Someone Like You

by Karen Rock

  Annette pushed him away and gave Gramps a wink. “I think we’ll save that for the dance. Will we still be on for that in a couple of weeks?”

  Kayleigh paused at the door with her grandfather and surveyed the amazing people who had come to her aid.

  “If we get the patent in ahead of GSI. That’s still up in the air. But with the financing secure, we won’t quit. Not when we’re this close.” She eyed her grandfather, and he gave her a weak smile. Sitting here with these wonderful people offering her the financing she needed seemed like a crazy dream.

  How on earth would her grandfather come up with his share?

  “I’m so grateful to all of you.” She kept her voice confident, despite her doubts. “I can’t tell you how much your help means to me.”

  “Help?” scoffed Mr. Jennson, waving his hand as if to dismiss her. “We’re going to turn a pretty profit on this. Mark my words. I’ve always had a nose for money, and it smells like it’s about to rain.”

  Their excited laughter followed her out the door as she and Gramps made their way to his room. She waved to MaryAnne, gave her a reassuring smile but didn’t stop. With so much up in the air, she needed to get to the bottom of Gramps’s outrageous offer to kick in fifty thousand dollars he clearly didn’t have. He was silent until he took his seat by his window.

  “Gramps, I know you don’t want to let me down, but you don’t have to—”

  Her grandfather held up his hand, and she quieted.

  He stared out at a man riding a lawn mower on the back lawn. “Irene and I liked to collect a lot of things.”

  “I know, Gramps.” She put a hand on his shoulder, feeling the broad bones shift beneath her fingertips. “And I still have the trunks in my closet. I’ve kept them, just like you asked me.”

  Gramps seemed to relax at her proclamation. “We actually met at a coin show. Did I ever tell you that?”

  She smiled, remembering the story Gram had shared. “You both wanted the same Roman coin, but you scored a date with her instead, right?”

  “When we married, I got the girl and the coin.” His eyes looked far away, his smile as fleeting as a wisp of cloud. “But she was worth far more,” he added gruffly, and blinked a few times.

  Kayleigh sat on his bed and waited for him to continue. Her grandparents had lived the greatest love story she’d ever known. To this day, she took Gramps to the cemetery on their wedding anniversary, her grandmother’s birthday and Valentine’s Day, when he delivered her favorite flowers—fire-and-ice roses. She’d watched his lips move silently as he spoke to the air beside her grandmother’s grave, conversing with an invisible presence that felt real to him.

  Now that she recalled those cemetery visits, she wondered if love was like talking to the wind the way Gramps had. You sent your feelings out into the universe and hoped they came back to you. Sometimes they didn’t, like with Brett, but sometimes, they did, possibly with Niall. Her stomach tightened. She hoped she was right about this. About them. After losing Chris, she couldn’t bear to lose Niall, too.

  “Your gram and I never sold any of our coins,” Gramps continued after clearing his throat. “Even that first Roman one. We couldn’t part with them for sentimental reasons. But you can.”

  Kayleigh shot to her feet. “What? No. Those are yours. I’d never sell them.”

  “Yes, my dear. You can.” Gramps smiled kindly at her, the expression in his blue eyes reassuring. “And your gram would be the first one to encourage you. Would you grab me a pen and my pad from the nightstand, love?”

  She retrieved the items and handed them over, heart heavy. Selling these items felt like losing her past. How many times had she pored over the shining, encased circles in their albums, hearing Gram’s tales about each one?

  Gramps scribbled something on the paper and passed it to her. She scanned his writing and read a name and phone number.

  “That man’s a coin expert who once assessed our collection for insurance reasons.” A bent finger pointed at the paper. “Fifteen years ago, he offered to buy them himself for forty thousand dollars. If you sell it, and our stamp and rare toys collections, I’m guessing I’ll have the capital to join Back in the Game. Will you do that for me?”

