Bigger Than the Sky (Serenity Point) (8 page)

“Um. I don’t know. If we find it, I’ll call Dwight and have him check her house? I mean, what I’d really like to do is wait for her then beat the shit out of her when she gets home.”

“Works for me,” Cass says with a chuckle.

“We’ll just play it by ear I guess,” I reply.

“We’ll be like Rizzoli and Isles! Or Cagney and Lacey!”

“Starsky and Hutch!” I add with a giggle.

“Turner and Hooch!” she says laughing.

“Uh, you can be Hooch,” I say with a snicker.

“Gee, thanks.”

“The dog has reddish hair like yours,” I put out there, still laughing.

“Whatever.” She laughs then takes a drink of Mags’ fabulous coffee. “Oh, hey, Jeremy called me last night.”

“Yeah?” I ask then take a sip too. God, that’s good coffee. Almost as good as Carolina Kelly’s. Dang.

She nods. “Asked me out to some fancy Italian restaurant in Richmond next weekend.”

“Nice!” She’d been talking to Jeremy at Jen’s Friday night. He was a nice guy and she’d crushed on him since we were in seventh grade. He was a year ahead of us in school and is now one of Brody’s fellow firemen.

“God. I’m kinda scared, Mill. I mean, I’ve liked him forever. What if we go out and I hate him?”

I chuckle. “It’s possible, but not probable. I mean, we’ve known him for seventeen years. I doubt he’s hiding any deep, dark secrets.”

“Yeah. But I swear to God, if we come back to his place and he’s got some kind of freaky fetish that squicks me out, I’ll just die.”

I start giggling now. “So a regular fetish is okay then?”

She giggles with me. “I’m thirty. Can’t be too picky anymore.”

“What if he has some kind of shoe fetish?” I ask.

“I can handle that. I’ll wear whatever he wants.”

“I mean, what if
he’s
the one who wants to wear the shoes?” I burst out laughing at the look on her face then she’s laughing too.

“If it’s stilettos, I can deal. But flats? Hell no.”

I’m laughing like crazy now, thinking I might be a little punch drunk from lack of sleep and don’t hear the bells jingle as the front door of the restaurant opens.

“Oh, God, that’s hysterical,” I say as I use my napkin to wipe at my eyes when I feel a presence to my right and look over to see muscular thighs under faded jeans along with a frickin’ magnificent package that’s right at eye level. Damn. My eyes travel up to find Kade looking down at me, an amused smirk on his face. Annnd I’m not laughing so much anymore.

His hair’s still wet from his morning shower, sitting all messily perfect on his head and I know he ran his fingers through it to get it that way. Jerk. He’s wearing an unbuttoned, dark blue plaid flannel shirt with a cream thermal underneath, the sleeves of the shirt rolled up to his mid-forearm, the thermal sleeves pushed up under them. How he can make the most casual of clothing look so good astonishes me.

“Mind if I join you?” he asks.

God, him and that damned smooth voice of his.

When I’d left five years ago, I still had recordings on my phone of him singing with his band, and at night when I’d feel lonely, I’d play them just to hear his voice again. At the time, I almost felt as if he were my guardian angel, helping me get through the night.

But now as I look at him, sexy as hell and smirking down at me, I realize I’m playing with fire and I’m going to get burned because he’s no angel. He’s the damned devil himself.

Chapter 7

Cassie looks at me, eyebrows raised, asking permission for her brother to join us and I can’t say no because that’d just be rude.

“Sure,” I say through gritted teeth.

Of course, he sits down in the booth right next to me, making me scoot over, his big, muscular body taking so much space our thighs touch. Great.

“What were you all laughing at?” he asks, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Cassie giggles. “Oh, I’ve got a date with Jeremy next weekend and Mill and I were just commenting on weird fetishes I’m hoping he doesn’t have.”

I can’t help but snort out a giggle as I picture Jeremy wearing my strappy sandals from the other night but my laughter quells when Kade looks down at me, the attractive crinkles showing around his eyes as he smiles. Why’s he smiling? Has he forgotten that he just broke my heart a few hours ago?

“Fetishes, huh? Like maybe having a caveman, alpha male fantasy or something?” he asks, his thigh knocking into mine lightly.

And stupid me with my perfect timing is taking a drink of coffee when he says that and now I’m choking on it.

