Page 11

Chapter Eleven

Beau

“She’s nice,” Jack grins as I slide into the car, a gleam in his stare. “And pretty.”

A warm grin spreads, and we both glance toward the porch. Kit’s still standing there, watching.

Starting the car, my smile expands, and I wave before pulling away. I’ll be picking her up at seven. One hundred twenty minutes is too long, but it will give me time to see if The Glowing Fork is available tonight.

“Do you think she was serious about getting a chance to work with her?” Jack’s voice is hopeful, but when I look over, the uncertainty in his eyes is obvious.

“I do. She mentioned the idea when I talked about bringing you by. You must’ve made a good impression if Kit asked you if you’d be interested.” The smile that crosses his face at my words reinforces why I do this. So many kids just need an opportunity to see what’s available.

A tiny bit of hope for the life that’s possible.

It’s easy to get lost in today’s world without guidance. I’m glad that I’m in a position to help. Play It Forward has changed the lives of the kids I’ve worked with and mine.

Jack’s reaction, combined with Kit saying she’d go out with me, has me walking on top of the world.

And nervous. I wipe my hand down my jeans.

Jack is texting furiously, a massive smile on his face when I turn down his street. Pulling up to his house, I see Missy Samuels, Jack’s grandmother, sitting on the porch in a rocking chair. Putting the car in park, Jack jumps out and runs to the house.

“Hi Missy,” I call through the window.

“Hi, Beau! Thanks for taking Jack—Jack Samuels! What have I told you about running in the house?” Missy scolds, and my lips curve up.

“Sorry, Gram,” Jack says contritely and slows his pace to a trot. Right before he gets in the house, Missy scolds again.

“Where do you think you’re going without giving me a proper greeting?” Jack turns and rolls his eyes but kisses his grandmother on the cheek. “Did you have fun?”

“It was great—”

“Jack, I’ll see you in two weeks. Bye, Missy.” They both turn and wave as I drive off. Glancing in the rearview mirror, I see Jack animatedly talking to his grandmother.

My cheeks pull up, and lightness fills me.

When I get home, that smirk is still there. Like Jack, my excitement has me running up the stairs and into the house.

Luckily, there’s no one to tell me to slow down. I’m not sure I’d listen if there were.

Dropping my keys in a bowl on the entryway table, I send Mike a quick text.

Beau:

Secret marriage is a secret no longer.

Taking Kit to dinner to talk details.

I’ll update you later.

Mike:

I’m so proud of my little cousin.

You’re becoming a big boy.

Beau:

eye roll emoji

Mike:

laughing emoji

Go get ’er, Tiger. fist bump emoji

Chuckling at his response, I send one last text before putting down my phone.

Beau:

That’s my plan. wink emoji

Leaving a trail of clothes in my wake I’m sure my mother would chastise me for if I still lived at home, I head down the hall to the bathroom. Usually, I’m not this messy, but then again, it’s not every day I get to take Kit Garrett out on a date.

I hop in the shower without a second thought about the mess I’m gonna have to clean up.

The two minutes it takes me to get to Kit’s house has done nothing but exacerbate my churning stomach.

Wiping my hands on my pants, I get out of the car and take a slow, deep breath. Running my hands along my collar and down my shirt, I glance up as I hear a door close. When my eyes land on Kit standing on the porch, I stop dead in my tracks.

Her long auburn hair is hanging in curls, framing her face and resting on her shoulders. She’s wearing a simple light blue dress with fitted long sleeves that has her skin glowing. I let my gaze slowly trail the length of her before returning to her face. My heart quivers at the gleam in her eyes.

I wipe my hands down my pants again before heading up the stairs.

“You look incredible,” I lean in, kissing her cheek gently. If I moved an inch, I’d be touching her lips, but the name of the game here is patience. One thing I usually do not have. Pulling back, I let my eyes take in her face.

“Thank you.” She smiles. Her eyes lower to my shoulders and linger on my chest before she brings her gaze back to mine. Her cheeks color, and my smile brightens. “You look good, too.”

I quirk an eyebrow and smirk. “Is that a compliment, Garrett?”

“Don’t make me regret it, Matthews.” She giggles as she walks past me down the stairs. “Where are we going?”

Rushing to the car, I reach out for the door handle before she can. When she turns to me with a raised brow, my brow pulls in confusion. Her giggles wash over me and send quivers down my spine.

“I asked: Where are we going?”

“Oh,” I huff a laugh. “Sorry, I was a bit distracted.” I hold the door open for her and hold her gaze. The sweet scent of honeysuckle teases my senses, and I swallow hard. She slips into the passenger side seat, and I find my voice. “The Glowing Fork.” Closing the door, I walk over to the driver’s side.

“I love that place,” she beams as I start the engine.

“I know.” I shift into drive. “That’s where I wanted to take you when I asked you out the first time. It’s just a few years later than I had planned.”

She turns away and fiddles with her bag. I also notice her chewing her bottom lip. I turn my eyes forward and pull away from the house.

“Beau?” Her voice is hesitant. “Why didn’t you tell me about Luna that night?”

My stomach drops, and I swallow to get rid of the cotton filling my mouth. The weight of her eyes on me as she waits for my response. I grip the steering wheel a few times before answering.

“I never intended to say anything about how I felt that night. But then we started talking, and I did.” Kit doesn’t say anything, and the only thing I hear is the sound of my heart pounding. “When you said you felt the same, everything else stopped mattering. It wasn’t until I went to kiss you that I remembered about Luna.”

“Which would’ve been the perfect time to tell me.” At the hardness in her voice, my stomach clenches. I glance at her only to find a soft expression and a teasing glint in her eyes. The knot in my stomach eases.

“Yes it would’ve. I see that now. But…” I bite the inside of my cheek, thinking about the reasoning of my eighteen-year-old self versus how I would handle it today. He was such a child. “You intimidated the heck out of me, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. Not to mention, I didn’t want to take the chance that you would get mad at me and think I was trying to play you. In layman's terms, I panicked.”

She lets out a small chuckle and runs her fingers through her hair. My fingers itch to be the ones running through the silky waves.

“Besides, with how much I believed you hated me and how much I knew you didn’t like Luna, it just seemed like the best option at the time.”

“How’d that work out for you?” She turns to me with a smile so bright that I can’t help but follow her lead.

“Hmmm, pretty bad.” I snort, shrugging a shoulder. “So bad that I thought about it for the next two years. Just ask my cousin. He had no problem remembering even though I haven’t talked about you in years. However, if you had just let me explain what happened before you left, it’s possible that we could’ve cleared things up sooner. But nooooo, you had to hold a grudge.”

I look her way and find her facing forward. When she turns toward me with dumbfounded hazel eyes I gently nudge her. “You can still apologize.”

“What if I’m not sorry?” She playfully slaps my arm, and I pull it away like she hurt me.

“That’s not what you said in Vegas,” I tease, keeping my gaze forward. I slowly exhale and my stomach sinks a little bit.

She covers her face with her hands and groans. “I wish I could remember that night. At the very least, I wish I could remember what I said.”

How much do I say? Everything? Nothing? I don’t know.

But she’s here. Maybe I can just let myself go with the flow? Let her decide? What if I’m just honest about how I feel?

“I do too,” I say softly, then pull into a parking spot down the street from where we’re eating. I kill the engine and turn to fully face her. She’s playing with her hair and staring out the passenger-side window. “Kit.”

She turns and faces me, worry lining her forehead. I grab her hand and gently hold it in mine, rubbing my thumb on her palm. “I can tell you…if you want. But I also think what you said that night doesn’t matter as much as the fact that we’re here. Now.”