"I'll go help, anyway," Trey offered.
"Me too," Adam said.
"Hey, that would be great, guys. Thanks," Dylan said with a grateful grin.
Trey smiled at Dylan's expression. His best friend of over fifteen years seemed really excited about living with Ari. Just a few months ago, Dylan was the type of guy who'd run the other way if he saw a relationship coming. Funny how things could change just like that.
If Dylan had experienced a transformation, could it happen to him too? Would he want it to happen?
*******
Trey was about to press the buzzer to Ari's apartment when he spotted a woman busily stuffing items into the apartment block's recycling bins. Even though the person had her back turned, he could tell it was Kris. He'd know her anywhere.
Quietly, he approached, not wanting to alert her to his presence. When he was close enough he poked her lower back with his forefingers.
She yelped in surprise, dropping some loose papers she was holding and turning around with eyes wide as saucers. "Trey! What are you doing here? You scared me half to death!"
"I've come to help out," he said with a wide grin, happy to see her.
"Oh, really? Good! There's actually not much to pack anymore. We were just about to start cleaning up inside so there wouldn't be much to do after the place gets emptied tomorrow, but Dylan insisted on getting cleaners in instead. But it's good you're here. We're having pizza delivered to celebrate Ari's last night in this place. She's invited some of her neighbours."
"Sounds good," he replied, helping her finish her task.
As they walked back into the building, he casually draped his arm around Kris' shoulders. Just that morning he'd seen her and made love to her, yet he still had missed her—a lot. He felt a tightening in his groin and was sorry they wouldn't be alone tonight. She just turned him on all the freaking time.
He stopped her in the middle of the stairs and placed a lingering kiss on her lips. He just couldn't help himself.
"I missed you," he breathed after he was done kissing her. He didn't mean to say it out loud, but what the heck, it was already out of his mouth.
"I missed you, too," she responded with that happy smile he loved seeing on her face.
They resumed walking up the stairs and he slinked his arm around Kris' waist, squeezing her tight against him. He sighed contentedly as she copied his gesture.
He was aware that something was shifting in his world. He didn't know what, why, or how, but the truth was, he didn't want to look deeper. He had a feeling it would scare the hell out of him if he did.
*******
"Happy birthday, Linda," Trey said, cordially greeting Dylan's mother with a kiss as he handed her a present.
"Wow, thank you, Trey. It's so nice of you to come and join us. It's been a long time since I've last seen you," Linda replied, hugging him hard and sounding pleasantly surprised to see him at the door.
It was Dylan who had invited him and Adam to come and help celebrate his mother's sixtieth birthday. He now wondered if he was even on Linda's guest list.
A grinning Dylan appeared. "Hey, Trey. Glad you could make it."
"Of course," he replied as Linda motioned for them to follow her to the vast backyard.
He pulled Dylan aside. "Did your mum actually ask you to invite me and Adam?" he whispered. "It didn't look like she was expecting me."
Dylan chuckled. "Part of our surprise for Mum is to invite more people. We couldn't give her a surprise birthday party because she was already fully expecting she would have one. But she thought it was only going to be family and her close friends only."
"That's nice. Is Kris here already?"
"No. I don't think she's coming," Dylan said.
"Really?" Trey asked in complete shock. "She told me last night she was. She said she and Ari were going to help Sam and your sister with the food for the party. Apparently, Sam had been grinning from ear to ear in excitement about it."
Dylan chortled. "Well, well. For two people only having a fling, you sure know a lot about what the other is doing on a daily basis."
Trey flushed. Yes, he went red, and the fact that he did made him even redder. Argh!
He and Kris had indeed been sharing a lot with each other. It wasn't a conscious decision on his part to suddenly open up to her with things he only normally shared with his best friends, but it just happened. With Kris, it just seemed right and natural.
"Well," Dylan drawled. "Kris told me your mother's having an engagement party on Monday night. Strange time to hold a party."
"I know. Don't ask me why. I don't even bother asking."
"Right. Kris also said you're taking her. For two people only having a casual affair…"
"I didn't want to be stuck having to chat with someone I didn't want to talk to, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring a date with me," he justified.
"So, you two are dating now, huh?" Dylan said with a Cheshire cat grin.
"Uh, we haven't discussed anything of the sort. We're just going with the flow."
Dylan patted his shoulder. "Well, you have just over a week to figure out where you want to take this, bro. You'll need to talk about it before she goes home."
He sighed. "Yes, I know. But hopefully, she gets that three-month teaching contract. That'll be good."
"Ooh, now you don't want her to go yet."
"It's not that," he tried to deny. "She just really, really wants it. When her idiot of an ex mismanaged their studio, a number of their supporters and clients got angry at them for broken promises and delays in returning pre-paid fees. Working in Blake's studio will go a long way toward re-establishing her reputation in the industry. It's really important to her."
Dylan looked at him pointedly. "If you're having this kind of conversation with her, and you care about what happens to her career, and you still think the two of you are just having a fling, you need to have your head examined."
He chuckled to hide his discomfort. "I just don't know what to think, Dyl."
