Chapter 11

 

Kenzie shifted on her chair while the chatter from the other tables accentuated their silence. Mason’s mother sipped her water. Finally, she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Have you read any good books lately?”

Delores peered at her over her lifted water glass. “I really don’t read much.”

“Oh.” Kenzie unwrapped her napkin, placing her silverware on the table. She spread the napkin onto her lap. The silence was deafening so she tried again. “I noticed you ordered salad. Is that what you usually get?”

“Yes.” Delores set her water down, but didn’t say anything else.

Mason squirmed and Kenzie shot him a ‘help me out’ look. “Have you heard back from Uncle Lloyd? Is he going to make it to the reunion this year?”

His mother smiled and touched her perfectly styled hair. “Yes, he and Irene are both coming. His surgery went well and he’s back to his old self. Even his son is going to make it.”

“Really? He’s on leave?”

“Yes. It will be great to see Evan.”

The conversation stalled again and Kenzie wracked her brain as to what she could say. Nothing came to mind. She wondered how long she’d have to sit there before she could duck out again. A text came through on her phone.

Are you okay?

Her sister was worried about her. It was so rude not to be there. She couldn’t leave her sister hanging any longer. Mason would have to deal with the aftermath. She held her phone to her face and said, “Oh, no.”

Delores frowned. “What is it?”

“My aunt broke out of jail. Formed a gang. I’ve got to go. Family emergency.”

Shock crossed Delores’s face, her mouth dropping open, but Kenzie didn’t wait around for the questions. She shot out of her seat and walked as quickly as she could out of the restaurant. As she was sprinting down the hallway, she could only think one thing: she had somehow been transported into a bad movie.

She slipped back into the clubhouse and ignored all the stares as she took her seat. The room sat deathly silent, and Kenzie couldn’t stand it. She said the first thing that popped into her head. “Well. Don’t use that bathroom for a while.”

A few of the girls giggled, but Tessa looked concerned. “You okay?”

“Yes.”

Brenda raised an eyebrow. “We were about to start a new game. We’re splitting up into two teams. One member will be chosen to be the model. The rest of the team will design a wedding gown . . . with toilet paper. The best toilet paper gown will win, and all the team members will pick a prize.”

Kenzie kept watch of the door while they played party games, but luckily Mason didn’t show up again. Maybe he was afraid of what else she’d say to his mother if he dragged her back there. Served him right, though. She held in a smile.

After the games were done, they sat back down in the circle and drank champagne. “Kenzie,” Brenda said, flipping her blonde hair behind her shoulder. She smiled, but for some reason it made Kenzie apprehensive. “Tessa tells us you do this thing, like a fortune teller or something.”

Tessa’s eyes widened.

“Well,” Kenzie said, “It’s more like looking at people and deducing things. Like Sherlock Holmes.”

“Oh,” one of the ladies on the other side said. “Like, you can look at people and figure stuff out about them?”

“Yes.” Kenzie nodded. She didn’t know why Tessa had a look of horror on her face.

“Do it,” Brenda said, grinning. “Tell us stuff about everyone.”

Kenzie glanced around the room. The first thing to catch her attention was the woman wearing comfortable shoes. They reminded her of nursing shoes. “You’re a nurse,” she said, pointing to the woman.

Another woman held a purse with puppies on it. “You own a dog,” she said. Adele raised an eyebrow and Kenzie noticed she had a ring indention on her hand, but no wedding ring. “You’re divorced,” she said.

Tessa stood. “Maybe we should—”

“No,” Brenda interrupted. “Let her keep going. This is fascinating.”

Kenzie looked at the woman tapping her foot. “You have somewhere else you need to be.”

The woman’s gaze darted to Tessa. “No, I don’t.”

Kenzie shrugged; she always got a few wrong. She pointed to the woman who had brought out her keys, a photo of a young boy dangling from the ring. “You have a son.”

“Oh, my gosh,” Brenda said. “Tessa, you are so right. She’s terrible at this!”

Kenzie’s gaze snapped to Tessa, who looked mortified. Brenda continued. “That’s not Angie’s son. It’s her nephew. Gail isn’t a nurse, she teaches middle school. And Gina’s allergic to dogs.” Brenda laughed and everyone joined in.

