Page 58 of From the Start
I narrow my eyes at him. “No. I don’t stalk people. Stalking is more your thing.”
“Your loss. I prefer to run without a shirt on. You can ogle me all you want.” He waggles his eyebrows.
“Silly me. I thought you’d advanced from the sexual innuendos.”
“Not an innuendo. There was nothing indirect about my statement inviting you to ogle me.”
“Are the two of you going to stand in my living room all morning?” Dad asks. “I can’t hear the television over the two of you.”
“The entire town of Smuggler’s Rest can hear our television, Dad.”
He cups his ear. “What did you say? I can’t hear you.”
Kai barks out a laugh and I glare at him. “Don’t encourage him.”
“It’s not my fault your dad’s hilarious.”
“Hilarious?” I snort. “Yea, right.” I shackle his wrist and drag him toward the door.
“My phone number is on the refrigerator,” I tell Carl before I leave. “And I made you some lunch but if you don’t want it, you can…” I trail off when he holds up his hand.
“I got this, Harper. Go have a good time.”
I hesitate at the door. Leaving Dad with a caretaker while I work is one thing. Leaving him with a caretaker to go on a date and have fun is another. Maybe I should cancel. If Kai doesn’t want to date me once Dad’s arm is healed, it’s his loss.
“You gonna shut that door or do you want me to pay to air condition the entire street?”
“Fine, we’re leaving,” I tell Dad before stomping out of the house.
Kai laughs as he leads me to his SUV.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me, or we can forget all about this dating thing.”
He presses me against the vehicle. “We are not forgetting about this dating thing. It’s taken me months to convince you to give me a chance, I’m not giving up now.”
“I won’t put up with you laughing at me.”
“Slugger.” He brushes the hair from my forehead. “I’m not laughing at you. I wouldn’t dare. You’d punch me. But your dad is hilarious.”
“My dad is a pain in the ass, is what he is.”
“He can be both things at once.” He cups my chin. “It can’t be easy for your dad. Losing your mom and then having the stroke and losing his independence.”
I blow out a breath. “I know but he’s a crotchety old man sometimes.”
“I know. He reminds me of you.” He kisses my nose and opens the door. “Now, get inside. We’re going to have some fun and then eat tons of unhealthy food.”
“What if I don’t enjoy unhealthy food?”
He sighs. “And here I thought you were perfect.”
Perfect? He can’t be serious. I’m nowhere near perfect. I’m chubby despite how much physical labor operating the bar is. Plus, I’m grumpy. And I’m always exhausted.
Kai tugs on a strand of my hair. “Stop overthinking.”
He slams the door before I have a chance to respond.
“You can’t tell a woman to stop overthinking,” I attack when he settles behind the wheel.
