Page 105 of Fraud
“Of drowning? A little.”
Laughing, I stepped out of the car, waiting for him to do the same. He did. Eventually. I could see the hesitation in his eyes but also a healthy dose of anticipation.
He was curious.
“It’s a kayak, and that”—I pointed to the bay— “is just water.”
“Says the girl who has probably been kayaking since she was ten.”
“Five,” I corrected. “But it’s been a few years, so I’m rusty.”
“We’re going to die.”
I grabbed his hand. “Come on. Let me teach you something for a change.”
His gaze settled on mine. “Deal.”
We headed toward the office, hand in hand, before he suddenly stopped me.
“But, in the event that we do die——or I die, rather—could you make sure my headstone is properly engraved? I want it to say,Here lies Killian Townes, Expert Lovemaker to Katelyn O’Malley.”
Laughing, I replied, “I will make it so. But I’ll need to know some other important information.”
“Such as?”
“Your birthday,” I replied before realizing what I’d just said. “I don’t even know your birthday, Killian!”
“It’s March fifteenth,” he said nonchalantly, as if he’d told me the sky was blue or that grass was in fact green.
“That was last week!” I nearly shouted.
“Yep.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“We weren’t really speaking last week,” he explained. “I was too busy being an idiot, and you—”
“I was dating Brian.”
He grinned. “Right.”
“We have to celebrate!” I demanded. “Tonight!”
“It’s really not necessary,” he said. “It’s just a birthday. It’s not important.”
I looked around, the birds chirping around us as people went on their normal business. “Look at that guy over there, walking his dog.” I pointed.
Killian followed the direction of my hand to a young guy, around our age. Medium build with light-blond hair, wearing a pair of board shorts. He was the quintessential West Coast beach bum.
“If I told you his birthday was today, you’d probably shrug and say something like,That’s nice. Then, you’d go on with your day. But, to someone, the birth of that man is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened. Maybe it’s his mom. Maybe it’s his boyfriend. Who knows? But, to someone, somewhere, it’s not just another birthday. It’s a miracle.”
“Are you saying, I’m your miracle, Kate?” he asked, his fingers reaching up to brush the hair from my face.
“Yes, maybe,” I replied sheepishly. “And I want to celebrate the day you came into this world.”
He smiled down at me with warmth. “Okay. But you’d better do it fast. I hear there’s a crazy woman out there, intent on killing me with a kayak.”
I laughed, pulling him the rest of the way toward the rental office.