“You okay?” he asks as I cough. He puts an arm on the back of the booth behind me and pats me on the back a couple times.

I shoot him a dirty look at which he just grins, his gray eyes dancing with humor. He keeps his arm on the back of the booth behind me so I’m practically smashed up against him now because I’m already hugging the wall and have nowhere else to go. When he leans across me to get a napkin out of the holder to give to me, I smell his aftershave, all spicy and musky and manly which makes my insides flutter a little. Good lord, it’s almost humiliating how friggin’ hyperaware of him I am.

Sandra comes over to take his order, which I can recite from memory—two eggs over easy, hash browns, four slices of bacon, two sausage links, two pancakes and two pieces of wheat toast with grape jelly—and I clench my teeth in irritation.

“Mom say anything about lunch today?” Cassie asks Kade.

“Just to be there at one,” he answers. “Wants you there too.”

I ignore what he’s said as I top off my coffee until he knocks his thigh against mine again which makes me give him another look.

“Lunch,” he says looking at me, his sexy smirk still on display.

“What?” God, he really is irritating.

“Mom wants you to come to lunch at one with us today,” Cassie explains.

My chest seizes at the invitation. Shit. I’m not ready to see their parents yet. “Oh, I don’t think I can make it. I’ve got lots to do at the station. Need to call and get the window replaced.”

“Already taken care of,” Kade says.

“Huh? How?” I frown and look up at him.

“Called Mike. Said he got hold of a guy in Richmond who’ll be here today around two.”

Well, that was nice of him. And n
ow I’m even more irritated.

“Thanks,” I say, sounding a little cross.

“You’re welcome,” he replies in a smug manner, his thigh bumping mine once again.

“You’re really annoying,” I spout suddenly to him. “And irritating.” He looks down at me then throws his head back and laughs, the sexy column of his throat that’s covered with his beard on display, his Adam’s apple moving with his laughing, and it’s so hot,
he’s
so hot, that I’m just even more annoyed. I look at Cass and roll my eyes, shaking my head, only to see her bite her lips to keep from laughing. I squint my eyes and mouth, “Traitor,” at her as she’s trying not to giggle.

“Babe,” Kade retorts quietly.

I look up at him with a scowl. “And stop calling me ‘babe.’”

He brings his arm down around me, his hand latching onto my shoulder and pulls me into him for a side hug kissing the top of my head and my whole body goes stiff. I turn and look at his hand then turn to look up at him knowing the expression on my face is less than attractive but he needs to stop touching me! I look at Cassie and my eyes bug out in an
I need a little help here, please
way but she’s still trying to muffle a giggle. What in the world? He knows I’m angry at him and she knows I’m upset, but now they’re both just smiling away as if nothing’s wrong. They’re like pod people and I decide their whole family is just demented. I finally lean forward, which makes him have to remove his hand. Better.

When our meals are brought to the table, he finally moves his arm from behind me and we all eat in relative silence except for their occasional chatter about his store or something that happened in her classroom; otherwise, they don’t try talking to me and I say a prayer of thanks. It is Sunday after all.

“Well, I’m finished. I need to get back to the store,” I say, getting a twenty out of my purse and tossing it on the table.

“Tonight?” Cassie asks.

I bug my eyes out at her again in a,
You’re gonna blow it!
way. “I’ll call you.” Then I look at Kade. “Would you mind letting me out?”

I’ve got to get away from him. My emotions have been flipping out since the moment I saw him Friday, and the I’m-really-sorry-I-left-your-gorgeous-ass-at-the-altar-five-years-ago-I-don’t-know-what-else-to-do-but-apologize-but-now-you’ve-killed-me-by-buying-the-house-I-loved-which-makes-me-want-to-stab-you-repeatedly-but-would-you-mind-so-much-if-I-fuck-you-first-before-murdering-you thing I’ve got going is wearing me out.

He gets out of the booth and stands, pulling his wallet out and throwing some bills on the table.

“I’ll talk to you later,” I tell Cassie.

“Don’t forget about lunch at one,” she says with a snort.

I give her a snippy look, which makes her grin (demented, all of them) then I walk to the front, retrieving my coat off the rack.

“Come back and see us soon, Amelia!” Mags calls from behind the counter.

