“No.” She laughed. “Maybe you’re just paranoid because you’re still banging your dad’s ex-best friend and thinking the whole world knows about it, when really only like five people do?”
I broke out in a laugh, pushing her with my elbow. She giggled, and then turned up the volume of the radio. She was avoiding something, but I decided to let it go until later. Not that I had much time to get deeper into it. I was pulling into Cane’s neighborhood several minutes later.
I parked in front of his house and spotted a car I’d never seen before parked a few feet ahead.
“Is someone else here?” Frankie asked, unclipping her seatbelt.
“I’m not sure. Maybe his sister with a new car?” At least, that’s what I hoped. A part of me was afraid it was Kelly and at the thought of it, my heart sank to the pit of my stomach. It couldn’t be. He would have warned me—sent a text or something.
I pushed out of the car and headed toward the door with Frankie at my side. I rang the doorbell, too afraid to just walk inside like usual. It took a few minutes, but the door finally swung open and behind it was aqua hair and round brown glasses.
Lora! Oh, thank God.
“Hey little angel!” she chimed. “Look at you in your adorable-as-fuck dress with your even more adorable-as-fuck friend!” Lora let us inside and Frankie snorted.
“Who are you?” Frank asked.
“You mean to tell me that Kandy hasn’t told you all about me?” Lora shoved a hand on her hip, eyeing me. “I thought we were cool, kid?”
I giggled. “Frank knows all about you, Lora.”
“Oh, this is Lora! Oh my gosh she really is pretty!”
“What, did Kandy tell you I was ugly?” Lora teased.
I laughed. “I didn’t know you’d be here tonight too. Cane didn’t mention it. Who’s car is that out there?”
“Oh. Yeah. Cane got tired of me using the Mercedes he hardly drives and me calling up an Uber, so he caved and finally got me one.” She shrugged, but I saw a brief look of despair run like a shadow over her face before she waved a dismissive hand and said, “My mom is cooking. Cane can’t cook a meal to save his life, but my Mom makes the best stuffed ravioli. You haven’t met our mom yet, have you?”
“No, I haven’t.” My heart sped up a notch just thinking about the woman who birthed the man I loved. When I’d visited before, his mom would be away or doing something and vice versa for me.
“Well, come on. Let’s go meet her. Cane is upstairs on a quick call but he should be back down in a minute. Come on.” She ushered us inside but I noticed how quickly she locked the door when we were a few steps ahead of her. I decided to ignore it, and let her walk around me to lead the way to the kitchen.
The kitchen was bright and lively, several different mouth-watering aromas floating in the air. A thin woman stood over pots and pans on the stove, most of them billowing steam, with a black apron on and her brown hair pulled up into a really long ponytail. It seemed she hadn’t cut her hair in years, but somehow the untamed, simple look suited her. Her hair was the same shade of brown as Cane’s, with a few gray wisps in between.
“Mom, look who’s here!” Lora sang, bouncing into the kitchen. Lora moved like a little ballerina. She was petite and quick and graceful and if I hadn’t admired her so much, I’m almost certain I would have envied her confidence, and how she always made her presence known. There was no way in hell any person could look over Lora Cane while in the same room with her.
Cane’s mom turned her head, eyes stretching with adoration when she found us. She placed the lids on top of the pots, and then came our way, drying off her hands. “Oh my goodness,” she sighed. She looked at Frankie first, her smile warm and complacent. Frankie returned the smile, and then Cane’s mother shifted her eyes over to me. At first, she swept her eyes all over my face, and then the slowest, most beautiful grin swept across her lips.
“You must be Kandy,” she said.
“How’d you guess?” Lora asked, popping a sliced strawberry into her mouth.
“I remember the way Cane described her eyes…the night I came home.”
She kept watching me. For some reason, I didn’t find it awkward or uncomfortable, but Lora and Frankie obviously did because Frankie shifted on her feet while Lora said, “Mom. Maybe you should back up? I’m sure you’re freaking her out.”
“She’s not,” I admitted with a smile. “It’s really nice to meet you, Miss Cane…wait, it is Miss Cane, right?”
