“Or what?” he asks softly.
“I’ll just feel like I’m letting my dad down.” My voice is soft and a little broken.
“Oh, Kaylee. I’m sure that’s not true. He’d be so proud of you.”
I feel tears pressing by my eyes at his kindness. “For what? For getting written up? Or for being stupid enough to fall for a scam that cost me two thousand dollars before I canceled my credit card?”
“It’s not stupid,” he says. “It could’ve happened to anybody.”
“How was your day?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Shit. It was leg day.” He shrugs. “So are you going to stay here?”
“I guess so. I’ve got all this furniture being delivered tomorrow to an apartment that I can’t even rent.
Jack said he’d take care of getting what I can’t return into storage, but I can’t stay here forever.
” I nod toward Kate. “They want their privacy, I’m sure.
” I lift a shoulder. “And I want mine, too.”
“You need it,” he murmurs under his breath, and he slides a palm along my thigh.
My legs clench together, but before he makes it anywhere near where my body’s begging him to be, Shannon catches his eye. “So what’s it like playing for Vegas after you played in Chicago all those years?”
“Hotter,” Ben says, and he chuckles as he squeezes my leg and lets it go.
She starts firing more questions at him, and I can’t help but wonder what the fuck she’s doing here and when the fuck she’s going to leave.
I don’t like her. She betrayed my brother and sister-in-law once, and I don’t trust that she has good intentions for being here.
Especially not when she’s eye fucking Ben from across the table.