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“Thank you, Daddy,” I smiled smugly at Mom.
“She’s unique,” he stated matter-of-fact. Lovely.
“I didn’t say sheisweird, I said she’sbeingweird,” Mom pointed out. “Everything was normal until Kane called asking about the new security system and then she started acting squirrely.”
“I’m not squirrely,” I yelled, throwing my arms in the air, “or weird! I’m just tired.”
Mom’s face softened and she gave me a quick hug. “I’m sorry, honey. We have been depending on you a lot to take care of things here. Is it too much? We can figure something out so you get more of a break.”
Now I not only felt guilty for lying to my parents but I felt guilty for making them feel guilty. I was stuck in a triangle of guilt. “No, it’s not too much, really. You know I love being here and the two of you have your hands full with Daisy at night while Gray’s out of town. I just didn’t sleep much, I’ll make sure to go to bed early tonight.”
“All right, sweetheart, if you are sure. Just know that you can always talk to us about anything. Even if it is to complain about your mother,” Dad laughed, kissing me on the top of my head. I left the kitchen as Mom swatted him on the butt with a spatula and went back to my tables, feeling terrible for keeping secrets.
I needed to talk to Kane. If this was really becoming something between us, we would have to come up with a way to let the people in our lives know. On the flip side, what if it didn’t work out? My family loved Kane and Gray owned a business with him. I would never want them to be in the position where they felt they had to choose between the two of us.
* * *
After closingup that night with Uncle Jim, I decided to swing by my own house to shower and pack a small bag. Putting on my dirty work clothes from the day before had been gross.
I stepped into my small bathtub and closed the curtain, wracking my brain for a way to handle this new relationship with Kane. That is, if it was even a relationship. As of this morning we had hooked up twice, made out a few times and I slept in his bed once. I didn’t have a lot of experience but I doubted that meant we were exclusive.
I paused in running the loofa over my skin,oh no, what if he’s seeing other women?I hadn’t even thought about that. He said he hadn’t slept with anyone in a while but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going out on dates. With my schedule at the diner and spending most of my spare time with a five-year-old, there was no such thing as a dating life but Kane didn’t have the same commitments. Maybe I should talk to Jo and get some pointers, she would never share what I told her with anyone else.
“Aghhhhh!” I screamed as the shower curtain was ripped back.
“What the fuck, Winnie? You were supposed to come to my place straight after work!” Kane yelled at me. Why is he always yelling at me?
I tried to cover my body as best as I could with my small pink loofa. “I wanted to shower and change clothes, you big jerk! Now close the curtain, I’m naked!”
“Newsflash, baby, I memorized every inch of your naked body this morning,” he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe as his eyes swept up and down my figure, lingering on where my breasts spilled over my arm.
I squirmed as wetness gathered on my thighs that had nothing to do with the water streaming over my body. I closed the curtain quickly before he had any ideas about climbing in here with me.You’re mad at him, Winnie. He broke into your house and scared the shit out of you.I had been eighty-two percent certain that I was about to be stabbed by a maniac in a grandma wig.
“How’d you even get in my house, Kane? I know I locked the door behind me and set that ridiculous security system y’all installed.”
“It’s a good system, baby, but I helped build it. As for the door lock, let’s just say I got a little creative. I was worried when you didn’t show up and you didn’t answer your phone.”
The vulnerability in his voice helped cool any anger I was feeling. I finished rinsing my body and turned off the taps. “Will you please make yourself useful and hand me a towel?” I stuck my hand through the gap in the curtain and the wall, wiggling my fingers. He chuckled as the fabric was placed in my hand and I dried off. Wrapping the towel around my body, I stepped out to see him still leaning against the frame.
“I’m sorry I worried you, I should’ve called to let you know that I was going to be later than you expected.”
He pushed off my door and stepped over to me, laying both palms on my cheeks. “I’m sorry I yelled. This’s new for me, Winnie, I have never had someone in my life to worry about other than my team. Not being able to find you scared the hell out of me.” He laid his forehead against mine, closing his eyes and breathing deep.
“Are we in a relationship?” I blurted. “I mean, dating. Exclusively dating,” I finished like a crazy person.
He laughed and pulled back, looking into my eyes, “Do you want us to be in a relationship, Fred?”
“Don’t you answer my questions with a question. I asked you first, and don’t call me Fred.” I sounded like a first grader even to my own ears.
“I don’t remember ever being in a relationship, Win, I don’t even know what one looks like because I never wanted to be tied down. And I don’t think dating’s the right word for this either.”
I deflated at his words. What had Jo called it, fuck buddies? He just wanted to be fuck buddies with me?
“Now don’t go all pouty on me, baby,” he wrapped me up in his arms. “I never said I didn’t want those things with you. But this feels bigger to me than ‘dating.’ I want to know you better. I know your family, I know your history and you know most of mine, but I want the things that no one else gets from you. What you eat for breakfast every morning, what kind of shampoo you use and if you have a side of the bed you prefer to sleep on. Although I think I know the answer to that one after last night, you want all the bed to yourself,” he grinned.
“As for seeing other people, fuck no. I don’t want anyone but you and I hope you feel the same way because I don’t think I could handle another man touching you.”
“I do, I mean I don’t want to see anyone but you either,” I said quickly. “Also, my shampoo is Pantene and as for breakfast, I like breakfast. All breakfast. If it is a breakfast-related food, I want to eat it.”
