Page 30 of Miss Understanding

Chapter Sixteen

Liam

One minute Kendall was standing there, her face getting red while reading Tonya’s not-so-subtle note, then the next she proceeded to push the cart as if this was a normal everyday occurrence.

I didn’t bring up the whole fake girlfriend thing again while in the store. Probably wise as it was in fact a small town and the checkout clerk knew about everyone, evidently including my assistant.

“You’re back, honey. Whatcha making tonight?”

“Hi, Peggy. Enchiladas. Black beans and rice.”

“Sounds good. Hi, Liam. Nice to see you again.”

I couldn’t place her, even after reading her nametag. “Nice to see you, too, Peggy,” I offered, wanting nothing more than to down my Advil and go lie down. But I had to drive over to help my mom pick out a headstone.

Once the bags were in the truck and we were settled inside, I turned to Kendall. “Do you mind telling me what the hell that was all about in the store with Tonya?”

She sighed. “I could say the same to you. For wanting me to rescue you, you did a lousy job of acting. And I can’t believe the nerve of her. Giving you her card implying I’m not a real woman.”

My gaze floated to Kendall’s purple sparkly boots. They could be part of the reason. She looked like she could be my kid sister.

“Gotta say, I’m not a fan of high school Liam’s taste in women.”

Yeah, that made two of us. I certainly hadn’t dated Tonya for her personality.

“Where did you get the idea to be my fake girlfriend to begin with?” This was a small town, and news of her being my girlfriend was bound to reach my mother. My sister was already suspicious, so this wasn’t what I needed.

“How the hell else did you intend for me to rescue you?”

“I don’t know—something else.”

She simply blinked three times. “Like what?”

I didn’t have a clue. Matter of fact, her idea probably was the best one. But I didn’t like how it was making me feel. “Look, this is a small town. The last thing I need are for people to think I’m in a relationship with my assistant.”

A pretty blush crept up on her face. “Right, I mean with all the times you come back to Tazewell, I’m sure it’ll really affect your reputation. You wanted a rescue. I went with the path of least resistance, not that it seemed to deter her. Must’ve been some prom night.”

I had to keep myself from an awful shudder. “Point taken.”

One had to admit I hadn’t given Kendall a lot of choices. But she’d been clever. Now I needed to ignore the fantasy of me ripping off her green puffy coat and having her naked beneath me. I was all out of sorts and blamed the fact on my apology this morning. From there on out, it had become weird all the way around. Having her in my sweater. Spending time with her in the house. Having her be my fake girlfriend for a half a minute. Now having her come to my sister’s house tonight. I could practically feel the lines blurring.

“Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

I shook my head, chuckling despite wanting to pretend I was annoyed. “No, you’re not.”

She flashed me a smile—the type that hit me square in my solar plexus. The kind I’d never been lucky enough to have been on the receiving end of.

“You’re right. I’m not sorry. Consider it retribution for thinking I was trying to play house with you the first day.”

I wasn’t sure when we’d crossed the line into this easy teasing banter, or her giving me special smiles, but I found myself preferring it to the icy coldness we’d previously established. Which was a problem. A big problem judging by the way I was having a hard time breathing without smelling her strawberry lip gloss.

Suddenly, I needed space. Space to figure out how to get back into a professional balance and routine. I reasoned it was the circumstances of the week making me feel off-kilter.

“I’m dropping you off at the house. Then I have some errands to run.”

“’Kay.” She either didn’t notice my panic or was simply too laid-back to care. Either way, I was relieved once we pulled up in the driveway.

I stepped out of the truck to help her with the grocery bags, then was out the front door and back on the road in minutes, already breathing easier with each mile I put between us. I had no destination in mind as I was too early to meet my mom and sister, but I found myself back at the cemetery my grandparents were buried in.