“I can see that. I’ve read TMZ.” Kyle lifted an eyebrow, and I chuckled.
“If only it were always that glamorous. It’s a pretty dark place most of the time,” I found myself admitting.
Kyle looked as if he wanted to ask more, but our appetizer and bottle of water showed up, and soon we were too busy eating and laughing when he dropped feta cheese in his lap. Despite the awkward beginning, we fell into an easy banter. I couldn’t remember the last time I stopped feeling the heavy lump that had taken up residence in my chest.
We decided to order three different entrees because we couldn’t choose. “We’ll share,” Kyle suggested. “You can have some of my roast lamb as long as you share your calamari. And of course, we’ll split the Moussaka.”
“Deal.” I grinned. “Though if I eat any more of these shrimp, I won’t have room for dinner.” I put my fork down and sat back, playfully groaning.
“So how do you like being back in Southport?” Kyle asked, popping the last shrimp into his mouth.
“It’s strange. It’s all so familiar, but so different. It’s particularly odd living in my old house, sleeping in my old room, but my dad not being there.” I ran my finger along the rim of my glass.
“I miss your dad. He was a great guy. Always treated me like one of the family,” Kyle said, his mouth turned downward in sympathy.
“Yeah, he was amazing like that. Everyone that came into the house was immediately part of the tribe. He made everyone feel welcome.” There was an aching sadness that existed just behind my ribs that belonged solely to my dad. It seemed Kyle understood it without having to say anything.
“You’ve definitely been the talk of the town, though. Everyone is curious about what could bring the famous Whitney Galloway back to Southport.” Kyle took a long drink of water, watching me closely.
It was my turn to fidget slightly. “Is it so hard to imagine that I simply wanted to come home and help my mother out?” I didn’t mean to sound defensive, but I couldn’t help it.
“It’s not hard to imagine at all. Most people would do the same, Whitney,” he said softly.
“Yeah, but most people aren’t Whitney Galloway, are they? Royal bitch of Southport,” I spat out, balling my napkin.
“No one ever said that—”
“They don’t have to, Kyle. I know what people think of me. They think I believe I’m better than them. That because I had a successful career and moved to Hollywood, that makes me some alien lifeform that doesn’t belong anymore. They think I’ve changed. And maybe they’re right.” I let out a noisy breath.
Kyle cocked his head to the side as he regarded me. “I don’t know. I’m sitting here looking at a woman that reminds me a lot of the girl I used to know. The girl I liked a whole hell of a lot.”
My cheeks flamed hot, and the warmth grew inside me, enveloping me. Our dinner arrived just then, and we spent the next few minutes sharing our food and smiling at each other. It was nice. Better than nice.
But I noticed as the meal drew to a close, Kyle became antsy again—his mood restless.
“Thanks for asking me to dinner, Kyle. I’ve really enjoyed this,” I said when our once easy conversation dried up.
Kyle was tapping his fingers against the water glass. “Actually, Whitney, there’s a reason I asked you to dinner tonight.” He cleared his throat.
Right. That something he wanted to run past me. I had started to think it was an excuse to ask me out without really asking me out.
It seemed I was wrong. Big surprise there.
“Okay …”
“This custody thing with Josie is terrifying,” he began. It was the topic I hadn’t wanted to venture into until he opened the door. Well, here we were.
“I can’t even imagine, Kyle. Have you spoken any more to Adam about it? Have you heard anything from Josie?” I asked.
Kyle folded his hands on the table, probably to stop them from shaking so much. “Yeah, I’ve spoken to Adam at length about my chances. And while the fact that I’ve been Katie’s sole provider for nearly two years will definitely matter, at the end of the day, Josie is her mother. And the fact that she’s undergone extensive mental health treatment and is making every effort to create a stable home life for her will also matter. It will matter a lot. There’s a good possibility we could be awarded joint custody, but Josie could get physical custody. It’s really all down to who looks the best on the day.” He cleared his throat again. “Adam actually had an interesting idea about how to improve my chances of maintaining physical custody.”
I sat up straighter. “Oh, that sounds promising. It’s a good thing, right?”