AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Once I reached the landing, I took a deep breath of mostly fume-free air. I noticed scaffolding in place in the living room, and the hardwood floors were covered in tarps. I only hoped Eva had picked a better color for the downstairs. It made me glad Kane and I were spending all day together. Not that I needed the extra incentive to spend time with Kane.
I prayed I didn’t mess this up too badly. I’d been trying to think of things to talk about that made me sound interesting and intelligent. I thought about reciting Robert Frost or talking about the Jackson Pollock exhibition I’d gone to last year. If only I knew what we were doing. Kane had said he wanted to surprise me. No one was more surprised than me that this was even happening.
When the doorbell rang, I jumped. Auggie really needed to replace it. It sounded like a large gong vibrating throughout the house.
I tiptoed toward the door, giving myself a pep talk as I went. You got this. You didn’t wear a lacy bra, so there should be no snagging incidents. Really, though, just don’t stick your hand down your bra. With that I opened the massive mahogany door to find Kane standing there looking like a magazine ad in khaki shorts that showed off his tapered waist, a tight white tee showcasing his defined muscles, and leather boat shoes.
He took off his shades and rested them on his head. “Hello,” he drawled while perusing me.
“Hi.” I sounded like a breathy teenager.
“You ready to go?” He sounded anxious.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
I walked through the door and shut it behind me. The warm morning air hit me like a wet blanket, but not even the humidity could dampen my spirits.
Kane walked beside me toward his silver luxury sedan. “You look beautiful,” he said, sounding about as nervous as I felt.
I wondered why he was nervous. “Thank you. You look beautiful too . . . I mean handsome.”
He chuckled. “I like to think of myself as beautiful.”
“Well, you are,” I whispered.
Before he opened the passenger-side door for me, he tugged on my arm. “You are too. Don’t forget that.”
Around him, it seemed plausible that I was.
He opened the door and I slid in. Unfortunately, I wasn’t careful and my dress came up more than I wanted it to. Kane was a gentleman and didn’t draw attention to it. I was glad because my thighs looked like they were smiling with all the dimples.
When he shut the door, I adjusted my dress before he got in and begged myself not to over obsess about it. Kane knew I didn’t have a runway model body. Victoria’s Secret and I weren’t spending any time together.
As soon as Kane was settled in his seat, he turned toward me. “Prepare yourself for a day like no other. We will begin with zombies.”
“Zombies?” I smiled.
“Yes, ma’am. I noticed you had The Walking Dead on in the background a couple of nights ago when we were talking on the phone. Did you know they do a Big Zombie Tour that takes you around to all the sites they used in Atlanta for filming?”
Okay, I’d never thought like this about anyone in my life except Benedict Cumberbatch and Landon Drummond, but I wanted to marry Kane. I seriously considered asking him right there. I mean, it would require him to follow me to medical school, put up with Celtic music, and save me from crumbs down my bra for the rest of his life, but I would make it worth it. Not sure how, but I would figure it out for him.
“I didn’t know that.” I was blown away by his thoughtfulness.
That seemed to please him, considering how wide his smile was.
He flipped his shades down. “Let’s go.”
Yes, let’s go.
~*~
I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous sitting next to Kane on the luxury bus while we headed to our first location. I didn’t know what to do with my hands. Should I rest them in my lap? Keep them clasped? Wring them? I had pretty much done everything I could with my hands while we listened to our tour guide, Michael, who happened to be an actual zombie on the show. He knew all the insider information. Even who was dating who on the show. Several women on the bus were talking about the juicy gossip while I was trying not to touch my date.
Kane did things to me. His scent, his body heat, the way he would smile over at me, all had me wanting to crawl onto his lap. This particular reaction had never happened to me before, which made me edgy, even twitchy.
Kane finally put me out of my misery and rested his hand over mine. “Why are you so nervous?”
Because I want to accost you even though I’m not sure how to go about that. Thankfully, I kept that to myself. Instead, I stared down at his hand on mine. There was a kind of comfort associated with it that I couldn’t explain. It just felt right.
