Dedicated to the One I Love, page 16
“That … that shouldn’t have happened.”
“Can we talk, please?”
“No. No, there’ll be no talking about”—she motioned between them—“whatever that was.”
“We kissed.”
“Right. Fine. We kissed. And we’re not talking about it.”
“We are talking about it right now.”
“And we’re done talking about it … because we both know it shouldn’t have happened.” She opened her car door and escaped inside. “It’s late. I need to get home.”
Joe stood in the same spot. “We’re just going to forget about what happened?”
“Yes. Yep. Uh-huh.” She struggled to insert the key into the ignition. “We have a book to write. We’re focused on that. Not kissing.”
There was that word again.
Kylie almost cheered when her car started. Joe stepped forward and shut her door.
They’d leave that … that mistake in the parking lot, along with the birthday cupcake that Kylie had dropped when Joe held her.
CHAPTER 15
Joe had never been more thankful for a Friday night and that Tucker and Mallory took him up on his offer of a movie night, complete with him buying pizzas.
He and Kylie hadn’t met Wednesday, which was probably a good thing after their “we’re not talking about it” kiss. He’d watched ESPN nonstop. Worked on his book proposal. He needed a break.
He carried the warm pizza boxes up the sidewalk to where Tucker waited in the open front doorway.
“Greetings. I can take one of those.”
Joe held onto the boxes. “No problem. I’ve got them balanced.”
“Just take them to the kitchen. Did you get the usual?”
“No. I went with Hawaiian and veggie this time.”
Tucker blocked the doorway. “Then you can turn right around and leave.”
“Of course I got the usual. Meat Lovers and Meat Lovers.”
“That’s better.”
Joe moved past him. “I knew Mallory was the woman for you when she proclaimed that was her favorite pizza.”
“I knew she was the woman for me when she could put up with you.”
“That is also true.”
After depositing the pizzas on the kitchen counter and giving Mallory a hug, Joe collapsed on the couch. “I’m ready to relax.”
“Thanks for picking up the pizzas.”
“No problem. What movie are we watching?”
Tucker handed him a Pepsi. “Mallory thought we could play a game to select a movie.”
“Can’t we just pick a movie?”
“This will be fun.” Mallory stood in front of the two men. “I picked four different movies—action, classic musical, western, and a rom-com. You choose a number between one and four, and that’s how we decide which movie we watch.”
Joe rested his elbows on his knees. “We’re adults. Not kids. Can’t we just watch a movie?”
Mallory didn’t budge. “Come on, Joe.”
“Two out of the four categories I don’t even want to watch.”
“You have a fifty-fifty chance of getting something you do want to watch. Play along or I’ll just pick—”
“Three.”
“Great! We’re watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
“What? That’s not an action movie.”
“Technically it is. And the animation is spectacular.” Tucker pulled the DVD from the pile on the coffee table.
“I could always go with the musical.” Mallory waved a DVD of Singin’ in the Rain.
“I’m getting pizza.” Joe pushed off the couch and strode to the kitchen. All he wanted was a relaxing evening with his friends. He hadn’t planned on trying his luck at picking a movie and then ending up with a cartoon.
He opened one of the delivery boxes and selected a slice. Took a bite of the gooey cheese and salty blend of sausage, pepperoni, pork, and beef without bothering to get a plate. He needed his Pepsi. And a napkin. And a plate.
And he needed to stop thinking about that kiss with Kylie.
Mallory appeared in the doorway. “Is the plan to eat while you stand in the kitchen?”
“Sorry.” Joe swallowed the bite of pizza. “It smelled so good, I couldn’t wait.”
“The paper plates and napkins are right here.” Mallory moved them closer to the two pizza boxes. “And you can get another soda from the fridge.”
“Can we eat first and have dessert while we watch the movie?” Joe took another bite of pizza.
“You assume I made dessert.”
“I smell the brownies, Mallory. I assume there’s vanilla ice cream in the freezer.”
Mallory’s eyes narrowed. “You seem off. What’s wrong?”
He could lie. Postpone the inevitable. But there was the whole Boy Scout thing.
“I kissed Kylie.”
“Yes! I’ve been waiting for you to tell us this!” Mallory did a little jig around the kitchen.
“You’re the only one excited about that kiss.”
“What? No, come on … ”
Joe found the glass pan of brownies on the back of the stove, pulled a fork from the drawer, and dug in. “It’s true.”
Tucker joined them in the kitchen. “Are we eating pizza or not? Hey! The brownies are for later.”
Mallory hugged her husband. “Joe kissed Kylie!”
“And he’s celebrating by skipping pizza and going straight to dessert?” Tucker reached for the pan, but Joe twisted away.
Mallory pulled some sodas from the fridge. “Did you kiss her on the Fourth of July?”
“Yes.”
“I knew it! There were sparks flying back and forth between you two all evening.”
“You’re way off here, Mallory.” Joe shoveled another bite of chocolatey brownie into his mouth.
“I can’t be. There were sparks that led to a kiss … ”
“And then Kylie jumped into her car and drove home. Pffft. End of story.”
