by Ali Parker
She’s just singing a song, idiot. It obviously has nothing to do with you.
I wound my arms around her and pulled her closer. Then I lowered my head and kissed her just as fireworks went off around the stage. She hesitated at first but then looped her arms around my neck and kissed me back like she might never get another chance to do it.
The people around us cheered and yelled, but I hardly even heard them. I was too lost in Haven to pay attention to anything else.
Our kiss slowed to a natural end when the roar of the crowd died down. I touched my forehead to hers for a second before pulling away. “Are you ready to go get something to eat?”
Her eyes were still closed, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah. Let’s go before the rest of the audience decide to do the same thing.”
We reached for each other at the same time, joining our hands before making our way through the crowd. The lines at the food trucks weren’t that bad yet, so we stopped at the edge of the area where they were parked to examine our options.
“What do you feel like?” she asked, her eyes on all the boards advertising each truck’s fare. “I’m fine with anything except a corn dog or a hot dog.”
“Really? Those are random things not to like.”
“I know.” She shrugged, bumping her hip into mine. “But do you really want to bite into something that has dog in the name?”
“You know that no actual dogs are harmed in the making of those foods, right?” I chuckled.
Narrowing her eyes in a mock glare, she sniffed and took a step away from me. “But they have dog in the name. Anyone who loves animals should be creeped out by it.”
I held my hands up and showed her my palms. “I solemnly swear that from now on, when we’re together, there shall be no eating of anything with ‘dog’ in the name.”
She raised her brows before she dropped the offended act and burst out laughing. “You’re more than welcome to eat whatever the hell you want. It just really grosses me out. I psyched myself up about it at some point and I haven’t been able to get over it.”
“That’s really weird, but it also kind of makes sense.” I hung my arm over her shoulders and started walking in the direction of a truck that sold pizza slices. “Let’s stay far, far away from the stuff that grosses you out. I wouldn’t want you associating me with that.”
Her palm hit my chest in a playful smack. “Well, now that you’ve said it, it’s out there. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over it. You gross me out now, too.”
“Really?” I bent my head and nuzzled her ear as we walked, catching the lobe between my teeth. “I think I can probably fix that.”
She shivered against me, leaning into my shoulder while letting out a humming sound in the back of her throat. “Yeah. I think you might be able to.”
We joined the line for the pizza slices, bickered like an old married couple about whether pineapple or avocado belonged on pizza, and went to find a spot to sit once we had our food. Haven was still shaking her head at me when she lowered herself onto a wooden bench.
“Do you really like warm avocado? Warm pineapple I can understand. Fruit shouldn’t be warm, but it works for pineapple sometimes. Avocados should only be eaten fresh.”
“It is fresh. It’s just also warm.” I sat down and lifted my avocado-laden slice to my lips. “Mmm. I can’t imagine anything better.”
“You’re crazy.” She laughed before taking a bite of her pineapple-heavy pizza. “Only heathens and non-believers could eat warm avocado. Are you one of those?”
“Apparently,” I replied around my delicious food before swallowing it down with a new cold beer. “I was thinking about our conversation earlier. We never really got to finish it.”
“About our parents?” She tilted her head. “What was there to finish?”
I took another bite and chewed slowly, not really sure if I’d done the right thing by bringing it up again. “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine. I just want to know more about you. It’s obvious that they meant the world to you.”
“They did.” A soft smile appeared on her lips. “I’d give anything for one last egg-salad sandwich with my dad, even if I never really liked them all that much. Same for a last cup of tea with my mom.”
“Did you get to have either of those things with them before you lost them?”
She nodded. “Dad and I had lunch together just before his accident. It was nothing fancy. Just sandwiches in his truck, but it’s one of my favorite memories.”
“That’s what happened to him then?”
“Yep. One freak accident and my life changed irrevocably and forever.” She took another bite of her food, sighing after swallowing it down. “At least he didn’t suffer. He was just here one minute and gone the next.”
I reached out to squeeze her hand, holding it in mine while we both finished our slices with our free hands. “Sometimes I think it’s a blessing to go like that. God knows, I wouldn’t want to be poked and prodded like a pincushion for weeks or months on end before I went.”
“Same here. Mom was sick, but she refused treatment for that exact reason. It wouldn’t have bought her more than maybe a few months anyway.”
I blew out a long breath, my heart aching for Haven but also for myself and my mother. “I don’t even know where my dad is. After I graduated from college, he made one last appearance. Got me a foot in the door at my current job, and dropped off the map again.”
She tightened her grip on my hand but didn’t interrupt me. “He could have passed on by now. I wouldn’t know, but I’d still hope he didn’t suffer. My mom, though…”
Every time I thought about her illness and what awaited her, it was like I couldn’t breathe. Like my lungs refused to expand until I realized we weren’t quite there yet. “She’s in the early stages of dementia. Knowing what’s in store for her is terrifying.”
“I’m so sorry,” Haven whispered, turning to press a kiss to my shoulder before bringing her head down to rest on it.
I laid my cheek on her hair, shrugging the shoulder she wasn’t on. “It’s all part of life. It’s just not the pretty part of it.”
