Hurricane

by Taige Crenshaw

  They talked about their day and Keenan listened as Julianne filled him in on what had delayed her for their lunch. He chuckled at her depiction of the vendor being apologetic and asking for one more shot. Since he’d promised to have everything to them by tomorrow afternoon, they’d given him the opportunity.

  “And, after this, he better be more careful.”

  “Why’d you give him another chance?” he asked curiously.

  Julianne paused, glancing at him. “Something in my gut when I met with him about being a vendor. He was passionate about what he could do, and wanted to be with our company. Currently, we use a variety of places for our linens, napkins and table settings. We’ve been looking at them to see whom we could start using exclusively. None rang with Regina or myself. So we went looking outside and came up with this company. If things work out with them, they’ll be our exclusive provider.”

  “And he knows this?” Keenan remembered the cursing he had seen—the man had to be kicking himself for messing up and possibly losing the contract.

  “Of course not. We wouldn’t make that sort of commitment until we see what he can do. We’ll see if he can fix things like he promised. We were really looking forward to using his services,” Julianne said.

  “Why?” he asked, eating.

  “He designs his own linens and settings and has them made. They’re ingenious and really unique. It would give us another ‘oomph’ for our clients. There’s no mistaking his passion for what he does and wants,” Julianne said.

  He cupped her cheek and kissed her, then looked into her eyes.

  “I can relate to your passion for what you do and want. That’s I how I feel whenever I’m with you.”

  “You turn my head when you say things like that. You’re such a poet.” A smile trembled on her lips.

  Keenan kissed her fiercely and laced his fingers with hers, resting their hands on his thigh. They went back to eating.

  “Come on, Keenan! We don’t want to be late!” Julianne called.

  “I’m coming,” Keenan said.

  He pushed his feet into his sandals and headed out of his bedroom. Julianne was at the base of the stairs, pacing impatiently. She paused when she saw him.

  “There you are. I don’t want to miss the concert.”

  “We won’t.” He strode past her.

  Julianne followed him, muttering. Keenan stifled a chuckle, stopping to hug her and kiss the top of her forehead.

  “Relax. We’ll get there before the first band starts.”

  “Sorry. After dealing with that vendor today and planning the changes we want to do at Moments, I’m looking forward to tonight. And tomorrow’s laser tag match,” she said.

  “You all are frightening when it comes to laser tag. Why the change from mixed teams? Whose idea was it to make it men verses women?”

  “It’s fun. Dakota and his big mouth. He’s the reason.”

  “You all are going to get banned one day.”

  “If we do, we have an alternative. We’ve been debating building a course for it on one of our properties. Reid and Sampson have been playing with a design.”

  “No way.” Keenan shook his head, stunned.

  “Yes. They have—the only thing stopping them is they can’t agree on whose property to put it on. Hell, the way things are going, they might put it on both. Dakota would be there all the time. Hell, he might move in.” Julianne laughed.

  “Strange. Very strange.”

  “Says the man whose sisters call because they can’t work out a crochet pattern,” Julianne retorted.

  “Hey—crocheting is relaxing. And I’m good at it,” he muttered.

  “There it is…that delightful blush.” She touched his cheek.

  “No blush. Let’s go. You’re going to make us late,” he teased.

  “Yeah. Now it’s my fault.” Julianne snorted.

  He led her out, locking up the house, then got them on their way. They joked back and forth as they drove to their destination. Traffic increased the closer they got to Couric Park. It was usually the same when there were free open-air concerts held in the park. After finding a parking space, they gathered what they had brought and strolled with the others heading to the western end of the park. Once they reached the area, they went up the slight hill to the tree where Keenan spotted their party.

  “Hey! Y’all are almost late,” Regina said.

  “It was slow poke.” Julianne slapped him on the stomach.

  She took the blanket, spreading it next to the people already there—Julianne’s partners, her siblings, and a few of her cousins.

  “Honey Boyfriend, you shouldn’t be late,” Reid said.

