Page 24 of Unscripted Love

“Me too,” Kyle whispered back.

“What’s everybody ordering?” Gabe asked. “I want a huge stack of pancakes and a pound of bacon.”

“Wow, someone worked up an appetite,” Harley said.

I often wondered if it was awkward for Kyle to hear references about Josh and Gabe’s sex life. I looked over to see what his reaction was, but he was still looking at me. I couldn’t tell if he even heard Harley’s comment because I was too caught up in the heat I saw in Kyle’s eyes.

“I think I’m going to have an egg white omelet loaded with veggies and turkey sausage,” Kyle told me. “I need to replenish my supply of protein.” He whispered the last part to me.

Damn him!He was giving me a freaking hard-on at the most inconvenient time.How the hell was I even able to get it up after a night like we had?“If you could order anything off the menu, what would it be?” I asked to distract my brain from sex.

“French toast and full-fat bacon,” Kyle replied without hesitation.

“You don’t believe in cheat days?” I asked him. Kyle and I had never discussed his childhood obesity or his dieting habits as an adult, but you only had to be around him a few times to notice that he didn’t eat bad foods.

“No. I don’t trust myself,” Kyle replied. “It’s better if I avoid the temptation altogether.” I saw the ironclad determination in his eyes, which meant he’d completely cut me out of his life like chocolate cake if he decided I was bad for him. The thought hit me hard like a punch to the stomach. Kyle’s phone rang, pulling his attention off of me so I could recover from my sobering thoughts. He frowned when he looked at the caller ID. “This can’t be good; it’s the police department,” he said soberly. “This is Dr. Vaughn.” I watched Kyle’s expression morph from concerned to angry. “I’m in Cincinnati right this minute, but I can be there in forty-five minutes.” The alarm in his voice captured the attention of everyone at our table.

“What’s wrong?” I asked as soon as he hung up.

Kyle stood from his chair. “I need to head back to Blissville,” he said. “Someone broke into the animal hospital. Officer Wen said it looked like they trashed the place in a fit of rage when they couldn’t get to the drugs. It doesn’t sound like there’s a lot of damage, just a big mess.”

“Prescription drugs for animals?” Meredith asked.

“I have some pretty powerful pain pills on site,” Kyle told her then looked at me with regret in his eyes. “I’m sorry that I have to run off.”

“We can all head back to help you clean up,” Gabe said before I could respond to Kyle. He rose to his feet and the rest of us did too.

“No, please stay and enjoy your breakfasts. This sounds like a case of petty vandalism and there is no need to ruin your morning.”

“Are you sure?” Gabe asked. I could tell he wasn’t comfortable just going on with his morning like nothing happened.

“I’m positive. I’ll let you guys know if it’s worse than I thought,” Kyle told us. He turned to look at me again. “I’m sorry.”

Although I hated the circumstances, I thought it was best for me to have some time and space apart from Kyle so I could get my head on straight. He was the temptation that I couldn’t resist, and I wouldn’t allow myself to fall harder than I already had for a man who wouldn’t want me once he learned the truth.

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’ll get a ride home with Mere and Harley.”

I could tell that Kyle wanted to reach for me, but wasn’t sure how I would react. Instead, he offered me a crooked smile and said, “Okay then; I’ll call you later.”

Even though I wanted space to clear my head, I missed him like crazy once he left. Instead of thinking of ways to distance myself from him or tell him the truth, I wondered how much damage there was to the animal hospital. The morning was duller once Kyle was gone and I quietly sat back and watched everyone else interact. I could tell I wasn’t the only one thinking about Kyle. The lighthearted banter that occurred before Kyle got the phone call was replaced with a more somber dialogue about the sad changes happening to our small town. Murders, drug busts, and robberies were becoming too common in a town where people didn’t use to lock their doors at night. Gabe excused himself to make a few calls and I knew it was about Kyle and the vandalism.

I was happy when it was time to check out and leave so I could do what I did best when I was conflicted. Meredith noticed my withdrawal, but she didn’t say anything about it in the restaurant or during the ride home. Instead, we talked about things happening at the salon and our best friend’s upcoming wedding the following week.

“Twenty bucks says that Josh is holed up in the supply closet taking inventory tomorrow,” Meredith said when Harley pulled into my driveway. Josh was a control freak to his core and transferred his energy to the things he could control when he was overwhelmed. Everything sounded like it was on track for the wedding, but it was a sure bet that Josh would fall back on his old routines and habits before the week was up.

“I’m not taking that bet because I’d lose,” I told her. I blew her a kiss and unlocked the front door. “Harry,” I called. “Where’s my boy?” I heard him jump down off my bed followed by the sound of his nails clicking against the hardwood floor as he headed toward my voice. “I’ve missed my baby.” I squatted down when he rounded the corner, and he made a mad dash for me. I picked him up and cuddled him against my chest.

Meow. It sounded like there was a whole lot of judgment in his greeting.

“I did miss you, Harry. I hardly slept at all last night.” It wasn’t a lie, but he didn’t need to know the real reasons why I was up all night. Harry flattened his ears and narrowed his eyes as if he could read my mind. “I know how I can make it up to you.”

Harry was purring madly by the time I set him down by his food dish. He watched me eagerly to see if I pulled out a can of soft food or his bag of dry kibble. The purring increased and he wove in and out of my legs shamelessly when I opened the can of chicken and gravy. The shit smelled nasty, but my little guy loved it madly.

I spent a good half hour kissing up to Harry with belly rubs and ear scratches before I opened my laptop to my latest chapter for Gideon and Jamie. My writing had felt a little stilted the previous weeks, and I wasn’t sure if it was due to exhaustion from trying to do too much or dread for the scene I needed to write. My weekend away must’ve been just what I needed because the ideas started flowing when I opened my document.

I typed until I couldn’t feel my fingers, unsure of where the hell the chapter was taking me but loving the journey. Sometimes the hardest part was finding the perfect ending for a chapter. You wanted it to wrap up the current chapter and entice the reader to want to turn the page. Who the hell cared about laundry, cleaning, or mowing the grass when the story was getting good? And Jamie and Gideon were getting sooo good.

Guilt clawed at my insides while I watched Jamie sleeping beside me. How did I arrive at this moment in my life? Jamie McManus was innocent, not a monster like his father. I deceived him, took his innocence, and used him to further my plan for revenge. Didn’t that make me a monster also?