“That’s true.” We sat like that for a while, talking and reminiscing about favorite childhood memories while we finished our drinks.
The sky was awash in color before the sun finally dropped away. A fireworks display indicating the end of the live-music show went off. People milled around us, but there was a steady stream of people making their way toward the parking lot.
“It’s probably time we start heading home. We’ll be stuck in traffic for hours to get out of here if we wait much longer.”
She glanced at the crowd, nodding as she stood up. “Unfortunately, I think you’re right. I’d have liked to stay a little longer, but not if it means we’ll have to sleep in your car.”
“We’ll come back sometime,” I promised. “Possibly bring a tent so we can sleep over if we decide to.”
“You’ve got yourself a deal.” She sealed it with a kiss before giving me a cheeky smile. “Now are you coming or what? Jeez. If you want to sleep next to me, there are more comfortable places to do it than in a car.”
“You promise? Because now that you’ve mentioned it, I kind of do want to sleep next to you.”
She laughed, taking my hand again as we started the trek toward the parking lot. “I don’t know. It depends on how you behave yourself on the way home. Mae is a pretty awesome cuddle buddy. I’m not sure I’d trade her out for anyone.”
“She may be pretty awesome, but I’m the best cuddler in the world.” I caught her under my arm and bent down to nuzzle her ear again, whispering between light nibbles and flicks of my tongue. “Plus, there’s plenty of other stuff I’m good at that Mae can’t do.”
Another shiver passed through her, but she stuck to her guns. “We’ll see when we get there, but I think you may be able to convince me. I like the direction this is going. Tell me more.”
Chapter 23
HAVEN
By Wednesday, my Colton-induced haze from the weekend had lifted. He’d ended up telling me so much more that we’d barely made it to his car before we were ripping each other’s clothes off.
On the upside, by the time we surfaced again, the traffic had been all but gone and we’d made it home in record time. Exhausted from the long drive home, we’d fallen into my bed, and by the time I’d woken up, he was gone.
There had been a note on his pillow thanking me for the date and telling me he’d speak to me soon. I’d also already had three texts from him waiting. I liked that he’d left a note too, though. It was a kind of old-school gesture that I could imagine was something Dad would’ve done for Mom, and as a result, it’d left me both tingly and terrified.
Both emotions had followed me into the week, but Kayla assured me they were normal and insisted that I shouldn’t worry about how warm and tingly I’d felt over a note left by a man who might or might not be playing me.
It was getting more and more difficult to even imagine that was what he was doing. We’d spent yet another day together, and he still hadn’t asked so much as one question about the clinic. Slowly but surely, my doubts about him were fading away into gentle nothingness.
We still needed to discuss that article sometime, and I still wanted an explanation, but it didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. Maybe it never had been.
One article weeks ago that hadn’t garnered much attention hardly seemed like something to write off our budding relationship over. The more time I spent with Colton and the better I got to know him, the less I believed he was anywhere near as dark and unscrupulous as the story had made him seem.
Kayla was still worried, but even she was starting to agree that it must’ve been a fluke. We’d looked up some of his older articles, and while there were some definite scathing ones out there, he always had the research and facts to back him up.
I didn’t even know how or why he’d written about something like a donor not showing up to a fundraiser in the first place. It seemed like a bit of small fry of a story compared to the hard-hitting exposés he had done in the past.
Kayla thought it might’ve just been a really slow news day. Whatever had happened, I didn’t feel nearly as strongly about the man behind the article now that I’d gotten to know him. I was sure there had to be a reasonable explanation for it.
The sound of fingers snapping snapped me out of my thoughts, and I blinked to find Kayla standing in front of my desk. “Hello? Haven? Are you okay?”
“Fine.” I cleared my throat and smiled. “Sorry, I just zoned out a bit. Do we have another client?”
“Nah.” Her green eyes sparkled with amusement. “You can carry on daydreaming about your hot lover later though. I just locked up in the back and it’s time for us to go home.”
“Already?” My gaze jumped to the plain white clock above my door. Sure enough, it was five minutes past our usual closing time. “What the hell? What happened to the last hour?”
She laughed and gave her head a small shake. “You tell me. Colton happened, I’m guessing? Your head has been in the clouds all week because of that man.”
“I know.” I covered my face with my hands and groaned. “I was just thinking about the weekend and I got distracted.”
“I’ve got a much safer distraction for you,” she said. “My mom called a few minutes ago. She’s cooking up a storm and wanted to know if you would come over for dinner.”
“Wow. Are you sure?” I hadn’t had a home-cooked meal prepared by anyone other than myself for years, but I wasn’t so sure about going to Kayla’s house.
I was growing to love my intern and friend, but with all the money they had, I was afraid of what her mother would think of me. Kayla rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers again, laughing softly. “Of course, I’m sure. Mom has been dying to meet you and her food is always superb. I’m pretty sure half the reason she decided to cook a feast this evening was in the hope that you would join us.”
“Superb, huh?” I arched a brow. “Did you really just use that word in casual conversation?”