She let out a soft laugh. “Yes, it is, but please. Just call me Nyla.” Nyla? That was an interesting name. It suited her. She extended her arm and I grabbed her hand to shake it. Even though she’d told me her real name, my father taught me manners. Anyone who was older than me—especially Cane’s mom—had my respect. I wasn’t going to be able to not call her Miss Cane now.
“Yeah, the one thing she did right was not naming us after our shithead father.” I looked around Miss Cane to Lora who had hopped up on the island counter, her legs dangling.
Miss Cane rolled her eyes playfully and stepped in front of Frankie to shake her hand too. “And you are?”
“Oh, I’m Frankie—Kandy’s best friend.” Frankie beamed.
“It’s nice to meet you, Frankie. Must be nice to have a best friend—someone to lean on.”
Frankie put on an uneasy smile. “It is, actually.” Before Miss Cane could get any deeper, I heard footsteps and looked to the right.
Cane was coming down the hall, his strides careful and lax. He spotted me before everyone else and put on a sexy smile. His eyes rummaged over me, burning like a heat wave, and I bit a smile when he finally pulled his heated gaze away and stepped into the kitchen.
“Hey, Frankie!” Cane greeted.
“What’s up, Mr. Cane!”
“Feels like I haven’t seen you in ages!” he bellowed, giving her a quick hug around the shoulders. “How’s school treating you?”
“School is good! Only downfall is that my roommate is a stuck-up bitch.” Frankie rolled her eyes and I laughed, just thinking about how annoyed Frankie was with her roommate. She was so fed up with Polly that she’d actually gotten a job as a barista at a coffee shop near campus to save money and get her own apartment.
Cane let out a deep laugh, and then turned toward his mother who was just about make her way back to the stove. “Dinner almost ready, Mama? Don’t want to keep the girls here for too long since they have to be up early to go back to school tomorrow.”
“Yep! Just have to stuff the ravioli with ricotta and bake the garlic bread and it will be done.”
“Oh, God. That sounds so good,” Frankie groaned, like she was already eating the food.
Lora hopped off the counter. “Cane, can I talk to you for a sec?”
Cane glanced at Lora, jaw ticking, before putting his eyes on me. His gray-green irises flashed from the bright lights in the kitchen.
“Anything I can help with while we wait for the food?” I asked, grabbing his hand.
“My mother may need some help. Don’t be afraid to talk to her. She’s a nice woman.” He wrapped a hand around the back of my head, bringing my forehead close to his lips. He kissed my forehead before releasing me and following Lora down the hall and into the den.
“So weird,” Frankie snickered, sitting on one of the stools at the counter and pulling her phone out.
“What’s weird?” Miss Cane asked, looking between us as she stuffed fresh pasta shells with ricotta.
“Actually seeing them out in the open with it,” Frankie laughed. “When I caught them together the last time, it was on a balcony in the dark. Now they’re doing it in the light and it’s super freaky.”
“I swear, you are still a dork,” I laughed and Miss Cane did the same. “Can I help you with anything, Miss Cane?”
“Oh, yes, please! If you could take the salad and toppings to the table, and maybe a few paper towels too?”
“Of course. Frank, wanna help me?”
“S
ure.” Frankie slid out of her stool and picked up a roll of paper towels while I carried the large salad bowl and toppings. I walked around the corner to get to the dining room, loving how spacious it was. There was a six-top table in the middle of the room, a beautiful chandelier hanging above it, the reflections bouncing off the walls like crystals.
While I set up the table, I heard whispering and hissing and knew Cane and Lora were discussing something important. Though I was curious, I decided not to eavesdrop this time. Not only that, but Miss Cane was making too much noise in the kitchen for me to be able to hear anything.
“Why do you think it’s weird?” I looked at Frankie after fixing some of the silverware on the table. “To see me and Cane out in the open with it?”
She gave a light shrug. “I don’t know. I didn’t think it would get that far—especially after you told me what your dad did to Cane. And then Kelly is still around. I guess I just don’t get why you’d want to still be with him. Cane seems like a good man, but he also seems to have a lot of baggage. I had no idea he even had a sister.”
