Page 53
And before he had a body, he knew me. Pieces of me, at least. Enough that my voice was familiar before the world was. That is a hell of a lot of weight on one side of the scale.
“Laura?”
His voice pulls me back into the kitchen. I uncross my arms and realize my fingers have left shallow marks in the skin above my elbows.
“I’m thinking.”
“I can tell.”
“About something that matters.”
The humor leaves his face. “Okay.”
The oven gives me an excuse to turn away. I move faster than I need to and open it even though the peaches can’t possibly be ready. A wave of heat washes over my face. For two seconds I get to concentrate on marshmallows that have barely begun to soften instead of the man waiting behind me.
I close the oven. The reprieve was embarrassingly short. Kell is still waiting.
“I called you here.”
“Yes.”
“No, I mean…” I rub one hand over my forehead. “I made the wish. You came into being in my house. You live here. I’m paying for things right now because you don’t have money yet. I’m the person you knew before you even had a body.”
Kell listens without interrupting.
“I need to know that none of that is why you kissed me.”
His brow furrows. “Why would it be?”
“Because there’s a difference between wanting something and feeling like you owe somebody something.”
“I know.”
“I’m not sure you can know yet how complicated that can get.”
The easy amusement leaves his face completely. “You bought me paint today.”
“That’s part of what I’m talking about.”
“You did not tell me what to paint.”
“I know.”
“You bought me clothes yesterday.”
“Yes.”
“I chose them.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted the jam in one place. I put it somewhere else.”
“That’s not going in the official record as proof of your independence.”
“It should.”
“Kell.”
