He swallows, his fingers tight on the wheel. “What if I want to make it official?”
My stomach flips like I’m on a roller coaster. He asks in a way that’s part flirty, part vulnerable, and I know he’s tentatively reaching out to me. I once again feel terrible for how I reacted after our first kiss, and I can’t do that to him again. “I guess I wouldn’t mind official.”
“Kat, will you be my girlfriend?” He shoots me a shy smile. His nickname for me makes me blush. An inside joke between just us. I love it.
“If I say yes, do we get to go on dates?”
“Of course.”
I bite my lip, thinking about his question. I don’t want people to talk after I leave, but maybe it’s too late for that. People arealready talking. My goal in coming was to slip in unnoticed, find my daughter, and disappear. That hasn’t worked. Maybe I just need to go with the flow. “Okay. I’ll be your girlfriend.”
He smiles and I can see a boyish giddiness in him I haven’t seen before. It makes me happy that I could be the cause of this, and yet, guilt rushes through me. What am I doing?
CHAPTER 31
TOBIAS BARRETT
Ispend Friday working on the mainland, but even though I had to get up at an ungodly hour, I’m still in a good mood. I find myself humming as I drive home, and that’s so unlike me. I can’t wait to get back and spend more time with Kiki.
I’m ready to jump all in with her, but she’s holding back from me, and it’s niggling at me. I don’t want to scare her off, but I want to tell her what I’m feeling. I want her to know I’m serious about us.
Would she pull away from me if she knew I was falling in love with her? I ponder what I’m going to say to her as I drive over the bridge to Willow Shade Island.
When I get home, the lights are out and the house is still, and I hope I haven’t missed my chance to see Kiki. As I make my way through the house, the backdoor creaks and Kiki turns on the kitchen light.
“You’re home.” A smile forms on her lips. “I was just on the back porch, watching the ships pass by.”
“I’d love to join you, if you don’t mind.” I loosen my tie.
“Of course.” She opens the cupboard and grabs a glass. “I was coming inside for some water. Do you want some?”
“Sure.”
She fills the glasses with ice water and hands one to me. We go outside and sit on the swing. I take a sip. The cold liquid feels good on my throat. I set it down on the table beside the swing. “Thanks.”
She tucks her legs under her, and I slide my arm around her. She snuggles into my side. I love how she feels next to me. I gently rock the swing as the night breeze blows over us. “Tell me something about yourself that I don’t know.”
I know I’m prying, but I don’t care. I want her to talk to me. The closer we get, the more I crave to know everything about her.
She laces her fingers through mine. “Kiera and I once put on a fashion show. The audience was all our stuffed animals.” She giggles, and I love the sound.
“That’s precious. How old were you?”
“Kiera was probably five, and I was thirteen. We dug a bunch of dresses out of Mama’s closet and put on her jewelry.”
“Was she upset?”
“I don’t think she ever knew. I made sure to put everything back. She always came home from work after we went to bed, so I guess I don’t know.” Her voice takes on a sad tone.
I rub my thumb over the skin on her hand. “Do you have any happy memories of your mother?”
She lifts her glass to her lips and takes a sip. “Yes.”
“Will you tell me one?”
“My mother loved flowers. She would often take me to the botanical garden when I was little. We got a free pass becausewe were a low-income family. I think that was the happiest I saw her, in that garden. Once we went there and I found a butterfly. I followed it around the garden until it landed on my shoulder. Mom laughed and told me it was good luck. I went home thinking I was the luckiest girl in the world.”
“That’s sweet.” The waves crash against the shore below us, the moonlight reflecting in the water.
