Chapter Thirteen

With their busy schedules, Kit and Shane’s paths crisscrossed over the next two days. Relief washed over her when she’d come home and discover he wasn’t there. His presence made her think until her head hurt. She focused on having to get through the dinner at Aunt Dee Dee’s house. And in a blink, Saturday sneaked up on her like a thief.

A surreal calm blanketed her as she stared into her open closet. She perused the garments, the favorites she wore for fancier occasions. Since Christmas Eve’s incident, sugar had been her drug of choice, and some of the dresses didn’t fit her at the moment. But they would someday.

At the back of the closet were the impulse buys that had been one-hit wonders or hadn’t even lost their tags. What had she been thinking buying floral palazzo pants? She shoved the hanger back even farther in the closet.

Her hand instinctively went to the navy shirtwaist, a comfortable, nice, and loose staple designed to hide a multitude of sins like paneling put up to remedy bumpy old walls. She stared at the garment. Would she ever break away from the nondescript? As she was about to unhook the hanger from the wooden dowel, her eye caught the tomato-red number all the way at the back of the row of dresses. She’d bought the dress on sale at the mall, had promised herself she would become the kind of person who was comfortable in a red, slim-fit dress.

She withdrew the sheath and before overthinking it, pulled down the zipper and slipped the dress over her head. The zipper resisted when she tugged it up, but all in all, somehow the dress fit, and mostly she was able to breathe in it. She slipped her feet into the nude-toned, heeled sandals and stepped in front of the full-length mirror behind her bedroom door. Not bad. She had to admit it. She took in views from each side. Did she want to make a statement like this when she arrived at the dinner party? Wouldn’t it be better to blend into the woodwork, go unnoticed at her aunt’s fussy soirée?

She tilted her head and studied the image in the glass. She decided she felt like Scarlett in her red dress when a widow’s propriety called for head-to-toe black. Miss O’Hara hadn’t wanted the label of being the woman left alone without a man. A thump of daring quickened her heart. Could she do it? Yup.

Shane waited for her in the living room. He stood by the fireplace, looking at the lineup of framed photographs on the mantel. Despite her resolve to stop noticing his appeal, Shane Dugan quickened her heartbeats. He wore black trousers and a pinstriped dress shirt open at the collar. He lifted his gaze to meet hers, and a grin broke across his face and traveled up to his eyes, making them sparkle like jewels. Lordy.

“You look nice.” His gaze held hers.

She swallowed hard. “Back at you, Irish.”

He pointed a thumb at the rest of the photos on display. “Are any of these memories something I should know about?”

“No, not for today anyway. Why? Are you getting worried?” Panic was quick to pinch her gut.

He blew out a lungful of air. “I’ve never done anything like this.”

“I know. Me neither.”

“I’m kind of concerned about being separated from you and feeling cornered in a conversation.” He uttered a nervous-sounding chuckle. “Maybe we should come up with a rescue phrase in case one of us gets stuck.”

She mulled the suggestion. “That’s a great idea. See, Fireman, you were born to rescue.”

“It’s got to be something that triggers us. Like an SOS.”

“Okay,” she said. “Let me think. An SOS.”

He snapped his fingers. “I know. If I feel like a conversation is getting sticky, I’ll say ‘Hey, honey, let’s share our surprise.’ ”

“Yeah, I get it, but then we need a surprise to share. We don’t need to make things more complicated than they already are.”

“How about we say ‘Hey, what time is your appointment tomorrow?’ ”

“That could work,” she said. “Let’s just hope we won’t need it.”

****

They took Shane’s truck for the drive to Aunt Dee Dee’s. Kit was anxious to see her mother, who would be arriving by driver from the airport. Her stomach was like a blender whipping up a smoothie when she thought about her mom with her sharp eye and keen intuition.

As far as the other guests were concerned, Kit didn’t know who else would be at the party, but she wasn’t worried about fooling anyone as much as she was concerned about Mom. Aunt Dee Dee would be immersed in her hostess role, one she was born to perform, and Co-Co was notoriously so self-absorbed she wouldn’t be a threat to their ruse. And Brian. Lordy. This would be the first time she’d be in the same room with him since The Incident. Oh, to blow off the event and go in search of a good chili dog.

“Okay.” Shane cast her a glance. “One more time. Your middle name is Taylor, named after your paternal grandfather, you broke your arm in the fourth grade when you fell off the monkey bars, you never needed braces, your mom is Regina, and your aunt is Dee Dee, short for Deirdre. I know who Co-Co is, can’t wait to see what this Brian looks like, and the rest of the people I’ll just have to wing it as I go.”

An easy chuckle escaped her lips. “You go to the head of the class. How about the story on how we met? Have we got that down?”

“Yes. We met at Jabberwocky’s one night while you were waiting for your friend Rylee. I bought you a glass of chardonnay.”

“Zinfandel, but yes, and I gave you my number, and our first date was dinner downtown at the Admiral Inn.”

“I’m glad we kept it simple. I think we’ve got it, Kit.”

She liked his smile and the way he said her name. As much as she’d promised herself not to keep noticing this fireman’s appeal, nothing about her would cooperate. Her eyeballs liked the candy that he was. Her senses enjoyed his piney, manly man scent. She stole a glance as he kept his eyes on the road. Everyone would think she’d done well. A brick sat in her belly, though. This was not her man. She detested being a fraud.

“Turn here,” she said as they approached Aunt Dee Dee’s street. “And then it’s the third house on the right.”

“Wow. Lots of cars.”

“Yes. And what timing.” Her words escaped on a shaky breath. “That’s my mother getting out of that gray sedan.”

Shane shot her a smile. “You okay?”

“Hope so.”

He flashed a reassuring grin. “We’ve got this.”

“I’m glad you’re so sure.”

“Remember. SOS, if we need it.”

He winked. She swallowed with a throat so parched it felt as if she were attempting to gulp down razor blades.