Page 29 of She Was Made for Me

Kyle regards me carefully, stroking his beard. “You don’t want to surprise him at the end?”

I wring my hands, feeling queasy at the thought. “No. I want to make sure he understands our reasoning and is on board. It’s important to me that this goes perfectly.”

Kyle studies me for a moment longer, and something in his face softens. “Okay. We’ll walk him through it today.”

“Thank you.”

He nods, turning up the steps to the cafe, and I follow him inside. We thread between the tables and outside to a paved area bordered with raised gardens, tucked between the back walls of the neighboring buildings. One wall is painted in fruits of bright colors, honoring the street names of the area, which makes me smile. My parents are sitting under a large umbrella, shielding the table from the midday sun.

“Hi, honey,” Mom says, rising from her chair to hug me. I haven’t seen her since we had dinner on my first night back, and she squeezes me tight.

“Hi, Mom.” I turn to Dad and hug him too. He’s in his work suit, as usual, probably planning to make up for lost time later.

Dad shakes Kyle’s hand and Mom pecks him on the cheek. I try not to feel jealous because honestly, what the fuck is wrong with me?

“How are things with you?” Mom asks me once we’ve ordered. I’ve always had a good relationship with my mom, and I suddenly wish I could talk to her about everything—what Kyle said last night, the feelings I’m developing for him despite trying to convince myself otherwise, how nervous I am about this project and letting Dad down. But even if we were alone, I couldn’t. Not when all my problems lately seem to be about hiding things from Dad.

“Good,” I murmur in response.

Mom nods and glances at Kyle, who’s studying the label on his beer bottle. “Everything okay, Kyle?” She smiles at him, sipping from her wineglass. “I didn’t hear you come in last night.”

“What?” He glances up. “Oh, yeah.” His gaze finds mine, and I silently plead with him not to say anything about me sleeping in the basement on an air mattress. I don’t know why, but it’s something I’d rather Dad didn’t know.

He clears his throat, turning back to Mom. “I decided to sleep at Fruit Street. It’s easier than hauling my truck back and forth, trying to find a parking spot each day.”

Mom’s brow clouds and she reaches to place a hand over Kyle’s. “You know you’re welcome at our place, as long as you need.”

“I know.” He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “This is much more convenient for now, but I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Di.”

She gives his hand a squeeze and lets go, and Dad cuts in with a grin as Kyle raises his bottle for a sip.

“We thought maybe you’d met some pretty young thing and spent the night with her,” Dad says, chuckling.

Kyle chokes on his beer, lowering the bottle as he coughs.

“Rich,” Mom scolds, glancing at me, and I laugh.

“It’s okay, Mom. I’m familiar with the concept of casual sex.”

All three of them look at me and my face heats.

“I mean, notme, I just… ugh, never mind.” I reach for my glass of wine and take a huge gulp, wanting to die.

“I do wish you’d meet someone though,” Mom tells Kyle. “It’s been so long since Lisa.”

Lisa?

My ears perk up at the mention of another woman’s name. I sneak a glance at Kyle, but his face is unreadable.

“I agree,” Dad chimes in. “Why not have a little fun while you’re in town? You might even meet someone worth sticking around for.”

Kyle rolls his eyes with a good-natured smile. “And then end up back at the firm, Rich?”

“I miss the old days,” Dad admits. His expression shifts. “But I know things are different now, and you won’t be back at the firm. There could be something to this townhouse remodeling business, though.”

Kyle doesn’t say anything, but I don’t miss the twinkle in his eye at Dad’s suggestion. It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest—he’s so passionate about these buildings, it would make sense for him to work on them full time.

“Speaking of,” Dad continues, “how’s the house coming along?”

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