“Why don't you guys spend the night and head back in the morning?” I suggested. “I mean, are any of your classes tomorrow something you can't miss?”
He shrugged. “I guess I can miss them, but where are we going to stay. Here?”
“Uh, no offense or anything,” Kody inserted, “but I don't know if I'm ready to meet your mom.”
“You can stay at the bed and breakfast my dads run,” Killian offered. “I'm sure Steve won't mind letting you guys have a room. They're not booked right now.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “I hate to impose.”
Killian waved away my concern. “I'm sure it'll be fine. Let me call and check.” He pulled out his cell phone and walked into the kitchen to talk.
“So when do you think you'll be back at school?” Nick asked me.
I shrugged. “I don't know. As soon as possible I guess.”
“You want to drive back with us tomorrow?”
Kody gave me puppy dog eyes and I giggled. “I'll have to talk to Mom first, but maybe.”
“And maybe you can stay with us tonight?” Kody added hopefully.
“Hey now, don't forget we're sharing a room,” Nick quickly jumped in.
Kody rolled his eyes. “I think we can behave for one night, Nick.”
Nick leered at us. “I didn't say anything about behaving. Just be sure I'm included.”
“Hey! You have Steve.”
He pretended to pout. “Doesn't mean I can't have a little fun now and then.”
“It does to me,” Kody said with finality.
“Every couple is different, you know. Everyone has to decide for themselves what they're comfortable with.”
“So you and Steve have an open relationship?” I asked, curious.
Nick shrugged. “I wouldn't say open, maybe just semi-open.”
“What does that mean?” Kody asked, but before Nick could answer, Killian rejoined us.
“Steve said any friends of Jake's are more than welcome, and if you want separate rooms, it's not a problem. This isn't a busy time of year.”
“We want separate rooms,” Kody said quickly, then added to me, “You will stay with me tonight, right?”
“We'll see. I need to talk to Mom about all this before I start making plans.”
He nodded, trying to hide a pout. “I understand.”
I sighed. It was obvious he didn't understand.
Nick stood up. “So, are we ready then?”
Kody looked to me. “I guess so,” I said. “Let me leave a note for Mom and I'll drive over with you—that is, if Killian can bring me back later.” Killian nodded, and I scribbled a few quick lines to Mom, then we filed out of the house.
“Whose car did you bring?” I asked when I saw the older-model Mazda Nick was headed for.
“Toshi's,” Kody said.
“Toshi has a car? But he's a freshman!”
“Shh!” Kody giggled.
“You guys can just follow me,” Killian said.
Kody and I tumbled into the back seat of the car, still giggling and holding hands. “Why do I feel like a chauffeur on prom night?” Nick grumbled as he slid behind the wheel.
“Home, Jeeves,” Kody snorted.
“I could make you walk, you know.” He followed Killian's car as we drove into the country. Kody and I were busy staring into each other's eyes, but after a few minutes, Nick interrupted. “Maryland's a lot flatter than I expected.”
“It's not this flat everywhere, just here on the Eastern Shore.”
“The eastern shore of what?”
“The Eastern Shore is the entire peninsula on the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay.”
“Oh. I see. So what's here?”
“Not much, really. A lot of chickens. Some corn fields. There's Ocean City. That's like a beach resort.”
Nick's eyes lit up. “A beach? Maybe we should stay an extra day or two.”
“I thought you were worried about classes,” Kody said. “Besides, isn't it a little chilly for the beach?”
“I guess,” Nick conceded with a sigh.
“You can come back this summer,” I suggested.
“Me too?” Kody asked.
“You'd better.” I leaned over and kissed him.
“Hey! There'll be none of that in my car,” Nick yelled.
“It's not your car,” Kody reminded him.
“Don't make me pull this car over!”
We all busted up laughing. A few minutes later, we arrived at the bed and breakfast. Nick and Kody gawked, making me realize once again what an impressive place Amalie's House was. The building was originally a plantation manor, built in the pre-Civil War era and designed for entertaining lavishly. It rose three stories above a well-manicured lawn, and elaborate gingerbread trim graced every possible surface. Steve and Adam, Killian's dads, had named the B&B after the original lady of the house, who'd out-stayed her welcome by a hundred and fifty years. She was gone now, but her portrait still hung in the front foyer.
We followed Killian inside, where we found Steve, a tall, dark-haired man in his mid-forties, talking to an older woman with a large hooked nose. When Steve noticed us, he said something to her and quickly walked towards us. The woman stared after him for a second, then went up the stairs.