Heat rose to Kenzie’s cheeks, and Tessa shot her a guilty look. Kenzie stood. “I should go.”

She headed to the door and Tessa caught up with her, grabbing her arm. “Kenzie, wait. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m still practicing.” Who was she kidding? She knew she wasn’t very good at it yet. Why did she even open her mouth?

“You got Adele’s right. She is divorced.”

Laughter rang out from the ladies and Kenzie felt her cheeks flame even hotter. “Sorry, I need to go.”

“I’m sure they’re not laughing at you.”

Kenzie didn’t care. Their laughter didn’t hurt nearly as much as knowing that Tessa had talked about her behind her back. She turned and walked out.

 

***

 

Camden stepped off the yacht onto the dock, the boards creaking as he walked toward the resort. Eric had kept his promise to Tessa: no strippers or anything outrageous. They drank expensive whisky, smoked cigars, and played poker on the boat. He’d learned Eric had a wicked poker face. Now his wallet was several hundred dollars lighter.

He walked along the boardwalk, enjoying the salty air and light breeze. The moon hung low in the sky, a choppy reflection hitting the water. He stopped for a moment to listen to the sounds of the beach at night.

A shadow caught his eye. Someone crossed the patio and sat down at a table up by the resort. It looked like Kenzie, so he continued to walk up the boardwalk. When he got close enough, and could see it really was Kenzie, he spoke. “You okay?”

Kenzie looked up, startled. “Yeah. I guess.”

Her eyes were red, as if she’d been crying. “What happened?”

She rubbed her arms and curled her legs up to her chest. She wore a giant t-shirt and leggings. Her feet were bare. “What do you want to know? The part about my sister betraying me, or the part about Mason’s mother showing up?”

He pulled out a chair, the metal scraping against the cement. “Neither one sounds good.”

“I know. I’ve had a terrible night.” She looked out over the ocean. “I just want tomorrow to end so we can head back home.”

“What happened with Mason’s mother?” he asked softly.

“She showed up wanting to have dinner with us as a couple. I had to make some lame excuse and leave. I’m sure she’s livid that I would treat her that way.”

“She still doesn’t know?”

“No.” Kenzie turned her gaze to him. “And I can’t tell her. Her husband is dying. His last wish is to have the family all there for the reunion next week.”

He gently put his hand on hers. “But you’re not part of the family. Not anymore.”

“He thinks I am. He wants me there. How can I refuse?”

Camden wanted to say, “You just say no,” but he bit back the words. Who was he to tell her what to do? Instead, he said, “You have a tender heart. I like that about you.”

He probably shouldn’t have added the second part, because she pulled her hand away from his and drew her legs up closer. “Thanks.”

Something sparkled and he stared at her hand. He swallowed. “What is that?”

She looked down at her hand and sighed. “I forgot to take that off.” She slid the wedding ring off her finger and stared at it.

Camden wanted to ask her about it, but figured he could put the pieces together on his own. Her ex had given her the ring so it looked like they were still married. She blinked and stuffed it in her purse.

Time to change the subject. “What happened with your sister?”

Kenzie didn’t meet his gaze. “She told everyone I was no good at my Sherlock Holmes thing.”

“What? At the party?”

“No. Apparently, I’m so bad at it, she’d been talking about it to her friends. They decided to see for themselves.” She sniffed and rubbed her nose with one knuckle.

Oh no. He knew she was no good at it, but it was fun to watch her try to guess things about him. She must have embarrassed herself at the party. “That’s not good.”

She waved his comment away. “It’s okay. I never was really good at it. I was fooling myself.” She stopped and looked at him. “Except for you. I guessed you were a construction worker.”

Guilt bubbled up in his stomach. It had been harmless to let her think that at first. But now that they were getting to know each other, it somehow made him feel bad that he’d let her think that. And now it would be too awkward to admit the truth, especially after what she’d said about men who have an obscene amount of money. He looked at the stars above the water. “You have many talents.”

“No, I think I just got lucky. Today taught me something. I should keep my party tricks to myself.” She laughed and sat back, putting her bare feet on the cement. “I should also stop being so impulsive,” she added quietly.

