Kiss Me in Carolina (Hunt Family Book 2)

by Brooke St. James

  I glanced at the wooded hillside and then past the movie commotion toward the street. "Where do you want to walk?" I asked.

  He gestured to the wooded area. "John told me there's a trail back there."

  "Do you think we'll get eaten by wolves?" I asked.

  He smiled. "It wouldn't be such a bad way to go."

  "What?" I asked, scrunching up my face at him. "That would be a horrible way to go. Can you imagine? That would be terrible."

  "I don't know, I thought it would be pretty quick. You know, by the time they all gang up on you, it'd be over in a few seconds."

  I gawked at him. "A few of the most devastatingly terrible, horrifying, painful seconds ever!"

  He laughed as he stepped toward me. Before I knew what was happening, he was turning me in his arms and positioning me where my back was against his chest. His hand came up right beside my face, and he pointed up the hill. "See that bench over there?" he asked.

  I ducked a little, and was able to see it after a few seconds. "Yes," I said.

  "The trail ends right there. It's just a lookout. I think we're out of danger of wolves."

  He was still standing right behind me, and I got a keen awareness of him all of a sudden—like that feeling a girl gets when she's being touched by a guy—butterflies, as they say.

  I stepped out of his grasp and turned to him with a smile, hoping I seemed unaffected. Not wanting to speak for fear of my voice sounding nervous, I held the smile and began walking in the direction of the bench, assuming we'd see a trailhead somewhere.

  "There are worse ways to go," he said, as he fell into stride beside me.

  "You're right," I said, after giving it a few second's thought.

  "I'll bet you saw some unpleasant things growing up in Africa."

  "I heard stories, but I didn't have to experience the same types of things those kids live through," I said. I glanced at him with a sad smile and shook my head just a little. "Some of them had to endure unspeakable things before they came to the center." I paused, and we walked a few paces in silence. "Wolves would be preferable," I said.

  "I'll bet it was hard on you just having to hear stories about what they'd been though," he said. "I can't imagine how it would be growing up around all that."

  I glanced at him with a smile as we continued to meander through the mostly-wooded property. "I can't imagine what it would be like to grow up as you," I said as I shrugged. "We're all just who we are. To me, it seems weird to think of not growing up in Africa."

  "Is that what you want to do when you finish school? Go to Africa like your parents? Raise your family there?"

  He glanced at me and I smiled as I shook my head. "I like it in the states," I said. "I'm planning on traveling to Kenya for clinics—probably twice a year, but no, I like living here. I'm not cut out for full-time mission field stuff."

  "And you don't think your kids will miss out?"

  "Sure they'll miss out," I said. "They'll miss out on growing up in Kenya. But if they lived there, they'd miss out on growing up here."

  He chuckled. "So, aside from your regular visits to Kenya, you'll just stay here and work a job as a dentist?"

  "A pediatric dentist," I said. "I have a job lined up at a nice place. The plan is to work two or three days a week there and one day at a free clinic in Watts."

  "In Watts?" he asked, looking at me like I must be kidding.

  I smiled and nodded.

  "For real?"

  I continued nodding.

  "She was serious," he said, referring to London. "You are saving the world."

  I laughed. "Hardly," I said. "Don't give me too much credit. One day a week in a free clinic is child's play compared to what some people sacrifice for the greater good."

  "I try to volunteer about five days a year," he said. "Usually it's a workday at a house that's being built or something like that. My publicist sets it up for me." He glanced at me with a self-deprecating smile. "And here I thought I was so noble for giving freely of my time."

  "You are noble," I said. "I shouldn’t have said one day a week was child's play. I didn't mean for it to get turned on you or anything. I just meant that compared to what my parents are doing—"

  "I know you weren't trying to put it on me," he said, smiling. "I'm the one who did that."

  "Not many people even make time to volunteer five times a year," I said.

  "So you're saying I am noble?"

  "I already said you were," I said.

