“Me too.”
Kieran dipped his head to brush one more kiss across her lips. “I’ll see you then. Sleep well.”
“You too.” He stepped back from her, his hands slowly sliding from her back. He waited beside the Jeep until she’d gone inside her garage, and the door had settled back down into place.
She was smarter this time and took the time to look over her cameras before climbing the stairs to her apartment. Once upstairs, she got herself something to drink and took it to her favorite chair. She lowered all the blinds then sat down, and though she did plan to journal about her evening, first, she needed to set up a Facebook account.
Her old account was still set up, but she hadn’t logged in since the day of the car bombing. It had been imperative that everything supported the news of her death. Her laptop and everything had been replaced as part of her new life, so there would be no chance of her accidentally logging into something because of a saved password in a browser on her old laptop.
Once it was loaded, she hesitated over what photo to use. She knew it couldn’t be too recognizable, so after a few minutes of hesitation, she took a selfie of her profile and then took a few more until she got one that looked natural and not too posed. Given that she wasn’t one who took selfies, that was the most challenging part of setting up her account.
Once she had it all set up with a picture and a cover photo, she did a search for Kieran’s profile. When she found it, she sent him a friend request. She didn’t know how quickly he’d accept it, so she set her laptop aside and picked up her journal.
The next day, after the students of her last class had left, Cara hurried upstairs to take a quick shower and prepare for her dinner with Kieran. She stood in front of her closet for a few minutes, trying to decide what to wear. Given that they would probably garner attention being together, she wanted to be sure that she looked nice.
In the end, she settled on a pair of fitted brown and gold plaid pants that she matched with a deep rust-colored turtleneck sweater. She liked the autumn look of the combination. Sitting down at her makeup table, she pulled her hair up into a loose knot on her head, leaving a few strands curling down around her cheeks. She applied a bit of makeup, then called it good.
She’d just pulled on a pair of brown ankle boots when her text alert sounded. Going to her bed where she’d left her phone earlier, she picked it up to read the message.
Kieran: Ready to go public?
Ready as I’ll ever be!
Kieran: I’m coming to the studio so we can go together.
You know I can cross the street on my own, right?
Kieran: Oh, I know that. I just want to walk into the restaurant holding your hand.
Then I shall happily wait for you because I’d like that, too.
Kieran: I’ll BRT.
Cara was smiling as she walked down the stairs and followed the hallway to the front. She waited until she saw Kieran approaching before she stepped out of the door and used her phone to arm the alarm.
“You look lovely,” he said as he reached her. “Very fall-like.”
“That was kind of the look I was aiming for.”
Taking her hand, he leaned down to give her a quick kiss, which let her get a nice whiff of his cologne. “Time to let people have a look at us.”
Together they crossed the street and walked into Norma’s. The woman herself was standing at the podium and looked up as they stepped in front of her. For a moment, she just stared at them, then a grin spread across her face.
“Table for two?” she said, her eyes twinkling.
“Yep. Just two,” Kieran told her. “And I’d prefer a booth, actually.”
“Of course. Do you want one by the front window so people can see you as they walk by?”
Kieran chuckled. “Sure. Why not.”
“You can’t be worried about being seen since you came here,” Norma remarked dryly.
“It’s all part of the plan,” Kieran said as they followed Norma to one of the booths that looked out over Main Street.
Kieran waited for Cara to sit down on one side of the booth before he sat on the side opposite her. “Well, that’s a downside to sitting in a booth.”
“What’s that?” Cara asked as she took the menu Norma held out.
“I can’t hold your chair for you, so that you can see my mom taught me to be a gentleman.”
Norma laughed as she walked away from the table.
“You’ve already shown me many times that you’re a gentleman.” Cara hesitated then said, “Speaking of your mom…did you tell her about us already? I would hate it if she found out from someone who saw us here.”
“No worries. I called her after I left work and told her.” Kieran smiled. “She was very happy, considering she’s been telling me how nice you are for weeks now.”
“I’m glad she was okay with it.”
Kieran reached across the table and took her hand. “You had nothing to worry about. She’s been so ready for me to find someone.”
“Your mom is a sweetheart. I really have enjoyed having her in the classes at the studio.”
“I know she went to check you out at first, but the class has really benefitted her physically as well, which is why she keeps going back.”
“That’s what I like to hear.”
A young woman that looked familiar but whose name Cara didn’t know appeared at their booth. She put down two glasses of water then asked if they were ready to order.
“Maybe just give us a couple more minutes,” Kieran said with a smile.
“Sure. I’ll be right back.”
Cara had been eating out more than she usually did, so she decided to just go with a salad and a bowl of soup. When the woman returned, Kieran waited as Cara told her what she wanted, then he ordered a fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and a salad.
They talked a bit about their day, but they hadn’t even gotten their food before the first person stopped by their table. It turned out that they were just the start of an endless stream of people who came to talk to them.
