Page 26 of Meant to be Mine

“I appreciate that.”

“New rule,” I said. “You call when you need to talk. I don’t care what time it is.”

Her blue eyes gazed into mine. “Okay,” she said.

“Okay.”

We ate for a while without talking. Yeah, this is good. Our hands touched when we both reached for the same roll. An electric charge whipped through me.

I took a deep breath and thought about what would happen if I touched her. Not a friend touch. A real touch. My heart pounded.

But I didn’t want to ruin anything. I pulled my hand away.

“I should probably get home. Help my mom with her puzzle.”

I nodded, realizing I might have made things weird.

She started gathering the containers. I helped her consolidate everything back into the bag. And then we were both standing there staring at each other. Close enough that I could see the small crease at the corner of her eye when she smiled. Close enough that I was suddenly very aware of the vanilla scent I’d been smelling all day.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said.

“Tomorrow,” I agreed.

She held my gaze for exactly one second longer than necessary, and then she was gone.

That was not in my head. I had not just imagined that. There was a spark. She felt it. I had to believe that.

I grabbed my wallet, keys, and phone and left. A few staff were still closing up when I headed downstairs.

The drive up the PCH at night was the one thing that could reliably empty my head. The traffic wasn’t horrible. Unfortunately, there was nothing to stop me from thinking about her. More about what happened if I tried to cross that line.

I pulled into my driveway, staring up at the dark house. I’d bought this place because of the deck and the unobstructed view of the water. Most nights I stood out there for a few minutes before bed just to decompress. It was the best thing I’d ever spent money on.

I went inside, changed out of the suit, poured two fingers of bourbon I didn’t particularly want, and went out on the deck.

It wasn’t just me feeling the shift between Kensey and me. I knew it but would either of us ever act on it?

10

KENSEY

Isipped my soda and stared at nothing but white jigsaw pieces. The puzzle served as an effective distraction. I was waiting for the delivery of the dress Annika had been working on for me. I was nervous for some reason. My parents were doing a terrible job of distracting me.

And then the doorbell rings.

“Got it!” Dad said from the living room.

All three of us rushed to the door. A courier in a black uniform stood on the front step holding a large garment bag and a sleek white box. Both had the Blackwell Couture logo embossed on them in gold.

“Kensey Blake?”

“That’s me.”

“Special delivery.” He handed them over and quickly walked away.

Mom clapped her good hand against her thigh. “Well, bring it inside. Don’t just stand there. Let’s see it!

I hung the garment bag on the hall closet door and unzipped it slowly. The fabric caught the light the moment it was exposed, that same deep, blue color Annika had decided was perfect. This was not a dress you found on a rack. This was a dress someone spent some time thinking about.