She pressed her lips into a thin line to keep from laughing, trying—and failing—to glower at me. “It’s a perfectly good word. Besides, you’ll see for yourself once we get there. It really is the only word to do her cooking justice.”
“In that case, I guess I better get ready for some superb food. I’d love to come with you.” I was extremely curious about Kayla’s mother, even if I was scared about her looking down on me. Despite personally feeling like I’d achieved success, I was worried what she would think about her precious baby working for someone like me.
Kayla flashed me a wide, excited smile and immediately pulled her phone out of her pocket to fire off a text. “Perfect. It’s settled then. I’ve already let my mother know you’re coming, so there’s no backing out now.”
“I wouldn’t have anyway.” Just because I feared what the woman might think about me didn’t mean I didn’t want to meet her.
Kayla made her sound like an absolute angel, and considering she’d raised the girl I was coming to think of as my best friend, I really did want to meet her. My friend sent another text, and a second later, my own phone chimed.
“I’ve sent you our address. You can follow me home, but now you know where we’re going in case we get separated.”
I glanced down at my dirty clothes and my nose wrinkled. “I’m covered in animal stuff. I’d better get cleaned up before I present myself for your superb dinner.”
She let out an exasperated sigh, but I saw how hard she was trying not to laugh again. “Present yourself? Sure. Okay, but I’m the weird one for using the word superb. Keep telling yourself that.”
“I will. Thanks.” I bumped her elbow with mine as we walked out. “See you in a few.”
“You really don’t have to shower before you come over, or you could always have a shower at our place.”
“I’d rather not meet the illustrious Mrs. Lampson with drool on my clothes. I won’t be long. Promise.”
She raised her hands in surrender, then gave me a hug before going to her fancy, champagne- colored sports car. It didn’t suit her at all, but she claimed it drove like a dream and its safety ratings were through the roof. I didn’t even know if my truck had a safety rating—never mind what it was.
Putting all my thoughts about our differences aside, I focused on getting to dinner as fast as possible. The last thing I wanted was to be late when I didn’t even know what time I was supposed to get there.
When I pulled up to the gates of the address Kayla had given me, I nearly swallowed my tongue. Here I was in my last clean pair of jeans and freshly scrubbed skin, arriving for dinner at a place that had an entrance like a freaking private academy.
The walls were at least fifteen feet high and covered in dark green vines climbing all over them. A gate the size of my house guarded the Lampson’s estate, but it was open when I arrived. At the end of a long, winding driveway with towering trees on either side of it sat easily the biggest house I’d ever seen.
I half expected Kayla and her mother to be dressed in evening gowns and clutching their pearls over my jeans, but when she opened the door, she and the older version of her standing next to her were dressed the same as I was.
The older woman, who I assumed was her mother, wore a stained apron over her jeans and T-shirt. It had the words “Your Opinion Wasn’t In The Recipe” emblazoned over her chest in sequined letters.
She broke out into a huge grin when she saw me, instantly opening her arms and pulling me into the warmest hug I’d received in ages. “Oh, Haven! I’m so happy to finally meet you. My daughter can’t shut up about you. I can’t thank you enough for being such a good friend and boss to her.”
“She makes it easy.” I returned her hug just as fiercely, immediately feeling the tension I’d had about coming here vanishing.
Clearly, Kayla took after her mother in personality as well
as looks. There didn’t seem to be anything snobby or cold about this woman at all.
She laughed before releasing me but kept her hands on my shoulders and brought emerald-green eyes to mine. There was such love there that it was impossible to believe she was looking at someone she’d only just met.
“She does make it easy, but she says the same about you. I can see why. I feel like I already know you, but I’m looking forward to getting to spend some real time with you. Come on in.”
“Mom’s name is Layla, by the way. She got so excited that she forgot to introduce herself properly.” Kayla skipped to catch up to her mom. “And yes, she named me Kayla when she was already called Layla. She’s not very creative.”
The older woman cackled and tossed her blonde hair over one shoulder. “Say I was in the market for a nicer daughter, would you be interested in adoption, Haven?”
“Definitely.” What wasn’t to love about this family? They were loaded, yet super down to earth. Funny, loving, warm. “I can move in tomorrow.”
“That’s fantastic. You can have the room on the second story that has all the pictures of different animals against the walls. It also has a princess bed and a ton of veterinary textbooks. The name ‘Kayla’ is on the door, but I’ll send someone up there to remove it first thing.”
My friend bumped her hip into her mom’s. “Really funny, Mother. Haven would never put up with your terrible sense of humor.”
While they bantered and I followed them to wherever we were going, I took in my surroundings. The ceilings were high, the floors were flecked with gold, and it reminded me of what I thought a palace would look like inside.
The furniture wasn’t as ostentatious or grand, though. It was nice, sleek with clean lines, but was also worn and gave the mansion a cozy, homey feel. Dogs and cats lay on the couches in their living room, the whole place smelled like lamb curry, and the walls were covered in family photographs where it looked like they’d actually been having fun. None of those stuffy portraits I would’ve imagined.
