Shelby sips from her latte, eyeing me circumspectly over the rim of her cup. She’s taken obvious care with her outfit and makeup, but it was a useless endeavor, completely wasted on me. “I knew you’d call.” She beams at me. “I knew you would come to your senses.”
I can’t figure out if she’s stupid or delusional or a bit of both.
“Shelby, I asked you here to set the record straight. I thought we were on the same page, but after last night, it seems some clarification is called for. I’m going to sound like a dick, and I don’t mean to, but I have no interest in you. None whatsoever. I felt it best to put it out there so you don’t waste any more of your time. Like you said, there are tons of guys only too happy to go out with you, so you shouldn’t get hung up on me.”
Her eyes blaze as a red flush creeps up over her neck. She’s seething. “Wow. Your legendary ego is true.”
“Shelby, what do you want from me?” I sigh, already tired of this conversation.
“We could be so good together, Kalvin. I know it. You know it.”
Delusional it is.
“Everything was cool until that girl appeared on the scene. Who is she?”
“She’s my … best friend, and I came here for her. We lost touch, but I want to reconnect with her. Her friendship is important to me.” I was going to admit she’s the girl, but I don’t think Shelby would appreciate that. Lana has had to deal with pettiness from other girls in the past over me, and I’m not subjecting her to it again.
A puzzled look appears on her face. “If she’s only your friend, then why would she have any issue with us dating?”
I feel like banging my head against the wall. “I don’t know how to put this any more clearly, Shelby. Irrespective of who Lana is or isn’t to me, or how she would react, there is no future for us. I’m not interested in you.” I stand up. “I’m trying to be a gentleman about it, but if you approach me again when we’re out, I won’t be nice. I don’t want you to come anywhere near me or my friend. It’s best if we make a clean break so we can move on.”
She flips her middle finger up at me. “Unreal. If this is you trying to be a gentleman, I’d love to see your not-so-nice side,” she snarls, slipping out of the booth. She gets all up in my face. “Message delivered. Loud and clear.” She casts a derogatory glance over my cargo shorts, U2 shirt, and sneakers combo. “I’m too good for the likes of you anyway.”
“Whatever you say, Shelby,” I acquiesce, shrugging.
“You stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours,” she says, as if it was her idea.
“Agreed.” I toss some cash on the table, tipping my ball cap at her as I saunter out of the joint.
After spending a couple hours at the track, I head back to the dorm to Skype my brother and Faye. Lana dropped her name in the conversation last night, and I’d like to know why.
“Hey, asshole. What’s up?” Faye says, sending me a teasing smirk through the screen.
“Did you know Lana was here?” I get straight to the reason for my call.
Her face contorts. “Eh …” It’s rare to see my cousin at a loss for words. She glances over her shoulder—at my brother, no doubt. Tucking strands of thick, brunette hair behind her ears, she drills me with a serious expression. “Yes. I knew Lana was going to UF.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?!” I demand, pacing the room with my cell in my hand. “And why didn’t I know you two were in contact?”
“Because she asked me not to tell you.”
“I’m your Goddamned cousin! And you knew I was hurting. I can’t believe you kept this from me.”
“What the hell was I supposed to do, Kal?” She leans into the screen, frustration blatant. “She asked to stay in contact with me on condition I didn’t tell you. I thought you’d prefer that at least one of us was still in touch with her.”
“What difference did it make when I didn’t know?” I yell as all my pent-up frustration rises to the surface.
The screen goes fuzzy, and then I’m looking at my brother’s angry face. “Don’t you dare take this out on Faye. Lana put her in a very difficult position.”
“Did you know, too?” My tone is unrelenting.
“Faye told me on the plane to Ireland,” he admits.
“What the actual fuck?” I roar, throwing myself down on my bed. “I can’t believe this. You both knew she was coming here, and neither one of you told me! Faye had her fucking number all this time while I’ve been searching all over campus for her!? I thought she wasn’t here! That I’d lost her forever! I’ve been going insane. This is totally messed up.”
