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“Oh.” His words registered and she finally relaxed in his arms. “Oh,” she repeated in a deflated whisper as full comprehension dawned.
“See? Everything is fine.” He turned her to face the doorway leading to the foyer and the large living room beyond. Hands on her shoulders, he walked her forward and whispered, “Now act surprised.”
She nodded, but all the way across the floor and until the kids jumped out hollering, “Surprise,” she couldn’t stop thinking what an idiot she was. He hadn’t really asked her to dinner, it’d only been a ploy to get her over here. He never actually wanted to spend time alone with her.
Still, she made the appropriate exclamations and smiled like she was having a great time. The true surprise came though when she noticed an older version of Joel standing off to the side with a brunette woman she’d never seen before. The man had to be Joel’s father—her mother’s ex-husband. No big deal…so why did she have tiny butterflies suddenly spring to life in her stomach?
She did her best to focus on the kids’ beaming faces. “I can’t believe you did all this,” she exclaimed.
“It was Noah’s idea,” Dustin blurted.
Her gaze strayed back to the older couple across the room before she forced a smile for her little brother. “Well, thanks, Noah. This is great.”
He shrugged as if it was no big deal, but she could tell by his smile her response made him happy.
“We’re early,” he half-apologized. “But I know we’ve got a lot of stuff to do tomorrow.”
Her heart tugged and she gave him a quick hug. Over Noah’s shoulder, she saw Joel motion his father closer. Her stomach flip-flopped as she stepped back from Noah and they approached.
“Kendra, I’d like you to meet my dad, Jack.”
She accepted his outstretched hand with a nervous smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“And you…despite the circumstances.” Jack covered their clasped hands with his other one as his gaze surveyed her features with amazement. “My God, you do look so much like your mother.”
Hard to tell if that was good or bad. “Um…”
He blinked, released her hand, and grimaced. “Sorry. I just needed a moment to absorb it.”
“It’s okay,” she assured him. “Joel had the same reaction.”
His smile returned and he turned to draw the brunette forward, introducing her as his wife, Andrea. She relaxed, reassured by their warm acceptance, and by the time dinner was half over, conversation between them flowed comfortably. Much like that first dinner at Joel’s house, Kendra felt truly at home in her heart, in the company of family.
More than once, a memory of the father she’d grown up with flashed in her mind. He’d been kind enough, but she realized now his possessive love for her mother had overshadowed all else. Watching Jack joke with Joel and lovingly tease his grandsons, she saw what she’d missed out on in the father/daughter relationship. If Jack had been her father, she may have had an honest to goodness dad, instead of a father figure in the literal sense.
She turned her attention back to her plate to avoid dwelling on it and ended up thinking about Colton’s non-dinner invitation instead. After they’d finished eating, she caught a minute alone with him. “You knew about this all along, didn’t you?”
“Not until I called to let Joel know we weren’t joining them for the movie. That’s why we walked.”
“Oh.”
So, he had asked her to dinner. She wrestled the pull of a happy grin, only to have his light green gaze lock on hers and take her breath away.
“Kendra?” Britt called from the kitchen. “There’s a Michael on the phone for you.”
Jealousy knifed through Colton as Kendra hurried to take the call that he hadn’t even heard ring in. Even knowing her lawyer’s name did nothing to ease his emotions. This was precisely the reason he needed to remain distant from her. They came from different worlds, and she’d go back to hers very soon. Asking her to dinner, just the two of them, was a mistake.
Unsettling feelings had consumed him since the moment he’d discovered the v
ery real danger Kendra and Noah faced. Deep feelings he had no business acknowledging, and certainly not encouraging.
Yet he couldn’t help but watch for her return. When she did, he straightened. She looked tired—and worried. Oh, she still smiled, but as she rejoined the party, he saw exhaustion in her shadowed eyes, and the droop of her shoulders. He’d bet she still wasn’t sleeping well. Why hadn’t he seen it before? Because you were too wrapped up in how you felt to notice, you jerk.
He cornered her in the great room a short time later. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine.”
Colton’s jaw tightened. Another lie. He thought they were past this. Her gaze met his for a second, then bounced away. His brief flash of irritation was replaced by increased concern and he leaned closer. “Kendra, what is it?”
