“I brought you a little housewarming present, a gift to welcome you back.” She held out a green-and-white striped paper gift bag that read “Rose’s New Age Emporium” on one side. “I heard you stayed at a Buddhist monastery. Did you convert?”
“No—not that it’s your business.” Conrad took the bag, opened it, and found a large crystal on a silver chain.
He held it up. “Thanks. What do I do with this?”
“It’s a Feng Shui crystal. Hang it in a window. It will activate positive energy and break up old, dark energy in your home. This placeneedsnew energy.” She glanced around as if this energy of which she spoke were as visible to her as the breadcrumbs on the countertop.
But Conrad wasn’t fooled by her caring neighbor routine. He suspected she’d invited herself in so that she could check out Mrs. Beech’s house—and perhaps find something about him she could share with her network of gossipy friends.
“Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for the gift. Next time, please wait for me to open the door before you come in. Some folks in Scarlet might not mind when neighbors walk in unannounced, but I’m not one of those people.”
Rose didn’t seem offended by this. “Fine. We all have our boundaries.”
“Yes, and you crossed mine.”
There was a moment of awkward silence.
“Well, I’ll just let you get back to … unpacking.” The way she said it left no doubt that she didn’t think they’d been unpacking at all.
“I’ll walk you to the door,” Kenzie offered.
“You don’t need to do that.” Rose passed Conrad, a smug smile on her face.
Conrad followed her and locked the door behind her. “Why does she think she can just walk into my house?”
Kenzie shrugged. “I have no idea. The whole town is going to hear that you and I were kissing before tomorrow morning. I hope that doesn’t upset you.”
“No, not at all. I don’t give a damn what people think. Besides, how can she be sure what we were doing? She didn’t come into the bedroom.”
Kenzie looked up at him, seeming to hesitate, a smile tugging at her lips. “You’re, um, wearing my lip gloss.”
Conrad ran the back of his hand over his mouth.
It came away rosy and sparkling.
* * *
Kenzie tookGabby outside to do her business, a cold wind blowing down from the mountains. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill—and the sinking feeling in her chest.
She had hoped she and Harrison would pick up where they’d left off before Rose had intruded. They’d barely touched second base, and her body still ached for him. But Harrison had gone back to unpacking as if nothing had happened between them.
He was pulling away from her. They’d spent a perfect day together. They had kissed—and more. But now he was pulling away.
At first, Kenzie had thought Rose was to blame for his abrupt change of mood. That was undoubtedly part of it. But when he’d refused to make eye contact with her moments ago, she’d known there was more to it than that.
She watched Gabby sniff her way along the fence, watching the skies and nearby trees for the owl Harrison had warned her about.
What should she do?
She could pretend like nothing had happened and go home, but she hated it when people brushed important things under the rug. They were adults, for God’s sake. And, yes, thishadbeen important—to her, at least, but maybe not to him.
She could ask him what was going on, try to get him to talk about it, but she had no idea how he’d react. He might push her away, and that would be it.
Tell him how you feel.
Right.
Hey, Harrison, I’m super attracted to you and think you kiss like a dream, so please stop brooding, get naked, and pound me.
