Page 6 of Known By You
He must’ve seen my attention snag on his hand seconds ago, because he said, “Well, I lost two of my fingers, got out of the Army about ten years before I ever thought I’d leave, and moved to a state I’d never been to before, sight unseen. How ’bout you?”
His blue eyes sparkled at me, and he said it so good-naturedly, I barked out an odd half-laugh that sounded as rusty as my casual social skills. “Ha! Right. Yeah. Big changes.”
His beaming smile widened a touch. “Unexpected course of events, but crap happens. And in some ways it feels like….”
Illogically, my heart sank. I knew what was coming next. “Don’t tell me. Everything happens for a reason?”
He quirked a brow. “No. I think in some instances that’s resoundingly true. But then there’s the darkest, worst moments. Those things that most people hopefully never see, but for those of us who make a point to go into dark places and shine light on things, we can’t unsee them. For those things, it’s harsh and awful and untrue. What I was going to say is, it feels like being here, for me, was meant to be.”
I studied him, his shiny smile gone and replaced with an expression I could only describe as peaceful acceptance.
Thiswas new, too. Still stupidly good-looking and charming and clearly still a bit of a class clown, but also more mature. He had stories to tell—maybe always had, in fairness, since I hadn’t actually known him more than an acquaintanceship—and he’d gained some depth. Again, maybe he’d always had it, but now he seemed willing to show it. The version of Kenny I’d met five years ago had been silly and flirty, a little cocky, and just seemed so young.
These five years, however many hardships they’d thrown at him, looked good on him.
“Hmm. Sounds nice.” And though possibly construed as a throwaway response, I meant it. After everything that’d brought me here, I felt it down to my soul how enviable it was that he was so at home and right here.
When was the last time I’d felt at peace about anything?
When I’d accepted my job at the agency, I’d felt it then. I’d had this certainty about doing a job that had a purpose and would be impactful for the country and maybe even the world. I’d loved the sense that even as a twenty-two-year-old college grad I might be stepping into something that mattered. After leaving home and feeling like everything there was in chaos, though in retrospect I could admit the drama primarily came from my teenaged perspective and the hurt I didn’t know what to do with over my parents’ divorce, the path forward with the CIA and Kappa Sector had felt secure. Comforting. Possibly even a version of peaceful.
What I sensed now wasn’t peace, though it wasn’t exactly tumult. It was that eerie sense I was in-between—places, jobs, lives, realities, all of it.
“I do recommend it. But hey, I need to run in for a chat with Bruce. Can we hang later? Catch up for real?”
He stepped to the side to give me space to pass him, though the hallways weren’t all that narrow, and I stumbled over my response. “Oh, um, I’m not sure?—”
His eyes shuttered so quickly, I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been watching, then returned to their cheery friendliness.
“No worries. I’ll be at cocktail hour if you happen to be by tonight and if not, I’ll catch you another time. Have a good one.”
I nodded, because rather than being a trained agent in the intelligence community and a woman who held a master’s degree in international relations and spoke three languages, I was the girl in the hallway simultaneously stunned by this man’s golden retriever energy and my own inability to respond to him like a normal human being.
And what was that flicker of something? Disappointment? Annoyance? Maybe he really wanted me to show up tonight. That was a nice enough thought. At one time, he’d been at least a little attracted to me—enough to ask me out. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to hold that against someone, even if he had seemed more than a little shell-shocked when I’d seen him here in the summer.
But that man?
Yeah, he wasnotweeping into his pillow over me, nor had he ever. I couldn’t imagine he’d ever had a bed to himself for space to do such a thing.
CHAPTER FOUR
Kenny
Bruce eyed me. “You sure?”
“Yes. I want this. I don’t mind working this weekend. I’m bored out of my mind since Luc’s always skiing and Dorian’s grumpy right now and Beast is hovering over Jess and holding her hair back?—”
Bruce’s look said enough.
“I know, sorry. He’s right where he should be. But I could use a chance to get out. And like I said—” I pressed a palm to my heart “—I will happily accept a bonus from Julian if he feels so inclined.”
Apparently, he was not impressed.
“Just kidding. You know I’m joking. I want to go because this is important and straightforward. I want to help these people, and I can do it without it taking me away from my partner or kids or moody teen sister.”
Bruce chuckled. His sister, for whom he served asguardian, had been particularly moody as she entered her junior year of high school. Kiley was a good kid and smarter than most of us ever had a hope to be, so it was handy she had Bruce’s beloved Nikki, an actual genius, around to help.
“That’s thoughtful of you, Barbie.” His gaze softened.
