Bette put her hand on her lower back and bit her bottom lip in the most adorable way, making Kerrie's heart flutter as Bette considered the contents of the unit. "Maybe we should move the most important stuff first. I need my bed for sure. I've got some stuff from my mother's house in my car already that I use every day."
Zoe snorted. "I bet she took you moving out well."
"Well..." grimaced Bette.
Mouth dropping open, Zoe's eyes widened fully. "You haven't told her, have you?"
Shrugging, Bette lifted her chin. "I'm an adult. I can move out if I want. Plus, she's on a weekend trip to Chattanooga with her church group. She won't be back until tomorrow evening, and I'll have everything out of there by then."
"She's not going to like that."
"She'll live."
Clapping her hands together to get them back on track, Kerrie said, "Alright, that sounds like we have some moving to do then. Bette, why don't you point out what you want? Kenny," Kerrie turned to her brother, "you're in charge of remembering which items she wants moved. Can you do that?"
"Yep," her brother nodded.
"He's got a great memory," Kerrie grinned at Bette and Zoe. "Mine's shot to hell."
It didn't take long for Kerrie to remember that she didn't like moving. She was thankful that the day had changed from super sunny to overcast. Direct sunlight would have made it even worse. Bette had said she didn't have a lot, but there was enough that it took three trips with both vehicles.
Kenny had charmed Bette and Zoe by the end of the first trip. He always had a way of making friends with everyone. His personality was infectious, and she saw a side of him that she hadn't seen in a while. He was all smiles, enjoying being out of the house. She had kept an eye on him continuously, but he didn't seem to be in pain or short of breath. His cheeks were a little pink, but otherwise, he seemed fine. Granted he wasn't lifting things, but he was walking around, holding doors, and keeping track of where all the boxes needed to go. He was really good at remembering things like that.
"Kenny, do you like slushies from Sonic?" Zoe asked as they unloaded the last box from Bette's car into the apartment. All of them were sweating, and the cold air of the air-conditioned apartment was welcoming.
Kenny nodded. He loved anything sweet, just like Kerrie did. He also got a kick out of his favorite flavor, turning his tongue blue. "Yeah, I like the blue coconut."
"My favorite flavor is the strawberry. It even has little real pieces of strawberry in it," said Zoe with a smile. "Do you want to go to Sonic and get one? I think it's happy hour. We could use a break."
The pit of Kerrie's stomach began to flip. She never liked for him to be out of her sight. "I don't know. Maybe we could all—"
Bette put her hand on Kerrie's arm, looking up at her with soft eyes. Her body heat and the cold air of the apartment were starkly different. "It's just 10 minutes down the road, and they wouldn't even get out of the car. While they're gone, you can put together the bed for me."
"I don't know," Kerrie said, rubbing the back of her neck. It was just down the road, but anything could happen.
"Please, Kerrie," begged Kenny, shifting from side to side. She really wished that Zoe hadn't said it in front of him, because now she felt obligated to let him go. And Bette's increasing pressure on her forearm wasn't helping.
With a sigh, she reluctantly nodded, going against her gut. "Okay, but no getting out of the car, and you go there and back."
"Awesome!" exclaimed Zoe. She turned and linked arms with Kenny, who immediately followed her without hesitation—a strong smile on his face. "We'll be back. Do you want anything?"
"Diet Dr. Pepper," called Bette.
"Same. Here, Kenny, why don't you buy us all drinks?" She reached into her pocket, fishing out her worn leather wallet. She handed Kenny a $20 bill.
Kenny took the bill and grinned widely. "Drinks on me."
She watched them go out the door with a cloud of worry settling over her. She wanted to follow them—tail them all the way and back. She fought the urge by telling herself it wasn't far, and she trusted Bette's judgment, which surprised her. She normally took a while to warm up enough to form trust, especially when dealing with Kenny, but something about her warm, nurturing spirit put her at ease.
Perhaps sensing her worry, Bette moved closer, briefly rubbing the small of Kerrie's back. A touch she hadn't experienced in years and sent tingles all over her body. She was sure Bette could feel the small shiver that went up her spine. "They'll be just fine. Zoe is mature and used to babysit all the time. She's used to taking care of someone."
"Did any of them have heart conditions?"
Bette rolled her eyes. "It's just down the road. Now come on, I need a bed put together. I'd rather not sleep on the floor tonight."
Sighing, Kerrie pushed at her worrying thoughts. "I'll go get my drill."
Kerrie gathered what she needed to put the wooden sleigh bed with the notched inlay together. It was a sturdy piece of furniture. High-quality material and well-maintained. Just seeing the few pieces of furniture Bette had, Kerrie knew that Bette had a taste for the finer things. Classy. It was a little intimidating. Kerrie liked Bette. The feeling grew more and more as they spent time together, but Kerrie wasn't sure she was Bette's type. To go from a lawyer to an addiction counselor seemed a little far-fetched.
