Page 83 of In Spades

That made her back turn ramrod straight. Kristin bit her lip, desperately trying to hold down a smile. It was useless, but the attempt was friggin’ adorable.

“Maybe,” she giggled. “I didn’t have enough time after work to get everything done.”

Chuckling, I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb and said, “Sweetheart, I couldn’t care less if you have a mountain of laundry on the couch and a sink full of dishes. Life is messy. Messes just means you’re living.” I squeezed her hand.

“Your house is so clean…”

I grinned. “Yeah, because it’s just me. Maybe I should get a dog like Chase did.”

Kristin leaned over the center console and rested her head on my bicep. “Do you get lonely?”

Kristin and I still hadn’t broached the topic of past relationships, and I certainly wasn’t going to spook her with the I got out of a long-term relationship that involved a ring bombshell.

I was smitten, not stupid.

“Yeah, I do,” I admitted. “Working for myself has its perks, but it makes it hard to socialize. And I’m not that extroverted as it is. I’d rather be home than out and about.”

“I get that,” she said. “The only reason I ever go out and socialize is that they make me.”

I cracked a smile. “You found yourself a good group.”

“They found me,” she said softly.

I felt her begin to pull away, so I brought our clasped hands to my lips and pressed a kiss to the back of hers. Kristin relaxed.

“The week after I took custody of the kids, I spent so much of it with lawyers and social workers, trying to get all the guardianship paperwork straightened out. My parents’ assets were seized, so I had to pack what I could for five people—the necessities and a few sentimental things. It was the middle of the school year, and I had to learn bus schedules and figure out homework and teachers for three kids while also taking care of a baby. I had to move out of my dorm and into the only rental I could afford. Steve and Chase checked on me every day.”

She took a deep breath. “At first, I was skeptical. I figured they assumed I was tied up in selling drugs too. But then Steve’s first wife, Heather, started dropping off casseroles and brought me some stuff for the house. Nothing big, just some dishes and bedding. Then, one day Chase came by and said that there was a job opening at the Taylor Creek Inn. His friend, Hannah Jane, worked there and said she would vouch for me.”

“And the rest is history?” I asked.

Kristin smiled. “Every Monday is poker night. We try to get together for girls’ night once a month, but the guys come too. I see Hannah Jane every day and usually run into the others a few times a week. The group text is obnoxiously active…” Kristin paused. She stared out the window, and her voice turned wistful. “But I love them.” She turned to look at me and asked, “Have you ever met someone, spent five minutes with them, and then wondered how you ever lived without them? That’s how I feel about the poker club. They’re the family I’m supposed to have.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Yeah.” Giving her hand another squeeze, I added, “I know exactly what you mean.”

Kristin guided me off the highway to a bumpy back road. Street lights flickered and buzzed with surges of electricity. The mobile home park sign was askew and faded with age. She tensed as the front of my truck dipped into a pothole and bounced out.

I saw her car parked in front of a single wide. It had tan siding and a gray metal skirt. Three wooden steps led up to the screen door. There were lights on inside, and I could see shadows moving behind the curtains. As I threw my truck into park beside Kristin’s car, one of the kids pulled the curtains back and peered at us through the window.

Kristin pressed the back of her head to the headrest and squeezed her eyes shut. “Welcome to my shitshow.”

“Kristin,” I said as I unlocked my seatbelt and leaned over the console.

“What?” she groaned.

“I’m gonna kiss you now. And everything’s gonna be okay.”

Her eyes opened half-mast and then closed again as I craned over and cupped her cheek. Kristin’s lips still tasted the faintest bit like liquor. I kept my tongue to myself and didn’t take the kiss nearly as far as I wanted to. I pushed it enough so that she would remember that I was the man who gave her butterflies.

I broke the kiss and rested my forehead on hers, just long enough for her to catch her breath. With one last peck, I reached into the backseat and grabbed the handles of a brown paper bag.

“What’s that?” Kristin asked.

“Gifts,” I said as I opened my door and got out. I shut the door and walked around the hood to open Kristin’s.

As soon as I opened her door, she said, “Gifts for what?”

“For the kids.” I reached in the bag and produced a bouquet of flowers. “And for you.”

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