“It’s a lease from the office. I promise it’s above my pay grade, but my boss didn’t like me driving an old Toyota Camry around. Said it made me seem poor.”
“Well, you seem very classy, now.”
I wasn’t sure how to greet him, since our relationship was about as complicated as the Sunday crossword puzzle. Kai solved that by taking me in his arms and giving me a neutral kiss on the cheek.
“I don’t like to flash money around,” he said while opening the door for me.
“Whatdoyou spend all your sweet OnlyFans money on?” I asked.
“Nothing.” He tensed as he closed the door for me, then walked around and got in the driver’s side. After that, he seemed more closed-off than before.Does he not like me mentioning OnlyFans out loud? Or did I touch on a sensitive subject?
“I brought pound cake,” he said, pointing to a box on the floor by my feet. “Bought it at the store. Hope your mom likes it.”
“Me too,” I said.
We drove for a while in silence. I realized that it was tough to think of small talk when two people were trying not to reveal too many personal details to each other.
When we got to my parents’ apartment building, Kai paused outside and looked at the plaque on the wall:
A PROUD TROUT PROPERTY
“That’s the owner,” I said. “Sandra Trout. She owns all these buildings around town, including my own.” Then, to lighten the mood, I added, “You know how the French cut off the heads of all the rich people a few hundred years ago? Sandra Trout is the kind of woman who would have been the first one dragged out to the guillotine.”
He grunted, but didn’t say anything else. I used my key to let us inside, then punched the button for the elevator.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “I’m getting a weird vibe from you.”
Kai turned to me and forced a smile. “I’m sorry. It’s not you. I’m dealing with some personal stuff, so I’m kind of out of it today.”
“More work stuff?”
He gave me a look.
“Right, right. Sorry. No personal talk. As long as I’m not the cause.”
He put a hand on my back and guided me into the elevator. “It’s definitely not you. You’re the one thing I’ve been looking forward to this week.”
“That, and meeting my parents, right?”
He let out a groan. “Not exactly.”
“Thanks again for doing this. Seriously, it means the world to me. And it will get my mom off my back.”
“Happy to help.”
“I don’t know what you want to tell my parents when they interrogate you with questions…”
“I invented a backstory,” he said. “It won’t be a problem.”
My parents greeted us at the door as if we were soldiers returning home from war. That is to say, they greetedKaithat way. They practically ignored me as they hugged him—including my dad, who had to pull Kai down to his level for a hug—and immediately bombarded him with compliments and questions.
“What a nice shirt. Ginny didn’t tell me you cleaned up so nice.”
“How was the drive here? Do you live in town?”
“Pound cake! I’ll put this in the kitchen. Ginny told us you’re quite the chef.”
“Can I get you a beer? Are you a Coors man, or do you prefer Bud?”