Better Late Than Never (13 page)

Kristen grinned. “Now it is time to walk to Mandi’s.”

Keirra rubbed her stomach. “Sounds good to me. We can walk off some of this food we just ate.”

Kayla nodded. “I am also thinking we should have gone shopping before we ate. I am positive I won’t fit into anything I try on.”

Keirra smiled. “Good. It means you will buy less, and we can go home sooner.”

Kristen laughed as they walked out of the café and down the walkway. “Have you ever wondered why Sam calls Sam’s Café a café when it is a restaurant?”

Kayla shrugged. “No, but I am sure he had his reasons.”

All conversation ceased when Eric stepped out of the bakery and into their path. Kristen watched Keirra tense and sensed her sister had met her match. Greeting them, he gave them his heart-stopping grin. Kristen sighed when Keirra rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. It was a sign that her sister intended to ignore him. Keirra had given her the same treatment several times over the years.

Kristen gave Eric an apologetic look. “How are you enjoying Baxley so far?”

He nodded. “I like it. It is a lot quieter than Atlanta.”

Kristen smiled. “Have you settled in okay?”

Keirra cleared her throat “Can we be on our way?”

Kristen looked at Keirra in shock. Her sister had never been so rude. She gave Keirra an elbow.

Kristen gave Eric a polite smile. “It was nice to see you again. I’m sure we will see you around.”

She shook her head when she heard Keirra mutter under her breath the feeling wasn’t mutual.

“What was that about?” Kristen questioned as soon as they were out of earshot of Eric.

“Don’t ask,” Keirra grumbled. Kristen laughed, and they made their way into Mandi’s clothing store.

* * * *

The trip back to the house was a short one, and Kristen collapsed into the recliner, and Kayla and Keirra fell onto the sofa.

Kristen groaned. “I am exhausted.”

“So am I,” Kayla replied with a heavy sigh.

Keirra grumbled. “Well I’m not. I have plenty of energy to burn.”

Kayla snickered. “Give Eric a call. I am sure he can help you.”

She barely managed to dodge the pillow Keirra threw at her.

Keirra stood with a frown on her face. “You aren’t funny, Kayla.”

She walked up the stairs, and Kristen began to laugh. “I think our sister has met her match.”

Kayla chortled. “I know she has.”

Kayla stood up and picked up her bag. “What I wonder is if I will meet my match anytime soon.”

Kristen pulled herself into a standing position. “I am sure you will find someone who will challenge you.”

Kayla headed for the stairs. “Well I am going to put my clothes away and clean up a little.”

Kristen nodded and followed her sister up the stairs and detoured to her own room. She put up the two new skirts and shirts she bought before pulling out her outfit for work. It was a ritual she completed every night. She ironed the clothes because it would take five minutes off of the time it took for her to get ready. Taking her shower at night took another ten minutes, which she used to either sleep in or enjoy her breakfast a little longer. Once she had her outfit together, she hung it up and made her way to the shower. She put her hair up and then turned on the water and stepped into the shower.

She took a luxurious shower, not getting out until her skin threatened to wrinkle and become prune like. She turned off the water, stepped out of the shower then walked back into her bedroom and changed into her pajamas. She jumped when her cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, she smiled when Randy’s name flashed on the screen.

“Hello.”

“Hey, beautiful.”

She sat down on the bed and tucked her feet up under her. “I wasn’t expecting a call from you, but I always like to hear your voice.”

“I know, but someone wanted to say something to you.”

She heard the phone changing hands before Wade came on the line.

“Hi, Kristen. I had a good time this weekend. Good night, see you tomorrow.”

She smiled when he rushed through the words. It was hard for her to reply because her throat had closed up with emotion. But she managed to reciprocate the feeling and waited for the phone to be handed back to Randy.

He came on the line a second later. “He wouldn’t go to bed until I called you.”

“Well he just made my night.”

“I am glad. He likes you.”

“I like him too.”

“Well, I hate to rush, but I don’t want to keep you long because I am sure you are getting ready for tomorrow and I need to get Wade into bed.”

Kristen understood and said a quick good night. She hung up the phone and put it on the charger. Pulling back the covers, she crawled into bed and lay down. It was early, but she was tired and didn’t have anything else to do.

Picking up the remote, she turned on the television. When she couldn’t find anything good to watch, she turned to the reliable cartoon channel. It held her attention for the next hour and a half until she started to become sleepy. She set the timer on the television and reached for her teddy bear. Rolling onto her side, she closed her eyes and began to dream of Randy and Wade.

“Hey,
Kristen,
thanks for bringing me lunch.”

