Page 38 of Best Kept Secret

I don’t think that’s possible.

She placed her hand over her heart, and that was how Jenna found her when she returned with the mixture for her highlights. She quickly slipped the phone back in her purse and met Jenna’s questioning stare.

“What?”

“That was him, wasn’t it?”

She nodded.

“You’ve got it bad.”

“I do,” she admitted.

Jenna swirled a brush in the mixture. “Just be careful, okay?”

“You already said that.” She might have sounded snappish, but she was getting tired of all the warnings.

“I don’t know the guy, but I’m speaking from experience.”

This was the second time Jenna had intimated that she’d had her heart broken. While Kelsey was curious, she decided not to push. It turned out she didn’t have to.

“You might not believe this, but I was in love once too.”

“You were?” Her brows raised, and Jenna laughed. “No offense,” Kelsey added.

Jenna shook her head. “It was long before you knew me.”

“You’re not that old, so it can’t be that long ago.”

“I was just a teenager. It was my senior year and… You know what, it doesn’t even matter. Let’s talk about something else.”

So they did. They talked about books, Stacy and Nick, and some more about Hudson. Kelsey told Jenna about them going bowling and their upcoming date, but she left out certain things like their make-out session in his car. Jenna was a great listener, like most good hairstylists were. Plus, they were friends, so their conversation flowed easily.

In the meantime, Jenna flitted around her, highlighting, washing, conditioning, and trimming her hair. Then she took out the blow dryer and a big round brush and performed her final magic trick.

“Ta-da!” Jenna said once she’d finished.

Kelsey stared at her reflection, turned her head this way and that, and ran her fingers down the soft strands. “Ohmigod! I look great!”

Jenna tipped her head back and laughed, as did the client sitting in the chair next to her.

“You really do,” the woman said, nodding in agreement.

“I’m glad you like it,” Jenna said humbly.

“I don’t just like it. I love it!”

A few minutes later, she left the salon feeling like a million bucks and thinking, I hope Hudson loves it too.

Twelve

Hudson felt excited and somewhat nervous when he arrived at Kelsey’s apartment Saturday evening. He’d been looking forward to their date all week, but now that it was here, he questioned himself again. If he’d thought he could leave her alone, that idea had flown out the window last weekend when they’d made out in his car. He didn’t want to leave her alone, especially not now. How could he, knowing how she tasted, how soft her skin was (what little of it he’d touched), and how she’d melted into him?

Somehow he’d convinced himself that it would be okay to date her as long as he didn’t get too attached. What would be so wrong about enjoying her company when she seemed to enjoy his too? Dating someone didn’t mean you had to tell them everything, right? After all, they were still getting to know each other. Since when did people tell each other everything right at the beginning of a relationship?

Is that what this is, a relationship? He had to admit it was a bit of a foreign concept to him. In the past, he’d had what he’d call encounters. The closest he’d come to having a relationship was with Sonia, whom he’d been with the longest. Annie was the best thing that had come out of that relationship.

So, he’d decided to give himself some more time before he exposed all his dirty laundry to Kelsey. Or in this case, dirty diapers. His situation with Sonia and Annie was separate from him and Kelsey. At least, that was what he told himself.