“Thanks, guys,” Steve said after glancing over his shoulder to make sure she was gone. “You saved my butt. All she's done is complain since she got here.” He rolled his eyes and we chuckled. “Hi, Jake. It's good to see you.”
“Hi, Steve. This is my friend Nick and my boyfriend Kody.” Kody blushed at my introduction, but shook Steve's hand with a proud smile.
We made small talk for a few more minutes, then Steve showed us up to the rooms. Nick's room was decorated in dark blues with cream highlights and antique golden oak furniture; Kody's room was layered in rich burgundy velvet with complimentary walnut furnishings. Kody's eyes grew wide as he took in his room and Steve smiled at his reaction.
“Are all the rooms this nice?” Kody asked in awe.
“I like to think so. We tried to make them all special.”
“You succeeded with this room anyway.”
“At least someone is satisfied.” He laughed and left us alone in the room. Nick went back to his room, and soon after Killian excused himself, saying he was going to make sure Nick didn't need anything, but it was obvious he was just trying to give Kody and me time alone. Not that we minded.
Kody wrapped his arms around me in a hug as soon as we were alone. “You have to stay here with me tonight,” he said, his voice muffled by my chest. “Look how big that bed is.”
I laughed and squeezed him tight. “I'll do my best.”
“No, you have to stay here. This old place is probably haunted.”
“Actually, it used to be, but it's not anymore.”
Kody pulled away and gave me a wary look, as if he wasn't sure if I was kidding him or not. “Are you joking?”
“Nope. There really was a ghost here when Steve bought the place. She's gone now.”
“Okay. That settles it. You're spending the night.” He pulled me close again and held on as if he had no plans to let go again.
“I told you she's gone,” I said laughing.
“I don't care. She might decide to come back.”
“I can tell you the whole story if you want.”
“Not now. Maybe later tonight, after we're settled in bed, under the covers.”
I laughed again. “You're so cute.”
“Yeah, yeah. You won't think I'm so cute if I have to hit you again.”
“Hey, that hurt!” I stepped away and pretended to pout.
“Good, it was supposed to. Just be glad I didn't kick your ass like I'd planned.”
“Oh, you think you could kick my ass, huh?” I teased.
“As mad as I was earlier, I know I could have.” He raised one eyebrow challengingly, as his lips twitched and he tried not to smile.
“Oh really?” I leaped forward and g
rabbed him around the waist, hoisting him into the air over my shoulder. He squealed and beat his fists against my back between giggles.
Someone knocked at the door and we froze. I quickly set him down on his feet and pulled open the door to find a frowning Nick.
“I hope you two won't be that noisy all night,” he said, then broke into a wide grin. “`Cause if you are I might come a-knocking again.”
“Try earplugs,” Kody said dryly as he walked over and shut the door in his face, then collapsed into a fit of giggles. There was another knock on the door. “Don't answer it,” he gasped. “It's probably just Nick again.”
I opened the door anyway and found Killian this time. “Hey, I hate to rush you, but I just got a call from Novak. Is it okay if I drive you home now?”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kody's face fall. “Yeah, sure,” I said to Killian, then turned to Kody. “I'll be back after I talk to Mom.”
“Promise?” he asked plaintively.
“Promise.” I gave him a quick kiss, hoping I would be able to keep that promise. Then I followed Killian downstairs and out to his car.
“You guys seem to have worked out your problems pretty quickly,” he said as I buckled my seatbelt.
I shrugged. “I'm sure we still have a lot to work out, but we're making progress.” I felt a smile spread across my face. “I can't even begin to tell you how great it feels not to have any secrets between us now. He knows everything about me and he still loves me.”
He laughed. “Of course he does. You're quite loveable.”
My grin grew even wider. “As long as he thinks so, that's all that matters. I still can't believe he came all the way down here after me.”
“That's so romantic. Of course, it would have been easier on Nick and your Mom if you could have just waited to talk to him before you ran off.”
My grin faded as I thought about Mom. Would she be mad or relieved that I wanted to go back to school already?
Killian glanced over at me. “What are you thinking about?”
“Mom.”
“What about her?”
“What if she's pissed that I want to go back with Nick and Kody tomorrow?”
“Pissed that you've decided to go back to college and you're sparing her a six-hour drive? I think she'll be thrilled.”
“Yeah, but she did just drive all the way up there to get me then all the way home just last night.”
“True. I guess you'll have to wait and see.”
I brooded over her reaction for a few minutes, then decided I needed a distraction. “So how come Novak called you into the office? Is it a case you're working on?”
