by Boone Brux
As he wound his way through the streets of Seattle, the commercial area gave way to residential homes. He glanced at Kinni to gauge her reaction. The houses were smaller and older, nothing like the elegant Honeycutt home. As usual when she was concentrating, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed, but he didn’t ask what was wrong.
After a minute she turned to him. “Where are we going?”
“To my parents’ house.” It was a struggle, but he kept the amusement out of his voice. Just wait until she got a load of his father. The man could have been an extra in a Highlander movie. “It’s not much farther.”
She didn’t ask any more questions. What could she say? “But this isn’t the rich area of town. Why are we here?” No, she’d keep her mouth shut and gather facts. When he finally pulled up to the house, she stared out the window while slowly unbuckling her seat belt. Giving her time to adjust to her mistake of thinking he’d been born a rich kid, he got out of the car and moved to open the passenger door.
“We’re here.”
“This is where your parents live?” She swung her legs over the edge of the seat, causing the bottom of her dress to inch upward and reveal a lot of flawless porcelain thigh.
“Yep.” He forced his eyes to remain on her face. “I grew up in this house.” Still not giving in to the urge to ogle her long legs, he offered her his hand. “Tons of great memories.”
“It’s a lot smaller than I imagined it would be.” She stood and smoothed her skirt.
“Really?” A smirk quirked his upper lip, his amusement now tainting his question. “What had you imagined?” He knew exactly what she’d thought, but couldn’t resist putting her on the spot.
Her brow arched, and her eyes slid in his direction. “Is this why you were so adamant that I come? To prove me wrong?”
“Not prove you wrong.” The slight possibility that she’d climb back into the car and demand to leave flittered through his mind. He tugged her forward and closed the passenger door. “I just wanted to share my humble roots with you.”
Instead of the flippant response he normally received from most women when he told them he wasn’t from money, Kinni pulled to a stop and turned to him. “You really wanted to share this with me? Not just rub it in my face?”
Until that moment, he’d been coasting along, having fun with Roxy’s wedding favors and the prospect of Kinni getting to know him better, but the way she looked at him, her huge brown eyes searching his face as if hungry to hear that somebody wanted to spend time with her, suddenly made the situation less funny and far too real.
“Yeah, I really want to share it.” He reached out and rubbed her upper arms, trying to add weight to his confession. “Listen, we’ve been running with the same crowd for years and yet I don’t feel like we’ve gotten to know each other. I thought this might be our chance to do that. Things are going to change, and I’m sure Roxy and Kyle won’t be the last of us to get married.” He lowered his hands. “I don’t want the gang to drift apart, and…I like you.”
“Really?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “After one day together you know this?”
“One day? We might have only hung out together because of our mutual friends, but we’ve known each other for years.” He reached out and tugged her hand free, locking fingers with her. “And I’ve always liked you.” His smile widened, and he pursed his lips for a second. “But I don’t think the same can be said about you.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he held up his hand, stopping her. “It’s okay. Why don’t we let today be a new start for our friendship?”
Her chocolate gaze held his for a few seconds before she nodded. “I like that idea.”
“Good.” He wrapped his hand around her arm and guided her forward. “Now, I have to warn you about my parents. They’re loud—very loud. And no doubt they’ll think you’re my girlfriend, no matter how much we deny it, so don’t get too worked up about it.”
“Okay.” A tremor of uncertainty wavered in her voice. “What do you mean by loud?”
“Everything is loud in their house. They talk loud, laugh loud. My mother even cooks loud. Forget trying to sleep in on a Saturday.” They climbed the front steps and halted at the door. “The good thing is that they’re very happy people.”
…
If somebody had told her two days ago that she’d be meeting Price Lyons’s parents, she would have called them a liar. Thankfully, the embarrassment of assuming he’d been born to money gave way to the jumble of nerves knotting her stomach.
The Celtic music filtering through the door mixed with continuous barks of laughter. Kinni’s heart raced. Loud people made her uncomfortable. She preferred smaller gatherings to boisterous parties, where the music was too loud to carry on a conversation. She could only hope the partiers would be too busy having fun to notice her.
“Ready?” Price asked, lifting his hand to knock.
She gritted her teeth and stuck what she hoped looked like a genuine smile in place. “Yep.”
He delivered a couple of loud bangs against the door, but didn’t wait for anybody to answer it. The muffled music flared to life when he opened the door and ushered her in. A collective greeting exploded, welcoming them in a cacophony of hellos.
“You made it.” A petite woman with auburn-brown hair and brilliant green eyes glided toward them, her arms spread. “I was beginning to wonder.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Price wrapped her in a hug and lifted her off her feet. She squealed and laughed, slapping him on the back. A few seconds later, he set her back on the floor and planted an exaggerated kiss on her cheek before letting go. “Mom, this is my friend Kinni Corbett.”
“Friend, huh?” Her subtle brogue hadn’t been completely eliminated by her years in America. She turned the full power of her green gaze on Kinni. “I’m so glad you came. Price has never brought any of his other girlfriends here, no matter how much I begged.”
“Oh, we’re just fr—” Before she could finish explaining their relationship status, she was cut off.
