“So hot,” he murmurs. “My gorgeous girl.” This time the sound that falls from my lips is nearly a whimper.His. Why is that so wildly satisfying to hear?
He steps back, clasping both of my hands. “Sorry ’bout that. Missed you.”
"That’s okay." I smile up at him, wired from the electric buzz now coursing through me. "Oh – that pothole app installed itself in seconds. It looks great. Very polished."
"Cool. Let's get some food, then test it out.”
It turns out that Kellan wants to try his hand at taco salad. He explains that the chef at the Mexican restaurant in West Stoneburg gave him the recipe.
I can’t help but notice that people in the supermarket give us some odd looks. Initially they smile and nod when they see Kellan, which makes sense if he is well-known here in town. But when they see me they blink in surprise, looking me up and down before snapping their eyes away and whispering to their shopping buddy.
It happens four times in rapid succession. What the heck? All I can do is stare down at the floor, and hope nobody is saying anything mean. Would I have to get used to this if I start an actual relationship with Kellan?
He must notice it too, since he takes my hand after helping me into his truck and gives it a soft squeeze. "I'm sorry that everyone was checking us out together," he says gently. "I was thinking they might, since the town has never seen me out with a woman before. But I'm very glad it happened. It means…you know… We're official already."
I squeeze his hand back. "You think so?"
"Oh, I know so, baby."
We leave the main streets and take a back road, where I use the new pothole app to track any road problems we see. "This is super easy," I comment in delight. "And I love that the accuracy level isn't that important."
When I hit the report button, it chimes softly.
“It's going to be great once everything is mapped,” Kellan chuckles. "When they start working there will be red zones so people can avoid the construction area. And the potholes on the map will begin to disappear in little puffs of smoke as they get fixed.” He shoots me a sideways glance. "Okay, that part wastotally unnecessary, but it made us crack up at three in the morning.”
I report another pothole and burst out laughing when this time there's a duck quack.
"Oh yeah," he adds, "There are ten different random noises. Another one of our late-night decisions."
“You guys must be a handful when you’re all together.”
“Definitely. But we also get a lot done with…duh duh duhnn…The Power of Five.”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
When we reach Kellan's house my eyes almost fall out of my head. It's not just huge, it's stunning. As if there was some kind of design competition to create the best forest house, and they worked on it for years.
Every detail is the perfect blend of woodsy charm and modern glamour. Massive glass windows. Huge wooden beams. Smaller accents of cedar shake shingles, and a beautiful porch that wraps all the way around the house.
"I know, I know." Kellan rolls his eyes as he grabs the groceries before we go inside. "It's a bit over the top. But I really hate moving, so I wanted to build a house that I'd be happy in for years."
The interior is just as thoughtful, with rich forest tones and oversized comfortable looking furniture. "I love it,” I breathe, admiring the gorgeous open space. “It's not fussy."
Kellan grins. "Plus, I needed enough room for five guys my size.”
We start prepping things in the kitchen, which is filled with every fancy appliance a person could think of. He looks up from where he's sautéing the ground beef. "Hey, you never mentioned if you have any sisters or brothers."
Suddenly, the cheese I'm grating is the most fascinating thing in the world. "Dad left when I was ten. For a long time it was just Mom and me, then she remarried just over a year ago."
Kellan reaches out and slowly drags his palm down my back. "I can tell from your tone you don't like this situation. Did you get saddled with some awful stepsiblings?"
"Mmm. My stepbrother Steven is okay. He's three years older, and we mostly stay out of each other's way." I sigh. How much can I share without sounding like I’m whining? "It's my stepdad. Brad."
"Damn." Kellan shakes his head. "I can tell just from the way you said his name that you hate his guts."
"Not hate, exactly. We just don’t click. He treats me like a child. He treats me likehischild. He sold his house and used the money to start a business and just took over Mom’s home. I was ordered to move to the smallest bedroom.”
My hands begin to shake, and I nearly slice a knuckle on the cheese grater. “It's not his place to boss me around and try to take over my life. But Mom is like me. She can’t stand conflict either. So she won’t stand up to him."