“If that’s how she reacted when you kissed her, it just means you’re out of practice. Kiss her again.” Tucker piled three slices of pizza on his plate.
He and Tucker joked about everything. But this? Joe didn’t want to laugh off what had happened between him and Kylie on the Fourth of July. The brownies sat in his stomach like a glob of cement—and Mallory made brownies just the way he liked them. Rich and gooey. Might as well be eating dry oatmeal.
Why was he talking about that kiss? Kylie refused to talk about it, and here he was, discussing it with Mallory and Tucker.
“You realized what happened, right?” Mallory took the dessert from him, handing him a plate with a trio of pizza slices.
“I just told you—I kissed Kylie and she bolted.”
“I’m talking about why she ran.” Mallory paused for a moment. “Joe, I bet you’re the first man she’s kissed since her husband died three years ago.”
“What? No.”
“Think about it. She never finished the last book in her series. There’s been nothing in the headlines about her dating anyone.”
“You’re her first kiss.” Tucker grinned.
“I’m not her first kiss.”
“You know what I mean. Mallory’s right.”
“It wasn’t that she didn’t like kissing you.” Mallory faced him, as serious as he’d ever seen her. “It’s that she’s confused.”
“She’s not the only one who’s confused. Isn’t a kiss just a kiss?”
Tucker paused with a slice of pizza halfway to his mouth. “Don’t start quoting poems or song lyrics—”
“I didn’t quote anything. I was just saying it was one kiss.”
And yet what he’d shared with Kylie had all the unexpectedness of a first kiss, with the promise of more. Was he looking for more after what had happened with Cassidy?
“You haven’t texted her?” Mallory handed him a napkin. “Haven’t called her?”
“She was very clear we weren’t talking about it.”
“She didn’t mean that.”
“Pretty sure she did. She said, and I quote, ‘We have a book to write. We’re focused on that. Not kissing.’ And then she drove off. Left behind her cupcake, just like Cinderella left behind her glass slipper.”
Tucker laughed. “Do you hear yourself?”
“It’s so romantic.”
Tucker stared at his wife. “It was a cupcake, Mallory!”
“The first thing you have to do is text her or email her. Tell her you’re sorry.”
Joe set his plate on the kitchen counter. “I’m supposed to apologize for kissing her?”
“Not exactly.” Mallory crossed her arms.
“You’re not helping here, Mallory.”
“You’re still working on the book, right?”
“Yes.”
“You have to communicate with her.”
“Yes.”
“Well then, just email her … or text … say you wanted to see how she was doing. That you had a good time the other night, but you know things ended on an awkward note—”
“That’s an understatement!” He dragged his fingers through his hair.
This whole conversation made him feel like a middle schooler. He was an adult. Tucker hadn’t weighed in on this whole situation that much. He kept plowing through pizza.
Did he want another opinion? “Nothing to say, Tuck?”
“I told you—kiss her again.”
“That’s all you got?”
“The second kiss will tell you how she really feels about you. If she runs away again, then give up, man.”
“I don’t even know how I feel about her.”
“Then why did you kiss her?”
“Because it felt right.”
“There you go.”
“What does that mean?”
“You haven’t wanted to kiss anyone since things ended with Cassidy. Haven’t wanted to date anyone. And then Kylie comes along … something’s there.”
“It’s not that simple.”
Mallory offered him a gentle smile. “Falling in love never is.”
“I never said I was in love with her.”
Tucker just grinned at him.
“I’m not in love with Kylie Franklin.”
“Why did you kiss her?”
That was a good question. A very good question.
…
Kylie carried the stack of dirty dishes into the kitchen and set them in the sink. Leah followed behind her with a couple of glasses. “Just put those on the counter. I’ll clean up later.”
“The pasta carbonara was delicious, Kylie.” Zoe set the cloth napkins on the kitchen island.
“Happy to feed you all. You’re helping me out giving me feedback on my story.”
“No pun intended, right?”
Laughter filled the kitchen and even as she joined in, Kylie allowed the sound to embrace her and fill the emptiness in her heart. She needed more times like these.
“That is so bad, Zoe. I didn’t even realize what I said … ”
“Can I get the recipe for the pasta?” Dylan ladled the now-cooled mixture into a plastic container to store in the fridge. “Miles will love it.”
“Sure, Dylan. It’s not that difficult.”
“Kylie, you could serve us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I would be happy.” Leah refilled her glass with iced tea. “I’m so excited about your manuscript.”
“Did you like it?” Kylie held up her hands. “Wait, don’t say anything until we’re all sitting down and can go round-robin and focus.”
“Can I get coffee?” Zoe opened the cabinet. “Wait … where are all your mugs? There are only three teacups in here.”
“Yes, I got rid of all the coffee mugs, and the coffeepot. I do have a one-cup Keurig. How many of you want coffee?”
“I’ve got tea.” Leah held up her glass.
“I brought my own.” Dylan retrieved her insulated tumbler from near her purse.