  "Maybe I can go to Africa with you sometime," he said. "I'd be nobler if I did that."

  "More noble."

  He smiled. "I know, but I like nobler. I just wanted to say it. It sort of sounds like cobbler."

  "Peach cobbler," I said.

  "I'd be the peachiest cobbler if I went to Kenya with you sometime."

  That cracked me up for some reason. "The peachiest," I agreed, still laughing.

  "Can I really go sometime?" he asked. We were now on the trail leading to the bench, and I glanced at him as we walked. He was looking at me like it was a serious question.

  "You mean to my parents' center?"

  He nodded.

  "Of course you can go there," I said. "They would loooove to have you go there. Are you kidding me?"

  "Can I go with you?" he asked.

  We were walking slowly, and I looked at him with curiosity all over my face. His expression was unreadable. I stared into his eyes as we shuffled slowly along the trail.

  He was looking at me the way a man looks at a woman. There was no mistaking it. Or did he just look at every woman like this? That had to be it. That would explain why every woman on earth was madly in love with him.

  I broke the eye contact, feeling as though I'd just been duped into falling under his spell.

  "You can go with me or anyone else," I said. And then, for some regrettable reason, I added, "You can go with London sometime. Her dad's one of my parents' biggest supporters."

  "Her dad's amazing," Logan said. "I wish I could have him mentor me through opening a restaurant."

  "Why do you want to open a restaurant?" I asked, knowing he didn't need the money.

  "I just thought it'd be a good business to have in the family. I'm not a chef or anything. I just like the idea of owning a restaurant—not now, but eventually."

  "Well, if anybody could help you be successful with it, he could."

  "I know." Logan let out a sigh.

  "What?" I asked.

  "The problem is, I don't think I'm compatible with London," he said.

  I looked at him when he said it, and I tripped when I took my eyes off the path. I didn't fall, but my toe hit against a rock that was planted firmly in the ground, and I jerked forward, almost tumbling, but catching myself with a jerking motion instead. Thank goodness we were walking slowly. It could have been a lot worse. Logan reached out and caught me by the shoulders, helping me to regain my balance. I didn't even have time to think about how embarrassed I was about tripping, because I was too distracted by the feel of his hands on my shoulders. I shrugged out of his grasp, feeling overwhelmed by my physical reaction to his touch.

  "You okay?" he asked.

  I laughed as I looked back and pointed to the rock I had tripped over. "I tripped in front of you just now, and I don't even care, because I thought I heard you say you don't think you and London are compatible."

  "I don't think we are," he said.

  I let out a long, sigh, letting my shoulders sag, and squinting my eyes, showing my distress.

  "I didn't think that would come as a shock to you," he said.

  I looked at him curiously, and he continued, "Don't tell me you two are as close as she says you are. I can tell already that you're nothing alike."

  I slowly began walking again, but this time I kept my eyes on the path. "What if I said you're totally off base and we're thick as thieves?" I asked.

  "You wouldn't say that," he said.

  "How do you know?"

  "Be
cause you'd be lying, and you don't lie—or at least, you're terrible at it."

  My eyes widened. "How do you know that?" I asked. "Are you some sort of mind reader or something?"

  He smiled wryly at me. "Aw, come on, you don't believe in that either."

  I laughed.

  "So why are you disappointed to hear me say I don't like her?" he asked.

  "Because if you break up with her, I'm gonna be stuck with the heartbroken version of her for the next few days…" I hesitated. "And honestly, I can't imagine that."

  "That'd be some Kenya-style stuff right there," he said, laughing.

  "Kenya ain't got nothin' on mad London," I said.

  We both laughed at the thought.

  "She's not my girlfriend," he said. "I wouldn't be breaking up with her."

  "I think she'd see it differently," I said.

