“Then what can we do to help?”
He had a half-baked idea, and he needed it to be fully baked as soon as possible. “We need Will—or at least the keys to his school.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Owen feltlike a stalker as he cruised by the community centre the next evening, but he wanted to make sure Kerry wasn’t at home. Sure enough, he spotted her car. Adam’s intel that she had indoor soccer practice was accurate.
Which meant the coast was clear for him to drop off the first part of his surprise at her apartment.
He looped back to the main drag, pulled into the lot behind her building, and quickly climbed the stairs. She didn’t have a mailbox, but he’d come prepared with a roll of tape. He carefully fixed the envelope to her door.
That was as far as good luck got him, because as he descended the stairs, headlights lit up the parking lot. He recognized the car. Damn it. She was home early from practice.
He might as well face the music. He leaned against the railing and watched as she got out, her white parka bright in the darkness. She climbed the stairs slowly, her gaze locked on his face the whole time, and stopped in front of him.
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “Hi.”
“What are you…?”
“I was trying to be stealthy and leave you a note while you were at practice.”
Her eyebrows curved high. “Keeping track of my schedule?”
“Trying to stay out of your way,” he clarified. “I really want to get this right.”
“What isthis, exactly?”
“There are things I want to say. If you want to hear them. I have a seven-step plan to carefully communicate those things.”
“Seven steps?” Her voice tightened. “Owen…”
“Read the note. Think about it, please. If you’re open to listening to me, let me know.”
There was a long pause as she looked toward the stairs. Owen rocked back and forth on his heels. She had to be freezing.
“Go inside,” he said in a rush. “It’s cold tonight. Think about it, okay?”
She lifted her head again, her chin jutting and her eyes bright. “This is a bad idea.”
“It might be, but I’ve done a lot of thinking, and realized some things. Big things.”
“Don’t make me promises,” she whispered. “That’s not what I’m looking for.”
He shook his head. “That’s not why I’m here.” She shivered, and he took a step closer. “Please. Go inside.”
She craned her neck, but didn’t move.
He took a step toward the parking lot, then another. “Go on, read it,” he said. “I’m gonna go stand by my truck. I’ll stay there in case you want to throw something heavy at me.”
Her lips twitched.
It had always been the humour between them. If he could make her laugh, it might just get him enough of an opening to show her why she could trust him.
He turned to face his truck, and from behind him, he heard her climb the stairs. He waited until the footsteps ended, then he turned again. He couldn’t see her on the balcony, but he heard her door swing open and saw the interior light flip on.
She didn’t shut the door.
He pictured her reading the note, which he’d memorized.
