17
Kate
Kate relished the feeling of the sun on her cheeks and the heat of Kirk’s hand around hers.
The sidewalks of Philadelphia were filled with young and old and everyone seemed to be smiling, as if they could feel her happiness.
Kirk was focused on the world around them, eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of danger, even as he stroked her knuckle with his thumb.
She wondered if he realized how good he was at his job. He’d held it for less than twenty-four hours, yet he was one of the best bodyguards she’d ever had.
Beatrix and Buck were leading the way, chatting about someone they had met at the party the night before. Bea looked happy, her rare smile lighting up her face again and again.
“What are you thinking about?” Cecily asked.
“Just thinking it’s nice to see Bea in such a good mood before noon,” Kate said.
“Why?” Solo asked.
“Beatrix is not a morning person,” Kate explained. “She doesn’t like to wake up.”
“She didn’t wake up,” Solo pointed out.
He had a point.
Cecily laughed. “Solo, you’re hilarious,” she said, patting him on the arm and turning back to Kate.
Solo blinked in a pleased way and glanced down at the place Cecily had patted.
Buck opened the door to the diner and Beatrix swept in, the others following. The host seated them in a large booth and wandered away to find a waitress. Kirk picked up a menu and paged through it with an expression of wonder.
“All of these foods are made in this place?” he asked.
Kate nodded.
“That is impossible,” he said.
“The part of the restaurant that we can see is less than half the size of the place,” she explained. “Below us there’s a basement full of freezers and refrigerators with ingredients. In the room behind this one there are rows of ovens and cook tops as big as this table. And there are dozens of people working back there too.”
“This is very clever,” Kirk said. “The restaurant gives the appearance of leisure, yet hard work is being done just out of sight.”
“I never thought of it that way, but yes, I guess that’s true,” Kate allowed.
“Hi there,” a waitress chirped. “What can I bring you all to drink? Oh wow.”
That last was in response to the three hot guys at the table.
Kate realized belatedly that they had gotten careless and brought the boys out in public together. Hopefully the crowd at the diner wasn’t as alien-crazy as the one at Comic Con.
Cecily took over ordering for the table as the waitress managed to stop ogling the boys long enough to write everything down. At last she tottered away.
“She was checking you out,” Beatrix said to Buck.
“You are jealous,” Solo observed, looking from Beatrix to his brother and back.
“No, I’m not,” Beatrix retorted.
“She is,” Solo told Cecily.
“Yeah, but it’s bad manners to notice,” Cecily told him.
“My apologies,” Solo said very politely to Beatrix.
Bea looked like steam might come out her ears.
“There is no need for you to feel jealous of this waitress woman,” Buck remarked, grinning at her. “I will gladly tell you what I would like to eat whenever you wish.”
Beatrix started to scowl at him, but it finished as a smile. It was as if her own face had betrayed her by echoing his expression.
Bea had it bad.
Kate was glad. Bea needed to let loose and connect with people. Buck was good for her. He might get her nose out of her comic books for a change.
The waitress came back to cover the table in coffee cups. Another waitress had joined her. She was helping to carry the mugs of coffee, but Kate suspected she was there more to check out the view.
When her eyes slid down Kirk’s body, Kate felt herself stiffening in affront.
But the big alien didn’t seem to notice. Or if he did, he gave no indication as he ignored both waitresses and turned to Kate, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
All better.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she slid it out to check.
1 text message
Carol:
I saw PopWire today. Your little secret is out. Or maybe I should say your “big” secret. LOL. Now I get why you didn’t want another bodyguard. You go, girl! (But next time, please inform me so we can get out in front of it and milk it for PR!)
“What the heck?” Kate muttered.
Kate:
What are you talking about?
Carol:
Oh shit, you didn’t see it. PopWire - front page, you won’t miss it.
Kate clicked the link. She didn’t even have to scroll down.
Who is the mystery man with Katie Henderson?
There were pictures of her at the Con, sitting beside Kirk, taken with a cell phone.
It wasn’t so bad. Nothing had happened between them in public She could still play him off as just a bodyguard. She scrolled through them quickly.
Then she hit the last photo.
In the picture Kate was smiling at a fan, and patting Kirk’s hand.
Kirk gazed at Kate, a slight smile tugging up the sides of his lips, his gray eyes rapturous under the long lashes.
He wasn’t looking at her as a client, or a colleague or even a friend.
No, Kirk was gazing at Kate with a naked expression of love. His feelings were as clear as if he had written her a sonnet and posted it on a billboard.
Kate’s stomach dropped to her feet.
“Is everything okay?” Cecily asked.
“Kate?” Kirk whispered, touching her hand.
She turned her phone off quickly and slipped out of the booth.
“I-I need to go,” she muttered.
“Kate,” Cecily said.
“Just look at PopWire,” she said. “And then get these guys separated. It’s only a matter of time before someone figures out who they are.”
“Wait,” Kirk called out.
She dashed out of the diner and onto the street where the sun suddenly seemed too bright and the heartless pedestrians too cheerful.