  “None of that.” Keenan glared at Julianne’s brother.

  “What you going to do, Honey Boyfriend?” Reid taunted.

  Keenan glanced at him, then charged. Reid ran from him, laughing. The others chanted, “Honey Boyfriend” as Keenan caught up to Reid and tackled him. Reid fell, cursing. Keenan held the lanky man down, smirking. Reid grinned, wickedly bucked, and wiggled out of his grip. Keenan got up, chasing him. Reid slipped through the crowd. Keenan stopped, losing sight of him. Frowning, he headed back to the others and rolled his eyes as he spotted Reid reclining on one of the blankets. He didn’t even look winded.

  Keenan pushed Reid’s foot with his as he passed. Reid made a smart gesture. Keenan flopped down next to Julianne on her blanket.

  “You should know better by now,” Julianne commented.

  “I know. I know. Your little brother is like Houdini. He can escape anything. That damn man is slippery.”

  “Yet you still chase him,” she said dryly.

  “What can I say? It’s a man thing.”

  “More like a not having a little brother to roughhouse with thing,” Julianne said.

  Keenan didn’t have any brothers—he was the older brother to all girls. Reid was the youngest sibling to all sisters.

  “Maybe. I did have my cousins.”

  “And Reid had his. But the two of you are just weird.” Julianne wrinkled her nose.

  “Probably.”

  Julianne turned to Regina. Absently, Keenan listened to their conversation while glancing around. There was a good turn-out for the concert. A comment of Regina’s caught his attention.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t bring Rissa. She loves these concerts.”

  He waited for Julianne’s response. She didn’t say anything at first, then shrugged. “It wasn’t a good time.”

  “What does that mean?” Regina asked.

  Keenan stared at her averted face, wondering the same thing.

  Chapter Nine

  Julianne took a drink from her water bottle before clipping it back on her belt. She studied the silent man beside her—Keenan had been acting weird all day. Each time she’d asked, he’d brushed it off.

  “Are you okay, Keenan?”

  He glanced at her and smiled. “Yeah. I’m good.”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Julianne couldn’t figure out why, but she didn’t believe him.

  “Stop stressing. I’m good. You ready for some more blading?”

  “Yep.”

  He stood and dragged her up. They skated beside each other. The early Saturday morning in Couric Park wasn’t too heavy on pedestrian traffic. Keenan put his hand on her waist as they skated. Moving in time with him, she enjoyed being in the sun and spending time together. Keenan slowed them and turned her into his arms, studying her—his light green eyes intent—then he kissed her softly. Julianne leaned against him, returning the slow exploration.

  “Come on. No fraternising with the enemy,” Reid said.

  Keenan was dragged from her. Julianne frowned at her brother.

  “No befuddling him before laser tag. Men will rule.” Reid grinned, unrepentant.

  “That’s what you think,” Regina said, skating up to them.

  The rest of her partners, siblings and cousins joined them. They started bickering playfully. The
last few Saturdays, they’d started to skate and play laser tag after. This week, they had decided to play men verses women.

  “Later,” Keenan mouthed.

  Julianne nodded, then said to the rest of them, “Stop your yakking. We’ll decide this later. For now, get to skating.” She slapped Keenan on the butt, then took off.

  Laughter and the sound of wheels on the pavement followed her. Strong arms lifted her off her feet. Shrieking, Julianne held onto his arms as Keenan carried her while skating, holding her effortlessly.

  “You’re going to pay for that later,” he promised.

  Her pussy clenched. Keenan chuckled, still skating with her in his arms. The others’ voices came behind them. Keenan set her on her feet, and they held hands as they continued blading. Later, they headed towards the laser tag venue. Spotting the man waiting, Julianne released Keenan’s hand and skated over to him.

  “You made it.” She hugged him.

  “Thanks for the invite,” Morgan said, returning the hug.

  “Where’s Rissa? I brought the book we discussed at dinner on Thursday night,” Morgan said, holding it up.

