“Jenny gossiping about me again?”
“Oh, always,” she says, joining me when I burst out laughing.
“I’ve just been looking through contracts that Mary has in the works,” I say with a shrug. “She’s making some big changes, but they seem to all be going in the right direction. Were things really that bad before she showed up?”
I haven’t been in touch with my dad in almost a decade, but Jenny never mentioned the ranch being on the brink of foreclosure. The financials don’t lie, though, and they lookedbaduntil about a month ago.
“I don’t really know. I try to keep my nose in my own business.” Katie shrugs, but I can see the answer in her eyes. “I do think that Mary has been a saving grace, though. Once she and Jenny got over their issues, at least.”
I lean forward with a grin, sensing a good story.
“Oh?”
“A little birdie told me they went to college together,” Katie whispers theatrically. “I guess Mary was even one of Jenny’s TA’s a few years back, and so Jenny waspissedwhen she foundout she was sleeping with your dad. Almost kicked Mary off the ranch.”
I laugh, shaking my head. I can imagine it didn’t go over well. I haven’t really paid Mary much attention, but she makes my dad happy, which is the last thing I thought I’d ever see after Mom died. She’s all good by me, for that fact alone.
“They seem like they’re doing well together, though. I guess the age gap is kind of weird,” I say.
“It shouldn’t matter,” she says with a roll of her eyes and a good natured laugh. “They’re both consenting adults, and they’re happy. That’s all that matters.”
She sounds so certain of it. And hey, I know I’ve never had the kind of happiness that my dad and Mary have. I’ll have to get to know Mary more. I should’ve already been doing that, considering how much my dad clearly cares about her.
Our food comes out and we divvy up our sides onto each other’s plates, trading garlic rosemary mashed potatoes for bacon-wrapped asparagus, and splitting our steaks. We chat about work and hobbies and friends as we eat. It’s different from any date I’ve ever been on, but I actually have more fun enjoying a perfectly innocent dinner with her than I’ve ever had taking any other girl back to my apartment.
After I pick up the bill and drive her back home, we keep talking — just enjoying each other’s company.
“I had a really good time,” I say, as I park in front of her apartment.
She glances over with that shy smile that’s been giving me butterflies all night, long lashes fluttering.
“I did too. Thanks for taking me out.”
I climb out of the car, and she waits for me to open her door this time. I swing it open and hold my hand out to steady her as she steps out.
“It was my pleasure. Really.”
She smiles up at me and lets me walk her up to her door. This is usually where I’d slyly invite myself in to blow her mind, but it feels cheap to even think about right now.
“Can I kiss you?” I ask. “Just a kiss?”
She grins and wraps her hand around the back of my neck instead of answering me. The kiss is slow and short, sweet in every sense of the word.
It sends warmth all the way down to my toes.
“Goodnight, Wayne.”
“Yeah.” I’m grinning like an idiot, and I don’t even care. “Goodnight, Katie. I’ll see you soon.”
I make my way back to my car as she unlocks her door and steps inside, my lips tingling. I can taste the faint fruit flavor of her gloss and the sharpness of the wine, and it makes my whole brain go fuzzy. I sit in my car for a few minutes after Katie closes the door to her apartment, trying to figure out what the hell is happening to me.
I’m the hit-it-and-quit-it type. I don’t do nice dinners and kisses at the door. Maybe acting like an adult is changing the way I think.
Or maybe Katie’s changing the way I think.
Either way, I have no clue how I’m supposed to feel about it.
KATIE
