AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t want to lose that. Almost as much as I wanted so much more.
9
AUSTIN
Ibrushed a hand down the front of my tie, smoothing it against my torso as I got out of my car in Kayla’s parking lot. Should I button my blazer? No, that was probably too much. This wasn’t a date. No matter how much I was starting to wish I’d told Kayla it was what I wanted.
Last night, after poker, I hadn’t been able to sleep. I was honestly surprised Megan hadn’t cornered me this morning to ask me about it. The townhouse we shared creaked. A lot. Especially when someone was up walking around late at night. I’d tried to be quiet, but buildings that were over a hundred years old didn’t exactly lend themselves to that. Thankfully, for whatever reason, Megan had quietly downed her coffee before heading out to the bookstore. If she hadn’t, I probably would have told her. Even if she couldn’t keep a secret. But she had.
So instead, I’d had entirely too much time to think.
Not that I needed any extra thinking time.
I wanted to date Kayla. I also didn’t want to ruin our friendship, and I wasn’t one hundred percent positive that she was interested in me as more than a friend. So. Step one? Get our friendship back on track.
The fact that she’d agreed to dinner, and hadn’t put up a fight when I’d mentioned Ada’s and it being my treat, had to be a good sign. Didn’t it?
I climbed the stairs to her apartment and knocked at her door. I wished she’d move to a better part of town. Granted, this was probably what she could afford. She didn’t have a grandmother like Megan and I did. Well, and now the whole billionaire thing meant I could buy up the whole block and not blink. Point being, this was exactly where I’d be living if I was doing it all on my own paycheck.
The door opened and Kayla beamed. “Hey. I’m almost ready. Come on in.”
She wandered off, so I went ahead and stepped into her apartment, careful to shut the door behind myself. She had cats, and Charles was known for trying to run outside if he saw an opportunity.
“There you are.” I squatted as Ada strolled into the room, the tip of her tail swishing. She paused, stared at me a moment, then deigned to come over so I could pet her. I found the spot behind her ear that always set her purring, and rubbed. “We’re eating at a restaurant named for the same woman you’re named after. Did your mom tell you that?”
Ada didn’t comment. She seemed content to purr and lean her weight into my scratching.
Charles pranced over. I hadn’t seen which direction he came from, but it was obvious he wanted attention, too, given how he butted at my other hand. I laughed and complied.
“There are portraits of your namesake there, too, Charles. But you didn’t get naming rights, sorry. It’s a cool thing to be one of the founders of computer science, but it doesn’t beat out being one of the firstwomenin computers. You’ll always come behind Ada Lovelace.”
Ada gave a quiet mew before adjusting her head. I guess my hand had moved off the perfect spot.
“Have you seen—there they are.” Kayla came back into the room, hopping on one foot as she zipped her left boot. “I forgot how much they like you.”
I looked up and grinned at her. “What’s not to like?”
Kayla snickered. “I need to set out food for them in the kitchen, then we can go. Sorry to be behind schedule.”
At the word “food” both cats had deserted me, trotting instead in the direction of the kitchen. I stood and followed. I could delude myself that it wasn’t because I wanted another look at Kayla, but I knew the truth.
“You look really good.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and leaned against the kitchen doorframe.
Kayla glanced over her shoulder a moment before turning her attention back to the cat food bowls. “Thanks. You cleaned up pretty well yourself.”
My tie matched her belt—a blue that teetered on the edge of the color made famous by Tiffany’s. It wasn’t perfect. That color was probably trademarked. But it was close. I’d bought the tie because it made me think of Kayla. It was good to see I wasn’t wrong about her enjoying the color.
“There.” Kayla pushed the bag to the back of the counter and quickly washed her hands at the sink. She dried them and headed to the living room, brushing close to me as she went through the door. My senses were overloaded with the fragrance that put me in mind of cherry blossoms and sunshine.
I hadn’t slept well last night, and that scent was going to make tonight a challenge, too.
Kayla slipped the gold chain of a small, shiny, black bag over her shoulder. “I’m ready if you are.”
I hurried to get to the door so I could hold it open for her.
She chuckled as she stepped through. I pulled it shut behind me. Of course, she still had to lock the deadbolt with her key, so maybe holding it didn’t make much sense. But I didn’t care. Maybe she’d piece together that this was more—to me at least—than best friends having dinner.
I offered my elbow.
