Page 29 of Known By You
“I’m sorry,G. I can’t.”
Kenny’s voice was ragged. His eyes were downcast, and he was an alternate universe version of himself.
“I’m sorry, honeybun. Kenny’s always been very focused on his work.”
“Yeah, Uncle Ken is working hard to compensate for all the failings in his personal life. It’s a him-problem, not a you-problem.” The tallest man, Glen Senior, patted his son’s shoulder.
“But who are you traveling with, Kenny? Is this an old friend?”
Mandee’s voice had a false ring to it as though we wouldn’t recognize she wanted to be introduced to Jack, whom her eyes had latched onto and she couldn’t look away from.
The muscles at Kenny’s jaw flexed and I’d had about enough of this. People had started milling around sizing up the group, likely because they were noticing that the tall baseball cap-wearing man who looked like a movie star was one, much like Kenny’s lovely family here.
“Sure you want to have this guy on your team? Pretty sure he’s the weakest link…” Glen Jr. said with a chuckle, all while Glen Sr. watched and never spoke a word.
“Sorry, folks. We’re on a tight timeline. Hope you have a nice day.” I set a hand on Kenny’s arm. “Ready?”
He nodded and I moved, ushering Evie and Jack out to the car. I’d left it unattended far longer than I would normally, but since there was no imminent threat and because I’d sensed something way off about the interaction, I’d abandoned it.
Right move, I couldn’t help think, as Evie and Jack’s doors shut and Kenny visibly exhaled and shook out his hands as he walked away from the group and toward the door. He entered the car and it snicked shut. I checked therearview and found Evie and Jack looking at Kenny, concern etched into their faces.
“Just go.”
All he said, but all he needed to say.
I’d guessed that despite his optimism, there were things he couldn’t put a positive spin on. I hadn’t wanted that to be true so much as… needed it. I needed to know that someone with hardships could be like him.
But now, driving Eastbound out of Vegas, I’d never wished I was wrong about anything more.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Kenny
My eyelids were heavy when I forced them open and checked the dashboard clock to find I’d conked out for a solid two hours.
“You sleep like the dead,” Liz said, her voice low enough I figured only I had heard her.
With a groggy grumble, I ran a hand through my hair and rubbed my eyes.
“Sorry.” What else could I say?
Sorry I saw my family for the first time in years and it was low-key traumatic!
“You want to talk about it?”
Her question lingered in the air between us and my gut impulse to say no was nowhere to be found. Maybe because I was still tired from my unplanned nap, or maybe because I wanted to talk about this with someone and for the firsttime in a long time, I felt compelled to, I said, “Actually, if you’re up for it, yes?”
She straightened in the driver’s seat, hands adjusting on the wheel. “Oh. Good. Okay… so. That was your family.”
“Yes.” I wasn’t sure how to get into the backstory, how to explain everything rolling around in my head.
“I gather you haven’t seen them in a while?”
“Six years, and even then, it was very brief.”
“That’s a long time.”
Her voice softened and something about it made my insides twist, whether from the question she hadn’t asked, but lingered in the air, or from the frustration that this had come up at all.