  “Oh…that is so nice of you. She’s not here. She’s going to be so excited. I’ll give it to her,” Julianne promised.

  Morgan handed her the book. “Okay. Tell her I expect the next time we speak she’ll be able to tell me what the book is about.”

  “And she will,” Julianne promised.

  “Morgan,” Keenan said.

  His tone sounded off. Julianne looked at him in question but Keenan wasn’t looking at her.

  “Keenan. You ready for laser tag?” Morgan asked.

  “Yep. Didn’t know you played,” Keenan said.

  “I don’t usually. But Julianne asked me. Didn’t she tell you?” Morgan sounded confused.

  “Nope. She hasn’t told me a lot of things,” Keenan said.

  Julianne looked at him sharply. “I—”

  “Julianne! Come on. We need to plan strategy to defeat the men,” Regina said.

  “In a mi—”

  “Go,” Keenan said abruptly.

  Frowning, she did as he said. Julianne stood beside Regina as they planned how to defeat the men at laser tag. She watched as Morgan and Keenan talked—she was too far away to hear what they were saying. Keenan shook his head. Morgan put his hand on his shoulder. Julianne knew the men had a close relationship. She hadn’t thought inviting Morgan to play laser tag would be a problem.

  Reid returned from retrieving everyone’s shoes. He passed them out from the bag he had them in. Sitting, Julianne put on her shoes. Seeing Keenan stand and walk towards their truck holding his skates, she hurried after him.

  “Keenan. If Morgan being here is a problem, I can ask him to go,” she offered.

  Keenan glanced at her with a look that clearly showed his disbelief, then shook his head. “I don’t mind Morgan being here.”

  “Then what is the problem?” she demanded.

  “You—”

  “Are you all coming?” Reid called.

  “We’ll be right there,” Keenan replied. He held out his hand to her. “I’ll put these in the truck for you. And the book Morgan brought for Rissa, too. I’ll meet you all there.”

  She handed them over and Keenan went to the truck. Julianne stared after him before she went to join the others. They went in and got set up. Julianne kept glancing at the door for Keenan. He came in and went for his gear. When he turned to her, she smiled. Keenan didn’t return it. Frowning, Julianne wondered what was wrong.

  All through the game, whenever she saw Keenan, he seemed distracted and not all there. She tried to tell him they should leave, but he shook his head and they continued to play. They left when the men were defeated and they’d made plans for a rematch. They parted, heading for their various cars. In Keenan’s truck, Julianne glanced at his profile.

  “Keenan, what’s wrong?” she asked.

  “Not now. We need to go to my house and get ready to go to my sister’s for dinner. We’ll talk later,” Keenan said.

  “We sh—”

  He cut her off. “Later, Julianne.”

  She subsided. They went to his house and quickly got ready for dinner. When they got to his sister’s, Keenan seemed like his old self. Julianne watched him, confused as to what was wrong with him. All through dinner, Keenan laughed with his sisters and teased them as usual.

  “You’ve got to get me that recipe,” Brigid said as she saw them off.

  “I will. I’ll email it to you,” Julianne promised.

  “Good. See you soon.” Brigid kissed her cheek, then her brother’s.

  They waved and went to the truck. Keenan helped her in and went to the driver’s side. They were silent as they drove to his house. Keenan parked, then went to her side, opening the door and helping her out. Julianne followed him as he went up the three steps to his house. He stepped back and she went in.

  “Ke—”

  “I’ll lock up and meet you in the bedroom.” He walked away.

  Julianne frowned and went up the stairs. She grabbed her robe and went to get ready for bed. As she showered, waiting for him, Julianne replayed what they did yesterday. It was when his mood had seemed to change. Then she thought of today, when it seemed he had shaken it off, but then he had got moody again. Something was clearly bothering Keenan. As the water ran over her, Julianne thought about what it might be. She turned the shower off and got out, drying herself as she went into the bedroom. She paused. Keenan was already in bed. Only the light on her side of the bed was lit. Julianne padded over to her side and slid in beside him.

