Page 11 of Son of a Preacher Man
Sometimes the city overwhelmed him, the constant barrage of sounds too much. Cars whizzing past. Cabs honking. The clanking of the el overhead. Kodiak kept his earbuds in most of the time, listening to music helped cancel it all out.
“Where are we going?”
Halting his steps, he slipped his arm about her shoulders. “Wherever we end up.”
She tipped her head to the side. Glancing up at him, a trace of a smile came upon her face. Kelly didn’t seem to do that very often. She leaned into his side, and giving her a squeeze, Kodiak urged her onward.
“Here,” he said, stopping at a shady tree on the asphalt path that ran along the shore of Lake Michigan.
They sat together, legs stretched out in front of them, his arm casually resting on her shoulder. Late-morning breezes softly rippled across the water, catching in her hair, wisps floating about her face. He reached for one, silk between his fingers, then let it go.
“This is nice.” Sipping on her coffee, Kelly gazed at the panorama in front of them. “I hardly ever come out here.”
“I run here sometimes.”
She looked at him then. “Yeah?”
“North Avenue Beach to Montrose Harbor.”
“Hm.” Seemingly unimpressed, or maybe she was just nervous, Kelly pulled at the blades of grass beside her. “So, is Kodiak your real name?”
“It’s real enough, but no, it’s the nickname they gave me up at Richardson.” Amused by her blank stare, he smirked. “In Alaska.”
“…Kodiak like the city in Alaska.”
“Kodiak like the bear.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks turned this lovely shade of pink. “What’s your real name then?”
“Seth.”
“I like it.”
“I prefer Kodiak.”
When he left Crossfield and that miserable life behind, Seth Thomas Black ceased to exist. Only his sister used the name their father gave him. That’s how he intended to keep it.
“It’s a K name.”
And?
“My family has a thing for them. We all have one. Me, Katie, Kevin, Kristie, Kim, and Kara.” Kelly spoke quickly, the names tumbling from her mouth. She paused, only to take a breath, then added, “My sisters.”
“I met them at Brendan’s wedding.”
“Yeah, I guess you did.” Her cheeks flushing pinker, she rolled her eyes. “Forgot about that. Speaking of sisters, how’s Linnea doing?”
“Depends on the moment.” Staring off at the water, Kodiak shrugged.
“Kyan was a good guy. I always liked him.” Kelly took his hand and squeezed it. “You two were close, weren’t you?”
Returning his gaze to her, he admitted, “I hated him in the beginning.”
“Why? Didn’t think he was good enough for your sister?”
“Something like that.” Kodiak turned his head away. He couldn’t exactly tell her the whole truth, now, could he? “But Kyan was the best thing that ever could’ve happened to Linnea. So, yeah, we were close.”
“You ever been married?”
