Kit tried to sound as if she hadn’t spent the
night in Jake’s bed.
“Jessica Boyd’s dead. It’s on the news. She’s dead, Kit,
just like Alana.”
Kit spotted his car, a sporty little black BMW convertible,
parked haphazardly on the street in front of her house with the driver’s side
door open and music blaring from the car stereo.
But it wasn’t until Jake pulled his Mercedes into her
driveway that she actually caught sight of Collin Boyd sitting on the bottom
step with a bottle of whiskey in his hand.
Jake pointed to Collin and said, “What the hell is he doing
here?”
As soon as he cut the engine, Kit grabbed his arm and
pleaded, “Don’t leave me alone with Collin.” Kit saw his questioning eyes and
quickly added, “Please. He’s an asshole in the best of times, but drinking
makes him impossible to handle.”
Jake looked past the fear in her eyes and sensed there was
something more. He didn’t want to believe what he was thinking. But he’d been
gone a year. Anything could have happened during that time. He had only to
think about Baylee and how a year had changed her life.
Not one to act without having the facts at hand, he wanted
to know what he was walking into. “Am I stepping into the middle of something
personal between the two of you?”
Kit gave him an incredulous look. “Personal? You mean like
couple stuff?”
“Yeah, like couple stuff.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “No. You should know me
better than that. I’ve known him my whole life. We kind of grew up together,
but we’ve never gone out. Think for a minute. He’s just found out his mother’s
dead and it looks like he’s already three sheets to the wind.”
At that moment her cell phone rang and she looked to see who
was calling. When the digital readout displayed the number of the bookstore,
she pushed the button to answer. “This is Kit.”
Baylee, breathless and scared on the other end, informed
her, “That asshole Collin was here looking for you. He’s drunk, Kit. The
bastard’s drunk. After what happened last time, I thought I should warn you.
I’m pretty sure he’s headed to your house. Don’t let him in, Kit. Do you want
me to call the police or come over?”
“Thanks for the warning and the offer, Baylee, but Collin’s
already here, sitting on the stoop. I have no intentions of letting him inside
though. Jake and I will try to get rid of him, but if we can’t, we’ll call the
police.”
“You’re still with Jake? Is that why you didn’t open up?”
“I’ll explain when I see you. And Baylee, thanks for getting
the store open. Obviously, I’m going to be a little later than I thought.”
Kit hung up the phone and turned her attention to Jake, who
still had questions. “Okay, so he finds out his mother’s dead and this is the
first place he thinks to come. Why here? Why come to your house, Kit?”
Kit bit her lip, puffed air in her cheeks and blew it out.
Frustration from childhood rose up like a brick wall, but this wasn’t the time
to hold back. “A long time ago, Alana and Jessica got it into their heads for
some reason that they wanted the two of us to get together.”
When the light didn’t come on in Jake’s eyes, she rolled
hers and made it clear, “Marry, Jake, they wanted us to marry. Kit and Collin,
Collin and Kit, that’s all I ever heard from both of them ever since I was
little. When Alana wanted me to do something, what did I tell you last night? I
did the opposite of what she wanted me to do, that’s what. I wanted no part of
Collin Boyd or his family. But Collin kind of liked the idea, always has.
Sometimes he’s tough to dissuade.”
“So there’s never been anything between the two of you?”
Kit smiled. Was that a hint of jealousy sputtering in the
depths of his blue eyes? “Collin’s tried—several times.”
The smile left her face and she turned somber. “As kids we
did share a history together, a history based on mutual neglect. I told you
night in Jake’s bed.
“Jessica Boyd’s dead. It’s on the news. She’s dead, Kit,
just like Alana.”
Kit spotted his car, a sporty little black BMW convertible,
parked haphazardly on the street in front of her house with the driver’s side
door open and music blaring from the car stereo.
But it wasn’t until Jake pulled his Mercedes into her
driveway that she actually caught sight of Collin Boyd sitting on the bottom
step with a bottle of whiskey in his hand.
Jake pointed to Collin and said, “What the hell is he doing
here?”
As soon as he cut the engine, Kit grabbed his arm and
pleaded, “Don’t leave me alone with Collin.” Kit saw his questioning eyes and
quickly added, “Please. He’s an asshole in the best of times, but drinking
makes him impossible to handle.”
Jake looked past the fear in her eyes and sensed there was
something more. He didn’t want to believe what he was thinking. But he’d been
gone a year. Anything could have happened during that time. He had only to
think about Baylee and how a year had changed her life.
Not one to act without having the facts at hand, he wanted
to know what he was walking into. “Am I stepping into the middle of something
personal between the two of you?”
Kit gave him an incredulous look. “Personal? You mean like
couple stuff?”
“Yeah, like couple stuff.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “No. You should know me
better than that. I’ve known him my whole life. We kind of grew up together,
but we’ve never gone out. Think for a minute. He’s just found out his mother’s
dead and it looks like he’s already three sheets to the wind.”
At that moment her cell phone rang and she looked to see who
was calling. When the digital readout displayed the number of the bookstore,
she pushed the button to answer. “This is Kit.”
Baylee, breathless and scared on the other end, informed
her, “That asshole Collin was here looking for you. He’s drunk, Kit. The
bastard’s drunk. After what happened last time, I thought I should warn you.
I’m pretty sure he’s headed to your house. Don’t let him in, Kit. Do you want
me to call the police or come over?”
“Thanks for the warning and the offer, Baylee, but Collin’s
already here, sitting on the stoop. I have no intentions of letting him inside
though. Jake and I will try to get rid of him, but if we can’t, we’ll call the
police.”
“You’re still with Jake? Is that why you didn’t open up?”
“I’ll explain when I see you. And Baylee, thanks for getting
the store open. Obviously, I’m going to be a little later than I thought.”
Kit hung up the phone and turned her attention to Jake, who
still had questions. “Okay, so he finds out his mother’s dead and this is the
first place he thinks to come. Why here? Why come to your house, Kit?”
Kit bit her lip, puffed air in her cheeks and blew it out.
Frustration from childhood rose up like a brick wall, but this wasn’t the time
to hold back. “A long time ago, Alana and Jessica got it into their heads for
some reason that they wanted the two of us to get together.”
When the light didn’t come on in Jake’s eyes, she rolled
hers and made it clear, “Marry, Jake, they wanted us to marry. Kit and Collin,
Collin and Kit, that’s all I ever heard from both of them ever since I was
little. When Alana wanted me to do something, what did I tell you last night? I
did the opposite of what she wanted me to do, that’s what. I wanted no part of
Collin Boyd or his family. But Collin kind of liked the idea, always has.
Sometimes he’s tough to dissuade.”
“So there’s never been anything between the two of you?”
Kit smiled. Was that a hint of jealousy sputtering in the
depths of his blue eyes? “Collin’s tried—several times.”
The smile left her face and she turned somber. “As kids we
did share a history together, a history based on mutual neglect. I told you
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