Chapter Twenty-Three

Shane and Kit darted up the stairs to the loft and hurriedly worked together to gather his things.

Shane balled up his furry Mets bed throw. “We can shove this in the closet.”

“No.” Kit put a hand to the furry ball. “Let’s put this thing on my bed. For effect.”

Shane laughed. “We’re getting good at this.”

“That’s not really a compliment, is it?”

“Desperate measures.”

In no time the room had been stripped, as if he’d never been there. Her mind reeled. Everything about this felt lousy now. She was getting good at deception, and she hated herself for it. But there was no undoing it now.

“I’ll get the stuff from my bathroom and bring it downstairs.”

“Okay.” She headed toward the stairs. “Put some of your toiletries on the counter down there, too.”

Back in the kitchen she opened the package of English muffins. Shane came up beside her. “I told my mother we were in the middle of preparing dinner. Can you get the cookie sheet out from the drawer under the stove?”

They worked in silence, partners in crime that they were. Shane found a vase in the cabinet under her sink, put the tulips into it, and placed the arrangement on the kitchen table. She was dizzy with the swirling of truth and lies. Right now she didn’t know what to think or feel, what to believe. She ladled a dollop of the jarred tomato sauce onto each open English muffin and sprinkled shredded cheese on top.

“You know it’s been a lot longer than ten minutes.” Shane leaned against the counter.

Kit checked her fitness tracker. A half hour had gone by.

“Wow. I can’t believe Mom’s still over there. I hope she and Hop haven’t killed each other.”

He laughed. “Yeah, they seem to be oil and water. How come?”

She looked out the window to see if her mom’s car was still in the driveway, which is was. “Still over there. As I’m sure you’ve picked up on, my mother is kind of hoity-toity, God love her. You’d think she was born and raised on a satin pillow. Her father’s family was upper crust, but she and my dad were basically your average middle-of-the-road couple. My dad was an insurance salesman who did house painting on the side for extra money. My mom worked part-time in my school library. But she’s always been fastidious, well spoken, well read, and painfully opinionated. But don’t get me wrong. She’s a good soul.”

“I can see that, too. She is very protective of you. I know that much.” An easy smile claimed his mouth, which looked good enough to kiss.

“Yeah, she’s over the top with that, too. But when she first met Hop, he wasn’t her type of human. You know Hop. He pulls no punches, he thinks his jokes are funny, and he can get under your skin if you let him.”

“Heart of gold, though.”

“Yes sir. And that could be the one thing he and my mother have in common, not that it matters. But maybe we should go over there and see what the holdup is.”

She covered the doctored English muffins with foil. Shane put the cheese and leftover sauce in the fridge. The house phone rang. Mom.

“Uh-oh.” Kit picked up the receiver. “How’s it going over there, Mom?”

“We’re not there. That’s why I’m calling.”

She looked out the window again. Mom’s car was there. “Where are you?”

“I’m with Hop. We’re taking Smokey to a friend of his who’s a vet. The kind man offered to take a look at the baby at his house.”

Smokey? She named the kitten?

“Will you please drive slower,” Mom said to her escort. “You drive like a maniac.”

Kit heard Hop’s voice in the background. “Oh, I do not.”

“I’m bouncing all over the seat, and Smokey’s sliding around in the box, you old fool.”

“That’s the way it is in a truck. But I guess you wouldn’t know. Good news is you bounce pretty damn good.”

“Of all the nerve.”

“Mom? I didn’t even hear Hop’s truck leave. When did you go?”

“Just now. His truck was in the street for some nonsensical reason.”

“Because I blew the leaves off the driveway, if you don’t mind.”

“Anyway, Kit darling, I’ll stop by your house to fill you in when we get back. I just wanted you to know not to wait for me for dinner. I don’t know how long we’ll be. We need to have this baby checked out tonight.”

“And you’re calling him Smokey?”

“Well, of course. Hop’s a fireman.”

In the background Hop laughed. “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, Red.”

And she wasn’t hearing things. She recognized the sound. Her mother was giggling.

When the call ended, she turned to Shane. “Okay, where’s the wine?”