“I know. He does have a lot baggage, I’m realizing.”
“Yeah, and the way he’s whispering with his sister makes me assume something else is going on that we don’t know about.”
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Cane walk past the dining room and back to the kitchen.
“I just want you to be careful, K.J. I’m certain Cane will never let anything happen to you on his watch, but there’s still something else he’s hiding. He knows you’re young and probably won’t ask, but you might want to learn more about him before things get too deep.”
She had a point. A big point. Too bad I didn’t have much time to discuss it. Cane’s mother was finished with the ravioli and walked into the dining room to place a serving plate full of it on the middle of the table. Frankie and I smiled at her, and as she went back to the kitchen, Cane and Lora walked into the dining room.
Lora rubbed her hands together. “Gah, I’m so ready to eat!”
“Same!” Frankie chimed.
We all sat at the table. Cane took the chair beside mine and when he slid his in, his palm ran over the top of my thigh. “You good?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I breathed. “I’m fine.” But was I really?
We dug into the food, which was delicious by the way. Especially the ravioli.
“Wow, Miss Cane. This is so good,” Frankie moaned over her food. “There’s a serious orgasm happening in my mouth right now. Not even kidding.”
We all laughed.
“Thank you, Frankie. I’m glad you like it.” Miss Cane chewed a little, then took a sip of water. “You know, I used to read cookbooks in rehab. I would crotchet. Read and study recipes. I remember promising myself I would make my kids a nice, big meal once I got out.”
“That’s really nice,” I said, slicing a piece of ravioli.
We mostly ate over small chatter and Lora and Frankie goofing off. I was glad they were hitting it off—that they didn’t feel so out of place.
On the other hand, Miss Cane was very watchful. She watched me and Cane a lot. Whenever Cane would look at me or rub my shoulder, she’d smile at us like she admired it. Did she admire us? Or was it just him?
After dinner, Frank, Lora and I helped Miss Cane clean while Cane went up to his bedroom to check emails. Something was going on with Cane and Lora. Lora was good at pretending, but every time she looked at Cane or her mother, I saw the tension in her eyes.
“Do you ladies like strawberry cheesecake?” Miss Cane asked. “It’s homemade, one of my favorite recipes.”
“Oh, yes, please!” Frankie sang. “Only K.J. knows this, but I have a huge sweet tooth.”
“She really does,” I chimed in.
“So does Lora,” Miss Cane said with a soft laugh. “Her favorite when she was a little girl was strawberry shortcake. I used to make it for her birthdays a lot.”
“Yeah.” Lora put on a simple smile, her gray eyes distant. “I remember.”
Miss Cane served the cake and while we ate, Frankie’s phone buzzed. She checked it and then rolled her eyes with a grumble.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Mom. Needs me to pick her up from work. Her car’s in the shop.” She sighed, finishing off her slice of cheesecake.
“Didn’t you ride with Kandy?” Lora asked.
“Yeah, I did. Mind dropping me back off at home, K?”
“I can take you,” Lora offered. “I have to go to the pharmacy anyway to pick up my mom’s prescription. Plus, I’m sure Cane didn’t bring Kandy all this way just to share a meal with her.”
“Really?” Miss Cane huffed a laugh and stood from the table, collecting the empty plates. “I’ll wait for you here then.” She took the plates to the sink and Lora and Frankie got up from their chairs.
“See you later, K.J.” Frankie rubbed the top of my head like I was a puppy and I shooed her hand away, standing.
“Later, Frank.” I gave her a big hug, knowing I wouldn’t see her again for a few months. I hated the distance between us too, but as my mother always said, “this is life.”
When they walked out the kitchen, Miss Cane wrapped up the cheesecake while I picked up my plate and took it to the sink.
“So…it must feel really nice to be reunited with Lora and Cane after so long.” I tucked a few strands of hair behind my ear.
“It is,” she breathed. “Feels so good to have them as a support system. I feel like a new leaf has turned over and I have this new slate and everything is much clearer.”
