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“Sure.”
He leads me out the front door. The air is pleasant today, and the temperature is sixty degrees according to my smart watch. The leaves are turning bright orange and rolling hills can be seen off in the distance.
As we walk, my heels begin to sink into the moist ground. So I start walking on my tiptoes.
Kaison is going on about the next steps we need to take in our project, and I’m walking alongside him, acting like there’s nothing wrong with the way I’m walking.
We get to a rocky path that leads into the woods. “We have some walking trails that cut through the property.”
Why did I have to wear these shoes today of all days? I don’t want to admit it to myself, but there might just be a small part of me that wants Kaison to feel attracted to me. It goes against everything I stand for. No men hitting on me in the workplace, and yada yada. But I’m losing my mind around this man, and it’s causing my carefully built walls to crumble.
It may or may not have something to do with the chicken fight in the pool last night. It was far from professional and kept me tossing and turning. And then my brain decided to rebel when I put on these stupid shoes. If it wasn’t for Farah, I wouldn’t have even packed them, but she insisted I needed to bring them.
They did make my legs look longer. I have to admit that. I probably look great walking around on this rocky path if you can get past the fact that my legs are wobbling and unsteady over the gravel.
“Look up there.” Kaison points. “I think that’s a falcon.”
I take my eyes off the ground and follow where he’s pointing. That was my first mistake. The next mistake is taking a step while looking up.Snap!My heel breaks away from the rest of my shoe.
Somehow, miraculously, I keep my balance—and my cool—as I look up and spot the bird Kaison is talking about.
“You’re right, that is a falcon. A beautiful one too,” I say, pretending nothing is wrong with my foot.
We keep walking, and I continue on, one foot wobbling through the gravel and the other hovering in the air over my imaginary heel.
Kaison doesn’t seem to notice. The woods open up, and the path leads to the stables. By now, my leg is starting to cramp. I lean against the fence, acting like I’m all interested in the horses grazing before us.
“That one with the white blaze is Langston’s horse, Thunder,” Kaison says. “He’s planning to race with him next season in the Kentucky Derby.”
“Really? I’ve never seen a racehorse before.” I can only imagine that Thunder cost Langston a pretty penny. But I don’t say that because it would probably come off as rude.
I’ve never been around so much wealth in all my life. The stable looks pristine, which is quite the accomplishment for a notoriously dirty place. There are men bustling about, shoveling manure and brushing down horses inside.
“Does Langston live nearby?” I ask, keeping my weight on one leg, allowing the other one to rest against my leg like I’m posing that way.
“He has a place of his own in Blue Mountain. It’s about a mile away. My parents are trying to set him up with this girl, Jenni, but he refuses to consider the idea.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“Jenni is his best friend’s little sister,” Kaison says. “Ronnie told him Jenni’s off limits.”
“And what do your parents say about that?” I kick my bad heel behind me, putting my weight on the toe of my pump.
“My mom is pretty frustrated. She keeps wanting her kids to get married, and nothing seems to work for her.”
“At least Weston got married,” I point out.
“That’s true. He’s kind of the golden child right now.”
“And what about you?” I ask.
He laughs. “I’m not sure now, but for a long time, they considered me the black sheep of the family.”
I gasp. “Did they actually call you that?”
“No. But I can still tell.”
“Are you sure that’s not a label you’re giving yourself?” I ask gently.