If only he weren’t so attractive and polite. If only he hadn’t asked her out after she’d already put him in the “must try to forget” pile.
The little demon perched on her shoulder, an amalgamation of Lila and Rachel with its nonstop yammering, whispered:What would really be the harm in going out with him?
She tromped downstairs to her office and fired up her computer. The harm, she thought, would be in getting involved, liking him as a friend. Then a boyfriend. Then dating, having him interact with Daniel. They’d hang at his place, then her place. More and more, until she would grow attached. Then she’d fall in love with him, and he’d leave.
Just like Bryce.
To torture herself a little more, she dug up an old picture of the three of them from happier times, the one she kept hidden in a bottom desk drawer. She tried to see the flaws in her relationship, but the picture only showed a woman and man in love and a young boy ecstatic about going to a fall festival.
Kenzie gripped the frame, wishing she could go back and undo…what? She hadn’t stepped a foot wrong. She’d always put Daniel first, had checked out Bryce before their first date, and thought long and hard on it before living together. Bryce had never been anything but loving and fun—until the end, of course.
How could she have known things might change?
Before she could cry, she smacked herself on the arm and laughed, not a little hysterically. Holy crap, Lila’s aversion therapy kind of worked. Because instead of crying, all she could think about was Lila’s silly “Bryce.” Smack. Rinse and repeat.
Kenzie tucked the photo away and, smiling now, concentrated on her work, liking the new idea for their footwear client though still not sold on the walking, talking kale for the organic food business.
* * *
Friday rolled into the weekend, her “free days” filled with cleaning, a few chores, more work, and ignoring Lila’s invitation to hang out with Rachel and Will.
The three girlfriends were tight, family, but sometimes Kenzie needed a break.
Fortunately, the girls understood, having fought over this in the past.
Before Kenzie knew it, Monday had come once more.
It should have been a perfect weekend. She loved nothing more than getting things done, checking tasks off her ever-growing to-do list.
Unfortunately, a good night’s sleep continued to remain at the top of her list. Why? Because images of Evan haunted her, her subconscious bringing him back to visit each night wearing less and less clothing. Friday night he’d been in jeans and an unbuttoned shirt. Saturday night in shorts withI Want You, Kenzietattooed across his glorious chest. And last night, his jeans had been parted, revealing an incredible set of abs and a trail of dark hair leading down his belly and beneath those jeans. He’d watched her with a smile as he’d slowly peeled said jeans and leaned over her in bed, his mouth hot, his eyes so bright they glowed.
He’d whispered her name as he’d drawn closer, and her body had tightened up all over, so hungry to feel him against her. She’d tossed. She’d turned. And every time she’d closed her eyes, she’d imagined Evan making love to her.
The snooze she’d turned off twice this morning hadn’t helped. If she didn’t hustle, she’d miss her morning appointment downtown. And theyneededthis new job because some unexpected expenses thanks to a shitty bookkeeper had recently come to her attention.
Needless to say, Kenzie’s week wasn’t starting out well. Her eyes felt gritty, and her mouth tasted like something had died in it. The shower nearly shocked her into a coronary when the water turned ice-cold.
“Daniel,” she screeched as she tried to dodge pinpricks of ice turning her goose bumps into icicles. Quickly rinsing the conditioner out of her hair, she cursed and danced to avoid more ice as she shed the soap running down her body. After turning the water off and wrapping herself in a towel, she stepped out of the shower, shivering. “Daniel Thomas Sykes!”
“It wasn’t me,” he yelled through her door.
She opened it to see him draped in three towels, huddling for warmth. “I had cold water too. I think the water heater is busted or something.”
Great. She’d need to call someone about the hot water heater.Again.And no, that hadn’t been part of the monthly budget.
A quick check at a weather app showed the temperature cooling today, so she dressed in a pair of jeans and a sleeveless tank she layered with a long-sleeved floral-print pullover. Good enough to show an artsy flair while also being business casual thanks to her killer heels—a mere two inches of height disguised as something grander by the rockin’ leather pattern. The shoes were courtesy of an early client that had exploded into a big business.
“Daniel, I have to go. What are you up to today?” she yelled as she snagged an energy bar and threw it in her purse. She grabbed her portfolio and laptop case and waited for the shaggy teenager to appear.
Daniel had two and a half more weeks until school began, but some early activities started soon, including soccer, which he’d expressed interest in playing. Extracurricular activities would help him be more involved in school and hopefully keep him out of trouble. A good thing since he claimed he intended to go to college upon graduation…in two more years.
That she even thought about her little brother in conjunction with life after high school scared the crap out of her and made her feel old. At thirty-one, she was the youngest of her friends. But raising a teenager was turning her hair gray. She’d never tell Lila or Rachel, but she swore she’d seen a rebel strand of silver in the mirror this morning.
Her brother ambled down the stairs, dressed in athletic shorts and an ancient Asteroids T-shirt with holes in it. Funny and appropriate, though the holes had appeared due to too many washings.
She could have sworn she’d thrown that away last week.
“I’m just hanging around the house today. Probably play some video games, watch movies.”