Randy took the bag with Sam’s Café logo on it out of her hands. Sometimes he hated working on Saturdays. He called her and told her he overslept this morning and had been in a rush to get Wade off to his mother’s and in the process hadn’t had time to make or pick up lunch. When he called, she had been in town taking care of errands and had been more than happy to pick up his lunch and drop it off. He requested a turkey sandwich with dill pickle slices, potato chips, and lemonade. She smiled when he opened the bag and pulled out the contents before he had the bag on the desk. He gave her a quick kiss then bit into a pickle.

“What time do you want me to come by your place for dinner tonight?”

He looked at the stack of paperwork on his desk before looking back at her. “Seven should be okay.”

She nodded and turned to leave his office. “I will be there.”

He sat down behind his desk. “Thanks again for lunch.”

“You’re welcome.”

Kristen exited his office and ran right into Eric, who was leaning against the wall. She grinned knowing he had been waiting on her judging by his stance. Her smile widened when he tipped his hat to her. He hadn’t been in Baxley long, but a few things had already rubbed off on him.

“How are you today, Kristen?”

“I’m fine and yourself?”

He chuckled. “Great thank you for asking.”

They both stood there in silence until Eric cleared his throat. “Can you tell me something?”

She shrugged. “If I can tell you, I will.”

“What does Keirra have against me?”

Kristen laughed and held up her hands. “I will answer your question to the best of my capability without having Keirra looking for me later. It isn’t you. She doesn’t like cops in general. If you want details you have to ask her.”

Kristen readjusted the purse strap on her shoulder. “Keirra is going to be looking for blood just from me revealing that much.”

She patted him on the shoulder. “You, my friend, are just going to have to be brave enough to ask her yourself.”

Eric sighed. “I did ask her when I ran into her in town one day. She wouldn’t say a word.”

She knew the statement was literal. Keirra had a way of shutting down that was hard to describe, but if she didn’t want to talk, she wouldn’t say another word.

Kristen gave him a sympathetic look. “I will give you another hint to deal with my sister. It is always better to challenge her. Keirra loves competition and can’t stand to lose.”

Knowing she had given Eric enough to think about, she turned and left the building. She got into her car and drove off to her hair appointment. Hopefully Eric would contemplate what she told him for a little while before confronting Keirra because then she would have a confrontation of her own.

* * * *

Randy looked up when Eric knocked on his door, and he waved him in. He was in the middle of a bite of sandwich, but he motioned for Eric to sit while he chewed.

“How is it going?”

Eric took a seat and nodded. “All is well in love and war.”

Randy looked at him with raised eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

Eric just smiled. “What can you tell me about Keirra and how to challenge her?”

Randy leaned back in his chair and interlaced his fingers. “So you like Keirra?”

Eric grinned. “I do.”

Randy leaned forward. “First, you have to understand her, and I have to tell you that as long as I have known Keirra, I still don’t understand her one hundred percent.”

Eric chuckled. “You’re right. How would you describe Keirra?”

Randy laughed. “I have one word for you, complex.”

Eric frowned. “Why doesn’t she like cops?”

Randy held his hands up. “It isn’t my place to tell you.”

Eric laughed. “You know, I find it very strange that every time I ask that question, I get same response.”

Randy smiled. “I’m not surprised. Now, I won’t lie, I’m not afraid of most women, but Keirra is one of the few I am afraid of. She can tear a person to pieces with her tongue-lashing. I also don’t spread people’s business.”

Eric nodded. There was a confused expression on his face. Randy took the last bite of his sandwich then looked in his drawer for a peppermint. He popped one in his mouth and leaned back in his chair.

 
“Besides, I have my own issues to figure out between me and Kristen.”

Eric gave him an inquisitive look. “What is up between you and Kristen? The two of you seem to have a lot of chemistry.”

Randy sighed. “Twelve years of chemistry, but I messed it up six years ago. I made the mistake of doubting our relationship, and now I am struggling to get it back.”

Eric looked at him in surprise. “I had no idea you and Kristen had been an item so long.”

Randy rubbed the back of his neck. “We would still be an item if I hadn’t screwed up. I broke up with Kristen for what I thought was a logical reason at the time. But I can tell you in hindsight I was just being stupid and immature.”

Eric gave him a curious look. “Why did you break up?”

“Because I thought she was kissing another guy.”

Eric gave him a confused look. “You thought she was kissing another guy?”

Randy sat up straight. “To make a long story short I saw her kissing another guy and jumped to the conclusion that she was cheating on me. So I broke up with her. Turns out the guy
was
forcing himself on her, and I walked in at the wrong time and walked out at the wrong time.”

Eric frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I missed her slapping the guy for pushing himself on her. He was some guy who liked her, but she didn’t like him. He found out the hard way, and so did I.”

Eric shook his head. “
Man, that
is tough.”

