Be careful what you wish for. Whoever coined that term was so freaking spot on.
Be careful whose heart you break. Is that a thing? A saying? If it’s not, I should start it. It’s so true because I’m currently living it.
The thing Kayden doesn’t know is that all those years ago, it wasn’t just his heart I shattered, and I’ve had to live with it for eight years.
What about my own closure?
CHAPTER 6
Kayden
I wasn’t surprised when I found out Rea called in sick to work. I was there at the office, putting in an appearance, helping things get settled down. I knew Rea was avoiding me. She obviously needed a day to herself to get a plan of action together. As the day wore on, though, I heard her boss talking to someone else about how Rea called in because of something to do with the dentist, and I got worried. Maybe she wasn’t faking it. I knew how tough Rea was.
On my way home, I grabbed a few ice packs and some chocolate. I might as well start with a peace offering, especially since I also have another proposition for Rea. One that will put me right in the heart of enemy territory if she agrees. Or rather, put the enemy—meaning me because I’m sure that’s how Rea sees me—into her territory.
I knock on her door with her unusual cow’s ass knocker again. Seriously, where did she find that thing?
Rea doesn’t answer as she probably knows it’s me. I knock again. And again. Her car is in the driveway, and she doesn’t have a garage, so I know she has to be home.
On the twenty-fourth knock, she yanks the door open. Her face is a mash of anger, but damn it, she’s still the most attractive being on the planet. Her honeyed hair is done up in a messy bun with loose strands all over the place, and her lips are the perfect shade of dusky red. She’s wearing skinny jeans, a pullover knit sweater, and mismatched socks. That’s right. She loves to wear mismatched socks. I’d forgotten that small detail.
A blast of cool air rushes out of the house. It must be nice to have a working AC since it’s pretty much a necessity in Amarillo.
I hold up the ice pack even though it appears Rea is fine. Her face is perfect, I mean, her face is always perfect, but it’s not swollen at all. Next, I hold the chocolate up. “You weren’t at work. I was worried.”
Rea gets that guilty look I know so well, and I just know she was faking it. “Uh, yeah. The dentist took care of it. Man, they work wonders sometimes.”
“I see.”
“Yeah.”
“Do you want the chocolate anyway?”
She eyes the scrumptious looking mint chocolate bar. It’s hand wrapped because it is hand made from a little chocolate shop I looked up before I left the office. I know Rea has a weakness, especially for mint chocolate.
“You probably poisoned it just to get rid of me.”
“That would be too easy and obvious. I don’t want to rot in jail for the rest of my life.”
“But if you could get away with it, guaranteed, would you try it?”
“Good lord, no! What’s wrong with you?”
She shrugs. “Just checking. I could ask you the same thing, but I don’t have time to sit around and wait on my doorstep for the next year while you answer.”
Ha to the ha. I have to hand that one to her. Rea, one, Kayden, zero. It’s hard going toe to toe with her fiery, sarcastic, and creative wit. She could match anyone in a debate. She’s got this ability to think on her toes that the whole world should be in awe of.
“Why are you here? Again?”
“The tooth. I came to check on you.”
“Right. So why are you really here? If you want to bribe me, it’s going to take more than chocolate, even if it is expensive and homemade.”
Since she opened the door, I make my next move. It couldn’t have gone smoother if I’d written and executed a script. “I actually do have a proposition. Since my shower is down, and I find myself in dire need, I would like to offer you a thousand dollars and this chocolate for the use of yours.”
“What?!” Rea’s speechless, but it only lasts a second. “I…you could…you could rent a hotel room for less. A really nice one. Use their shower.”
“I could, but that would mean giving money to a corporate chain.”
“Then rent a bed and breakfast. That should be mom and pop owned.” Her sarcasm tells me she’s not buying the I want to support small businesses line. Even though I do think it’s important.
“I don’t want to do that either. What I want is to save time because it’s valuable to me. You’re right across the street. So, the proposition is this. I’ll pay you a thousand dollars for every time I need to use your shower, which is every single day. In no time, you’ll have a nice little nest egg saved up.”