"What's there to think about?"
He shrugged. "I don't know if I want a long-term relationship."
Dylan nodded. "I used to feel the same way, remember? I guess the question you'd have to ask yourself eventually is if you'd rather go back to your old ways, or lose Kris. Only you can answer that."
"I don't know how she feels about me," he said, feeling like an uncertain teenager. "I mean, we talk and all that, and the sex is amazing. But I think that's just her personality. She's a very frank and open person. What if she doesn't want a long-term relationship?"
"That's why you have to talk about it," Dylan said with a bit of impatience. "Like I said, you have just over a week to do it, if she doesn't get that job at the studio."
Dylan started walking toward the back of the house and Trey followed.
"I wonder what made her change her mind about coming today," Trey mused.
Dylan laughed. "She's here. I was just pulling your leg."
He snickered with relief. He was looking forward to seeing Kris again, even if it hadn't been twenty-four hours since he was last with her.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Kris sat on a comfortable fold-up chair in Linda and Fred's backyard, enjoying a well-earned drink with Sam, Ari and Dylan's sister Faye.
They'd worked hard all day and the result was at the big buffet table for everyone to see. While Sam and Faye masterminded the whole menu and did most of the cooking, she and Ari were their able assistants.
"Hey, girls," a deep voice said and her heart started beating wildly.
"Hey," she answered, giving Trey a wide smile.
Trey walked over to her and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, then proceeded to do the same to the other girls. Her lips tugged upwards, thrilled that Trey went out of his way to greet her first even though he was already standing next to Faye and Sam.
"Did you girls do all that?" Trey asked in disbelief, his eyes wide as he stared at the food-laden table
.
"Yes, we've been slaving since this morning," Faye said with a grin.
"Wow," he said. "It looks better than if you hired professional caterers."
"Well, it's our special gift to my mum," Faye said. "I actually planned to order at least half the food but these girls had been wonderful. I didn't think it would turn out this way. Jasmine was right. Sam should consider this as a career."
"Thank you. I had fun today," Sam sighed with contentment.
*******
As Dylan, Faye, and their twin brothers got ready to bring out Linda's birthday cake, Linda's husband gently tapped the side of his wine glass with a fork to grab everyone's attention.
"Darling, can I ask you to stand here with me, please?" Fred said to his wife. "I know you didn't want Kane and Jasmine to cut short their honeymoon just to be able to make your party, but they wouldn't dream of not being able to greet you."
Fred grabbed the iPad that was sitting on a small table and handed it to Linda. Kane and Jasmine were on a video call from Paris.
Linda was busy chatting with her oldest son and new daughter-in-law when they were interrupted by the guests singing "Happy Birthday", with Dylan carrying a big cake with countless blazing candles, followed by Faye and the twins.
After Linda blew out her candles, Kane was heard asking, "What did you wish for, Mum?"
"I'm not telling you. It might not come true! But I can tell you my other wish."
"Yeah?"
"I'd love to have grandkids one day."
Kane laughed. "With five kids, I'm sure one of us will give you at least one, Mum."
"Well, you and Faye are the married ones, but I'm going to shut up now before I get in trouble. I'm sorry you guys are missing out on the wonderful food we're having tonight. Let me show you the buffet table, so you can see," she told Kane and Jasmine.
"Before you do that, Mum," Dylan interjected, clasping Ari's hand. "We have another surprise for you."
"Oh, what's that?"
"Well, Ari and I woke up early this morning to watch the sunrise," Dylan started.
Snorts and guffaws were heard from Kane and the twins, as well as Trey and Adam.
"You woke up early enough to watch the sunrise?" Kane asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Dylan said with a grin. "Because Ari said she'd love to watch a sunrise with me."
"Awww," all the women said as one.
"Anyway, I know Mum would love this news so I'm sure she wouldn't mind me hijacking her birthday party to announce it." Dylan smiled at Ari before continuing. "As the sun was rising, I proposed to Ari and she said yes."
Squeals of delight were heard from everywhere in the backyard, the loudest one coming from Linda.
While Kris watched everyone take turns congratulating the newly engaged couple, her gaze strayed to Trey and found him watching her. She smiled at him as he ambled toward her.
"I really hope you get that job at Blake's studio," he said quietly, snaking an arm around her waist.
She beamed at him. "Me, too," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder.
She felt him kiss her hair and her heart expanded. Maybe, just maybe, she and Trey had a future together.
*******
Kris twisted her hands nervously as she waited for Blake to enter his office. She'd been waiting for him for almost fifteen minutes now and wondered what was keeping him.
She couldn't wait to hear what he was going to say. She'd been waiting for his call for days, and when it came that morning, she'd hardly been able to concentrate on anything else. It had helped that she had gone shopping with Sam all day. But she'd been so distracted she hadn't even bought one item, whereas Sam had added five new pieces of clothing to her wardrobe.
She wanted this job so much she could taste it. Funnily enough, it wasn't the leg-up she'd get for the Melbourne position that made her desperate for the role. It was the fact that it would enable her to stay in Sydney for a longer period of time so she could be with Trey.
