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Whatever remained of the walls around Kris’s heart crumbled into ashes, carried away by the butterflies soaring in her chest.
In that moment, she didn’t care that she only had a few thousand dollars to her name and that her father may or may not have disowned her. She had everything that mattered, and it was perfect.
“Have you broken up with Teague yet? If you haven’t, I’ll do it for you,” Nate mumbled into hair sometime later. His hold tightened possessively around her waist. “With my fists.”
She huffed out a laugh. “We never dated.”
“But at Sky’s game—”
“I lied. You were being such an ass, and I wanted to get to you.”
Pure, unadulterated relief spread across Nate’s features. “I deserved that.”
“Yep,” she confirmed. “Don’t worry, I lied about the kissing part too.” She tapped him on the mouth. “You’rethe best kisser I’ve ever had.”
Smugness saturated Nate’s resulting grin. “Damn right I am.”
And he kissed her again to prove it.
Kris and Nate stayed at the marina for a while longer, watching the boats go by and discussing what would happen next. Kris had two weeks left in L.A., after which they’d go long-distance. Lots of phone calls and Skype. As much flying back and forth between California and Seattle as they could manage—luckily, it was only a couple hours’ flight, and tickets for that route weren’t too expensive. Now that Kris didn’t have access to her bank accounts or credit cards, she was also limited in how much money she could shell out on non-essentials. Plus, they agreed to be honest and tell the other up front if something wasn’t working.
Communication was important for all relationships, but it was crucial for long-distance ones.
By the time they finished hashing things out, and kissed some more, and grabbed a late lunch, and kissed some more, the sun hung low in the sky, and a slight evening chill rippled through the air.
“So.” Nate flashed a crooked smile as they meandered down the walkway running parallel to the water. “Think it’s time for another of our classic ‘seal the deal’ nights?”
Kris laughed. “How long have you been holding that in?”
“Only since the first time you kissed me today.”
“That long, huh?” She tangled her fingers with his, enjoying the warm strength of his hand in hers. They’d agreed not to hold hands earlier in the summer because it was too cheesy, but what do you know, she had a thing for Brie and Gruyere. Judging by Nate’s squeeze, he did too. “I do love a good Seal the Deal.” Their night on the boat would forever remain one of her top three spank bank fantasies. “We’ll have to do it at your house, though. I can’t go home right now.”
A wave of sadness crested over her. Kris and her father had never been that close, but he was her only parent left. While they weren’t estranged, their relationship was at its lowest point in twenty-one years, and she couldn’t bear to look at his face right now. It hurt too much. Even being in the same house as him these past few days had been unbearable.
Nate’s mouth tightened with concern. “How are things with your dad? I don’t want to be the reason you two have a falling out.”
“Too late.” She fiddled with her handbag strap. “We already fell out. He found out about our Gloria contract.”
“Shit.” Nate winced. “How’d he find out?”
“I’m guessing Gloria snooped around my room and found the contract. It doesn’t matter. He knows, and he’s pissed. More pissed than I’ve ever seen him. He didn’t believe me when I told him Gloria had been ready to cheat on him with you, and he cut me off. He even froze my trust fund.”
“I’ll talk to him. Back up what you said about Gloria—”
“No.” Kris shook her head. “I appreciate the offer, but he won’t believe you, either. You and Gloria only had a verbal agreement, right? She was too smart to leave a text trail and you’re not exactly my father’s favorite person on the planet.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Nate said reluctantly. “But what are you going to do? About Gloria and money?”
“I’m done with Gloria. I don’t want to waste my time and energy plotting against her. She’s not worth it. As for money, I’d withdrawn a couple thousand in cash before my father froze my accounts. It should last me until I return to campus, where my tuition and board are already paid for. I was going to rent a cheap Airbnb or something until I leave L.A., and maybe find a short-term gig so I can bulk up my finances.” Kris frowned. “I’m not sure if anyone will hire me for only two weeks, but it’s worth a shot. I don’t want to be under the same roof as my dad and Gloria right now.”
Nate was quiet for a minute. “I may have a solution to both your short-term problems,” he said slowly. “I’ll have to double-check, but we could use an extra hand at the cafe, especially since one of the regular servers sprained her ankle and is on leave until she can get back on her feet. Elijah’s dad owns the cafe, and I know him well, so it shouldn’t be an issue, but I can confirm Monday. As for the housing situation…” He rubbed the back of his neck, looking nervous. “I don’t want this to be or awkward or rush things, but you can move in with me. Until you leave.”
Kris’s breath stuttered. “What?”
Pink tinged Nate’s cheekbones. “It’s not a big deal. Sky would love to have you around more, and I’m sure my dad would be chill with it once we explain the situation to him. He’s, ah, the one who kicked my ass this morning for letting you go.”
That was a legit shocker, but it must mean Nate’s relationship with his father was improving. Although her own familial bonds were fraying, Kris was genuinely happy for Nate. He deserved peace in his home life.
