by Erica Penrod
“In here, honey.” Her father’s voice welcomed her. She came in through the utility room and passed into the kitchen. The huge room was newly remodeled but not by Tori. Crisp white cabinets had replaced the dark, knotty alder cupboards, and where there had once been black granite, light marble countertops had been installed. The island was almost the entire width of the room and had seating for six. A copper hood hung from the ceiling above the stove, and the brick backsplash was done in grey tones. Her dad was at the counter slicing strawberries. “How’s my girl?”
“Good.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “Those look delicious.” Tori scooped up a ripe berry and tossed the fruit into her mouth.
“You look nice today.” Her dad always complimented her, even on her worst days. She used to worry that maybe he was trying to compensate for her mother. Where her dad was generous with his accolades, her mother doled them out sparingly on rare occasions—like a blue moon. But Tori knew her father was sincere; the light in his eyes confirmed that. She understood that the way he saw his only daughter had nothing to do with how her mother treated her.
Kind of like how Kael was with Marcela. Dang it. She wasn’t going to think about him today, at least not now. She’d stayed up late last night working on her plans for Marcela’s room, which took twice as long since she kept daydreaming and doodling Kael’s name on her sketch pad.
“Where’s Mom? Are Troy and Mandy here?” Tori set her purse down on the counter and sat on the stool in front of her dad.
“She just went upstairs for a second. She’ll be right back.” Her father finished slicing the strawberries and added them to the fruit tray, which was already loaded with cantaloupe, grapes, and honeydew. There was another tray with chopped vegetables. “And Troy called and said they can’t make it today. He said he wasn’t feeling well.”
Tori rolled her eyes. “Sure. He just thinks now that he has Mandy, he doesn’t have to worry about being interrogated by Mom.”
Her dad grinned. “You know your mom loves you and just wants you to be happy.”
“Her version of happy.”
“Someday, if you decide to have children, I think you’ll understand where she’s coming from.”
Tori shook her head and poured herself a glass of orange juice. “Maybe so. Are you cooking omelets?” There was a large carton of eggs on the counter.
“Yes, we are.” The doorbell rang. “You know your mom invited a guest, right?” He cocked a dark eyebrow now mingled with grey.
“Crap. I forgot about that.” She’d been too busy thinking about not thinking about Kael Santos to remember that her mom had mentioned something about company. “Who is it?”
“I’ve never met him. He’s the son of one of your mom’s clients.”
“Great.” Tori stood up and smoothed her hair. Not because she was worried about impressing the son of Mr. Newly Divorced; her concern was for her mother.
“Can you get the door?” her mother called from upstairs.
“I got it.” Tori pulled her mouth into a smirk and marched off to meet her mother’s choice companion for her daughter. She drew in a deep breath and opened the door. Tori looked up and saw a Channing Tatum look-alike. Her voice hitched in her throat. “H-h-hello,” she finally managed.
“Hi.” His voice was deep and raspy.
Tori swallowed the lump in her throat.
“You must be Victoria.”
She nodded. “Call me Tori, and come in.” Her cheeks flushed and her lips burned. She must look like an idiot, but surely when you walked around looking like that, you were used to women making fools of themselves just by the sight of you. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name. I haven’t had a chance to see my mom yet or I’m sure she would’ve mentioned it to me.”
The pretty man laughed as he walked into the room. “My name is Jeremy Ross.” He extended his hand and she accepted his gesture. His skin was smooth and his grasp was strong, but her insides didn’t ignite like they had the moment she touched Kael, and the fact that she noticed fired up her temper.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jeremy.” She stepped back. “Please come in.”
“Jeremy, you’re here.” Tori’s mom brushed by her and reached for Jeremy’s hand. She wore a lavender tunic top, which flowed down and tucked into designer jeans cuffed at the bottom with tan leather heels. Her hair, just shorter than Tori’s, hung in loose, weaved waves of blonde with big gold hoop earrings in her ears. “You’ve met Victoria, I see.”