The last ten days with him had been wonderful beyond her expectations. As far as she was concerned, what she and Trey had was no longer a fling. It was much too sweet, much too caring, and much too passionate to be considered casual.
They hadn't talked about it yet, so she didn't know what Trey thought of their relationship status. But judging from how he'd been treating her and how he'd been wanting to spend all his free time with her, she was hopeful he was starting to consider them a real couple.
She knew being in a serious relationship would be a major step for Trey, and she didn't want him to feel pressured. That was why getting this job meant a lot to her. It would give Trey time to get used to the idea of being in a committed relationship with her.
She was startled out of her thoughts when Blake finally walked in.
"Hey, Kris," he said brightly.
"Hi, Blake," she replied, scanning his face for clues of his news.
"Sorry I kept you waiting. How are you?" Blake asked as he sat on his chair.
"Good, thank you. You?" she replied calmly.
"I'm fine, thanks. I'm glad you're able to make it here this evening. You probably planned to have dinner with some friends. But my days are pretty full and I didn't want to just tell you my news over the phone, so I appreciate you coming here after business hours."
"No problem."
"Those complications that I mentioned to you the other day," Blake said, "I've managed to work around them. So, the job here in Sydney is yours, if you want it."
Her face broke into a wide, grateful smile. "Of course, I want it. Thank you so much, Blake."
"There's another opportunity coming up that I haven't mentioned to you before. This came about just in the last couple of days. One of my dance teachers will be moving to Melbourne for family reasons. That means I'll have a critical full-time position available here in the future. I just want to mention that so you're aware. When the time comes you can apply for that position, as well as the Melbourne one, if you like."
Kris inhaled sharply, surprised by his news.
"The thing is, Kris, I want a really strong candidate for the role here—even more than for the Melbourne studio. This branch is more established, and as you know, our clientele here demand the very best. I need someone who's able to maintain the excellent reputation of this place while I'm off working on some other project. While I'm not promising you anything at this point, I hope you would consider applying for the Sydney role when it becomes available. I've spoken to a few people you've worked with in the past, and they only have great things to say about you."
Kris gulped visibly, words failing her for the moment.
"Anyway," Blake said, "I know a permanent move to Sydney is not an easy decision. I thought I'd let you know early so you can take your time considering the possibility. For now, we're both clear you're accepting the three-month contract, right?"
She smiled at him. "Yes. Again, thank you, Blake."
"I think I'm the one who's thankful. You're a find, Kris. I know you'll be a big asset for me. When can you start?"
"Can you give me a couple of weeks? This holiday ends for me on Sunday when my cousin and I fly back home. I'll need time to sort a few things out. I'll resign from my current job, among other things."
"Sure. That's not a problem. Well, since I dragged you here at this time of the evening, how about I take you out to dinner?"
"Oh, that's not necessary. You already gave me a job," she answered with a laugh.
"Do you have other plans tonight?"
"Well, I did have plans but I had to cancel them—"
"Great! Consider dinner as a celebration of you getting the job and of me finding the perfect person. I insist."
She stared at Blake, unsure of what to do. She was supposed to accompany Trey to his mother's engagement party tonight. But when she got Blake's phone call, she'd told Trey she couldn't go with him. She didn't tell him the reason why, only that something came up and she'd tell him about it later. She just had
this overwhelming desire to surprise him if Blake's news was positive.
Trey had been quick to let her know it was okay, and that he'd try to have fun at his mum's party without her.
Now that she had the Sydney job, she couldn't wait to see Trey's reaction when she told him. But since he was at a party tonight, it would have to wait until tomorrow.
Well, it should only be a quick dinner with Blake, and since she had to eat anyway she couldn't see any harm in joining him. Blake's news did call for a celebration, and besides, she wanted to be on his good side so she could remain as his favoured candidate for the full-time positions.
"Okay, if you insist," she finally said to Blake with a gracious smile.
*******
Kris glanced around the Italian restaurant Blake took her to. Trey had mentioned this place to her the other day, saying he'd love to take her there. It had a warm and cosy, yet elegant, atmosphere. If the food was as good as Trey said it was, little wonder it was very popular.
"So," Blake said after they'd ordered. "Is there anything you'd need help with for your move here in two weeks? Do you already have accommodation?"
"I'll probably ask my friend Jasmine and her husband Kane if I could stay with them for the next three months. They're the ones I'm currently house-sitting for."
"What about your friends here in Potts Point? Won't they have room for you?"
She smiled, thinking how wonderful it would be if she could stay with Trey. But she was afraid of scaring him off if she suggested it.
"They have guest rooms, but I don't think it would work if I'm around for three months," she answered Blake. "Jasmine and Kane's place is the best choice. Their house is massive, and they have plenty of spare rooms, so I won't feel like I'm intruding on their privacy. I might still decide to find a one-bedder or a studio apartment nearby, though, depending on how much the rent would be. Inner city rents are very expensive, especially around here."
Secret Moves (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 3) Page 10