Ky glances over his shoulder, speaking in a muffled voice to Faye. Then my cousin appears beside him. “Don’t blame, Ky. He’s been arguing with me since he found out. He wanted to tell you, but I wouldn’t let him.”
“Why not?” She opens her mouth to speak, but I interrupt her before she’s uttered a word. “If you dare spout any of your usual crap about true love and destiny, I swear I’m going to jump on the next plane and personally wring your neck.”
“You are way out of line, brother.” Ky glares at me. “Keep this civil or I’m hanging up. This is not Faye’s fault.”
“Kal, just listen for a minute, will ya?” Faye pleads.
I send daggers at her.
“You never informed either of us of your plans to go to UF until it was a done deal, and you never mentioned this was about Lana. In fact, since the end of last year, you’ve been noticeably quiet whenever I broached the subject. You haven’t been forthcoming either.”
“Because it fucking hurt too much to even think about her!”
“I know, Kal, and I’m sorry I kept it from you, but I made a promise to Lana, and I didn’t want to break it.”
“Bro, Faye was trying to be a friend to Lana and a friend to you, and it was an impossible situation. I’m glad it’s all out in the open now.”
I snort. “Not that it helps.”
“Why?” he asks.
“She doesn’t want anything to do with me, and there’s this douche sniffing around her. It’s pretty hopeless.”
“It’s not,” Faye insists, vehemently shaking her head. “We don’t talk about you much. I think it’s hard for her too, but she always asks how you are. Always. She still loves you, and that means all isn’t lost. Besides, she hasn’t mentioned any other dude to me.”
“She’s hardly likely to, though.”
She vigorously shakes her head. “No. I only spoke to her last night, and she would’ve said something. And before you go off on another one, I was going to call and tell you. Promise.”
“She’s telling you the truth,” my brother confirms. “We were going to call you tomorrow.”
I nod. “It’s okay.” Some of my anger has faded. “I believe you, and I don’t want to fight anymore. It goes against my nature.”
Faye rolls her eyes, but some of the tension has left her face.
“Sorry for overreacting,” I tell her.
“Nah, it’s grand. You’ve every right to be mad at me. I’ve told Lana that I won’t be keeping important stuff from you again. She understands.”
“Cool.” I gulp nervously. “So, you’re a girl.”
“Yep, last time I checked,” Faye jokes, looking down at her chest.
My brother slips his hand under her shirt, and she shrieks, slapping his hand away. “She’s most definitely a girl,” he smirks. Faye elbows him hard in the ribs, and he falls off the side of the couch.
I laugh. “Any ideas on how I should play this? Brett thinks I should woo her. I already tried groveling and that got me nowhere.”
She is quietly contemplative.
“Send her a few dick picks,” Ky suggests, sitting back up, without a trace of humor on his face.
Faye shoves him again. “Oh my God. How did you ever ge
t any girl to go out with you? That’s the worst idea. You grew up with Lana, too. You should know that’s not the way to win her over.”
He smirks. “I know. Just wanted to wind him up.”
“Asshole.”
“Payback’s great.” He grins smugly. “Who’s a pansy-ass now, Kal? Hmm?”
I wish I could reach into my phone and smack him. “Hardy, har. You’re a great help.”
“Knock it off, you two. I’d like to get off this call sometime this century,” Faye chastises us.
My brother’s expression turns serious. “Kal, are you sure about this? After last year—”
“I’m sure.” I pause briefly. I’m not one for mushy sentiments, but neither was my brother until he fell in love. If anyone understands, it’s Ky. “If you love someone, really love someone, you stand by them, even when they’ve screwed up. Especially then. You forgive them for their mistakes.”
Ky nods slowly. “Yeah, I hear ya.”
“Wow,” Faye gushes. “That was pretty profound.”