  He sighed as he absentmindedly reached out to snap the end of a limb off a nearby tree. "We're not together," he said. "That's all I know. I met her back east a few months ago, and we've been talking a little. I guess I hoped I'd grow to like her or whatever, but I don't think it's gonna work out."

  "Why'd you want to grow to like her?" I asked.

  He didn't answer right away.

  "Her dad?" I asked, as soon as the thought occurred to me.

  He remained quiet. "It sounds bad, I know," he said, finally.

  "I think she's used to getting special treatment because of her dad," I said. "She may not even mind if you're just dating for that."

  "I'm not dating her," he said. "That's what I'm telling you."

  "But you're trying to stop talking to her?" I asked, dreading the backlash of what he was getting at.

  He laughed. "There's nothing to break off. I told you, we're not together."

  I let out a defeated huff as we walked, which made him chuckle at me. "You're funny," he said.

  "Why?"

  "Because you're acting disappointed that I'm not interested in a girl you probably don't even like. I'm not sure how I feel about that."

  "What do you mean?"

  He smiled. "I wanted you to say something like, 'Yeah Logan, she totally stinks. I think talking to her is a terrible idea. I think you should get my number instead'."

  I just stopped right in the middle of the path and stared at him, unable to believe the words that were coming from his mouth. What was even funnier was that he said the whole phrase in a high-pitched, girly voice, doing a bad imitation of me.

  "Well, I can't say that," I said.

  "Why not?" he asked.

  I stared at him for a few seconds. "I would never say that," I said. "Because I'd be the one dealing with the heartbreak, remember? She's staying at my house."

  "You couldn't care less that I just told you I'm interested in getting your number," he said as more of a statement than a question.

  We weren't far from the bench, but we stopped in the middle of the path and just stood there, staring at each other. "If I thought you were serious about wanting my number, which I don't, I would tell you that it was a terrible idea." I smiled. "I would add that I'm flattered because you're handsome, and charming, and I really like your movies, but I'd tell you it would never work."

  "You know saying that just makes me want to try to make it work, right?"

  I laughed. "I'm sure there are plenty of other girls out there who'll do a convincing job of pretending to be aloof if that's what does it for you," I said.

  "London's already doing that," he said. "How do you think I get by with no commitment?"

  We stared at each other for a few long seconds before I gave him a regretful smile. "You're funny," I said.

  He narrowed his eyes at me slightly and gave me a little smirk. "I'm not trying to make you laugh."

  Chapter 5

  I smiled and shook my head at Logan as I took the last few steps to the bench. It was a concrete bench with no backrest that was long enough for three people to sit comfortably. I sat on one end and he sat on the other, leaving a foot or so of space between us. We looked out at the gorgeous view of Santa Barbara and the ocean. My eyes fell onto the movie set commotion just below us before I glanced at Logan. He saw me look at him from the corner of his eye and turned my way.

  "I wasn't trying to be funny," he repeated with a smirk. It had been so long since we last spoke that I had nearly forgotten why he was saying that.

  Did this guy really expect me to believe he was interested in me? Was that what he was saying?

  "Well, you're not serious, I can tell you that."

  "Why would you say that?" he asked.

  I let out a laugh, not knowing how to handle this conversation. He just stared at me as if waiting to hear my answer.

  "I'm confused," I said, finally.

  "About what?"

  "About what you're saying," I said.

  "What's confusing about it?"

  "Did you just ask me for my phone number?" I asked, not knowing how else to put it. I giggled as the words left my mouth. It seemed so wrong. I was just waiting to hear him laugh like I had misunderstood.

  He did laugh. "Yes, I asked you for your number. Or maybe I said I wanted you to ask for mine. Either way, the idea was that I'd be able to reach you once London goes back home."

  I giggled again. "See?"

  He shook his head, confused. "See what?"

  "You. You can't just say that we should call each other when London leaves. That's just weird."

  "Why's it weird?"

  "Well, for one, I'm pretty sure she thinks she's your girlfriend, and I don't really want her to find out that we had this conversation."