  She marveled. He’d been so intent on having her keep the collection safe for him when he’d sold his house. Now he was willing to let it all go.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Honey. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to put the past behind you.” Gramps reached for her hand and she put her fingers through his. “Maybe I thought holding on to those things would keep me and your gram close, but now I know that there’s a reason I don’t hear her laughing at my jokes anymore. She wants me to let go. If I don’t, it will keep me from being happy now.”

  She followed his glance to a pair of costume-jewelry earrings on the coffee table. Annette Larson’s? Possibly. If selling his collection freed him to start a new relationship, then she’d do it.

  And Gramps was right. You couldn’t have the future you wanted if you weren’t willing to let go of the past. She had to stop holding on to Niall as a friend if they ever wanted a chance at more. Time to be brave and trust that he wouldn’t let her down.

  “Okay, Gramps. Thank you. I know that you say you’re not doing this just for me, but it helps so much. I love you.”

  They hugged each other, hard, and she could feel dampness on their pressed cheeks, though she wasn’t sure who was crying. Probably both of them.

  “Your gram would have wanted this.”

  “Yes, she would.” Kayleigh’s eyes burned as she thought about the amazing role models they’d both been in her life.

  He pulled back and regarded her, his eyes shining. “Now, get on with your future. I expect a return on my investment.”

  She smiled and thought of Niall. “You’re right. I don’t have a minute to lose.”

  And with that, she kissed her grandfather and hurried toward a future full of the bright unknown.

  * * *

  A COUPLE OF HOURS later, Kayleigh trudged up her stoop and let herself into her apartment building. Despite rushing to Niall’s home, he hadn’t answered his door. He was either gone or avoiding her. She suspected the latter. Why had she left him at the park that way? Sure, it’d been an emotional day, the rejection from ForwardTech a huge letdown. But still. He’d confessed that he wanted her, and she’d told him to leave her alone. To never say it again. How she wished she could take back those words. She’d blown it with Niall. And while her start-up was back on track, she cared the most about losing him.

  Voices sounded behind her apartment door and her shoulders slumped. She wasn’t in the mood for company and definitely not another of Gianna’s eccentric dates.

  “Kayleigh!” Gianna’s lithe form flew across the room and held her tight when she entered. “I’m so sorry about ForwardTech. I know we’re running out of money, but we’ll think of something. I’m close to finishing the program, and Niall—”

  “Niall doesn’t want anything to do with us anymore,” she said glumly, her chin resting on Gianna’s shoulders, her eyes closed to hold in her tears.

  “Are you sure, because—”

  “We didn’t part on the best terms after the presentation. I’ve been trying to reach him to tell him some good news, except he wouldn’t let me in his apartment or return my calls.”

  “Battery’s out,” spoke a deep voice from her living room. She pulled back and turned, her heart leaping into her throat and holding on for dear life.

  “Niall! What are you doing here?”

  He stood and stretched, sauntering close as Gianna backed away, her eyes wide.

  “I told you I wasn’t going anywhere.” He smiled easily, showing the perfect whiteness of his teeth, a light growing in his brown eyes.

  Happin
ess burst inside her. “I’m glad.”

  He stepped closer and ducked his head. “Me, too.”

  “Ahem. Still here.” Gianna made a point of clanging some dishes together in the sink, and Kayleigh stepped back from Niall with a laugh.

  “Good, because I have some business news.” She beckoned, and Gianna returned. When she curled up in their floral seat, Pringles leaped onto her lap.

  Niall waited for Kayleigh to sit on the couch then joined her, sitting so close she felt his hip against hers, the heat of his body through his white T-shirt.

  “We have financing!” The words burst out of her in an excited rush.

  Gianna’s mouth dropped open, and Niall turned to her, stunned.

  “What? How? Did you have another meeting?” Gianna’s head swiveled from Kayleigh to Niall. “Because Niall’s been here for hours waiting for you and—”

  Kayleigh slanted her eyes his way and saw him flush. “Hours?”