I shrug. “I love her. No one means more to me than Lana.”
“Welcome to the pansy-ass club, bro,” Ky says with a chuckle, and our grins match.
I look at Faye. “So, how should I go about this? Any ideas?”
“I think Brett is right. You should totally woo her, but be creative. Lana’s a sweet girl, and she needs the right approach. You’re a great guy, Kal, and you can be very charming and sweet when you aren’t being a douche.”
Wow, way to stroke a guy’s ego.
“You also know Lana, and you have a shared history. Remind her of that.” I nod as a slow smile graces my lips. I’m already conjuring up a couple ideas. “And don’t forget the most important thing,” she adds.
I stare at the screen.
“Don’t stop fighting for her. When things are rough, don’t give up. Show her she can count on you. That the faith she put in you was not misplaced. Prove to her that you are the guy she always believed you to be.”
Lana’s roommate Olivia confirmed she wasn’t around this weekend; otherwise, I would’ve engineered some way of bumping into her. Instead, I spend the rest of the afternoon making wooing plans, and I’m in a fantastic mood when Brett returns, readily agreeing to accompany him to a party on the outskirts of the campus. Some guy from his microelectronics class lives there with a couple other guys.
The party’s in full swing when we arrive shortly after ten.
I’m taking my time with my beer tonight, sipping it nice and slow as I chat with a few of the guys. It’s a nice crowd, and the vibe is chill. Until Chase walks through the door.
Brett catches my attention from across the room, making a slicing gesture with his hand. As much as my fist begs to connect with his face, I stay over on my side of the room, conspicuously avoiding any potential confrontation. The last fight I got involved in ended up with me on house arrest and a fucking monitoring device strapped to my ankle. It’s an experience I’m in no rush to repeat.
Every so often, I snatch a quick look at the douche. He sure loves the sound of his own voice. He’s in the middle of a group of loudmouths spouting shit for the benefit of the girls hanging around. My interest is piqued when I spot a tall girl sidling up to him. The blonde has thick pink stripes running through her hair, which reminds me of Faye’s half-sister Whitney. She seems to have a similar sense of style too, if her short strapless tank and even shorter skirt are any indication of how she normally dresses. I don’t understand girls who think that’s attractive. Openly displaying the goodies takes away the allure. I prefer something to be left to the imagination. Memories of Lana in her hot red dress last night spring to mind, and all of my blood rushes to a certain part of my anatomy. Lana’s grown into her skin, and it only adds to her appeal.
While I’ve been fantasizing about Lana, Blondie has wrapped her lips around Chase’s, and they are indulging in a gross make-out session in the middle of the room. Tacky has nothing on that pair. Someone shouts “get a room,” but they remain lip-locked. I watch in disgust as his hand wanders under her skirt, and he openly gropes her in front of his buddies.
His eyes flit open, and he spies me watching. I fix my gaze on him, keeping a neutral expression on my face. His eyes never waver from mine as he slides a second hand under her skirt, pulling her ass in firmly against his crotch. Bile floods my mouth at the thought of those hands going anywhere near Lana. Then he’s lifting the girl up, and she wraps her legs around his waist as he walks them out of the living area and into the corridor leading to the bedrooms.
An hour later, I’m getting ready to call it a night when he resurfaces, shirtless and with the top button of his jeans undone. He swaggers to the refrigerator, snatching a couple of beers. I turn away, motioning to Brett that I’m calling it quits.
I sense him behind me before he opens his mouth. “Hope you got a good look, Kennedy, because the next girl in line for the Chase treatment is that pretty little thing you were salivating over last night.”
Blood thunders through my veins, but I keep my voice calm as I turn sideways to face him. “In your dreams, douche. She’s way out of your league.”
Putting the beers down on the counter, he folds his arms and smirks. “Now, now, Kennedy, don’t be a sore loser. Not my fault she prefers my company to yours. Give up while you still have some of your dignity.”