“Price, my boy.” A large man who looked and sounded like he belonged in the cast of Braveheart strode toward them. “About time you show your ugly face here.” The words rolled off his tongue with a thick Scottish accent, sounding as if he hadn’t spent the last twenty-plus years away from his home country.
“Thanks to you, I have this ugly mug.” They embraced and slapped each other on the back before breaking apart. “Good to see you, Dad. And happy anniversary.”
There was no doubt he was his father’s son. Beside the green eyes and slightly thinner frame, which he obviously got from his mom, Price looked like a younger version of his dad.
“Happy anniversary,” Kinni chimed in, forcing a smile. Crammed between Price and his mother, with his father blocking the path into the living room, she began to feel a bit claustrophobic. Mr. and Mrs. Lyons’ idea of personal space was about six inches shy of hers, and it took a stern mental command not to take a step backward.
“Dear,” his mother said, “this is Price’s friend Kinni.”
The bear of a man gave her a once-over, his expression stern, before asking, “What’s the matter with ya, girl?”
Kinni flinched, her eyes rounding. “I’m not sure what you mean, sir?”
His father leaned in. “You’re too pretty to be hanging around with the likes of him.” He hitched his thumb toward Price. “Is he blackmailing you or something?”
“No, my car broke down so he was just giving me a ride.” The truthful explanation rolled smoothly from her. She hadn’t meant it as a joke, but apparently she’d said something funny. His father stared at her for a second and then erupted with laughter. “I like her, son. You need to keep this one.” He wrapped a thick arm around her shoulder, stuffing her into his armpit. “Just needed a ride…that’s hilarious.” From there, he wrangled her toward the crowded living room. “Come on, let’s get you a drink.”
“Great,” she squeaked out, unable to do anythin
g but follow his lead. Though she stood above average height, he dwarfed her. “I’d love to.”
“Cathy and Sean.” The words vibrated against her cheek as she was stopped in front of two people. “I’d like you to meet Price’s girlfriend, Kinni.”
“Actually, we’re not dating,” she said, attempting to set the situation right.
“Girlfriend? Is she touched in the head?” bellowed the man she assumed was Sean. He reminded her of a bear with his thick brown hair, beard, and barrel chest. “Why is she with the likes of him?”
“That’s what I asked,” agreed Price’s father.
“Don’t mind these two.” Cathy looked to be around fifty, but her hair was pitch-black, without a hint of silver, and her eyes blue like dark sapphires. She held out her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
Sensing that another attempt at correcting their relationship status would be fruitless, she wedged her arm free and shook the woman’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“All right then,” his father said, manhandling her away from the couple. “Don’t suffocate the girl. She’s just getting used to us.”
They moved deeper into the crowd and every few steps he’d stop, never releasing his hold, and introduce her as Price’s girlfriend. After the third attempt to correct him, she gave up and went with the flow, smiling and accepting everybody’s congratulations.
Thankfully, Price followed close behind. “I’ll take it from here, Dad.” He wrestled her from out of the big man’s hold.
“What are you talking about, boy? We were just getting to know each other.” He shoved a large and potent-smelling drink into her hand. “Drink this. It’s my special recipe.”
She wasn’t sure what the golden liquid was, but planned on dumping it the first chance she got. “Thank you for the introductions, Mr. Lyons.”
“And don’t wander off. There’s Scottish dancing in a little while.” He performed what looked like interpretative clogging.
“Alrighty then.” Price flicked his head toward the patio. “Let’s go outside where it’s quieter.”
She nodded, letting him take her hand and guide her through the crowd. Despite the sliding glass doors being open so guests could wander in and out, it was definitely quieter outside. Fairy lights hung from a wooden pergola over the slate patio, and groups of chairs littered the small backyard. Even though they’d cleared the crowd, he didn’t let go of her hand. “How about there?” He gestured to the corner of the yard with his plastic cup. “It’s out of the way.”
“Perfect.” She let him lead her until they reached the chairs, and then discreetly extracted her hand from his. “Your parents are very…” She searched for just the right word.
“Loud?” he offered.
She laughed. “That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Overwhelming, intimidating, obnoxious. Well, my dad is anyway.”
“I was going to say welcoming.”
“That they are. It’s the Scottish coming out in them. They love a good party. Speaking of which.” He held up the plastic cup he’d been carrying. “Here, it’s red wine.” Without waiting for her to agree, he exchanged her glass for his. “You don’t want to drink this stuff.”
She’d given the liquid a quick sniff, but hadn’t dared sip, the fumes making her eyes water and her throat tighten. “What is it?”
“Only God and my dad know. He makes it in the basement. I had it once, but it kicked my ass. I woke up on the front lawn, hugging a garden gnome.” He leaned over the arm of the chair and poured most of it in the grass. “Look, the grass is dissolving.”
Laughter trickled from her. “It can’t be that bad.”
“You don’t think so?” He straightened and offered her the cup, the remaining amber liquid splashing around the bottom. “Did you want to try it?”
“No, thank you.” She waved him off.
“Are you sure?” He pushed the glass toward her. “You might like it.”
“I’m sure.” She sipped the wine but kept the plastic cup pressed to her lips like a shield. “This is fine.”