  “It felt like days,” he said, unapologetically with a twist of his lips. “Now tell us what happened,” he growled, mock serious.

  “The people at my gramps’s assisted-living facility heard about what happened and decided to form an LLC to fund us. They’re calling themselves Back in the Game.”

  Gianna lifted a protesting Pringles high into the air and kissed his black nose. “I love it! This is incredible. I’d better get back to programming. We can’t let GSI beat us.” And with that she disappeared into her room, carrying the cat, rock music blasting from her open door.

  Strong hands slid into hers, and Kayleigh shivered with pleasure. “I wondered where you went.”

  She forced herself to meet his kind eyes. “I’m sorry about that, Niall. Sorry for what I said. Sorry for lots of things. You’ve always been such a good friend to me, and I treated you badly.”

  “A friend?” His eyes searched hers, and she felt her heart open up to him like a flower touched by dawn. He wanted more than friendship. She couldn’t predict how this would go, but after years of knowing each other, they had a good start.

  “No. Not just as a friend,” she admitted, and felt herself melt at the passionate flare in his eyes. She angled her head and leaned closer, aching for his kiss.

  “We have to get out of here,” he said suddenly and stood, pulling her with him.

  “Huh? Why?” His words broke through her romantic fog, and she flushed, embarrassed. Had she misread the situation? Either way, she wouldn’t regret it. But another look into his soulful eyes reassured her. She was right about him. She knew it down deep.

  “Because I can’t kiss you here.” His eyes slid to Gianna’s open door then back to her, and heat raced up her neck and flooded her cheeks.

  “Oh.”

  He lifted her fingers to his lips, then pulled her out the door.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  AFTER A SUBWAY ride filled with meaningful glances and secret smiles, Niall led her to a bench beside the East River. They sat in the deepening twilight, and the summer night air felt like a soft caress, the glow of blue lights strung along the Brooklyn Bridge’s wires reflecting on the rippling water. Other than a man jogging with his Labrador, and ducks gathering on the water’s edge, they were completely alone. Headlights were a neon stream that flowed over the bridge, the traffic sounds muted from this distant spot. She inhaled the briny smell of the water and the spicy musk of the man she’d fallen for.

  “We used to come here a lot when we were kids,” she murmured. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “I’ve always thought so.” Niall reached down and ran his hand along the skin of her throat, sliding his fingertips under her long hair so they brushed the back of her neck. Her body trembled in awareness, sensitive to his gentle touch.

  “I can’t believe we’re doing this.” She leaned into his hand, her heart galloping.

  “I can’t believe we waited this long.” His profile was outlined by the electric glow behind him, his face more relaxed than she’d seen it since he’d come back from the war.

  She pressed her cheek against his palm. “You were the one who avoided me these past few years. I never gave up on us.”

  The cords in his neck stood out. “That was a tough time,” he murmured through his teeth.

  She thought of his tour in Afghanistan. “You never talk about the war.”

  He pulled her closer, and she curled against him on the bench, her face resting on his chest.

  “No,” he said simply, and something in his quiet tone told her not to push it. Not in this perfect moment that felt full of possibilities.

  “I’m sorry I ignored you when I got back. Pushed you away” came his deep voice, the sound of it reminding her of a foghorn rolling out across the flowing river. “It wasn’t because I didn’t care. I always have.”

  “I know that now. I just wasn’t sure if you only saw me as a friend, business partner or—”

  She felt him stroke the crown of her head, his palm brushing over her hair. “You mean much more to me than that.”

  Her body felt weightless, as if, without his arm around her, she could have slid off the bench and floated away. “I feel the same way. I was afraid to admit it because I didn’t want to risk scaring you away. Especially after losing Chris.”

  Niall tensed, and she felt his heart pick up speed. She gave herself a mental kick for bringing up her brother and the army. He’d been affected when he’d seen Chris’s picture, and he’d just cut her off when she’d mentioned the war. She needed to stop bringing up bad memories. Back at the apartment, he’d said he wanted to kiss her, but she was making that possibility less likely by the minute. And, oh, how she wanted that kiss.

