I nodded.“Especially Dolly.”
“I’ve heard a lot about Dolly,” Janet James offered from behind the counter of Firehouse Café.“She’s Tommy’s favorite.”
“Of course you know that, Janet,” I teased.
“Tommy’s a sweetheart.Your nephew is as good as gold, and he loves those goats,” Janet replied.
“He’s my best employee,” Kendall offered.
“He’s your only employee,” I couldn’t help pointing out.
Kendall’s eyes twinkled when she met mine.“So what?”
Another customer approached the counter, and Janet turned to wait on them.Kendall was explaining something to a woman in line who asked her about recommended feed for goats, but I didn’t absorb any details.
I’d had trouble focusing for—checks notes—three weeks, one day, and eleven and a half hours.That’s how long it had been since Kendall had fallen on top of me.Since her entire body had imprinted itself on mine.
I couldn’t stop thinking about how it felt.I also couldn’t stop chastising myself, reminding myself she was my best friend.I didn’t want to ruin it.But she was so fucking cute.With her brown curls.Her freckled cheeks.Her big brown eyes.Her smile.Her kindness.All of her.
And here we were, about to pick her brother up from jail because he was a dumbass.That was the other thing I loved about her.She was good to people.I could grudgingly give her brother a little credit.He was trying to get sober.Kendall had the biggest damn heart.
That’s why she ran a large animal rescue.Her heart was big enough for all those animals, no matter how unruly they were, wild moose included.
“Are you ready?”Kendall’s voice reached me.
“Huh?”I literally shook my head to clear the haze in my brain as I glanced toward Kendall.“For what?”
“To go,” she said.“I said your name three times, Jude.”
As if on cue, that song came on.Kendall’s smile cracked across her face.“It’s your song.”
She loved teasing me about that, because I’d admitted to her once that when I was a kid, since my name was Jude and there was a song about someone named Jude, I had assumed everyone in the world had a song named after them.
There was a song about someone named Kendall.Somewhere.I was positive.
“Let’s roll.”I took a gulp of my coffee and reached for the bag of donuts that Janet handed over, along with the other coffee.Because I wasn’t a complete ass, I’d gotten Blake a coffee, the cheapest one.
When we got to the door, I slipped up.I let my hand linger on Kendall’s lower back as we walked through.Major mistake.Because just that subtle touch made me want to wrap her in my arms and kiss her senseless, to make sure she knew she was worth the world.
ChapterSeven
Kendall
“Mom, Blake is fine,” I said firmly.If I said those words enough, maybe I could will them into actual reality.
My loving, hapless mother twisted her hands and let out a soft sigh.“Thank you for picking him up.”
“Of course.”I kept my tone light, but tension was spinning inside.
“What do you think about him staying with you?”
My mouth dropped open.“No, Mom.I live in a studio apartment.I’m not sharing a single room with my brother, who can’t stop drinking too much.”
“I know, but?—”
“Mom.”I narrowed my eyes at her.“No.”
I didn’t know the answer for Blake, but it wasn’t him staying with me.That was a recipe for resentment if there ever was one.I might end up hating him.And, I had done a lot of work tonothate him.
