One Funeral (No Weddings #2)(34)

“I will. I promise.”

He took a step closer, and this time I let him wrap his arms around me, needing his touch. As his warmth surrounded me, my pent-up tears finally flowed. I swallowed hard, pinching my eyes shut. When a sob escaped, he tightened his hold.

“Hannah, I’m so very sorry. I promise to make sure you feel how much I care about you all the time. Especially in front of my friends and family.”

I nodded. Abigail had cautioned me to trust Cade until he gave me a reason not to. And I would do my best to have faith in his words, even if his actions unsettled me.





That Friday night, Kiki and I sat at a new organic fusion restaurant, The Hoppin’ Bean, which easily could’ve described the energy buzzing through the dining room. Modern, minimalistic furniture in black microfiber fabrics set a darker tone. Walls in a soft white held vivid, abstract paintings with bold black strokes in a variety of patterns, splattered with a touch of crimson and navy. The glow of indigo recessed lighting underneath the bar cast a cool vibe into the room.

Kiki sipped on her green iced tea. “Thanks for meeting me here. I’ve been dying to try this place.” She’d pulled her dark brown hair up into a messy twist, with loose tendrils hanging down, and wore a flirty dress in a pale blue color that almost matched her eyes.

I took another bite of my barbeque meatballs. “No problem. I’ve been looking forward to hanging out with you.”

Kiki stared at my plate and nodded toward it. “How is that?”

“Amazing. Want to try?”

She nodded. “Here. You need to taste mine.”

We exchanged plates, and the moment I took a bite of her coconut shrimp lettuce wrap, I groaned at the rich flavor explosion in my mouth. “Oh my God. That’s incredible.”

“Right? Here. I’m never gonna eat all that.” She moved our dishes side-by-side so we each had equal access. “Have as much as you want.”

I dipped the unbitten end of my wrap into the light honey sauce. “So tell me about the art thing. I know you’d planned to get into galleries when we were in class together. How’s it going?”

“Really great. Three galleries have shown interest in carrying my pieces, but one of them wants to hold a large show this winter. So I’m working on an entire collection for them.”

“What’s the collection like?”

She leaned forward, forearms resting on the table. “They’re botanical metalwork sculptures. Some are smaller, like a single flower. One is a massive arbor with vines. Each one has only the raw steel, either polished or with a texture, and a single color, like on the flower or one leaf.”

“Wow. Sounds beautiful. I can’t wait to see them.”

“It’ll be just before Christmas. I’ll be sure to invite you to the showing.” She tilted her head. “So spill it, Hannah. What’s up with you and Cade?”

What? I blinked, holding the meatball I’d stabbed with my fork in midair, frozen halfway between the plate and my mouth.

She arched a brow. “Oh, come on. Cade can deny it all he wants, but I’ve caught glimpses of how he looks at you and how you look at him. Whatever is going on between the two of you isn’t just physical.”

My appetite lost, I put the meatball down on the plate and looked hard at her. “Can you keep this just between the two of us?” I didn’t have experience with sharing confidences with a friend, so this felt a lot like baptism by fire. But I couldn’t lie to her. And I didn’t want to.

She nodded. “Whatever is said here, I swear I’ll keep to myself.”

“Does anyone else suspect anything?”

“If Kendall or Kristen suspect more than a physical attraction between you two, they haven’t told me. We haven’t talked about it at all. Cade wiped out our bad sisterly habit of gossiping about him with effective revenge tactics when we were teenagers.”

“Well, there isn’t a whole lot to tell. Not yet.”

Her eyes glittered. “But there will be soon?”

I nodded. “We don’t know what yet, and we’re trying to figure it out and be smart about it so we don’t ruin our friendship or our working relationship, but there is something there, definitely.”

She beamed, grinning. “That’s so awesome. I’m happy for you guys. You make a gorgeous couple.”

I smiled. “Thanks.” I paused, brow furrowing for a second. “Kiki, can I ask you something?”

“Of course. Anything.”

Done with the meal, I folded my black napkin onto the table beside our nearly empty plates. “Should I read anything into the fact that Cade is hiding his feelings for me from you and your sisters?”

She immediately shook her head. “Cade is a great guy. But more than all the things you already know and like about him, he’s honest. He wouldn’t lead you on. If he says he’s interested in a relationship with you, then he is.”

Exhaling slowly, I nodded. “Thanks. I hoped so, but wanted your opinion about it.”

“Don’t doubt him. He’s one of the rare ones.” All of a sudden, Kiki’s entire face lit up. “Do you have any plans now?”

I snorted. “It’s past 9:30 p.m. on a Friday night. I’m all yours.”

She smirked. “Good. Then let’s go harass Cade.” Meaning: Let’s go to Loading Zone. When I’d told Cade that I was going out with Kiki tonight, he’d called Ben and offered to help out at their bar.