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“Kendall,” he retorts, mockingly.
I clench my jaw at how familiar his words are, his tone reminding me of years past. And for once, I close my eyes to hide the burning in my eyes and the yearning in my heart, as I pretend it’s Harry’s fingers running through my hair in such a soothing manner.
I wonder where he is at this very moment.
Is he thinking about me?
Does he remember me?
Does he miss me?
Sharp amber eyes and a bald head that the woman who ran the orphanage kept bald as punishment for his behavior.
I take a deep breath and swallow past the dryness in my voice. “Let’s just get the dress and go back to the office.”
“If you think I’m going to pretend this never happened, Kendall, you’re wrong,” Caleb says lightly, his fingers still running through my hair.
“This is highly inappropriate,” I mumble, feeling sleepy. “And if I had the strength, I would call you out on this.”
“Lucky for me you don’t then,” Caleb says, his voice fuzzy in my ears.
In fact, I can’t keep my eyes open for much longer and I slide into the peaceful oblivion of unconsciousness.
When I wake up, it’s in my own bed.
My head feels stuffy and I stare at the ceiling in a daze.
Did I pass out?
It takes me a few minutes to recall the events of the dress shopping incident and I close my eyes in embarrassment.
Lana had seen the scars on my back. She had seen the ugliest part of me and then she had told Caleb.
Why it matters that he knows isn’t something I’m ready to think about just yet. For now, I need to ready myself for the consequences of all this.
There are always consequences.
I sit up in bed, gingerly rubbing my temples, feeling the echoes of a headache. I’ve never passed out after a panic attack before and I push down on the shame.
It’s evening. I’ve been out for a few hours.
It takes me a few minutes to steady myself but when I go out, Max is sitting on the kitchen counter, doing his homework with a sulky expression on his face and Tracy is sitting on the L-shaped couch in the living room, bundled up in a robe.
Hearing my shuffling footsteps, she looks over her shoulder, and her eyes widen as she jumps to her feet. “Damn it, Kendall!” She crosses the distance between us in a couple of seconds and engulfs me in a tight hug. She sighs. “Damn it.”
Max looks up and his face brightens but he senses that the situation is somewhat delicate. As Tracy leads me to the couch, Max climbs down from his high seat and comes over to me, looking at me in an adorably anxious way. “Mama said you’re hurt. Do you want me to kiss it better?”
I give a short laugh and kiss his cheek. “Thank you, baby, but I’m okay.” However, he seems eager to cheer me up, so I nudge him. “Why don’t you go make me a drawing? I promise that will help.”
His whole face lights up and he’s scrambling for his crayons and paper.
“Caleb brought you home,” Tracy tells me once Max is out of hearing range. “I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but I had to kick the man out. He refused to leave ‘til you had woken up. Talk about stubborn. And then he sent you this.” She gestures towards a large flat box lying on the dining table in the other room. “I didn’t open it. But I read the card.”
When she smirks, I feel wary and go to check the contents of the box.
There’s a small note on it, ‘Your choice in dresses is absolutely dismal. -Caleb’
The words have me scowling in insult as I remove the lid and then my breath catches, all hopes of blending in like a wallflower fading away as I behold the deep red dress which shimmers as it catches the light when I hold it up. It’s modest in the back, has a deep neckline and full-length sleeves that taper off in strange fashion.