“Is that why you married Mason?”

She fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “I suppose you could say that. I made a rash decision, and it seems like those never pay off.”

“Hey,” he said, faking an insulted tone. “You brought me here on a rash decision.”

She smiled at him, her eyes lighting up. “You’re right. And you were probably the best decision I’ve made in a long time.”

Warmth filled him, and for some reason he wanted to pull her to him. Instead, he gave her a cheesy grin. “The best, huh?”

She whacked his arm, but let out a laugh anyway. Then she lowered her gaze. “Yes.”

He stood, his chair scraping backward on the cement. “Want to go walk by the beach?”

She glanced at his clothes. “You don’t mind rolling up your pants? Because if we go down there, I’m wading in the water.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then let’s race.” She sprang up from her chair and sprinted toward the boardwalk. He took off after her. It wasn’t hard to catch up to her, but when they got to the sand she raced ahead while he stopped to take off his shoes and socks.

“No fair,” he called out as she made it to the water. He took another minute to roll up his pants.

“It was fair. You totally could have kept going.”

He laughed. “And ruin my five-hundred-dollar shoes?”

Her eyes widened. “Those cost five hundred dollars?”

He froze. He hadn’t meant to tell her that. She tugged up her leggings as he finished rolling his pants. He ignored her question and walked across the sand, still warm from the heat of the day. “Is the water cold?”

“A little. Warmer than that stinkin’ pool.” She grinned at him.

A wave gathered on the water and came in, rushing over his feet. “You’re right. It’s not too bad.”

She waited while he caught up to her. “This is nice,” she said as they walked, the waves hitting their ankles. His hand brushed against hers, and without thinking he grabbed hold of it. It felt right, holding her hand in his, but another part of him worried he was being too forward. Yet he didn’t want to let go either.

She looked up at him. “Thanks for making me feel better.”

He smiled at her, not speaking, just enjoying the sound of the water. They walked until the lights from the resort were far enough away that they were left in the dark, with only the moon to guide them.

 “Can I ask you something?” Kenzie said, her voice quiet against the sounds of the sea.

“Yes.”

“Do you think I’m crazy? I mean,” she rushed on, “do you think it’s insane to consider going to Mason’s family reunion? Am I getting myself into trouble?”

“Yes.”

A hurt look crossed her face, and he rushed to explain. “I don’t mean yes to you being crazy. I do think you’re opening yourself up to trouble if you go with Mason. There’s something about that guy I don’t like. I don’t trust him.” He stopped walking and turned to her. “Do you?”

She bit her lower lip, telling him all he needed to know. “See? You don’t trust him either.”

“I know.” Her gaze slid to the ocean. “But I feel like I need to do this one last thing.”

“Then take me with you.” The words surprised himself, and he blinked.

She laughed. “I can’t bring a boyfriend to my husband’s family reunion!”

He chuckled. “No, but you could bring your personal assistant. Your jewelry business is taking off, right? You could have me make your calls. Ship your orders.”

She squinted at him, as if she was considering his words. “You’d go with me to California? That’s a little more than a five-hour drive.”

He’d have to clear his calendar, but it would work. “Yes.”

She hopped up and down. She stood on her tip toes and kissed him. “You’re brilliant.”

He couldn’t help it, he pulled her close. “Brilliant, huh?”

She smiled up at him. “I did say that, didn’t I? Don’t let it go to your head.”

He stared down at her, and his playfulness evaporated. Her lips were too inviting, and he slowly came toward her, looking for a sign that she didn’t want him to kiss her. When she didn’t back away, he brushed his lips against hers. She closed her eyes, and he tightened his hold on her, bringing her closer and kissing her again, slowly, enjoying the taste of her lips.

When the kiss was over she pulled back, a frown on her face. “I’m sorry, I hope I haven’t given you the wrong impression.”

His heart sank. He let go of her and stepped back, unsure of what to say to her.

She rubbed her neck and didn’t meet his gaze. “I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

Ouch. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked out at the waves. “I totally understand.” The words came out, but he didn’t mean them. He really didn’t understand. Against his better judgement he was starting to feel something for her, and thought maybe she felt it too.

Apparently he was wrong.