“That’s very romantic,” she said.
“I had a normal and happy childhood. I played baseball from a young age, just like every other kid in Willington.”
She laughed. “Same as Harmony Falls. What position did you play?”
“Short stop.”
“Were you good?”
“Average.”
He glanced at her and the way she was looking at him, like she knew he was lying, made him nervous. Hell, she probably did know he was lying. Her brother was a cop, after all.
He waited for her to call him on his lie, but instead, she said, “When did you meet Lisa?”
“I first met her when we were kids. We were in the same grade and went to the same school all through elementary. We started dating the first year of high school. She was, uh, big into cheerleading and after we graduated, she started up her own cheerleading coaching business.”
“Wow, that’s impressive,” Kira said.
“She always had a lot of drive. I was a little late in deciding what I wanted to do with my life, so I worked at my parents’ store after graduating, and then applied for dental school. I earned my bachelor’s in biology while I went to dental school.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. He had worked at his parents’ store once he fucked up and destroyed his dream forever.
“Holy crap,” Kira said. “You can do both at the same time?”
“Yeah. It’s more work, but I wanted to fast track my career.”
She gave him an admiring look. “Good for you. Why did you decide to open a clinic in Harmony Falls?”
“I met Grant Henderson at a dental convention.”
She giggled. “They seriously have dental conventions?”
“Yes.”
“Do they hand out free toothpaste and floss?”
He laughed. “Maybe.”
She grinned at him and he studied the way the early evening sun got caught in her blonde locks, the way it gave her pale skin a soft warm glow. His gaze dropped to her mouth. He wanted to kiss her.
Instead, he said, “Grant and I got along really well, right from the start.”
“Even though he knew you were a Willington guy?” she teased.
He laughed again. “Even though I knew he was a Harmony Falls guy. Anyway, we kept in touch through email and social media and at the next convention, we had dinner and drinks one night. Grant told me he was leaving the Harmony Falls Dental Centre and opening his own clinic and he wanted me to partner with him.”
“Wow, you must have made quite the impression on him,” Kira said. “You couldn’t have been a dentist for very long at that point.”
“I hadn’t been,” he admitted. “But Grant took a chance on me. I accepted his offer and moved to Harmony Falls. It’s been two years now and the clinic is doing well.”
“I know that Grace has nothing but good things to say about working with you and Dr. Henderson,” Kira said. “She’s the reason I switched to your clinic from the Dental Centre. Hey, do you even remember me as a client?”
He nodded. “Yes. You have all your wisdom teeth still and only one cavity.”
“Is that how you remember all your clients? By their teeth?” she asked with another giggle.
“Pretty much,” he replied. He couldn’t believe that he had never even looked twice at Kira before. She was gorgeous and sweet and why had he not seen that when she was in the clinic?
Maybe because for the last two years, you’ve been wrapped up in regret and shame over losing Lisa?
He sighed inwardly. He had been pretty obsessed with her for a while there. It was partially the reason he’d accepted the partnership with Grant. If he’d stayed in Willington, his love for Lisa would have continued to burn bright. The distance, the long hours as he and Grant both worked hard to get the clinic up and running had been a welcoming distraction.
“Connor?”
He had slowed to a stop in the middle of the path and he stared blankly at Kira. “What?”
“I asked why you and Lisa broke up.”
Sweat started to break out on his forehead and between his shoulder blades. He and Kira might be faking this relationship thing, but it didn’t mean he wanted her knowing what a fuck up he was. Besides, it was the past, and he wanted nothing more than to move on from his mistakes and his regrets. “We wanted different things.”
“Like what?” she asked.
He started walking again, his voice rough with annoyance. “None of your business, Kira. I’m not discussing my relationship or my break up with Lisa with you. It’s off limits.”
“Because you’re still in love with her?”
“If I was still in love with her, why would I be bringing a fake girlfriend to my cousin’s wedding?” He scowled at her. “I am not talking to you about her. Understood?”
“Understood,” she said.
They walked in silence for a few minutes. He was walking fast, his anger and frustration quickening his pace and she was almost jogging to keep up with him. Guilt washing over him, he slowed down and squeezed her hand. “Sorry. I’m being a dick.”
“I shouldn’t have pried,” she replied.
“You didn’t. I just – it’s the past and I don’t want to focus on that.”
“Fair enough,” she said. “So, what’s your favourite meal, vacation spot, and movie.”
He was more grateful than he could say that she was changing the subject. “Popcorn, Hawaii, and Terminator.”
“Popcorn isn’t a meal,” she said.
“It is when you’re a bachelor who works long hours.”
Her look of disapproval was weirdly adorable. “You don’t work weekends. Take a Sunday and make a bunch of casseroles and stuff to freeze for the week.”
“Is that what you do?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I’m not that great of a cook, to be honest, but I’ve got some casserole recipes that I don’t mess up too much, and my mom taught me how to make her grandmother’s lasagne. It’s delicious and freezes well. She was going to teach me other recipes but then she…”
He squeezed her hand again. “You must miss her a lot.”
