Page 36 of Claiming His Wife
Kaiya didn’t allow the tension in the car to remain. She chatted happily about the plans she had for her school, and soon all three of them were sharing ideas and giving their opinions. Kaiya suddenly changed the topic from her school, and instead asked if they remembered the time she’d caught them half-naked in the backyard. Both she and Finn tried to deny it had ever happened, but Kaiya insisted that it had.
She remembered that event like it was yesterday. It was after supper, and Kalilah had gone out under the guise of going for a walk. However, Finn was waiting for her at the very end of the garden, where it was mostly dark. They started making out almost immediately. The kiss had gotten so intense that they had both removed their shirts, wanting to feel more of each other. Just when things were really beginning to heat up, they heard laughter from behind them, and someone said, “I knew it!”
It was embarrassing for her sister to catch her in such an embrace, and she’d made Kaiya promise not to tell their parents. Her sister agreed to keep their secret, but only if Kalilah would lend her ID when she needed it. The little blackmailer.
She knew that her sister was trying to ease the tension between she and Finn by offering herself as their common enemy. In that moment, she loved her sister more than ever, and she was proud of the woman she was becoming. The car ride continued with Finn and Kalilah’s continued denial of events, Kaiya laughing about all the times she had seen them sneaking away.
The first building that they visited was a bust. It was large and there was potential; however, it was a fixer-upper. Kaiya didn’t want to have to deal with too many repairs.
The second was better than the first in that it was ready for immediate use, but it wasn’t as roomy as Kaiya wanted it to be. Frustration was evident on Kaiya’s face.
“I swear, they look so much bigger and nicer in the pictures,” Kaiya muttered.
“We’ll find something, sis. There’s still one more we have to see, and it may work.”
Finn suggested lunch, but Kaiya insisted on seeing the final location before succumbing to her hunger.
This building was closer to downtown and could easily be accessed through the metro stations.
That was a plus for Kaiya.
Finn helped Kalilah out of the car, and never let his hand drop from her lower back. She didn’t mind him holding onto her, either. Only because she felt as though she may pass out from hunger.
Kaiya’s face nodded approvingly as she surveyed the building’s surroundings. There were restaurants and shops, which would come in handy for parents when they dropped their kids off.
The street also seemed busy, which meant she would be able to market her school easily.
When they finally entered the building, it was larger than the first two buildings they saw. Wood floors ran throughout the building which was perfect. Kaiya moved forward excitedly, phone out, and then started to snap pictures of every corner of the building.
“Guys, I think this is it!” Kaiya shouted excitedly. “I was beginning to get worried.”
“I told you we would find the perfect place. Did you doubt me?” Finn asked cockily.
“Thank you so much, I’ll never doubt you again!”
Kalilah looked up at Finn, and she hoped her face showed the gratitude that she felt.
“Thank you,” she mouthed.
He winked and gave her a bright smile.
“Kaiya is a tyrant; she would have continued from location to location until we all passed out from hunger.”
She smiled at his feeble joke, not knowing how much that small act meant to him.
“Hey!” The shout startled them both, but Kaiya was merely turning pirouettes. “It's perfect!” Her infectious good cheer filled the large room. “I can’t wait to open it up to young aspiring dancers. World class dancers will be created here. You guys will be part of history,” she said loftily, stretching her hands to encompass the entire room in a theatrical gesture… and promptly ruined the effect as her stomach rumbled.
“Kaiya, was that you?” Finn asked, lips twitching.
She burst into laughter as she guiltily admitted, “I might have been too nervous to eat breakfast.”
“Thank God for lunch,” he called as he ushered the two of them out. Kalilah had to drag her sister out of her dream location. Finn locked up and took the two of them out to lunch.
CHAPTER 11
THREE MINUTES IS HOW LONG IT HAD TAKEN Finn’s thoughts to bring Kalilah back to mind.
He put a hand to the knot that threatened to suffocate him and unraveled it in one tug, throwing the offending piece of fabric on his desk. He had donned a tie for the monthly office meeting, because he had a rule for corporate attire at work and he couldn’t break his own rule.
