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They sat side-by-side in silence for a moment. Their cartons were empty. But the air was filled with palpable energy.
“If I had it all to do again,” he said. “I would’ve used all my strength to lock you away until you realized that you deserved better than him.”
Kylee gave him a small smile, but sadness pulled at the corner of her eyes. “It’s in the past.”
“Yes, it is. This is the present. I was weak then.”
“And, what?” Her smile broadened. “Now you’re strong. Those are the lyrics to a song.”
“Yes, I am. I am strong now.”
Her smile faltered as she gazed at him. “And if I tried to date another jerk?”
“He’d have to get past me first.”
Ron watched her swallow. Her lips were right there for the taking. And she wasn’t pulling away from him. No, she was leaning towards him. His dream was just an inch away from him. All he needed to do was reach out and take it.
It was happening. It was happening just like he’d dreamed of as a kid sitting on this couch with her. It was happening just like he’d planned after she walked back into his life the other day and he’d begun daydreaming again. Funnily enough, his adult plans still had this scene taking place on this same couch.
They’d be eating take-out. He’d turn to her and tell her how he felt. Then she’d lean in and tell him she felt the same way. They’d get closer and closer until their lips met.
They were getting closer now. Her gaze had dipped to his mouth. It was all coming together… except for the wailing saxophone that suddenly blared from the other room. And had the lights just dimmed down low on their own?
Kylee shut her eyes and groaned. “It’s Molly.”
She pulled away from Ron and stood. She went into the other room; the sunroom just off the kitchen which had been turned into a library complete with a stereo system. Ron saw Molly’s coat on the office chair, but the girl was nowhere in sight. How long had she been back?
“I’m sorry.” Kylee turned off the sappy sax music with a flick of a button. “Like I said, Molly’s decided I should date you. And, like I said, it’s ridiculous.”
Ron took a deep breath. Instead of holding back, he let his tongue run free and speak for his heart. “It’s really not that ridiculous.”
Chapter Eleven
“That’s not any kind of a test question I’ve ever seen.”
Kylee looked down at her pad of paper. Instead of the bubbles of multiple-choice questions or the straight lines of fill-in-the-blank answers, she’d drawn a series of hearts and pointy arrows. Ron’s name was filled in on a couple of the arrow shafts.
She turned the paper over and looked up to address Anthony. His man bun looked particularly tight today. As usual, he wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was glued to his handheld device.
Kylee wasn’t sure if it was a phone or a tablet or something in between. It was larger than his palm. But she’d seen him hold it up to his ear and talk. His thumbs moved at a rapid clip as he spoke to her.
“I hear you landed a pitch meeting at Barton Elementary School.”
“Yes,” said Kylee, straightening her array of number two pencils. Her cell phone, an Android that was five years old, sat quietly next to the pencil holder on mute. “I know the principal there. He and I, we… We’re…”
She didn’t know what they were? Last night at dinner, Ron had opened a door she’d never known was there. A door where they could be more than friends. Kylee was curious to poke her head inside the crack of this just barely opened door and see where it might lead.
“You got the deal.” Anthony tapped his thumb a number of times in one spot. Then he pressed his index finger down, paused, and swiped right. “Good for you. Now you just have to close it.”
“Oh, there’s no guarantee they’ll choose us. Ron, I mean Principal Kidd, has always been very fair in things like this. He’s the type of guy who’ll weigh all the options and pick the best one regardless of personal feelings.”
Anthony’s fingers paused and he looked up. It was the first time Kylee had seen his eyes. They were a shocking shade of blue. That, with his dark hair, made him quite handsome. If he ever took the time to look a woman in her eyes, she’d likely fall hopelessly in love with the color alone.
“You call him Ron?” said Anthony.
“I… uh, yeah. We’re… friends.”
Friends seemed the safe word to Kylee. It was also the most-true word. They hadn’t gone through the door from friends to… more. Ron had just put it out there. He hadn’t pressed. That wasn’t his way. She’d always admired that about him.