“Yes.” He grinned and revealed deep dimples on either side. “I did.” The way he looked at her was like a spotlight, and she wished she’d spent more time on her makeup.
“Right this way.” Her mom led them through the entryway, past the great room, and into the kitchen. “I hope you don’t mind, we’re going to be casual today.”
“That sounds good.” Jeremy glanced over at Tori. She smiled, unsure of what she felt. Moments ago, she was frustrated that her mom couldn’t stay out of her love life—okay, so the more accurate term would be trying to give her a love life—but now, seeing Mr. Tatum’s doppelganger made her consider giving her mother a hug. She might be happy being single and focusing on her decorating channel, but she hadn’t been sniffing the paint. This guy was hot, and any woman would happy to stare at him for an hour or two.
“This is my husband, Phillip.” Tori’s mom walked in and stood next to Dad. “He makes the best omelets. Well, around here, anyway.” She grinned and wrapped an arm around him.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lee.”
Her dad had a chopping knife in one hand and a green pepper in the other. “Please, call me Phillip, and let me know what you’d like in your omelet.”
“Everything, sir.”
“Victoria, will you help me get these trays to the table?” Her mother handed her the plate full of fresh fruit and took the other tray with small pastries. They placed the food on the round table that sat beneath a large bay window where the midmorning sun warmed the area. “Jeremy, come have a seat, and we’ll visit while Phillip gets the omelets ready.”
Tori sat down, and Jeremy sat across from her. She smiled, and the corners of his mouth curved up, his dimples caved in, and soft lines appeared at the edges of his eyes. His eyes were soft brown woven with mossy green, with a short but thick wave of dark lashes. His eyebrows were a shade lighter than his hair, which might’ve been towhead blonde in his childhood but had matured into a maple-sugar brown.
“Jeremy, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself.” Tori’s mom set the pitcher of juice on the table.
“Sure.” He began talking, and his eyes darted from her mother back to her, like he wasn’t sure who he should be addressing. Tori felt sorry for him. He seemed like this brunch was more like a job interview he didn’t know if he wanted to apply for. But when Cadence Lee decided something was going to happen, there weren’t too many people who would dare argue their case, and that was why she was one of Portland’s best divorce attorneys. “I design organizational software for companies.” Jeremy reached for his napkin.
“That sounds interesting.” Tori poured herself some more juice and took a big gulp. Her mother glared at her like she’d just belched the alphabet. She set the glass down gingerly. “What do you like to do outside of work?” Tori asked, ignoring the laser beams shooting from her mother’s eyes and scorching her skin.
Jeremy looked like he was a little purebred puppy caught in the crossfire as he shifted in his seat and tiny beads of moisture collected on his brow. Tori exhaled and offered a consoling smile. Poor guy. At least she knew she was about to dine in the lion’s den, but Jeremy didn’t appear to know what he’d walked into.
She listened as he talked about fishing and something else she wouldn’t recall later, because her mind was running free across the savannah, wondering what Kael was doing today and if she’d see him tomorrow for longer than the few minutes opening the door to his house would take. Her fingers tapped the tabletop as she c
ounted the hours until she was back in Milwaukie.
Chapter Seven
Design Tip
Hang curtains high and wide on a window
To make the window appear bigger and to see
What or who is coming your way.
Monday morning, Tori was a mess. She woke up late and couldn’t find her other paint shoe; there was no sense in ruining more than one pair. Besides, they were her lucky sneakers, and a little dab of color from every project was collected somewhere on the white canvas as a souvenir. This is all Kael Santos’s fault, she huffed to herself as she got down on the floor and looked under the bed. A sweatshirt she’d forgotten about was lodged in the far corner, but no shoe. If she’d been thinking clearly, she would’ve prepared for today last night and had time to locate her missing footwear. But she’d been preoccupied with the love triangle she was trapped in, between herself, her heart, and Kael Santos.
She didn’t want to like Kael; he was complicated, and that didn’t have anything to do with the fact that he was a single dad. Tori couldn’t read him because she hardly knew him, and what little she did know of him baffled her. He was messing up her life.
