Page 12 of Son of a Preacher Man
Emotion gathering in his throat, Kodiak lifted the cup to his lips. “Once.”
“Didn’t work out?”
He looked at her then. “It couldn’t.”
“Sorry.”
Me too. “Your turn.”
“What?” Limpid pools of blue questioned him.
“Ever been married?”
“God, no.” Kelly sniggered with a shake of her honey-blonde head.
Warm and golden, dappled sunlight painted the lustrous locks. Glints of amber and chestnut. A hint of red. Kodiak swallowed the last dregs of his coffee to stop himself from running his fingers through it.
“I lived with someone for three years, though.”
“Didn’t work out?” But he already knew the answer.
“Well, I’m here and she isn’t.” Kelly inhaled, her brows pulling together, then released it with a sigh. “Stacy and I opened Beanie’s together. She bailed three months later.”
“Sorry.” He went ahead and reached for her hair, winding a strand around his finger.
“Don’t be,” she uttered without any emotion at all. Cold as ice. “I wasn’t.”
“No one since?”
She didn’t answer. “We should probably get back.”
“Aren’t we friends now, Kelly?” Kodiak released the silken wisp, watching it unravel.
Chewing on her lip, she nodded. “Yeah.”
He thought she was getting up to leave, but in a move that surprised him, Kelly straddled his lap. Her pretty blue eyes locked on his. “We’re friends.”
And she kissed him.
The plane touched down on the tarmac and his eyes blinked open.
He couldn’t recall the scenery that rolled past as they drove the Pacific Coast Highway. All he saw was her face streaked with tears as he held her tight one last time before he tore his soul in two and walked away.
They carried his bags up the stairs to his room. A sitting area with a window that looked out at the ocean. A small kitchenette. Bo had just set his bags down on the bed when there was a knock at the door.
Barbara was a severe-looking woman in her fifties with graying red hair pulled back in a tight twist. She introduced herself as his therapist and took a seat by the window so Bo could say his goodbyes.
Babs.
“It’s gonna be okay, man.” Bo hugged him.
He nodded. “Look out for her, Bo. Let me know how she’s doing.”
“I will,” he promised with a squeeze of his hand on his shoulder.
“And thank you.”
Bo gave his shoulder one final pat, nodded his head and then he was gone.