  “You still miss him,” he said quietly, surprising her.

  Since Beth avoided mentioning Chris, had even requested that the letters about his declassification be mailed to Kayleigh for fear that the boys would see them, Kayleigh had few people to talk to. Her mother became too upset anytime she brought Chris up, and her father’s calls were always interrupted by his new wife or their children. She knew she should let go, but she still hadn’t found it in her heart to say goodbye to Chris.

  “Every day,” she answered honestly. “Sometimes I feel like I can never get over his death until I find out what happened. Never have peace. I hope Senator Gillibrand is able to do something about declassifying his mission.”

  His arms tightened around her, and she glanced up at his harsh intake of breath. In the dim light, his eyes looked anguished, and she stroked his tight jaw, running her fingers over it until his clenched mouth relaxed.

  “I shouldn’t have brought that up. You’ve experienced enough loss, too.”

  “There could be more,” he said in a choked voice. “Much more.” She stared at him wonderingly. Yes, there was a chance they might not get their program submitted ahead of GSI, but she sensed he wasn’t talking business. What, then?

  “There always is. But that’s life, I’m learning. I used to be afraid to take risks, to make a move without testing the waters. It’s why I came up with the Must Traits list. After my parents divorced, I promised myself that I’d follow my list and never get hurt. That someday, it would help me, too. But now...”

  He cupped both sides of her face and gazed down at her, his tender expression a wordless music that moved through the secret places in her heart.

  “Now?” he prompted.

  “You’re all that I want. I don’t know what’s on your list. You never showed me the one from camp, and you’ve never made one now, and I don’t care. My heart is overruling my head, and that’s the way it should be. I have to believe in that and trust in you.”

  A pained look crossed his face, then vanished so quickly she was sure she’d imagined it. His hands slid around the back of her head, cradling it as he lowered his face until their lips were on
ly a breath apart.

  “I trust you, too,” he said unevenly, his voice grim despite the sweet moment. Was he worried about her? Them?

  But before her thoughts traveled further, her heart stepped sideways in her chest when he leaned forward and kissed her full on the mouth. His lips were plush and warm, and his tongue brushed hers before he captured the swell of her lower lip.

  She trembled against him, the feel of his mouth on hers like a candle flame. It made her glow warm despite the evening air and the faint mist that turned the air opaque. When he pulled his mouth away, it left her breathless with a racing heart. He looked at her, his dark eyes full of tender sweetness. When he laid his hand along her face, he brushed her cheek as gently as a flower.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  “So are you,” she whispered back, although they were alone, surrounded in the fog rolling off the river. Her head felt as light as a windblown leaf. She laid her hand against the firm plane of his stomach, feeling the muscles jump against her touch.

  She followed his gaze to his prosthetic leg, and her eyes met his for a breathless moment. “You’re perfect.”

  “Hardly that.” His laugh was unconvincing.

  She traced his jaw, then lowered her hand to his false limb. “To me, this makes you even more perfect. While it shows that you’ve suffered, it also means that you survived, for which I am eternally grateful.”

  He seemed to stop breathing, his eyes holding a desperate hope she shared. At last, he captured her hand and pressed a fierce kiss to its palm. “Then, that’s all that matters.”

  “Good.”

  “Good.”

  They grinned at each other like idiots and then, unable to help herself, she reached up and pressed her lips to his, loving his groan as she kissed him with all of the passion she’d denied herself. If this was what going with her gut and not playing it safe was like, then she’d give up her lists forever. They couldn’t keep her warm this way.

  When she trailed her mouth down his neck, she felt his rapid pulse at its base, tasted the slightest trace of salt on his skin. His hands roamed across her back and settled firmly on her waist. White air billowed around them, enveloping them in a world that included no one and nothing else.