  She pressed against his back. His fresh scent made her realise he had showered, probably in the guest room.

  “Talk to me, Keenan,” she urged.

  “It’s been a long day. We’ll talk tomorrow.” He sounded so tired.

  “Okay. Tomorrow.” Julianne hugged him tightly.

  Keenan was stiff. Julianne held him as sleep overcame her.

  The next morning, Julianne woke, slid out of the bed and got dressed in the pre-dawn. A light came on, blinding her temporarily. She covered her eyes.

  “Where are you going?” Keenan’s voice was rough.

  She lowered her hand. He was sitting up in the bed, the sheet pooled in his lap. He yawned. Julianne tucked in her shirt, then walked over to him. She brushed the hair away from his face.

  “Remember? I have to leave early.” She kissed him briefly.

  “Forgot. It’s Sunday,” he said.

  “Yep. I’ll call you later if I get a chance,” Julianne said absently.

  She let herself out, flicking the lock behind her. Loping down the steps, she went to her SUV. Shortly she was on her way, planning what she had to do for the weekly sibling dinner, which was at her house today.

  “Crap. We were supposed to talk. Hmm…I’ll call him later.” She shrugged.

  Keenan scrubbed his hand over his face, then scratched his head. Propping himself against the headboard, he tried to work out his thoughts on what had happened with Julianne. His thoughts were too scattered, filling his mind. No one thought was prevalent. He rose from the bed and got ready for his day. Refreshed from his shower, he made his breakfast, wishing Julianne was there with him.

  Sitting at his breakfast nook, he ate as he read the paper. He washed his dishes then wandered into the living room. He couldn’t seem to settle, and found himself staring out of the front window. Prowling around his house, he cleaned and straightened up. Eventually, he realised he’d made his way back into the living room. He sat on the couch, bending over and pulling open the drawer below the centre table. Picking out his crocheting, he sat back and started working on his project.

  Julianne teased him about it, but they had spent many nights together on the couch, her reading and him crocheting while they watched TV. As he worked on the Afghan, the crocheting didn’t release him the way it usually did. Row after row of loop and pull did nothing to unknot the uneasiness he had in his
stomach. His mind continued to whirl, there was so much flooding it, yet still nothing condensed into any idea of what was bothering him. The doorbell rang, startling him. He put aside the crochet hook and stood, going to answer the door. Checking the peephole, Keenan arched an eyebrow.

  Opening the door, he asked, “What—”

  Julianne kissed him hungrily, cutting him off. She licked his lips, then grinned.

  “Surprise. I came to see you. I can spend the night. Rissa was whisked away for a night of fun with her Aunty Noelle and Uncle Pierce.” Julianne went to kiss him again.

  Keenan stopped her. His thoughts suddenly solidified.

  “What?”

  “What are we doing here, Julianne? “

  “What do you mean?” She frowned, stepping back.

  “This.” He gestured between them. “What is this between us?”

  “We’ve already discussed this. We’re in a relationship.”

  “No, we’re not. I’m in one but you seem to be just acting at it.”

  Julianne stiffened. “What? I’ve been with you every step of the way. You’ve been manoeuvring me the way you want me to go. I’ve been going along with it. Working on becoming an ‘us’.”

  Keenan rubbed his fingers along the bridge of his nose, then looked at her. The look on her face clearly showed she was baffled.

  “We’ve been together for months, Julianne.”

  “I know. I—”

  He interrupted her. “And I still am not allowed to spend time with the most important person in your life.”

  Julianne scowled. “I’ve introduced you to my siblings and cousins. I plan to take you to meet my parents.”

  “Rissa, Julianne. She’s the most important person to you. Why have you not let me get to know her? To meet her as the man in your life.”

  “I… We’ve already discussed this. It’s too soon,” she said.

  “It will always be too soon. You let Morgan meet her.” His tone was soft.

  “That’s different,” she defended.

  “Why?”

  “It just is.” She played with the edge of her hair and bit her lip.