Yesterday, at her parents’ home, she discovered that she liked Jeremy. He seemed like a nice guy, nice to look at, and probably nice to date, but she couldn’t quit thinking about Kael. Was her reaction to him one-sided? She didn’t know, but when she’d last seen Kael after she dropped Marcela home on Saturday, his eyes had lingered on hers, and she’d sworn there was a spark. That little flame, figment of her imagination or not, had ruined any chance she had of seeing Jeremy as anything other than a celebrity look-alike. The smoke billowing off that little fire filled up her head, so she couldn’t think straight or concentrate or remember where she put her dang shoe.
Half an hour later than she planned, she pulled up to the Santos home. Blake’s car was parked outside, and he was inside when she’d texted to let him know she was running late. This was not professional and certainly not how she wanted to present herself, but hey, everyone has a Monday morning once in a while. At least Blake was there on time so that Kael could leave for work without waiting for her. She remembered Kael’s reaction when she showed up early. She couldn’t imagine what she’d be greeted with thirty minutes late.
Tori collected her bag and a box of supplies. She’d have to come back with Blake for the rest. Her arms were loaded as she made her way to the front door and rang the bell. She glanced over and noticed that Kael’s truck was parked in the garage.
Super. Yesterday, she’d wanted nothing more than to see him again, to see if there was a hint of anything between them and not just her crooning over his gorgeous body, but now she prayed he wasn’t here. Her cheeks burned just thinking about facing Kael. Blake opened the door, and a wave of relief washed over her. Maybe Kael rode with someone else.
“You okay?” Blake took the box from her hands. “You look a little frazzled.”
“Gee, thanks.” Tori stepped into the house and exhaled. “It’s been one of those mornings.”
Blake set the box down on the kitchen table. “Well, you’re here, so it’s all good.”
Tori wiped her brow. “Yeah, well, I’m just glad that Kael isn’t here and I don’t have to look stupid for showing up late on my first day.”
“Technically, it’s not your first day.” He turned back towards the front door. “And Kael is home.”
“What?” Tori panicked and looked around like she’d been caught confessing a crime.
“He’s actually not going in to work.”
“What? Why?” Tori shouted in a whisper. Didn’t he trust her to be in his home without him or did he think she was going to decorate his thirteen-year-old’s room in scantily clad teenage heartthrob posters?
“He’s sick. He’s flat down in bed.”
“Oh.” Her heart dropped like she’d just climbed all over someone to get to the wrong conclusion.
Blake put his hand on the doorknob and knit his brows together, clearly perplexed by her reaction. “He said he’ll be in his room if we need anything, but to feel free to use anything in the house.”
Tori drew in a breath and slung her bag onto the table. She rested her hands on her hips and contemplated what her next move should be. Did she go in and let Kael know she was here, or did she ignore him and get to work? The obvious choice would’ve been to ignore him and start Marcela’s room, but her heart wanted to see him, wanted to know if he was okay. Kael didn’t seem like the kind of guy to stay home with a tummy ache, so something had to be wrong. And before she knew it, she stood outside Kael’s bedroom and gently knocked on the door.
“Yeah?” a hoarse voice called from the other side. Had she not had her ear pressed to the door, she might’ve missed his answer.
Tori pushed open the door like she expected to be bitten, but when she saw Kael lying in bed, her heart sputtered and ached for the sorry man. His skin looked stark against the black stubble that covered his cheeks and jawline, but the tip of his nose was bright red, and there was a pile of tissues on the nightstand.
“You look terrible.” She came in, picked up the wastebasket from the corner, and headed towards the discarded Kleenex on the table.
“Be careful. You don’t want to catch this.” He attempted to sit up, but she stopped him.
“I know. Lie down.” She took a clean tissue from the box and used it as a makeshift barrier between her and the germ-infested collection. Tori swiped them into the basket and placed the container next to the bed where Kael could easily reach. “How long have you been sick?”
“Started last night.” The simple words required more effort than he had.
“Have you taken anything?” She took inventory of his surroundings and decided that other than the box of tissues, he didn’t have anything to help make himself comfortable.
