Chapter Seven
After deliveringscones to the staff, I spent most of the morning with Kaley assembling some equipment. Working together was fun—and strange, considering we’d lived in the same town our entire lives but had barely everspoken.
“Pass me the three-eighths,” I requested, lying on my back looking at the underside of the standingdesk.
Kaley knelt on her knees at my side and handed me the seven-eighths.
I slid out from under the large standing desk and pointed. “Thatone.”
“Sorry. I’m not tool savvy.” She handed me the right tool, and I went towork.
After a moment, I spoke again. “Can I ask you aquestion?”
“Sure.”
I paused midturn of the wrench. “Is it true what Kevin told me? I mean about the jet skiaccident?”
Her feet shuffled left and then right. “Yes, I’m afraid it’s true. We all blamed ourselves, but Joe and I have gotten past it. I’m afraid Kevin neverhas.”
“Do you think if he understood that the accident wasn’t his fault, he’d leave Magnolia Corners? Or do you think he’d still want to livehere?”
“If you’re asking if Kevin would follow you somewhere, I think it’spossible.”
“No, I didn’t mean that. Kevin and I are just…acquaintances.”
“Acquaintances that spend all night chatting on the phone like kids?” Kaley bounced on her knees. She still had that peppy manner about her, the way she turned her head and her blonde pony tail flopped over hershoulder.
“How’d you know aboutthat?”
“Kevin said he’d asked you to bring scones this morning, but Joe saw through that immediately. Called him out and drove him to confess he’d been on the phone with you until the early morninghours.”
“We just talked about old times in high school and stuff. Nothing major.” I thought that was a good enough reason we’d be on the phone, but based on Kaley’s hand on her hip and that oh-come-on brow raise, I guessed she wasn’t buying it. “I have a boyfriend. A seriousboyfriend.”
“If he makes you happy, fine, but based on what Kevin told Joe, I don’t think he does. You and Kevin would be a much better match,” she said in a matter-of-facttone.
“We have nothing in common,” I said in a harsher tone than I hadintended.
Based on her half smile, she didn’t take it personally. “You keep telling yourself that, but if you’re honest, you’d seeit.”
“Seewhat?”
“Let me ask you something, Zoey. Why do you think you tutored Kevin all through highschool?”
“Because he was flunking out of school,” I saidflatly.
“Kevin was a straight-A student who could teach the teachers. You assumed he was more into girls and football than his grades, but he wasn’t. He just never studied because he didn’t need to. He aced everytest.”
I handed her back the wrench and pointed to the Phillips-head screwdriver. “That doesn’t make any sense. He mowed lawns to pay for his tutoring withme.”
She handed it to me but wouldn’t release her grip, demanding me to look up at her. With a serious stare down at me, she tilted her head. “I know. That’s what a man will do for a girl helikes.”
My mind slid through a twisting tunnel of new information that made my head swirl. “That’s silly. I would’veknown.”
She released her grip. “Would you? Did you everask?”
I thought back and realized I never had. I’d just tutored and collected money. We were in desperate need of it until Ashton came along and started helping with some of ourbills.
My phone buzzed. The screen showed Edward’s number. “Sorry, I need to take this.” I pushed from under the desk and headed out to the lobby before I answered. “Hi.”