  "What else?" he asked.

  "You just met me," I said. "We don't even know each other."

  "That's the whole point. I'm trying to get to know you."

  I laughed.

  "What?"

  "You," I said.

  "What about me?"

  "You must be used to getting any girl you want."

  "I'm not trying to get girls," he said. "I work, and I chill with my family and friends. You're acting like I walk around saying this stuff to every girl I meet."

  "It would seem that way since you're so well-versed at it."

  He laughed. "If I was so well-versed, you'd be giving me your number right now instead of giving me a hard time. Come on, I don't want to put it off. I don't know what's gonna happen with London, and I don't know how else to reach you."

  "It's better if you don't reach me," I said. Before he could say anything, I added, "And I know that just makes it seem like more of a challenge or whatever, but please don't think of it that way." I smiled at him. "I don't mean any disrespect at all. I'm a fan of your movies. I'm actually a little star struck to meet you. But nothing could ever come of this." I gestured back and forth between us. "We're too different."

  He flinched. "How do you know that?"

  "Because, I just do."

  "That's not good enough."

  I scrunched up my face at him, wondering why in the world we were having this conversation.

  "Name a reason," he said.

  "Because I'm a missionary's kid, and you're… well, you're you."

  "That's not good enough at all," he said. "That barely even made sense."

  "Because you're with London."

  "I'm not with her," he said. "Not even close." He smiled at me—that devastatingly charming smile. "What else?"

  "You and I expect different things out of a relationship, and it's best not to even entertain the idea of one when that's the case."

  He gave me an amused grin. "Why's it such an ordeal to get your phone number?"

  "Because the only reason you want it is because it's such an ordeal!"

  He laughed. "That's not true."

  I groaned at the thought of coming right out and saying it, but it had to be said. It was the only thing that could end this ridiculous conversation.

  "I'm a virgin," I said, feeling waves of anxious nerves course through my body the instan
t the word left my lips.

  He was silent, looking out at the ocean, and I smiled at the serious look on his face. "Also, I plan on remaining that way," I added.

  Logan continued to stare as if really taking in what I was saying.

  I reached out and pushed at his leg, letting out a little laugh. "I didn't mean to get all heavy on you or anything. It's not usually one of the first things on the list to say about myself. It just seemed like the most logical thing to say to make you understand where I was coming from. I knew it'd be an issue." I paused and stared at his profile while he remained quiet for a few more seconds.

  "How old are you?" he asked.

  "Twenty-five."

  He turned to face me, staring straight into my eyes. His were dark brown around the edges with lighter, golden brown near the inside. "And you've seriously never…"

  "Never," I said. I smiled past my blushing cheeks. "I know it probably makes you see me differently, but trust me, it's better to get it out of the way before we waste either of our time." I laughed, hoping to move on to less embarrassing topics. "Not to mention, I'm slightly scared of London."

  Again, we were quiet for a few long heartbeats.

  "And you thought you'd just tell me that, and I'd leave you alone?"

  "Yes."

  "Hmm."

  Another minute of silence passed between us. I wondered what he was thinking or if he'd ever talk again. "You're saving yourself for marriage?" he asked, finally.

  I smiled. "I know it makes me sound like a big dork. Like I said, it's not something I go around telling people when we first meet or anything."

  He pulled back and stared at me, taking me in from head to foot. "I just can't believe you're twenty-five and you're untouched," he said. "That makes me catch all sorts of feelings about you."

  I laughed and shook my head. "I thought you'd run for the hills, but part of me isn't surprised you'd see it as a challenge."

  "Why can't you assume I'd fall somewhere in the middle?"

  I shrugged.

  "Can't we just forget you ever said that, and say, 'hi, I'm Logan' and 'hi, I'm Rachel' again?"

  "Not really," I said.

  "Why not?"

  "Because that's the whole point. If we went out, we'd have two very different ideas of how the evening would end."