Page 22 of Now That It's You
“Anyway,” Kyle said. “I think you should be proud of the cookbook, even if it didn’t sell like hot cakes.”
“I never understood that expression. I’ve worked in retail and in a lot of restaurants, and hot cakes aren’t really all that popular.”
“What sells better?”
Meg shrugged. “Bacon. Chewing gum. Romance novels.”
He laughed. “How about stuff like toothbrushes and toilet paper?”
“Sure. Or porn.”
“Aren’t they pretty much giving porn away on the internet these days?”
“True. Same’s true for the cookbook. Help yourself if you want one. Take a couple. Maybe your parents would like one.”
“I’ll do that.”
He didn’t say anything again for a moment, and Meg wondered if they’d run out of things to discuss. When he finally did speak, his voice was low and soft. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For what Matt did. With Annabelle, I mean.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Still.” He cleared his throat. “I wish things had ended differently.”
It struck her that he didn’t say he wished things hadn’t ended at all, but she let it pass. It wasn’t like either of them were choosing their words very carefully right now.
She suddenly felt very conscious of Kyle sitting close enough on the couch for their knees to touch. So close she could feel the warmth radiating from his forearm where it rested behind her on the sofa. So close she could hear his heartbeat if she leaned forward and rested her ear against his chest.
Stop thinking about that.
She should go check the pork. She set down her wineglass and stood up. Too fast. Swaying a little, she reached out and grabbed Kyle’s shoulder.
His arms went around her waist to steady her, or maybe it was something else. Instinct? Maybe that’s what she felt pulling her down onto his lap, or maybe it was gravity. She’d always been clumsy, and surely that’s how she ended up sprawled across his thighs, his hands warm and solid on her back.
They sat there frozen for an instant, faces nearly touching. She was close enough to feel his breath. Close enough to lose herself in the ash-flecked green depths of his eyes. Close enough to lick his nose.
The giggle slipped out before she had a chance to catch it. Kyle pushed her hair back off her face and studied her with a bemused look. “You okay?”
She shook her head. “Embarrassed. Clumsy. But okay otherwise.”
“What’s so funny?”
She reached for her ear, then stopped herself. Dammit anyway. “I was thinking about licking your nose.”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you meant about grief making people do weird things?”
“Something like that.”
He nodded. “You know what I did last night?”
“What?”
“Spent an hour on eBay looking for a record player so I could listen to a Kenny Rogers album I found in some of Matt’s stuff.”
“That’s not so weird.”