He launched into a run-down of his current case. He was vague because of confidentiality issues, but it was still fascinating. Soon, we arrived back at my house, where Mom's car sat in the driveway.
Killian turned to me and caught my wrist as I moved to open the door. “Jake, one more thing. Obviously I don't know Kody very well, but it's equally obvious that you guys really love each other. Do yourself a favor and stop living behind a mask.”
“What do you mean?”
“You've been hurt so many times that you've been afraid to let him see the real you. You've worn a mask, but you've taken it off for now. Just be sure you don't slip back into it. James Baldwin has a quote that I love and really fits your situation. `Love takes off the masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.'”
I smiled and leaned forward to give him a hug. “Don't worry. That mask was broken into a million pieces. It's never going back on.” I sat back. “Thanks for always being there for me. I feel like I owe you so much.”
“You don't owe me anything. Just...be happy with Kody.”
“I plan on it.”
We hugged once more, then I got out of the car. I turned, blew Killian a kiss, and shut the door. It was time to face my mother. “Wish me luck,” I mumbled under my breath as I stalked towards the door.
“Mom?” I called as I stepped inside.
“I'm in the kitchen,” she replied.
I walked into the kitchen and was surprised to find Mom sweating over the stove. She was a good cook when she got around to it, which wasn't often. “Hey. What're you making?”
She looked up and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, leaving a smudge of tomato sauce. “Stuffed peppers. Will Kody and his friend be joining us for dinner?”
“Um, no. They're at the B&B.”
She frowned. “Why didn't they just stay here?”
“Well, uh...”
She smiled suddenly. “Kody isn't quite ready to meet the boyfriend's crazy mother?”
I laughed. “He doesn't think you're crazy. He's just nervous. We haven't even been dating that long and we just had a pretty messy episode.”
“Had? As in past tense? I take it you boys worked things out?”
“Yeah. More or less. We talked for a while this afternoon.”
“He must care a lot about you to chase you all the way down here.”
I practically glowed at her words. “Yeah. He told me he loves me.”
She smiled approvingly and turned back to dinner. “Great. So I guess you'll be returning to school soon.”
“Nick offered to drive me back up with them tomorrow morning,” I offered tentatively.
She nodded briskly. “Fantastic. That will save me a trip.”
“You don't mind? Even though you just drove up there to get me last night?”
She looked up at me again, and her expression turned serious. “No. I don't mind. What happened was what had to happen. I think you both needed this to realize what you mean to each other. Now that you know, you can get back to school and stop wasting all that money I'm paying for tuition.” She winked to show me she was just teasing with that last part.
I walked over and gave her a hug from behind. “Thanks, Mom. You're the greatest.”
“I know,” she said lightly. “Now what else do you have to ask me?”
I rolled my eyes and released her. You could never get anything over on my mother. “Kody wants me to stay with him at the B&B tonight.”
She scrunched up her face and pretended to think about it, then shook her head sadly. “Fine, go ahead and desert your dear old mother on your one night home. And just after you said I was the greatest too!”
“Mom!”
She broke into a grin. “Of course you can go. Just have dinner with me first. Can you give me that at least?”
“Of course. I wouldn't miss your stuffed peppers anyway. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Sure is. Check those peppers to see if they're tender yet.”
* * *
After dinner, Mom drove me over to the B&B. I only took enough clothes for the night. We'd have to stop back by the house to get all my stuff when we left in the morning.
“Now remember,” I said before getting out of the car, “You promised you won't be home when I come to get my stuff in the morning. No hiding in the closet or anything.”
“Yes, yes. I get it. You're embarrassed by your mother.”
“I am not! You know that's not it.”
She laughed. “I know, kiddo. Don't worry. I'll respect Kody's wishes until he's worked up the nerve to meet me.”
I laughed too. “Thanks, Mom.”
When I walked into the B&B there was no one around. I went up to Kody's room and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. It was the same thing at Nick's room. I wandered back downstairs and into the kitchen, where I finally found Steve. He was sitting at a small table in the corner of the room, a messy pile of paperwork spread out in front of him.
“Hey Jake,” he said, looking up from his work. “I didn't hear you. I guess I was too caught up in my accounting.” He made a sour face and I chuckled.
“Hey Steve. That's okay. I just got back. Do you know where Kody and Nick went?”
“I think they took a walk around the yard. You might try out back.”
&
nbsp; “Thanks.”
“No problem. Oh, and Jake?” I turned back. “Kody is adorable.”
I blushed and grinned. “Yeah, I think so too.”
“He seems like a really nice boy too. I think you've chosen wisely. Hang on to him.”
Breaking Masks Page 31