“This might not have been the best idea,” Kieran murmured when they had a moment to themselves. “I didn’t realize that word had gotten out about the body that was found outside of town. I should have known that we wouldn’t get lucky enough to not have that info leak until after they’d confirmed identity.”
The women approaching them seemed most interested in the fact that they were there together, while the men had questions about the body. It was the first time since they’d started going out where it hadn’t really felt like a date. She’d actually thought that it would just be about people seeing them together, not that they would actually be approached over and over again.
Part of it was that, as Kieran had noted, people were curious about the body, but it also seemed like they saw Kieran as town property, because of his job, so they had no qualms about approaching him, even if it was clear that the two of them were on a date. Something told her that if they wanted to be able to actually talk to each other, they needed to do what they’d been doing already, and that was to not go on a date anywhere in New Hope.
But their goal for the evening had been to let the town know they were in a relationship, and they’d definitely managed to do that.
They didn’t linger once they’d finished eating, both clearly done with people interrupting their conversations. After they walked back to the studio, Kieran came inside.
“I wanted to do something,” he said as he pulled out his phone.
Cara hadn’t turned on the lights in the waiting area, so they were only illuminated by the streetlights outside the building. She moved closer to lean against his arm as he did something on his phone.
“There.” He turned his head and kissed her forehead. “Accept that when you log on later. If you want to, anyway, but be prepared for a flood of friend requests if you do.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“It’s making us Facebook official.”<
br />
“Oh. I like that.” She wasn’t above wanting to let the rest of the women in New Hope know that Kieran was off the market.
Kieran shifted to face her as he put his phone away. “I like that too.”
He tugged her close, and she went willingly, appreciating the strength of his arms and the feeling of safety they brought her. She hadn’t felt that in a very long time, but she knew that he could—and would—protect her if need be. He hadn’t had to say the words, either. She had just known because she’d come to know the type of man he was. Even if he hadn’t been a cop, charged with serving and protecting, she knew it would be something he’d do.
She’d never really gone out with a guy beyond a couple of dates before he’d decide that the time she had to devote to her dancing career was more than he wanted her to. Kieran was the first man she’d been with where the relationship had progressed to the point of not just physical intimacy, but emotional intimacy as well. And she felt it with Kieran, which was a good thing, but it was also leading to conflict for her.
The closer they got, the more she wanted to tell him about her past, even though she’d promised her dad to never speak about it once she set up her new life. How could she be honest with Kieran while also upholding the promise she’d made to her father?
“I gotta go,” Kieran said as he lifted his head, ending their kiss.
His arms still held her close, and Cara relished it because she knew it would be ending all too soon. “Want to come by for lunch tomorrow?”
Kieran chuckled, his breath coming in puffs against her cheek. “Don’t want to brave Norma’s again?”
“Not exactly. Tonight was fine, but I’d rather be able to hold a conversation without constant interruptions.”
“It was pretty bad, wasn’t it? I really hadn’t anticipated that. Maybe we’ll limit dinners there to once every couple of weeks.”
“I can live with that,” Cara said, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment.
“I’ll pick us up some lunch and come by here unless something comes up that keeps me from getting away from the station.”
“Sounds good.”
All too soon, Kieran gave her one last kiss before leaving the studio. Cara leaned against the door, watching through the glass as he walked down the street toward the station. Would there come a time when they wouldn’t have to part at the end of the day?
The thought of getting to the point of being married to Kieran gave Cara a feeling of excitement, and she found that, even though they hadn’t been together that long, it was something she wanted. After everything that had happened, she’d resigned herself to being alone. To not having a family, but now…her hopes and dreams had been rekindled in Kieran.
Upstairs, she logged onto her laptop and confirmed that she was in a relationship with Kieran, smiling like she was a teenage girl with her first boyfriend. She was looking forward to their lunch the next day because she would be leaving on Friday for the weekend to see her dad.
All she’d told him was that she needed to go see her dad in Texas. Thankfully, he hadn’t asked too many questions about why there was so much physical distance between them, especially since her dad was dying.
At one point, she and her dad had argued over that. She’d wanted to get an apartment closer to the prison or to just stay in a nearby hotel and visit more frequently, but he refused to allow her to put herself as risk by being there for more than a couple of days. She hadn’t thought there was a risk, but there had been no convincing him of that.
Though she wasn’t looking forward to being away from Kieran, she was excited to talk to her dad and tell him how things were going with Kieran and all about the sermons she’d been hearing at church. She didn’t know if he had access to any type of spiritual teaching, or if he was limited to visits from the chaplain. The last time she’d talked to Doug a few days earlier, he’d said that his condition had been pretty steady, and he was still fairly alert.
For safety sake, Doug was the one that was contacted with any updates. She wasn’t even sure if the guards at the prison were aware of who her father was. When she signed in at the prison for a visit, she did it with a different ID to the one she used in her real life.
