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Brenda’s sea-green eyes went wide. “Then I’m really sorry to interrupt.”
Kendra had to give her credit for rolling with it. “If you had to explain why sex with a rebound is better than sex with an ex, what would you say?”
“I’d say it depends on the person.”
“Right. Of course. But in general, maybe it’s because a rebound isn’t as serious, so you can just have fun and not put so much pressure on it, or—”
“Kendra.” Brenda waved a hand in front of her face. “As much as I’d love to talk about sex for the rest of the day, I’m actually here to get my grandmother’s things. Do you know if it’s okay to go into the rooms yet?”
“Oh. I’m so sorry.” She blinked herself back to a semi-rational state. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Not because of sex. Well, somewhat. Anyway, yes, you can go ahead. Just step carefully. How is your grandmother doing?”
“She’s a little shell-shocked. She’s never been on the news before.”
“Oh wow, is she the one Jason carried out of the building? Mrs. McMurray, who reminded him she gave him a C while he was rescuing her?”
Brenda laughed. “Yes, that’s my granny. She gets feisty around handsome men.” Brenda adjusted her grip on the cardboard box she was carrying. “Anyway, she’s going to stay with me for a while, until I’m sure it’s safe for her to come back here. I always wanted her to live with me anyway, but she wanted to be around people her own age. Her words, not mine. The real reason is that she thought I’d have an easier time dating if I didn’t have a live-in chaperone. She called that one wrong. God, listen to me blab on about grandmothers, when we could be talking about sex.”
Kendra laughed as Brenda headed for the wing where the rooms were located. She made a mental note to get to know Brenda better. The redhead had a better sense of humor than Kendra had realized. Did she have any idea that Galen Cooper had such a crush on her? Probably not, because everyone in town had a soft spot for Galen and no one would want to betray his secret.
“Kendra.”
That deep voice sent an automatic thrill through her. She turned to see Jason, wearing his official fire chief uniform. She saluted, a completely involuntary gesture solely attributable to her lack of sleep. “Chief Mosedale.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Are you okay?”
“Tired. I didn’t get enough sleep last night.”
He lowered his voice to bedroom level. “When did you leave this morning?”
“Oh…early.” She wasn’t exactly sure of the time, but it had still been dark. Back at home in her own bed, she’d tossed and turned the rest of the night. “Are you here to sign off on the gas line?”
“Yeah, I got a guy checking it out. Thought I’d come see how it’s going with the new kitchen.” He gazed around at the construction mess. “Work in progress?”
“We’re getting there.” She gestured at the workers mounting the triple sink into the countertop, which was currently balanced on two sawhorses. “We still need the water and gas hooked up. The fridge and chest freezer were easy. They’ll have to do without a garbage disposal for the time being. The head cook came by and said everything looked functional enough. How are things on your end?”
“After the inspection, our part’s done, unless someone here manages to set something on fire.” The joke didn’t quite land right. She could see a seriousness in his eyes that wasn’t normally there. Her heart sank.
They were going to do this. Did they have to do this?
“Can we talk somewhere more private?”
Crap. “Jason, I am not in peak conversation condition. I only got a couple hours of sleep and my all-nighter days are long gone. All-nighter days? Does that even make sense?” She shook her head, trying to focus. “See? This just isn’t a good moment. I need to save my brain cells for things like gas line clearances.”
He looked down at the floor for a moment, as if debating with himself. Then back up, his blue eyes more clear than she’d ever seen them. “Be honest with me, Kendra. Do you really think anything would be different if you’d gotten more sleep?”
She let out a sigh. Her heart fluttered like a trapped hummingbird. “I don’t even know what you’re going to say.”
“Yes, you do.”
She should have known he wouldn’t fall for the clueless act. Woman up. He’s asking for honesty. That’s fair.
She glanced around the construction area and realized that everyone was either watching them or pretending not to watch them. If they were going to do this, they needed privacy.
“Let me show you how they plan to handle meal deliveries,” she said in a louder voice, then beckoned for him to follow her. They walked down the hallway, which was wide enough for wheeled racks of meals and wheelchairs going both directions, until she found a large room set aside for group activities. Easels filled one corner, a crate of bongo drums and a grand piano another. The room still smelled faintly of smoke.
“I used to teach dance classes in here,” Jason murmured. “I learned a few things, too. Some of the folks really know their Lindy hops.”
She closed the door behind them and turned to face Jason. Best to face this head on.
