Page 53 of Because You Loved Me

“Mackenzie Davenport.”

“You’re kidding,” she says as she slaps the swing. “No way!”

“Who is that?”

“She’s that woman who was on the celebrity news. She’s engaged to Dustin Sawyer.”

I shake my head. “I don’t know who that is.”

“The lead from Catching Cupid? Destination Romance? Do you not like modern movies? Do you not watch television?” She scrunches her nose at me, and my insides flip. I know I should keep myself at a professional distance, but I’m still insanely attracted to Kiki.

I shrug. “I usually don’t have time to watch movies or TV. Tonight was the first movie I’ve seen in at least a year. Most of the TV I watch is Bluey.”

Kiki laughs. “Well, Dustin Sawyer is a famous actor. And Ellie said he’s coming here? That’s amazing! When are they coming?”

“Next week. They’re coming for the festival.”

“What?” She jumps off the swing, and I worry that her tea will spill. “We’ve got to get some publicity going. That’s not enough time. Why didn’t you tell me earlier? We need to advertise. We need to make posters and hang them around town.”

I chuckle at her. “Josephine and Ellie are already doing all of that. I gave them a thousand-dollar budget for publicity.”

“Oh.” She sits back down beside me. “Good. Because that’s like a huge deal.”

“I guess so. No wonder Ellie seemed excited.”

“Have they thought of radio interviews? Facebook ads? Getting influencers involved?”

“You can ask Ellie. I’m sure she’d like the help.”

“Okay. I’ll call her tomorrow. I’ll just have to borrow your phone.”

“That’s not a problem. By the way, I ordered you a phone. It should be here Saturday.”

“Why did you do that?”

Her voice has an edge to it, and I don’t know why. “Because I want to be able to get a hold of you.”

She sips from her mug, both hands around it. “You didn’t need to do that. Phones are expensive. What if I’m not here that long?”

The hairs on the back of my neck raise. “Are you planning on leaving?”

She avoids my gaze. “No.”

My internal lie detector goes off. I slowly drink the rest of my tea, and I set the mug down on the table next to the swing. Why would she want to leave? Was our kiss that invasive? Is she still feeling uncomfortable? Maybe I just don’t know enough about her to figure her out, which reminds me, she hasn’t given me her paperwork.

I nudge her shoulder. “Did you fill out the paperwork I gave you?”

She cringes. “I can’t find the papers. I might have thrown them away by accident. Can you get me some more?”

“Sure. I’ll print them out in the morning.”

I look down at the tattoo on her wrist and remember everything Kiki’s said about her past. She hasn’t told me details, but I know she’s got a lot of pain she’s dealt with. “A phoenix means rebirth, doesn’t it?”

She lifts her arm and turns it so I have a better view. “Yeah.”

“Why is it crying?”

“I lost someone.” She swallows, and I can tell she’s struggling with her emotions. “And it was my fault.”

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