Chapter 3
KAI
After checking on the listening station, I drive home, change into relaxed dress pants and a navy button-down shirt, then head to Jim's Pizza.
I've been coming here my entire life, and it’s not exactly a glamorous location for a date, but something told me Leah wouldn’t want to go anywhere fancy.
Not that I really know anything about her yet.
I'm just guessing from the comfy, homey style of her RV that she might prefer something casual, even though I'm at a place in my life where I could truly dazzle her.
It's bizarre, having the means to do anything I want.
With a couple of calls, I could have a chauffeur drive us to a private jet, and we could be eating pizza in Rome in a matter of hours.
Having that much money and success is, frankly, a head trip. So my brothers and I try to ignore it and focus instead on our side of the mountain.
I park in front of Jim's and wave to a few friends on the patio on my way to the back parking lot. Should I text first? Or just knock? I don't know the etiquette of picking someone up for a date from a camper.
Before I can decide, the door opens, and Leah steps out. As my grandpa occasionally says, holy crap on a cracker.
Leah looks stunning. Even better, her outfit says she’s viewing this as a real date.
Her hair is tied half back in a braid to keep it out of her eyes, and she’s wearing a bit of soft makeup.
Her dusty lavender dress looks comfortable and swirls around her calves, pulling my eyes to her little black ballerina flats.
It’s nearly impossible to tear my gaze from her perfect wide hips, the dip at her waist, the curve of her lush breasts.
She’s an hourglass goddess. An old school pinup, from the days when models had real asses.
Her lovely warm eyes lift to mine nervously. "You look ravishing," I breathe.
"Thank you," she whispers. Then she grins, taking half a step back to look me up and down. "Do you realize that in the span of just over an hour, I've seen you in four very different outfits?"
"Which one do you like best?” Before she can answer, I cross my fingers and look up at the sky. "Please let her say the underwear."
Leah's head tips back as her light, musical laughter spills through my soul. There's an aura of magic around her that I can't explain, let alone put into words. My arms slip around her automatically as if I've known her forever.
"I've never brought a date here," I murmur. "I've also never called a woman ravishing before. We’re in uncharted waters."
She smiles softly. "I trust you not to get us lost. Is it okay to ask how old you are?"
"Of course. I'm thirty-two. You?”
Leah nods. "I'm twenty-two. And I, umm, haven't really dated at all. That is…if this is really a date?"
"Yes. Of course it is. But how about we keep things super chill? Just dinner and conversation. Get to know each other. No pressure, no strings, just keep it mellow."
She sighs happily. “Cool. Perfect."
We walk into the restaurant, and Bianca hurries over to greet us. "Hey, Kai. Nice to meet you…Leah, right? Your table is right over here."
Leah’s eyes light up, pleased that I called ahead and gave them my date’s name. Note to self – keep remembering the details.
Most of the evening crowd are out on the newly expanded patio, but Bianca guides us to a romantic booth at the back corner. It’s the only table with candles, and a small flower arrangement.
After we're seated and I’ve ordered some wine, Leah turns to me, her eyebrow arched. "This is starting to look like a formal date."
“Nah, they just know that this is my favorite booth." I point to one of the pale pink daisies. "And I'm really into flowers." I tip my head to the side, smiling. "Plus, I think the candlelight shows off my tan. Don't you agree?"
She bursts into laughter, barely able to get it together when Bianca returns to pour the wine. After we order, Leah turns, our knees barely touching under the table. "I really appreciate you calling ahead to arrange such a great spot for me to park overnight."
I hesitate, then reach out to take her hand where it's resting on her knee. "I would have suggested you park at my house, but you don't know me yet. I truly need to know that you're safe. You should know that you're not completely alone. The staff here would help you if you needed anything."
Her lovely eyes go blank for a moment as her gaze drops to the silverware.
"I'm so sorry. Did I say something wrong?"
She shakes her head. "No. I’m just…surprised. Nobody's ever treated me this well before."
A strange, grumbling growl rises unbidden in my throat. How could the world not treat this woman like the beautiful angel she is? "Well, you're on my mountain now. I think you’ll find everything's a bit different around here."
Time seems to slow to a stop as we drink wine, nibble at breadsticks, and then enjoy the incredible pizza.
Leah explains how she moved away with her father when she was eighteen, escaping the tiny town where she was born and traveling with him while doing a few semesters of college here and there.
He passed away this spring, leaving her with the RV and a deeply ingrained wanderlust. She doesn’t mention her mother at all. I don’t feel I should ask.
Now she does freelance work proofreading automatic machine translations. It’s cheaper than hiring a translator, but safer because a native English speaker has gone through it checking for tone, phrasing, and such. She was an English major but also reads a bit of French and Spanish.
I share how I'm the fourth of five brothers, and joke that I hope she's not overwhelmed when she meets Kayden, Kingston, Kane, and Kellen – especially if it’s all of them at once.
"I love that you work together," she says, her eyes bright. "It always takes a while to get a new business off the ground, but I’m sure with five of you working on it, it'll do well."
Wow. She hasn't looked us up.
I love it. It’s like starting with a clean slate. She hasn’t heard a thing about me and my brothers. Doesn’t know that my family is kind of treated like royalty around here, and that people joke that I’m one of the princes of Wolfe Mountain.
It points out even more that Leah is the one for me. The feeling of her hand in my palm tells me everything I need to know.
I want her.