“Okay, but I’m telling you, you haven’t lived until you’ve snuggled with a garden gnome, drunk on Dad’s Scottish Secret. It’s a whole new level of fun.” He wiggled the cup, but when she didn’t take it, he shrugged and dumped the rest in the grass. “Don’t say I didn’t offer.”
“Oh, I won’t.” Feeling safe now that the drink was gone, she lowered her cup and reclined against the chair back. “However, I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you turn down a drink.” She paused. “Or anything for that matter.”
“I’ve said no before.” He mirrored her relaxed position. “Just not very often. I’d rather say yes. It’s more fun.”
A dramatic sigh heaved from her. “I envy you.”
“Me?” He locked his fingers together over his stomach and propped his elbows on the arms of the chair. “Why?”
“No silver spoon, no trust, yet you seem to skate through life.”
“I don’t know if ‘skate’ is the right word.” His voice took on a slight edge. “I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve achieved.”
“I know. That’s not what I meant. You just seem to be one of those people who make all the right decisions and your plans fall into place. For others it’s not that easy—or smooth running.”
“Are you speaking hypothetically or personally?”
“Hypothetically.” She drummed her fingers on the arm of the chair and glanced around the yard, not wanting to meet his gaze. Of course she’d been speaking personally. All she ever thought about was finding a job, how broke she was, and why none of her well-thought-out plans were coming to fruition. The fear of having to move back in with her parents plagued her every second of the day. When he didn’t reply, she looked at his all-knowing face. “Fine, maybe personally, too. I’m not criticizing, but sometimes life isn’t logical. Rationally I know if I hadn’t been focused and determined in school I wouldn’t be a lawyer today. Unfortunately, that’s where the payoff for my hard work seems to end. No matter how hard I try, the next step in my big plan after passing the bar hasn’t materialized.”
“Maybe you need to approach the situation differently. Not every event in life needs to be met with…”
She cut him off. “With hyper focus and determination?” Without waiting for him to answer she charged on. “Trust me, I’ve heard it a million times, and will probably hear it a trillion times more before I die.”
“I was going to say dedication. Sometimes a party is just a party and a wedding is just a wedding.”
“Leaving the biggest day of Roxy’s and Kyle’s lives to chance makes my stomach knot.” She crossed her arms and brought her knees to her chest, tucking her feet under her. “I’m not sure I could do that.”
“You can do anything you put your mind to.” He reached across the space between them and tugged at her rigid arms. “But first you need to relax. You look like an armadillo expecting an attack.” Her gaze drifted down her tightly knotted body. With a mental command, she slowly relaxed, forcing her shoulders away from her ears and setting her feet back on the ground. “Sorry, I have a tendency to get a little defensive about that.”
“It must be the lawyer in you.”
“Anyway, what were you saying?” She rested her hands in her lap, trying to appear at ease. “About not taking every situation so seriously?”
“What I was going to suggest was maybe after the wedding is over and things have calmed down, I could take you out one day, teach you how to relax.”
His suggestion grated on her. First Roxy, and now Price seemed determined to get her to relax. Her thoughts screeched to a halt and her eyes narrowed. Had Roxy put him up to this? Had she cajoled him into spending time with her to get her to relax and have fun? He’d be the obvious choice. It all made sense now, why he’d insisted on spending time together. Maybe he’d even gone as far as disabling her car so she had to come with him tonight. “You know.
”
At first he stared at her dumbfounded, then his eyes rounded and his mouth went slack. “Know what?”
If he’d kept the confused expression he might have fooled her, but his innocent act gave him away. Anger surged through her, followed by confusion. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel. “Was this Roxy’s idea?” When he opened his mouth, she could tell he was going to deny it again, so she cut him off. “Drop the act. How long have you known about the favor?”
“I heard Roxy ask you.” He held up his hands to ward off her argument. “But she has no idea I know.”
A muttered curse slipped from her. Of course these past few days had been a joke; getting her off-schedule must have given him a cheap thrill. She pushed to her feet. “Can you please take me home?” Why had her car broken down when she needed it most? If it hadn’t, she wouldn’t be sitting there, humiliated. “Now?”
“Give me a chance to explain.” In a second he was blocking her path. “It’s not what you think.”
Jutting her hip out, she crossed her arms and cocked her head. “So this isn’t you having fun at my expense? Testing me to see if I really can relax or will just lie about it?” Was it too much to ask that somebody actually want to spend time with her? She ignored the hurt. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter.”
“Yes, it does.” He gently gripped her upper arms, sending tingles of warmth along her skin. “Please, give me two minutes, then I’ll take you home if you still want.”
Hurt and angry, she didn’t relax her stance. Her eyes darted to his hands and back to his face. “Do you mind?”
Instantly, he let go. “Sorry, I just—please let me explain.” The only acknowledgment she gave him was to silently stare. Obviously taking that as his cue, he pushed on. “You’re right, kind of. I did take advantage of Roxy’s favor, but not because I was making fun of you.” Shifting to his other foot as if nervous, he bit his bottom lip for a few seconds before continuing. “I wanted to spend time with you, and…this seemed like the best way.”
