Page 47 of Beautifully Broken Control

“Not anymore, it’s not. I’m leaving it with you and never taking it back.”

“Jensen, no. I don’t want it. It’s yours.”

She sighed. “Fine. I’ll take it back on one condition.” I arched a brow as if to askwhat? “That you wear it first.”

I pulled my hands from her grasp. “Oh, fine.”

Jensen let out some sort of girlie shriek that was so unlike her I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay. I’m taking the others home with me, then.” I opened my mouth to argue, but shut it quickly, knowing it would do me no good. “You’ve got my straightener and curling iron. I’ve got Chuck. Need anything else?”

“No, you’ve covered all my bases.” I met her gaze. “Thank you. For everything. I’m so glad I ended up in Sutter Lake and at the Kettle.”

Jensen pointed a finger at me. “Don’t you dare make me cry. Because if I cry, then you’ll cry. And we can’t have you looking all puffy and splotchy for your big date.”

Her final words sent any emotion running. “It’s not a date. I’m just a friend doing a favor.”

“Suuuuure, you are.” Jensen grinned wickedly at me.

“Stop that.”

Jensen tried to hold in a laugh and failed. “I think you’re good for him.” She sobered. “He’s got wounds, so cut him some slack if he’s a little much at times.”

I wanted to ask what those wounds were. All I knew was that he’d lost someone. But, who? How? I had millions of questions swirling in my mind, but I held them back. I wouldn’t want someone prying into my life by asking others about my greatest traumas. I had to give Cain the same respect.

“I’ll cut him some slack.” I pulled J into a tight hug. When I released her, I bent to scratch behind Chuck’s ears. “You be good.”

Jensen hooked the leash to Chuck’s collar. “He’s always good. And Noah is thrilled to have a dog for the night. He’s been begging me and Tuck for a puppy, and I think we’re going to have to give in.”

“Oh, you should. Every kid needs a puppy.”

She draped the excess dresses over her arm. “He lives on a ranch. He’s surrounded by every kind of animal, why does he need to add a dog who’s gonna poop and pee all over my house until it’s potty trained.”

I let out a laugh. “It’ll be worth it.”

Jensen just shook her head. “Try and have fun tonight, okay?”

“I’ll do my best. Tell Noah and Tuck ‘hey’ for me.”

“Will do. See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.” I opened the door for J and waited until I heard the back door shut and lock before closing my own. “Fun. Just have fun.” Yeah, right.

I glanced at the clock in my kitchen. Shit. I needed to get moving. I was already showered, but my hair and makeup needed some serious work. I got to it.

My eyes locked on my reflection in the mirror. It was an image I hadn’t seen in a long time, one I wasn’t exactly happy to see again. If I were honest with myself, I didn’t like the person I used to be all that much. Going along with just about every dictate set out by my parents, even the ones disguised as a suggestion. Closing my eyes to all the suffering that had been going on in the world around me. That girl had been nothing but a carefully crafted façade. An expertly painted canvas with little heart.

But I had heart now. I was growing to like the woman I was becoming. I might still know how to expertly paint a canvas, but there was life behind it. Purpose. And the woman I was working my way to being. She would have Cain’s back. So, that’s just what I was going to do.

My hands shook slightly as I brought the locket up to clasp around my neck. It was the one piece of jewelry I’d taken with me when I left. A gift from my grandmother, my father’s mother, someone who probably hated me now.

She’d never been a warm woman. She was couched in proper etiquette and cold distance. But she’d given me this one gift that had spoken to me. A gold locket with a dancer in mid-spin. It wasn’t fancy, but I’d loved it from the moment she’d given it to me for my thirteenth birthday. My mother had always scowled when she saw me wearing it. Called itjuvenile, but she couldn’t remove it as she had the other items in my wardrobe that she found displeasing because it was a gift from the matriarch of our family. Even she didn’t dare cross Helen Barrington.

There was a knock at my door. Apparently, Jensen had told Cain to keep an extra set of keys. I took a deep breath and crossed to the sound, pulling the door open. It was a good thing I’d taken that deep breath because I could no longer get air into my lungs.

Cain. In the most expertly tailored tux I’d ever seen. It was unique, just like him. A mixture of playing by the rules and pushing the boundaries. The fabric was a blue so dark, it was nearly black, though not quite. A color that matched his eyes almost perfectly. And the cut… It skimmed his broad shoulders and chest in a way that hinted at the muscle beneath.

My cheeks heated as I saw Cain’s eyes skim down my body. I swore the gaze felt like the lightest touch of fingertips and ignited a shiver I couldn’t contain. “You look incredible, Kenz. Scratch that, incredible isn’t good enough. Transcendent. That’s how you look.”

“Thank you. I just need to grab my purse.” Well, Jensen’s purse, but he didn’t need to know that. I snagged the clutch, a wrap, and a pair of flip-flops for the flight home and then took an inventory of my studio apartment. I felt like I was forgetting something, but maybe it was simply that I was leaving my safe and predictable life behind for a night.It’s only one night. I could do it for one night. I took a slow, measured breath and turned. “Ready.”

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