“MyGod!” Kimmy barks, “when you said Killian had you staying at his holiday home, I didn’t expect something likethis!” Her eyes are like saucers as I lead them through the lounge and towards the kitchen, where the food and wine are laid out.
“It’s notthatfancy,” I reply lightly and my heart soars just to have them near me again. Now that they can visit, hopefully, my time here won’t be as lonely.
“Not fancy?” Kimmy scoffs as she shrugs off her coat.
“If this is the holiday home, I can’t wait to see the real home,” Sadie grins, taking her coat and draping it along with Kimmy’s on one of the bar stools that sat near the counter.
“Just how rich is this guy?” Kimmy asks, twisting around to gawk at everything she can lay her eyes on. They slide into a stool each, both making a beeline for the wine glasses as expected.
“Honestly?” I move around the counter and open a top cupboard to grab some plates. “I have no clue. Our discussions of finances didn’t delve into family savings and estate.”
“Why the hell not?” Sadie exclaims, pouring herself some wine as Kimmy continues to act as if she’s part owl as she takes in the rooms around her. Her eyes flick up to the ceiling as I plate up some pizza slices and wedges for each of us.
Is she trying to picture what the upstairs looks like?
“Before you ask,” I smile, setting the plates out, “this house has been in his family for more generations than I care to count, and that’s all I needed to know.”
“Sure,” Sadie smirks around the lip of her wine glass. “If I had married this rich, I’d lose count of the zeros too.”
“Hey!” I toss the oven glove in her direction, feigning indignation. Having them here even just to pass comments like that has my heart smiling and my body more relaxed than it’s been in days.
“Beautiful,” Kimmy murmurs as something behind her catches her eye, then she whirls to face me with wide eyes and a wider smile. “So, tell us everything! How are you finding married life? We miss you in class!”
My heart pulls south suddenly. Returning to Columbia had been stumped by the memory of killing those two men. I’ve been unable to stomach the thought of going back. Online classes had been the solution. Not that Killian has any intention of letting me leave here anyway.
“I miss seeing you guys at school, too,” I reply after a large gulp of wine. “Killian wouldn’t be comfortable with me returning, though.” It’s easier to use him as an excuse than confess to them. Sadie quirks a brow and points at me with a potato wedge.
“His comfort doesn’t matter when it comes to your education,” she states shortly, “is he intimidated by an educated woman?”
“Not at all!” I chuckle and tip my wine glass between my fingers. “He’s just very protective. After the attack and the threat to his work, he just wasn’t comfortable with somewhere so open and exposed. I like it here, though; studying in the garden is lovely!”
Even though I’m really stuck here and can never leave.
I sigh into my next sip of wine. Killian had been against me registering for any kind of classes at all simply because it made my position too easy to locate for anyone looking. But I’d persuaded him quickly by reminding him that the more educated I am, the more I can teach our offspring, the next head of the Irish mafia.
“Taking them online isn’t quite the same when I can’t catch up with you guys after though,” I continue as Sadie and Kimmy drink. I set my wine glass down in favor of diving into a slice of pizza.
“Probably for the best,” Sadie muses between sips, “after that attack, none of the teachers want to spend time with any students alone. Trying to get advice from a tutor after class is like pulling teeth. Wish I had a handsome devil man who is eager to keep me away from classes.”
“It’s true,” Kimmy agrees, and she pulls a pizza slice towards her, picking lightly at the chicken pieces on top. “No one wants to spend too much time there. Did you hear they even found two dead bodies in one of the classrooms?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sadie scoffs, “that’s a lie just to scare people. If someone had died, it would have been on the news!”
“Unless someone is covering it up!” Kimmy retorts, “who even attacks a school like that and leaves without a trace!”
I settle into my stool, watching them debate back and forth about the truthfulness of the rumor, and a light warmth radiates through my chest. If I close my eyes, I can imagine us back on the floor of my apartment, hungover and sharing our stories like the last few months hadn’t happened.
Grease dots my fingers, so I slide from my stool and turn towards the sink, poised to run my fingers under the tap, when a squeal from Kimmy stops me.
“Cara!”
“What!” I spin on the spot, half expecting to see some kind of a disaster had unfolded the second my back was turned. Kimmy is simply staring at me, her mouth hanging open as wide as her eyes as she stares at me.
Is there something on my face? Sauce on my dress?
I glance down, scanning my clothes, but I see nothing.
“Your neck!” Kimmy exclaims again. Heat immediately flushes over my body, sweeping up my chest to burn a trail across my shoulders, up my neck, and into my cheeks.