Page 34 of Keeping Kara

“Pepperoni?”

“Is that a question, or is it what you really want?” he asked with a small smile.

“What I want,” she said a little firmer. “And ground beef. And cheesy bread. Oh, and if they have fried pickles, those too.”

Arrow chuckled. “You got it. And for the record, that sounds delicious. I think I could eat a whole pizza all by myself. I’ll be sure to get extra, so we can have it for breakfast if you want.”

“You like cold pizza?” she asked.

“Am I a guy?”

It was her turn to laugh now. “Uh…yeah, Arrow. You are definitely a guy.”

He smirked. “Cold pizza is practically one of the basic food groups for a dude.”

“I like mine dipped in ranch.”

“Same.”

They smiled at each other.

Kara remained silent for the rest of the trip, but it was a comfortable silence. She didn’t feel awkward or have an urge to offer innate babble, as she often did. And soon enough, Chaos pulled onto a quiet street in a nice-looking neighborhood. She could see water behind the houses, and was amazed to realize he had a place by the ocean. The houses were small but well-kept. The lawns were all mowed and there were lots of nice climbing trees.

It might seem funny that she noticed that, but being a kid who’d often lost herself in a tree when she felt unwanted or awkward, she was glad there were spots in his neighborhood for similar kids who might need a place to go.

Arrow pushed a button on the ceiling of the car and a garage door opened on the house to their left. It looked as if it needed some renovations, but it was still adorable. He pulled into the driveway and then the garage, not turning off the engine until the door was once more shut. Then he unlocked the doors and turned to her.

“Habit,” he said with a sheepish shrug. “If anyone manages to sneak into the garage while I’m pulling in, I don’t want them to be able to open the car door and catch me off guard.”

Kara was a little taken aback. “Has that happened before?”

“Not to me or anyone I know personally, but I’d much rather be safe than sorry.”

Kara agreed, and she filed the info away for the future, if and when she ever had a car and a garage.

“Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the place, then come back for the bags in the back.”

Kara had forgotten about the stuff the women said they’d gotten for her, and nodded before reaching for the door handle.

She got out and realized she was crazy sore. She hobbled around to the front of the car, and he obviously noticed.

“A hot bath will help. Come on, quick tour, bags, then I’ll leave you to do what you need to in the bathroom.”

Arrow held out his hand and, without thought, Kara took it. Surprising herself with how easily and fast she’d come to trust this man. It seemed natural to hold his hand. He didn’t squeeze at all, was very careful not to hurt her bandaged hand as he led her into his house.

He pointed out the half bath and tiny laundry room in the hall that led to the garage. Then they were in the main living area, which was an open concept. There was a decent-size living room with a TV that took up most of one wall, a couch, a huge beanbag in a corner, and a rocking chair. A low table was in front of the couch, and it was filled with magazines, what looked like unopened mail, and an empty glass or two. It wasn’t dirty, just a bit cluttered.

There was also a bookcase against another wall, which was overflowing with books. They were stacked haphazardly. Kara had to smile at the helicopter made out of Legos sitting on top of the case.

She let go of his hand and wandered over to the shelves, curious as to his reading tastes. To her surprise, she found many of the authors she loved to read herself. He was a thriller fan, which made her smile again. He actually might like her books, but she’d be way too shy to ever tell him her pen name. She’d die if he read one and didn’t enjoy it.

A picture caught her attention, and she picked it up. It was a five-by-seven shot of Arrow standing next to a woman. She had her arm around him, and his head was tilted so it was resting on top of hers. She was tiny compared to him. It was more than obvious they were related.

“My mom,” Arrow said from behind her.

Kara smiled at the picture. The woman was covered in dirt. She’d obviously been gardening or something, but it was the smile on her face that had Kara grinning. She looked content. Happy. In her element. There was a house off to the right in the distance, and rows and rows of vegetables behind them. The clouds in the blue sky were in stark contrast to the greens of nature all around them.

“It was taken not too long ago, at her place in Maine. She lives mostly off-grid and loves every second of it. She grows a lot of her own food, has chickens and goats, and is kind of a hippie.”