As much as Bethaney’s overenthusiasm for everything grates on me, I can admit that I like the way her appreciation for everything Kenzie is doing seems to make her almost glow.
“I figured. I know how much you love Christmas like us.” Bethaney beams at me.
“Ho ho ho.” I hope my smile comes off as somewhat genuine. I glance across the table at Kenzie, who looks as though she’s hiding a laugh. “Well, if that’s all, ladies, I best get back to my office. I have some things I need to take care of before day’s end.” I push my chair back and stand. “Kenzie, I’ll walk you out.”
Kenzie packs up her things and we say our goodbyes before I lead her down the hall toward the bank of elevators.
“Good save in there with the Main Street idea.”
She looks over and smiles. It’s weird the way it makes her eyes sparkle. What’s even weirder is the fact that I notice. “Thanks. I’m actually really excited to bring the idea to life. I think it can turn out to be pretty amazing, and I’ve never seen anyone else do anything like it.”
“You’re ahead of your time.” We reach the elevators and I press the button.
She chuckles. “I don’t know about that.”
The elevator dings and arrives in no time, which almost never happens. For whatever reason, I feel reluctant to say goodbye to her. Maybe because we have no set day or time that I know I’m going to see her?
Am I imagining things, or does it seem like she’s hesitant to leave too? She shifts her weight for a beat and stares up at me before stepping into the elevator.
“See you later,” she says as the doors close.
“Yeah, see you.”
The doors close completely, shutting off my view of her.
Whatever the reason that she’s on my mind, I need to cut her out. I remember with vivid detail how much it hurts when you assume you know what the other person is thinking, only for it to turn out you were dead wrong.
ChapterFifteen
Kenzie
The afternoon of Thanksgiving Day, I walk into my brother’s shiny glass-and-chrome condo building, preparing to steel myself for what’s to come—an entire afternoon and evening with my parents.
I love my parents, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen them and that was by design. Every time I leave them, I can’t help but feel… less than. Not to mention the mental chore of having to listen to them go at each other when one pisses the other off, which always happens at some point.
So after my brother buzzes me in, I give myself a mental pep talk on the elevator ride up.
Despite my anxiety, I’m excited to meet my brother’s girlfriend that he’s been hiding. I just hope she’s ready for the family dynamic.
I knock on the door of my brother’s condo and hear some commotion behind the door before it swings open. My head rears back, and I blink a few times to make sense of what I’m seeing. Andrew is standing in the doorway.
Andrew. Not my brother.
What ishedoing here?
“Um…” I stand there like an idiot, and before I say any actual intelligible words, my brother pops up beside him.
I haven’t seen Andrew since our meeting at the firm earlier this week to pick out the decor for the party. He seemed distracted and colder than normal. More like the Andrew I met on the blind date. I chalked it up to work stress, but now I wonder if it’s because he knew he’d see me here today. If so, why didn’t he mention it?
“Hey, Mac. Come on in.” Finn waves me in and gives me a hug once I’m inside. “I’m so glad you’re here.” He pulls away and takes in my face and must register my surprise. “Oh right, you haven’t met Andrew yet. You must’ve wondered if you were at the right condo.”
He laughs and I do my best to join in, though it sounds stilted and fake to my ears.
“Andrew, this is my baby sister, Mac. Mac, this is Andrew.” He gestures to Andrew standing beside him, looking equal parts guilty and anxious.
Obviously, Andrew hasn’t let on to my brother that we’ve met, let alone spent time together, and I can’t help but wonder why since he’s here and presumably knew I was coming.
I make the split-second decision to play along and stick out my hand toward him. “Call me Kenzie.”