“Then we’re good. One cup of Keurig coffee for Zoe and tea for me.”
Dylan, loyal friend that she was, saved the day, not mentioning Kylie’s vent-and-toss with all her coffee mugs. Kylie hadn’t even thought about there being a problem on a night like tonight. One of the problems. She hadn’t been sleeping. She kept thinking about Joe kissing her.
And that was not going to be discussed tonight.
Kylie took one of the remaining teacups and added boiling water to it, along with a teabag, the faint scent of Irish Breakfast tea reaching her nose. “You all brought your binders, right?”
Zoe nodded as she finished doctoring her coffee, as Leah and Dylan agreed.
“Let’s go to the living room and get started.”
Zoe and Dylan claimed the couch, while Leah took the overstuffed chair and Kylie settled on the floor. It didn’t take long for Remington to wander over and curl up next to her.
“For tonight, I just wanted you to reread what I’d already written. No new chapters. I’ve edited them a bit. Were you all able to get through the reading?”
A chorus of yeses greeted her question.
“Does the story still work for you?” Kylie pulled her copy of the manuscript up on her laptop.
“I love Worth the Risk. Opening with Dianna trying to forget that Jeremy had kissed her? So good.” Leah spoke up first. “I was thinking about how the kiss happens before the book opens and wondering if you should put it on the page.”
Kylie stared at the first page of her manuscript. “I-I hadn’t thought about rewriting the opening scene.”
Or the fact that she and her imaginary character were struggling with the same problem.
Dylan took a sip of her coffee and then chimed in. “How fun would it be to see their kiss? In a lot of romance novels, authors wait a few chapters for a kiss, and then it’s an almost-kiss. Your readers might be expecting the ex-boyfriend to show up—but not a kiss in chapter one.”
Kylie couldn’t tell her friends that she hadn’t been expecting this either. She touched her thumb to her bottom lip.
No.
She wouldn’t be using that in the scene. She’d come up with something else that created a sense of intimacy between Dianna and Jeremy—if she rewrote the scene.
Two hours later, they’d talked through the manuscript, transitioning from overall ideas of the manuscript to chapter-by-chapter thoughts. As always, Kylie thanked Leah for the punctuation and grammar errors she zeroed in on, insisting she’d missed her true calling as proofreader. Zoe still excelled at catching plot inconsistencies, while Dylan had a knack for dialogue.
“And this is why you’re my advance readers. I’m a better writer because of the three of you.” Kylie closed her laptop. “I’ll be adding four more chapters to your binders tonight before you leave.”
“I’m so excited you’re finishing this book.” Zoe hugged her binder.
“Honestly? I am too.”
“How many chapters do you have left to write?”
“I’m into the third act—I’m at eighty-five thousand words. I need another fifteen thousand before I can turn it in to my editors.” Kylie stood and stretched. “I need good words. A good ending—one worth all the waiting.”
Leah applauded her words. “That’s great!”
“Especially since I’m also working on Joe’s manuscript.”
Zoe took her teacup to the kitchen. “How’s that going?”
“Fine. We’re good.” And that’s all she’d say about Joe.
“You guys ended up meeting on your birthday, didn’t you?”
“I can’t believe I didn’t tell you!” Kylie turned to face her friends. “My mom and her husband showed up on my birthday.”
“What?” All three women spoke at the same time.
“She’d said they were coming through Colorado later this summer. Then I missed a voicemail where she said she’d be here for my birthday. She walked in and surprised me while Joe was here.”
“What did you do?” Leah pushed her curly hair away from her face.
“We had lunch with them in their RV with their miniature pinscher Rocko.” Kylie laughed, trying to describe Rocko sound asleep on Joe’s lap.
She’d end the story there. No need to tell them all about what happened later that night. There’d be too many questions and it was already going on ten o’clock.
Rocko and Joe. Yep. She’d think about that tonight if … when she had difficulty falling asleep.
Dylan lingered behind when Leah and Zoe left, offering to help her clean the kitchen.
“It’s not a problem. I’m just going to load the dishwasher. There’s not that many—”
“Coffee cups,” Dylan interrupted her. “You might want to get a few more so you’re ready for our next dinner. Go to a thrift store.”
“Good idea.”
“I’ll deal with the dishes while you tell me more about Joe.”
“There’s nothing more to tell.”
“Come on, Kylie. I’ve known you for years. What’s going on?”
Kylie leaned her back against the counter and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Joe invited me to go see the fireworks with him and his sister, Abbie, and some friends.”
“Okay. That’s nice, but nothing too exciting. I thought he tried to kiss you or something.”
“He did.”
“He did?”
Kylie didn’t make eye contact with Dylan. “After the fireworks, when we were by ourselves, waiting for the parking lot to empty, he kissed me.”
Dylan hugged her. “This is so fantastic!”
“No … no, it’s not.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I told Joe the kiss was a mistake. Got in my car and left him standing in the parking lot. We haven’t talked since then.”
“A mistake? Why?”
“Because … because … I don’t know.” Kylie’s words were a verbal shrug.