Randy sighed in frustration. “More than you know. You have no idea what it is like to sit back and watch the woman that you have cared so much about doubt the entire time you were together. It kills me. I made the biggest mistake in my life, and I’m not sure that I will ever be able to make it right.”

“You are Kristen are together, right?”

Randy shook his head. “I don’t know how to explain it, man. We are together, yet we’re not. I guess you could call it dating, but I want more than that. I want it to go back to the way things were, but I’m not sure that it can.”

Eric gave him a grim look. “It sounds like you have your work cut out for you.”

Randy sighed. “You’re right, but she is worth it. Kristen is a good person. She is a good woman. Kristen has always brought out the good in me. I didn’t realize how happy I was with her until we weren’t together anymore.”

Eric gave him a sympathetic smile. “Don’t sell yourself short. I haven’t known you long, but you seem like a good guy. Kristen must think so as well, or she wouldn’t be giving you another chance.”

Randy nodded realizing that Eric had a point. “I hadn’t thought about it like that before now, but you are right.”

Eric stood up. “The only question I have for you,
is are
you asking for the impossible?”

Randy looked up at Eric with puzzlement. “What do you mean?”

“It seems that you are concerned with things being the way they were in the past between you and Kristen, but it may not be possible. I’m sure that you and Kristen are different people now than you were back then. The relationship may never go back to being the same because neither of you are.”

Staring at Eric, he digested the words. Eric had a good point. He and Kristen were different people. Maybe he was focused on the wrong thing. He was so busy trying to rekindle their old relationship he hadn’t given any thought to building a new relationship. A different relationship based upon the people they had become.

* * * *

“Can I take the blindfold off now?”

“No.”

Impatient, Kristen huffed, which was abnormal for her, but she had been blindfolded since they had left the restaurant. It seemed like an hour ago, but she wasn’t sure how long it had been. She had been led to his truck, and he had driven somewhere. She was all for surprises, but this was pushing it. Once they stopped, he picked her up and carried her into his
house,
although she was guessing because she was sitting on what seemed to be a bed.

“How about now?”

Randy chuckled. “Ask one more time, and you will have the blindfold on all night.” He paused for a second. “Although, it might not be a bad idea.”

Kristen grumbled, and he gave her a brief kiss on the lips before leaving the room again. She heard a door close, and muffled sound followed. Seconds later, she felt his presence, and he reached behind her and untied the blindfold. The sight in front
her
was breathtaking. She had guessed right. She was in his bedroom, but it had been transformed into a bedroom for seduction. Candles were lit and placed in the right areas to give off enough light for her to see. Rose petals trailed from where she sat on the bed and led to the bathroom. He held out his hand to her, and she took it. He led her to the bathroom, and she gasped.

The bathroom was lit with candles, and a trail of rose petals led across the floor and up the steps to his sauna tub. Rose petals floated on top of the water, and Kristen turned to face him. Stretching upward, she placed a kiss on his lips. When he pulled back, she smiled.

“Was it worth the wait?”

She tilted her head to side in a playful fashion. “That remains to be seen.”

His hands came up and grabbed the hem of her shirt, and he pulled it over her head. She brought her hands up to lift her hair while he slid her skirt down over her hips. Once it pooled on the floor, she stepped out of it, and he knelt before her. He slipped her shoes off of her feet. His underwear followed, and when she was nude, he stood and her hands went to his shirt. Once she had the buttons undone, she slid the shirt off his shoulders. She knelt in front of him and his boots came off, followed by his pants.

He stood clad in his boxer briefs, yet his erection was already fighting to get free. She stripped him of the briefs, and he picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He stepped into the tub with her and sat down. She moaned when the warm water surrounded them.

“What made you think of something like this?”

Randy smiled. “A little conversation with Kayla.”

Kristen placed her head on his shoulder and exhaled softly. “Remind me to thank Kayla later.”

He chuckled. “Sure.”

Leaning back, he ran his hand up and down her back. “Are you comfortable?”

She unwrapped herself from around him and turned around. He opened his legs, and she settled between them. His hands came up to her shoulders and began to massage her tense muscles. She moaned, letting her head drop forward.

“That feels good.”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he kept massaging her shoulders. Following the curve of her spine, he slid his hands lower. He placed a kiss on the back of her neck, and she moaned again. His hands came up in front of her, and his fingertips brushed her breasts, before cupping them in his palms. He paid special attention to her nipples, and she gasped as heat pooling between her thighs. His hand trailed lower, brushing her stomach and then her thighs. A cry of pleasure escaped her when his hands found the heat between her thighs. He began to stroke her in a slow but steady pace, a few heartbeats later she gripped his thighs and cried out her release.