Leo’s attention burned into her. She didn’t know when she’d become so attuned to him. She could feel when he was staring at her from across the property. She could sense his presence without turning around to find him within a few feet of her.
She bit back a grin as she plucked at the asparagus on her plate.
“Okay, what’s going on?”
Kat’s head snapped up, unable to hide that she knew exactly what Sonya was asking. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep her expression completely neutral. Pulling her lower lip between her teeth, she blinked a few times before finally turning her attention to Leo who now had Sonya’s undivided attention.
At least his mother didn’t look upset.
No. The expression she currently wore was one of curiosity and knowing amusement.
“Out with it,” she muttered, placing her knife and fork on her plate. “The two of you have been dancing around each other for the better part of a week. What happened?”
Kat’s smile broke free from her teeth and she returned her stare to the plate. Something told her that Sonya wouldn’t like the idea that she was simply having some fun while she was here. Kat had zero inclination to get serious with Leo. But how was she supposed to say that to a mother about her son?
Without meeting the penetrating gazes around the table, she reached for the glass of water before her and took a sip.
“Leo?” Sonya drawled. “Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to pry the information out of you like I did when you were younger? Remember when you came home covered in mud and feathers?”
Kat sensed Leo stiffen. She looked up to see Leo wearing an expression that could only be mortification.
“Mom,” Leo muttered.
Sonya smiled sweet as sugar. “Don’t make me ask again.”
He rolled his eyes but then his focus snagged on Kat and that smile she was quickly falling for spread across his face. He shrugged. “Kat and I have… been getting… closer.”
Kat held her breath. She didn’t know what she expected, but Sonya’s reaction wasn’t it.
The woman groaned with exaggeration. “Well, I know that.”
A small snort of laughter sputtered from Kat’s lips at Leo’s flat look.
“Then why are you even asking?”
Sonya shrugged this time. “I just wanted to know if you’d finally admit it out loud so you two can stop sneaking around.”
Leo’s mouth fell open and Kat choked on the sip of water she’d just taken. Then she laughed. Leo’s focus shifted to her and that smile—dang, that smile was more than enough to have her heart whipping around like a hurricane.
Before he could say something to his mother’s statement, Sonya managed to make things so much worse. “Does this mean I can expect an announcement in the future?”
“Mom!” Leo stammered, his face turning red.
This time, Kat couldn’t even force a laugh if her life had depended on it. That was only one of the reasons she’d wanted to steer clear of Leo and the feelings she continued to fight from flourishing.
Fun.
That was all this was supposed to be. She wanted to enjoy her time here with someone she could laugh with and spend time with.
Nothing more.
“What?” Sonya laughed. “I’m just asking a simple question.”
Kat peeked at Leo across the table, finding that he’d put his head in his hands and he was shaking it. The poor guy. As terrifying as it was, she could draw the line for Sonya for him. She turned to Sonya. “We’re just enjoying each other’s company. That’s all. I’ll be heading home after the start of the new year once the therapy center construction has been completed.”
There was no missing the slight frown that flickered in Sonya’s eyes. Nor the way her focus flitted to her son. It was quick and if Kat hadn’t been raised to notice the smaller nuances in reading people, she would have brushed off. As it was, the guilt that came with her confession only served to destroy her appetite.
She cleared her throat and pushed away from the table. “I forgot I have a call I need to make before my father turns in for thenight.” Kat picked up her plate, still half-full, and took it to the kitchen island. “Is it okay if I save this for later?”
