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She instantly flushed. Her eyes fluttered closed until her lashes lay against her cheeks. When they lifted the sparkle was back. “I was going to say we’re about to sing together.”
“Sorry. I’ll try to be good, but you seem to bring out the wicked in me.”
“I bet a lot of girls bring out your wicked side.”
He chuckled. “You’d be surprised at how few do.” He lifted from the picnic table. “Are you ready?” He pointed to the garage.
“Yes. I’ll be quick. I have some papers to fill out for cubicle living.” She rolled her eyes and stood.
“Oof,” Kris made a face and grabbed two more beers. “You’ll need another one.”
‘You’re very perceptive.” She took a bottle from his hand and twisted off the cap. Her face fell again and Rainy sighed. “What have I done?”
“Come with me and I’ll help you forget about your cubicle,” he said, standing.
Rainy raised one eyebrow. “I bet you would, but I should really go. Thank you for dinner. It was delicious,” she said, pointing to her empty plate. “The food really hit the spot.”
He wanted to tell her that his favorite thing in the world was “hitting the spot” but he didn’t want to scare her away.
“Home grown, all of it. I’ve got a patch of land outside of town. I grow veggies.”
“Really?”
“Just a normal guy.”
“I don’t know anyone who grows veggies.”
“Now you do.”
Rainy followed him into the garage and studied his Wicks guitars, the ones that were made especially for him. As she ran her fingers along one, Kris could sense something shift in her. She looked suddenly tired.
“You look like you ran out of gas,” he said sympathetically.
“Yeah, I think I just hit the wall.” She tried to hide her exhaustion with a faint smile.
It reminded him of a pale rainbow. “Maybe another time.” She turned and walked back to the picnic table. “Nice meeting you, neighbor. Thank you for the welcome dinner.” She picked up her plate and her fork.
“You are welcomed. Glad to have you here, Rainy.”
As Kris followed her to the gate, something inside tugged at him like he wanted to spend more time with her.
“Come back when you’re rested.” He gripped both sides of the fence and leaned forward. He was almost close enough to kiss her. “We’re probably going to jam tomorrow.”
“Do you keep the garage doors open? What about the acoustics?” She leaned in, closing the distance between them.
“This is set up for casual play. I have a studio on the second floor. I’ll knock on your door, and you can come and hang out if you want.”
“I’ll give you my cell,” she offered quickly.
He waived it off. “No, that’s okay. I’ll just knock. We do this all the time so there’s no doubt we’ll connect at some point.”
Three
Rainy
As soon as Rainy was in the house, she didn’t bother going to her bedroom. She crashed on the first sleep-worthy surface. Grand Canyon had hired someone not only to move her in completely, but also to arrange her things so they looked their best. She hardly recognized her own stuff.
She curled up on the couch. It was lovely to feel so exhausted and to have the opportunity to sleep at the same time. She eyed the stack of documents she had to fill out for work, but she put off the paperwork and sank into a deep sleep.
