“You’ll take me to yoursecondfavorite restaurant?”
He grinned. “My first favorite will be closed that day.”
“I don’t know,” she said, even though he could tell she was wavering. “After we—I think we have a hard enough time being just friends as it is, Danny.”
Hearing that gutted him because it was actually damn near impossible, but he really wanted to sit on his back porch with her. He leaned forward, giving her the Kowalski grin that was allegedly impossible to resist. “I’ll show you my whiteboard.”
She laughed so loudly, he saw Nathan peek through the swinging door to see who she was talking to before he disappeared again. “Do you think that line’s actually going to work?”
“You tell me.”
“Yes, it worked.” She pointed at him, her expression stern. “Just friends.”
“Just friends,” he echoed, even though he knew deep down inside both of them were lying.
Chapter Fourteen
Kenzie had just gotten out of the shower on Monday afternoon when she heard footsteps climbing the stairs. Her mind went blank and her heart pounded because Frank was away on his trip and she was supposed to be alone in the house.
“Kenzie, it’s me,” she heard Rhylee call, and she blew out a sigh of relief.
Since it was her cousin, she wrapped her hair in one towel and wrapped another around her body. Then she opened the bathroom door and poked her head out in time to see Rhylee walking into her room.
“What happened to your meeting?” she called out. She’d been told some kind of meeting at the town hall was going to keep her an extra couple of hours, so they’d be shopping later than usual.
“It got canceled. Why are you packing? Are you going somewhere?”
Kenzie swore under her breath, realizing too late she’d left her bag and some clothing on the bed. She’d planned to tell her cousin she was going because she needed the two most important people in her life to know where she was, but she’d planned to be clothed, at least.
“I’m going away for the night,” she said as she walked into the room to find Rhylee poking at the pile on the bed.
“Lace?” she asked as she turned to face Kenzie, waving a pair of her underwear like a flag.
“Lace trim. Totally different.”
“Where, exactly, are you going for the night?” She didn’t even give Kenzie a second to answer before she gasped and covered her mouth. “You’re going away with Danny, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” Kenzie interrupted the answering squeal by raising her hand. “As friends. It’s a little break from the usual routine to thank me for helping him work through some issues with his book?”
“Wait. You helped him with his book?”
“I mostly listened while he talked through the problems himself.” It wasn’t the truth, but she didn’t want Rhylee to blow it into something bigger than it was. “And he wants to say thank you with a nice dinner out.”
“Did you shave your legs?” She arched her eyebrow. “Was there extra grooming, Mackenzie Corinne Pelletier?”
“Don’t you middle name me, Rhylee Ann Atwell,” she snapped, slapping her cousin’s hand when she reached for the towel. “Mind your own business.”
“Where does he even live?”
“A little south of Concord, I think. I’ll send you my location when we get there.”
Rhylee nodded. “Good idea. I heard he made a really weird comment about dead bodies in washing machines during the trail work.”
“That was a joke.” Kenzie chuckled. “He’s talked about his uncle who writes horror, and I think writers are just wired to go right past the obvious and boring story—like trying to save the dump disposal fee—to something more interesting, like getting rid of a dead body.”
“Still. You have to remember to send me your location so I know where to send the police if you don’t come back because it turns out he actuallyisa serial killer who disposes of bodies in washing machines.”
“I will.” She knew her cousin was kidding about Danny being a serial killer, but she was serious about wanting to know where she was.