“Ibuprofen a couple hours ago.”
Without thinking, she placed her hand on his head. He was warm, but not worrisome warm. He closed his eyes like her touch soothed him. The expression moved her, and her own voice cracked. “Do you have a humidifier?”
He nodded. “In the hall closet.”
“I’ll be right back.” She walked out and ran right into Blake, who carried a box of painting supplies. “Sorry. I’ll be there in just a second.” Tori took off, not wanting to answer any questions. At the end of the hallway, just before the kitchen, was a closet. She opened the paneled door and saw an assortment of things. Sheets and towels were neatly folded, and one shelf was stocked with cleaning products. The top shelf contained a first aid kit and the humidifier. She also found a bottle of mentholated rub, which she snatched.
In the kitchen, she filled the humidifier and searched the cupboards for anything else that might help. She found some cold medicine with the Tylenol and ibuprofen, along with some throat lozenges. Carefully, she treaded back into Kael’s room and placed the humidifier on his dresser. She stepped inside the adjoining bathroom and took a towel from the shelf to place under the humidifier to protect the wood.
“You don’t need to go to all that trouble—” He started to cough.
Tori plugged in the humidifier and picked up the other meds she’d brought. “How are you with cough syrup?” She read the label for the dosage.
“Fine.”
“Good. Let’s get some of this down you, and I’m assuming your throat’s sore by the way you sound, so suck on one of these after you take the purple stuff.” Tori knew he was in no position to argue. She took the measuring cup that was attached to the lid and poured the right dosage. Kael tried to sit up, and Tori had to help him. His body was solid and tight, and she had to focus on not spilling the medicine. Kael swallowed the contents of the cup and dropped back to the bed with a moan.
Tori pulled the comforter up around him and tucked in the edges. She touched his cheek and stared at him. His eyes were closed, and without hesitation, she leaned over and kissed his forehead. Immediately she felt a fever within her own body a
nd retreated, berating herself for the hasty action.
Kael didn’t respond or even move. She had no idea if he’d felt the kiss or slipped into sleep so quickly that he was oblivious.
She backed away from the bed slowly and pressed her fingers to her lips. That was dumb. Now she’d probably end up sick, but she couldn’t make herself regret what she’d done. An innate desire to take care of him had taken over, and she wanted to reassure him with her touch, which she wasn’t sure he wanted. The one thing she understood was that for whatever reason, she was drawn to this man and that she cared for him in an inexplicable way.
* * *
Kael dreamt of Tori, or so he thought. Tori looking down at him, touching his face, and pressing her lips to his skin? No, that couldn’t be right. She’d taken care of him, given him medicine and sips of water, but he must have hallucinated the other part.
“Hey, Dad.” Marcela walked in and sat at the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay.” His voice was stronger, his head wasn’t pounding, and he didn’t have the chills. “How was school?”
“Loooong, cuz I knew Tori was here and I wanted to get home.”
“Grandma got to school on time?” His mother only worked two days a week at the local bank, and he happened to get sick on one of those days.
Marcela nodded. “Yeah. Work let her leave early.”
Kael nodded and felt like his brain ricocheted in his skull. “I’m glad. Are Blake and Tori still working on your room?”
“Blake left, but Tori’s still here. She said she’s just finishing up a couple things.”
“You didn’t peek, did you?” He gave her a slanted look.
“Nooo.” She shook her head. “I just wanted to get home so I could hang out with Tori before she left.”
“Don’t get in the way while she’s working.”
“Duh. I can’t go in my room, so how am I going to bug her?” Her eyes narrowed, and her forehead crinkled. “Grandma is making homemade chicken noodle soup, and Tori is going to stay and eat with us.” Her eyes widened, and what he believed was happiness radiated back at him. Kael’s heart hurt a little watching the way Marcela lit up whenever she talked about Tori. Ever since they spent Saturday afternoon together, Tori was the only thing she wanted to talk about. Which in some regards he didn’t mind, but he’d never seen his daughter come home from spending the weekend with her mom this elated.
