Tipping The Scales: Knox (Mate Craze)(18)

The talking to herself thing was kind of cute.

“One day what? You’d like to have a table-full at Thanksgiving? A big Christmas? Sunday dinners? My mom used to do that. She made every Sunday feel like Thanksgiving. I miss that.”

I glanced up from the egg-beating to see what she was doing then. I didn’t hear her move, though I could hear her graceful breaths in and out. They thrummed like a heartbeat.

“I’d love that stuff. Thing is, I can’t cook for shit and I’ll probably be too busy all the time. My ambition and my wistful thoughts don’t exactly match. My parents weren’t really like that. We ate dinner in different parts of the house. Everyone was so busy doing their own thing. I always felt alone.”

I shrugged, circling the butter around the pan. “There has to be a balance between the man and the beast—or in your case the female and the beauty. It’s hard, but it’s got to be there if you want it bad enough. Ambition and family can meet in the middle if they want to.”

“Female?”

“Woman, girl, estrogen-containing organism?”

“Asshole.”

I chuckled. “Well, at least you know what you’re talking about. I am a little assholey. It’s hard sometimes, knowing who to be and when. It has to be better than not knowing who you are or what you want though. It has to be.”

With her hands on her hips, she looked outside my back door, either admiring the view or figuring out the best way to get to the truck. She longed for something more. She wanted a family and a stable home. Those were all things we had here. Those were all the things I wanted.

But more than anything, I wanted her in my life.

“Smells good. What’s in it?” she asked, still staring out the window of the door.

“Ham, peppers, mushrooms, cheese. Everyone likes ham, right?”

“If they don’t, they have a serious issue. They should seek professional help.” Her voice was far away. There was a sadness coming off her in waves. My dragon and I didn’t know what to do about it. But we wanted to do something about it.

It took everything in me to focus on the task at hand. I flipped the omelet onto a plate and pulled the cinnamon raisin bread from the toaster. “Yours is done. Dig in while it’s hot.”

She jumped a little. “Oh, thanks. I was a little lost in thought there. Sorry.”

Coming over, I noticed the way her hips swayed back and forth like a dance, just for me. I was going to be in trouble if I didn’t stop looking.

“How did things go today? Did you put Liam in his place? That little fucker has been a claw in my ass since high school.”

She smiled and held up her fork. “This is really good. I’m not sure about that guy. He’s shady. Some things he does and says don’t really add up. Plus, he’s a little creepy.”

I tried like hell not to flinch. “What do you mean? He’s pretty good at his job, regardless of how I feel about him personally.”

Whatever I’d said in those two sentences was the end of the ease in our conversation. She clammed up like I’d put duct tape on her mouth and hardly spoke for the rest of the meal.

I watched her eyes. They never met mine again, which was different from what I knew about her so far. Every time I’d talked to her, she’d looked me straight in the eyes. My grandpa always told me that was a sure sign of someone honest and loyal.

“What’s the deal, Kallie?” Between talking about food and Liam, something had changed in her posture. Her shoulders had squared off. If I knew her better, it would tell me she’d remembered her resolve—either that or she realized that maybe the townsfolk were better company after all.

“We’ll see how proficient Liam is at his job. Don’t you worry.”





8





Kallie





As the door slammed behind me, the implications of what I had just managed to do slammed into me with equal force. How I had gone from enjoying an amazing home cooked meal made by a man with far too much influence over my body, to stomping out like a petulant child, carrying with me his truck keys, was beyond me. There was just something about him that had me all worked up, and this time not in the yummy I want kisses way, because that was the farthest thing from my mind at the moment.

As I opened the truck door I waited a moment for him to call my bluff. Not that it was really a bluff. I wanted to leave, but taking his truck keys, even if he had told me from the start it was my way out, was pushing it. I probably looked like I was second guessing leaving. My inadvertent flirting was blatant, and he knew that, even if I was mad at him for treating me like I was dumb. Or more like I was a flighty “female” who liked to make a mystery where there was none.

Was it so hard for him to think that Liam actually was a slimy shit? It wasn’t as if he seemed to even like the guy. In fact, I was under the impression he tolerated him only the tiniest of bits and probably just to keep the peace. In a small town, that kind of thing was important or so the television sitcoms I enjoyed seemed to indicate.

Inhaling deeply, letting the fresh air clear my head, I put the keys in the door and managed to lock it on myself. Of course he didn’t lock his truck when he didn’t lock his door. Sighing in frustration, I unlocked the door and practically threw myself in the truck. So much for a smooth exit. I didn’t need to look back to the house to know he was watching. I could feel his amusement from here. And now, once I again I became crazy. Ignition started, I pulled down the driveway, using my tiptoes, before braking and adjusting the seat like a person with an actual IQ.