“Do you even hear yourself? Grow up, dude, and get real. Lana will toss you to the curb any day now.”
“I don’t think so.”
I’d love to wipe the smug grin off his face. “I know so.”
He cocks his head to the side. “You seem very sure of yourself. Why is that, I wonder?”
He’s fishing for info, and I’m not going to be the one to give it to him. “Any idiot can take one look at her and one look at you and figure it out for themselves.”
His smirk extends as he leans in. “But that’s the beauty of it, Kennedy. I’ll have sweet, little virginal Lana eating out of my hand in no time.”
“Over my fucking dead body,” I growl, losing the last shred of my control. I shove my finger in his bare chest. “You will stay the fuck away from her.”
He laughs again, as Brett materializes at my side. “Whatever this is, let it go,” he urges Chase. “She’s not your type and you know it.”
“No can do, bro. I want that pussy. She’ll be ripping her panties off and begging me to fuck her tight cunt before the week is out,” Chase supplies. “You can count on it.” He cracks his knuckles, shooting a smug grin my way.
My fists ball at my sides, and I’m seconds away from exploding.
He leans in. “I’m going to screw her senseless, every which way, repeatedly, until she’s so fucked she can barely walk.”
I lose it, throwing myself at him with my fists up and raised. Before I can punch the bonehead, I’m yanked back and flung aside. Stumbling, I lose my balance and fall to the carpeted floor. “Get out,” Brett’s friend tells Chase. “I told you the last time this shit isn’t cool. Get out and stay out. You’re not welcome here again.”
Chase shrugs. Another guy tosses his shoes and shirt at him. “Screw you, asshole. Got what I came for anyway.”
I’m scrambling to my feet when Chase pushes past. “Let’s catch up next week, Kennedy. We can compare notes.” He grabs his junk, snorting with laughter as he heads out the door.
“Dude, you have to get your shit together. That was too easy for him,” Brett says.
“I don’t remember you keeping your shit together at practice,” I retort.
He sighs. “Why do you think I’m saying this? That guy has a fucking degree in pissing people off. It’s not like I want to argue with him all the time, but he irritates the crap out of me and I blow up. You do realize you’ve just shown your hand? He’s going to make getting Lana under him his life’s mission now.”
&
nbsp; I curse under my breath. Brett’s right. I’ve just set the gauntlet, and he’s readily accepted the challenge.
Chapter Eleven
Lana
Sunday morning walks by the lake are one of the things I most look forward to each weekend. We’ve already attended church, and Hewson is napping in his stroller. Mom is contemplative at my side, her eyes fascinated with the dull sunlight glistening off the calm, clear water as we walk around the lake’s perimeter. I fasten the hood over Hewson’s head, making sure he’s shaded. His thumb is in his mouth, and he’s sleeping with his head to the side. His thick, dark hair is growing rapidly, and I may need to take a trip to the salon soon. I can’t believe he’ll be six months next month. In one way, it feels like only six weeks have passed, and in another, it’s as if he’s always been here.
“Mom?”
Her head snaps up, and she looks over at me. “Yes, sweetheart?”
“What’s going to happen when the Kennedys find out about him?” I haven’t told her Kal is at UF yet because I know she’ll freak.
“They won’t.”
“We can’t be naïve, Mom. They will find out sooner or later.”
“I don’t see how.” Her eyes darken. “Have you told that girl? Have you told Faye?”
“No, Mom. I haven’t.” And that’s the truth. Besides, Liv, I haven’t told a soul about my son. Mom was insistent.
Her breathing returns to normal. “Then I don’t think you have anything to worry about. We are well hidden here.”
“I’ll have to tell him at some point.”
She stops walking, placing her hand on my elbow. “No.” She shakes her head. “No. You can’t tell him Lana. Not ever. We already agreed to this.”
Loving Kalvin (The Kennedy Boys Book 4) Page 9