I turn to say goodbye to her and run smack dab into Kade. “Oh!” I say, looking up at him with a scowl then step around him and say, “I will, Mags! Thank you! It was delicious as always!” I turn and go out the door, quickly walking back to the garage trying to get away from all the crazy that I just encountered. But as I walk, I sense that Kade’s right behind me. I roll my eyes and stop, turning and looking up at him. “What?”

“We need to talk, Mill.”

“About?” I snap, knowing I’m being a bitch but I’ve got shit to do. I think.

“Inside,” he answers and starts walking toward the garage and I follow, having a tough time keeping up with his long strides as he crosses the street.

He’s already got the door unlocked when I get there and I look at him incredulously as he holds up the key. “Mike,” he explains.

I swipe a hand out to grab it but he holds it up too high so I can’t reach it. Whatever. I’m not going to play his game. I’ll just change the friggin’ locks. I go inside and walk over to lean my hip against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest, waiting for him to talk.

“Can we go upstairs?” he asks.

Uh, hell no. There’s a bed up there and I don’t trust him one bit. Sad thing is, I trust myself even less.

“No. You can say what you need to say here,” I answer snottily. Wow. I’ll seriously need to perform a hundred Random Acts of Kindness before the month’s over because I’m being such an ass to him and he hasn’t been anything but nice, despite the house situation, and I know I’m going to hell unless I offset my hatefulness with some sweetness.

I see the muscles in his jaw jumping because he doesn’t like what I’ve said then he sighs resignedly. “All right. We’ll talk here.” He walks to the counter and stands about a foot away from me, leaning his hip into it and facing me, mirroring me by crossing his arms over his chest too. “The house isn’t what you think, Mill.”

I huff out a laugh. I can’t help it. “What else can it be but a big ‘Fuck you’ to me, Kade? Just a big, fat symbolic finger flipping me the bird?”

His lips curve up a little on the sides as he looks at the floor, shaking his head. “You don’t get it.”

“No, I think it’d be safe to say I get it all too well,” I answer in a clipped voice. He looks up at me now, his lips still tipped up as if he’s trying not to smile. Ugh! What’s so damned funny? I take a deep breath and blow it out before continuing. “I left you, and to pay me back, you bought the house so you could shove it in my face. Well, you know what? It worked. You must be very proud of yourself. According to Brody, I broke your heart and now you’ve broken mine. We’re even. Happy?” I glare at him the entire time I’m speaking which doesn’t seem to faze him at all.

He takes a step toward me and rests his hand on the countertop, leaning into me a little, his stone gray eyes glittering, all humor now gone from his face. “Bought it with you in mind.”

I jerk my head back and frown, narrowing my eyes at him. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“You bought it with me in mind.”

Talk about your ambiguous sentences. I don’t know if he means he bought it with me in mind because he wanted to stick it to me, which he so did, or if he bought it with me in mind meaning when he bought it he thought of me, which I still don’t know what it means.

He stands at his full height now, crossing his arms over his chest once again. “Yes.”

I have no clue what’s going on, no idea what he’s talking about, and this is going to take a little more explaining on his part to make me understand everything, so I make a quick decision. “Let’s go upstairs where we can sit and talk.”

He nods and I see his jaw muscles popping again as he steps back letting me go first. When we get upstairs, I can tell he notices my new things although he doesn’t say anything, but he seems pleased for some reason.

“Do you want something to drink?” I ask.

“Scotch would be good,” he replies.

I give him a look. “It’s just after nine in the morning.”

“Way things have been going this morning, think I might need it.” There’s the smirk again and I can’t decide whether I want to kiss the hell out of him or slap the shit out of him. What a conundrum.

“I’ll put some coffee on,” I suggest, even though I pretty much agree with him about the morning being shit, and at his nod I take off my coat and hang it on a hook by the door then go into the little kitchen and fire up the coffeemaker telling him to have a seat.

He sits in my new chair, and although it seems to swallow me when I’m in it (which is one thing I love about it), he makes it look normal-sized when he folds his large frame into it. The coffee brews quickly and I grab mugs from the cabinet, pouring for both of us. I add sugar and cream to mine leaving his black, because that’s how I know he takes it, then carry the mugs into the small living space, handing him his before I sit on my newly slip-covered loveseat.

“So…” I begin.

After taking a drink, he sets his cup on one of my new end tables and I notice how cute all my new additions look in here. The place looks homey now and the weird thing is that he fits right into it all.