“That’s really good. I’m glad things are better.”
She put on a warm smile, resting her lower back against the edge of the counter. “Do you know that Q has never looked at a woman, the way he looks at you?”
I stood a little taller, arms folding. “Aw…yeah, Lora was telling me the same thing when I’d first met her.”
“I personally have never seen him this way.” She looked away, laughing a little. “When he was younger, he used to tell me that he loved me. He said he loved me so much that no girl would ever be able to take his heart.” She pushed off the counter. “If I can be honest, I wasn’t really sure how I felt about him being with someone so young—and being Mr. Jennings’ daughter too. I thought he was selfish for it, but then he explained it to me. Told me it just happened and that what he felt was beyond his control.” She shrugged a little and smiled. Rubbing my shoulder, she said, “I’m happy to see him happy.”
I smiled at her. It was all I could really do. She rubbed my shoulder once more and then turned with a yawn. “I’m going to watch some TV, lay on the couch. So exhausted.”
I watched her go, then I went upstairs to Cane’s bedroom. Of course he was sitting at the desk, typing away on his keyboard. His shirt was unbuttoned, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, like he had to prepare himself before diving in.
I cleared my throat at the door, resting my head on the frame. “Should I come back in a few months?”
Cane stopped typing, looking my way. “Hell no.” He dropped his hands and patted his lap. “Come. Sit.”
I bit a smile, shutting the door and walking his way. He spread his legs wider when I approached, placing his hands on my waist and guiding me down on the center of his lap. My back was to his chest and he reached around me to finish off an email on his laptop before closing it.
“Your mom is watching TV and Lora took Frankie home,” I said when he was done.
“Really? That’s a first for Lora. She’s nicer now.” Laughter erupted, starting deep in his chest.
“Was she mean before?” I asked, turning inward and draping an arm around the back of his neck
“Not exactly. Just really stubborn and really lazy, which made her always say no to things. I’ve learned since she’s been back that she says yes a lot more. It’s a good thing. Means progress.”
I nodded, resting my head on his chest. “What were you two talking about earlier when she asked to
speak to you?”
He inhaled deeply before exhaling. “She’s worried.”
“About what?”
When his body stiffened, I looked up, finding his eyes. “She heard Buck was released.”
“Buck?”
“My biological father,” he said through his teeth.
“Holy shit. So soon?”
“Right? Too fucking soon.”
“When was he released?”
“A week ago.” He dropped his eyes, staring down at the floor. “I knew he was out. I have eyes inside and outside the prison, people to keep me updated, but I didn’t tell her I had those people. She was pissed that I kept it from her.”
“Cane, you can’t keep stuff like that from her. She deserves to know too.”
“I know, I know.” He brought a hand up, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I just didn’t want her to flip out, like she just did before dinner. She overthinks everything—gets paranoid way too easily. She does stupid shit when she’s scared.”
I sighed, putting my cheek to his chest again. “Are you scared?”
“Scared for myself? No. Scared for my mother and Lora? Yes. He can get to them way easier than he can to me. Especially my mom. He knows what to say to get inside her head. And nine times out of ten, if my mother is around, Lora is close by. I’m tempted to hire a bodyguard, but the man I have keeping tabs on him said he’s been staying in a motel. Said he doesn’t do much or seem like he’s leaving the area anytime soon, but I know him. He’s plotting.”
“Do you think everything will be okay?”
“It has no choice but to be.” I peered up and his jaw was clenching. When his eyes found mine, I realized they were cloudier. Darker. “I refuse to let him tear us apart again.”
“Well, do what you have to do,” I murmured. “Protect them as much as you can. Hire a bodyguard if things get suspicious with Buck.”
“I plan on it.”
I sighed, pulling my arm away and dropping my feet. When I stood up, I tugged on his hand, forcing him to stand.
“I know you’re stressed,” I said, running my hands up his chest until they reached his shoulders. I pushed the arms of his dress shirt down, running my palms over his inked arms. “But it’s my last night here. You probably won’t see me again for a few months.”
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