“I do,” she said. “But I have Gideon – sorry again for his behaviour this morning – and I have Grace and Addison and Harper. Grace stayed with me for weeks after my parents died, just moved into the house and upended her entire routine and life to help me through the grieving process. I don’t know what I would have done without her.”
She studied her feet for a moment as they walked slowly down the trail. “Even with Grace, I was still pretty depressed. Which is why Gideon eventually moved home.”
She lapsed into silence and he waited patiently. He had the feeling that there was more to the story and he was intensely curious, but he had just chastised her for asking questions about his past.
When it became apparent that she wasn’t going to say anything else, he said, “Who are Addison and Harper?”
“Addison is Addison Moore. She’s Daniel’s younger sister and works at Harmony Falls Elementary over on Oak Street. She teaches grade one and she’s engaged to Harrison Frank. He’s a corporate lawyer.”
“The names are familiar,” he said.
She nodded. “Addison goes to your clinic, although I think she sees Dr. Henderson. I’m not sure where Harrison goes but he plays ball in the same league as you and Daniel, so you’ve probably seen him at a game.”
“Probably,” he said.
“Harper is Harper Brandt. Her dad is Wilson Brandt.”
“Of Brandt Veterinarian?” Connor asked.
“Yes. Do you have a pet?”
“No, but Grant has a dog he takes to Wilson and Wilson comes into the clinic.”
“Harper actually moved to New York City last year. She’s an artist and she got a job at a fancy art gallery. She’s hoping to get her work shown at the gallery.”
“Is she good?” he asked.
“So good. She works with pencil and charcoal and… man, her work is incredible. An
yway, the four of us have been thick as thieves, as my dad used to say, since we were in grade school and we miss Harper something awful, but she has to live her dream, right?”
“Yeah, it’s important to do what you love.”
She glanced up at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he said. It made him a little uneasy that Kira could read him so well after only a couple of days. He was well known for keeping his feelings hidden, and the fact that she already knew when he was upset by nothing more than the tone of his voice, was… weird and unexpected.
“You sure?”
He nodded. “So, are you closest to Grace?”
“Yes. Grace is an only kid and her parents, they aren’t bad parents, but they aren’t really there for her. Like, they just kind of did their own thing, you know? Even when she was a kid, it was like she was always an afterthought. Anyway, she spent a lot of time at our house when we were young, and my parents loved her like she was their kid.”
She brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “I mean, we’re all close, but Gracie and I are probably closer, and Addie and Harper have their own kind of special thing going on. I know Addie really misses Harper. She’s even gone to New York a couple of times to visit her. Harper hasn’t been back since she left, but she’s coming home for Addison’s wedding.”
“When do they get married?”
“September,” Kira said. “Grace and Harper and I are all bridesmaids. Anyway, we’re supposed to be talking about you, not me. Do you have a best friend?”
“Yes. His name is Lucas. We grew up together. He lives in New Cassel now and works for a company that develops video games.”
“So, he plays video games all day then?”
He laughed. “Yeah, but when you see him at the wedding, don’t say that to him. He’s sensitive about it.”
“Oh, he’ll be at the wedding?”
“Yeah. His family knows Mandy’s family.”
“Sounds like Willington is a lot like Harmony Falls. Everyone knows everyone.”
“Pretty much,” he said.
They were headed toward a curve in the trail and she smiled up at him. “When I was a kid, I used to dream about moving to New Cassel. I thought I would love to live somewhere that I could be anonymous but now…”
“Now what?” he asked as they rounded the curve.
“I realized that I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by the people I love,” she said. “There’s something soothing in routine and – Grace? Gideon? What are you doing – Tank, no! Sit!”
Moving on instinct, Connor tugged Kira behind him, protecting her from the Great Dane’s now familiar enthusiastic greeting as he ran toward them.
“Tank, sit,” he said in a loud voice.
The big dog plopped to his ass, tail sweeping across the dirt trail and his tongue hanging halfway out of his mouth.
“Good boy.” Connor petted the dog’s head as he stared at Grace and Gideon. The big sheriff was standing close to her, his hand wrapped around her wrist. Grace, her face flushed and her body noticeably trembling, was staring up at him.
“You okay, Grace?” Connor said.
She visibly jumped as the sheriff dropped her wrist and backed away until there were a few feet of space between him and Grace.
“She’s fine. She’s with Gideon.” Kira stepped out from behind him and grinned at her best friend and her brother. “Hey, guys. Did you decide to go on a hike together?”
Considering that Kira was so damn good at reading his body language, he found it remarkable that she was completely oblivious to the tension radiating between Grace and Gideon.
Gideon shook his head as Grace said, “No, um, we just ran into each other on the trail.”
Kira frowned. “Are you hiking alone, Gracie?”
She nodded, and for some reason, Kira gave her a look of disapproval. “Grace Larken, you were not! Addie and I strictly forbade you to go hiking alone.”
She glanced up at Connor. “Grace doesn’t have a very good sense of direction. She’s not allowed to go into the park to hike alone. We’re afraid she’ll get lost and be eaten by bears.”
“I’m fine,” Grace said. “I’m not lost, Kira.” She wiped her palms on her thighs and when she winced, Kira dropped his hand and hurried forward.
