Those Sweet Words (Misfit Inn 2)

Before she could make up her mind, the door swung open.

“Hey.” Kennedy sounded surprised to see her.

“Hi.” Pru dropped the hand she’d lifted to knock. “Were you on your way out?”

“I was thinking about a walk.”

“It’s a bad time. I can come back later.” She took a step back, already regretting coming over.

“Pru. Please don’t.” Kennedy stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. “I don’t want to fight.”

“Neither do I.” Much as she wanted to, Pru couldn’t quite let herself tuck her head and return the embrace. She was still feeling tender after Kennedy’s accusations.

“Please come inside.” To settle the matter, Kennedy took Pru’s hand and dragged her through the door. “You want a glass of tea? Some coffee?”

“I’m fine.” Pru laid the envelope with Porter’s drawings on the counter. Impatience simmered, but she knew she couldn’t just jump right into business. Other things had to be said first. “Look, Kennedy, I’m sorry. I know you don’t approve of my being involved with Flynn—”

“It’s not that. Who you take to your bed is none of my business. I’ll admit to being shocked as hell because of your history. I never would have put you with Flynn. But he’s a good man or I wouldn’t be friends with him. I’m just upset at the potential ramifications for Ari.”

“So am I. So is he. She’s our first priority.”

“I get that. And that’s why Xander and I will support you however we need to.”

Pru released a breath and felt her knees go rubbery with relief. After their reaction on Friday, she hadn’t been sure what they’d do. “Thank you.”

“But—”

Of course, there was a but.

“Where does that leave you?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m still worried about what this relationship is going to do to you in the end. I love Flynn like a brother. But he’s got a way bigger case of wanderlust than I ever had. At least in my travels, I stayed for a few weeks or months at a time in one place. He stays days.”

And yet even before Lydia Coogan, he’d wanted to stay for longer than those few days.

“You know one side of him. You know the gypsy. But that’s not all he is.” Pru thought of the man she’d come to depend on over the past few weeks. The one who was an unfailingly generous lover. The one who noticed the little things and made thoughtful gestures that continually surprised her. The one who’d upended his entire life to right an inadvertent wrong.

Kennedy’s smile was pained around the edges. “Not all, no. But at the core, he’s different than I was. I came back because I had roots. He’s always felt strangled by them. Nothing’s going to change that.”

Pru bit back a bitter retort. Nothing was going to change that. Meaning no one. Meaning her. Because she wasn’t good enough. She wasn’t worth staying for. And wasn’t that just par for the course? Everyone left her.

But in her heart of hearts, she couldn’t believe that about Flynn. She couldn’t reconcile Kennedy’s view of him with her own experiences. She’d continually reminded herself he w

ould leave, that he’d resent the position he’d been forced into by circumstance. And at every turn, he’d proven faithful and true. The steady partner she so desperately wanted rather than the gypsy everyone believed him to be. She’d seen him settle in, settle down, seen him change since he arrived. He felt more than simple lust and responsibility. She knew he did. In many ways, she’d given him the home he’d clearly been looking for, whether he realized it or not.

And even as she knew Kennedy would call her a fool, a part of her believed that maybe they could make this work for real. The certainty of it blew through Pru, smoothing the edges roughened by her sister’s return. She had faith in Flynn. Faith in what they brought to each other, in what they made together. So, in the end, they’d see. But for right now, she wanted to change the subject.

“I didn’t come here to discuss Flynn. I came to talk about the inn.”

“Is there problem? Did something go wrong, while we were away?”

“The inn’s fine. You know I talked to Abbey about offering some freelance services, while she was in town.”

“Sure. How’s that going?”

“Like gangbusters. More business than she can reasonably handle. My massage schedule has stayed booked almost solid. If Flynn hadn’t pitched in and taken over some of the inn keeping duties, I don’t know how I would have managed while you were gone.”