Each night, she went to bed, praying that she didn’t get the call from Doug the next day, and so far, those prayers had been answered. But that couldn’t go on forever. At this point, all she wanted was just one more good conversation with her dad.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The next day after her morning class had finished and everyone had left, Cara went into her office and sank down on her chair. She checked her phone to see if any messages had come in during the class. Seeing none, she frowned. Though Doug didn’t have a set time to send her an update each day, usually by lunchtime, she would have received something from him.
Worry settled in her stomach as she set her phone down and tried to focus on the website’s calendar on her screen that she needed to update with the class cancellations for later that week. Having the calendar on her website was one way to keep people informed on the schedule of classes, and she’d also send an email to the ones who preferred to hear that way.
When Kieran appeared in her office door with a bag of food from Norma’s, the worry eased a bit. His presence was a reminder that when the call did come, she wouldn’t be alone. He set the bag down on the desk, then bent to give her a lingering kiss.
“Is your day going good so far?” he asked as he took the chair across from her.
“It is,” she told him. “And it’s even better now.”
Kieran grinned at her. “Yep. Same for me.”
As they ate, he talked about the meeting he’d had with Eli when he’d shown up to at the station. It wasn’t a big surprise that Eli wanted more information about the body that had been found.
They’d just finished eating when Cara’s phone rang. She picked it up and glanced at the screen, assuming it was going to be one of the women from her classes. The name she saw there made her heart pound with dread, robbing her of breath and making her dizzy.
“Cara?” Kieran’s voice came from a distance.
“I need to take this.” She got up and rounded the desk, tapping the screen as she walked on shaking legs to the dance room. Leaning against the wall, she swallowed hard. “Hello?”
Her voice came out thin and reedy, and the blood whooshing in her ears made it almost impossible to hear the series of words that Doug uttered to confirm that he wasn’t speaking to her under duress.
“Cara?” he said when she didn’t respond. “Are you there?”
“I’m here,” she whispered, then recited her own set of words, knowing he wouldn’t talk with her until she did. “Is he…? Is he…?”
“No, he’s not, but he’s not doing well. I know you were planning to come this weekend, but if you could come sooner, I think you should.”
Cara turned to face the mirrored wall and rested her forehead against the smooth, cold surface. She pounded her fist once against the mirror, then left it there as she tried to breathe. How come it was so hard? She’d known this was coming. Had resigned herself to the fact that her goodbye on her previous visit might be her last one.
She should have been prepared for this, but she wasn’t. She absolutely, positively wasn’t prepared to lose her last remaining parent.
“Is this for real? Not a trick?”
“It’s for real. I’m sorry. I got the call just an hour ago that he was declining quickly. I’m heading there myself.
“I have a flight tomorrow morning. Should I try and fly out tonight?”
“Yes.” The fact that Doug didn’t hesitate at all made her want to weep. “I didn’t tell you this before because I didn’t know until just recently, but there is more money for you that your dad let me know was available in a few other accounts. There is enough that if you were to rent a private plane to get here, the cost of doing so wouldn’t put much of a dent in the funds. That way you could get around having
to deal with airport hassles and airline schedules.”
“Okay.” She had known that there was more money. Her dad had told her that he’d left instructions for her to have access to the remaining money once he passed away.
“Let me know when you arrive, and I’ll be there to pick you up.” He hesitated then added, “I’m sorry I had to call you with this news.”
Cara took a deep breath. She could do this. “I’ll send you the flight information as soon as I have it.”
“See you soon.”
The line went dead, and she dropped her hand, her phone feeling like it weighed a hundred pounds. She took several deep breaths, trying to push aside the grief that wanted to well up and smother her. To drag her beneath its vicious current. But she couldn’t grieve yet.
“Cara?” She heard Kieran’s voice a moment before his hand landed gently on her back. “What’s happened?”
She swallowed, trying to get rid of the tightness in her throat so she could talk. Finally, she just said, “My dad’s dying.”
When he wrapped his arms around her, she felt the urge to give in to her grief, but she couldn’t. Not yet. First, she had to get her flight arranged so she could get to him as soon as possible.
“I’m so sorry, babe,” Kieran whispered.
His words almost weakened her, but she took another deep breath. “I need to go to him.”
“What can I do?”
“I have to book a private plane to fly me to Texas. It will take too long to get there on commercial flights.”
“A private plane?” Kieran asked.
Cara nodded, well aware that this was going to create a situation where she’d need to explain a bit more about how she had access to that kind of money. “It’s the only way I have a hope of getting to him before he dies.”
“Okay. Do you need my help?”
She moved back enough so that she could look up at him, some of the anxiety within her easing as she saw the concern on his face. “Can you drive me to the airport once I get the flight arranged?”
“Definitely. I’m going to run to the office really quick, then I’ll come back with my Jeep.”
Because of Him: A Christian Romance (New Hope Falls Book 2) Page 17