“What’s wrong? Is that blood on your shirt? Why is there blood on your shirt?”
“Tank knocked me over and I scraped my hand. It’s fine.”
Kira glanced behind her at Tank who was still sitting next to Connor. “Tank! Bad boy! Very bad boy!”
The dog made a low whine and pressed his head against Connor’s hip. Connor rubbed behind Tank’s ears as Kira turned back to Grace and reached for the first aid kit tucked under Grace’s arm. “Here, let me clean it.”
“Gideon already cleaned it,” Grace said. “It’s fine, Kira. It’s just a scrape.”
Kira smiled at Gideon. “Sheriff Gideon to the rescue. Thanks, buddy.”
He grunted before whistling for Tank. The big dog loped over to him as Gideon said to Kira, “Can you walk her out of the park?”
“I can walk myself out of the damn park,” Grace said. Her voice was icy cold and the way she looked at Gideon, suggested she was about three seconds from trying to murder him.
“Can you, Kira?” Gideon ignored Grace completely.
“Yes,” Kira said.
“Thanks.” He stuck his earbuds in his ears and jogged away with Tank at his heels.
Kira smiled at Grace. “So, you were lost, weren’t you?”
“I wasn’t lost!” Grace snapped.
Kira took a step back. “Gracie? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Grace said. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to snap at you and yeah, I was lost.”
Kira put her arm around her and kissed her shoulder. “It’s okay, honey. C’mon and walk with Conner and me.”
Connor joined them. “Hey, Grace.”
“Hey, Connor.” Grace’s eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline when he took Kira’s hand again. “I thought you guys were waiting a couple of weeks before announcing you were dating.”
Kira shrugged. “Connor stopped by this morning to, um, I mean… so we could get to know a few more personal details about each other, and both Daniel and my brother walked in on us. We kind of had to tell them we were dating.”
“Right.” Grace eyed him closely and he busied himself with pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and checking for messages.
“Don’t bother,” Kira said cheerfully. “There’s zero service out here.”
He stuffed his phone back into his pocket as Kira smiled at Grace. “How was your day, Gracie?”
* * *
“So, um, did you want to come in?” Kira gave him a shy smile when he parked in her driveway.
He hesitated and she clasped her knees nervously. “I mean, I thought maybe we could practice a bit more kissing. You know, just so we can, for sure, fool people.”
More than anything, he wanted to say yes but that was a very bad idea. Kira was saving herself for Daniel. She was attracted to Connor, just like he was attracted to her, and there was no denying they had chemistry but that didn’t mean she’d change her mind about not sleeping with him.
Maybe he’d go in there tonight and maybe she’d let him make her come. Maybe she’d even be willing to let him bury his face between her soft thighs so he could find out just how sweet that pussy was that he was suddenly obsessed with tasting. Hell, maybe she’d be willing to give him a handjob or – the front of his jeans suddenly got tight – blowjob, but it didn’t feel right to him to hope that she would be willing to do those things with him.
Or maybe you know it wouldn’t be enough. Maybe you know you’d try and talk her into fucking you.
“Connor?”
He made himself smile at her. “Actually, I think we’ve proven we have enough chemistry to fool people and you’re fine at kissing now. I don’t think we need to keep practicing.”
/> “Oh.” She leaned back, the disappointment etched into her face. “Right, okay. Yeah.”
“Honestly, I’m, uh, not much for PDAs – in fact, I kind of loathe them – so it’s not like I’m going to be kissing you in public anyway.”
A look of embarrassment crossed her face and he groaned inwardly. Christ, he was fucking this up so bad.
“It has nothing to do with you,” he said. “I just – I’m not into that kind of thing.”
“No, I get it,” she said. “It’s all good.”
“We can hold hands and uh, you know the occasional quick kiss is fine, but…”
Shut up, you idiot.
For once, he listened to his inner voice and stopped talking.
She was giving him that fake-edged smile again. “Sounds good. I’ll keep physical touch to hand holding only when we’re out in public. Thanks, Connor. I’ll talk to you later.”
She was out of the car and walking up the porch steps before he could say anything else. Cursing to himself, he waited until she was safely in the house before backing out of the driveway and heading home.
Chapter Seven
“Morning, Lainey.” Kira smiled at the receptionist and stopped at the front desk. “Happy it’s Friday?”
“So happy,” Lainey replied. “There’s a Mr. Stark waiting for you in the boardroom.”
Kira cocked her head. “Stark? As in Iron Man?”
“Do not make that joke,” Lainey said. “I did, and let’s just say he didn’t find it funny. Anyway, he’s waiting for you. Oh, and just a reminder – you need to let me know when you have client appointments so that I can add it to my calendar.”
“I didn’t have an appointment. I don’t even know who he is,” Kira said.
“Seriously? Because he asked for you by name,” Lainey said. The phone rang and she scooped it up. “Rose and Ray Realty, Lainey speaking. How can I help you?”
Kira walked to her cubicle and set her purse under her desk before glancing at the boardroom. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen and, straightening her skirt, walked to the boardroom. She pasted a smile on her face and stepped into the room.
Sweet Harmony (Harmony Falls, Book One) Page 8
