Page 21 of What I Should Have Known

The bedroom knob rattled, snapping both my attention and Kat’s to the only thing standing between us and her mom. “Hold on, Mom! Just… Just getting changed!” she shouted then returned her attention to me.

“Get in.” She pushed at me.

“Kat, the fucking door is shorter than I am.”

“Then duck, Bottle Cap.”

“Duck? You’ve—” Snapping my mouth shut, I exhaled and bent over.

“And don’t you dare say a word or make a noise.”

“You’re the one who was noisy walking up the stairs, not me.”

“And you’re the one who’s wearing nothing but boxers in my bedroom where you’re not supposed to be.” Kat pushed against me once more as I wiggled between some of her clothes.

“Kat? Why is your door locked? What is going on?!” her mom asked a little louder this time, twisting the locked handle.

“And you just told her you’re getting changed but are still wearing the same shit as earlier,” I whispered as the world around me darkened. Cocooned by clothes that smelled like the Earth after freshly fallen rain, cotton fabric brushed against my bare body.

“I’ll figure it out. Now hush,” Kat sassed and shut the closet door, turning everything around me absolutely black.

Chapter 8

KAT

As if swept away by a thousand horses thundering across the desert, my heart raced heavily in my chest. I’d seen what I had, right? Unintentionally, and that certainly had not been how I’d imagined catching my first real glimpse of… well… any man, really. And it wasn’t like I’d seen it, seen it. But like…

My cheeks burned red hot at the realization that I’d totally sneaked another peek before closing the closet door and was totally wanting to do it again.

Ah…

“Kat!” my mom cried out, pounding against the door. The brass knob rattled, the two screws holding it to the door straining against the pressure.

“Coming!” I gushed, snapping out of the stupor that held me rooted outside of the closet door.

Rushing across the small room, I kicked Bernie’s pants and shirt under my cedar chest and quickly turned the lock on the door. Swinging it open,I leaned against the frame, hiding as much of the room with my body as I could.

“Hi, Mom. I’ll be right down,” I quickly said with a smile. My heart raced, blood pumping heavily in my ears as her brows twitched. Her gaze left mine, and she peered over my shoulder into the room.

“Why are you sweating?” she asked, pushing some brown hair similar to mine behind her ear.

I swallowed stiffly, straining for any subtle sound that might give away the fact there was a man in my closet. Why had I thought this was a good idea? Maybe I should’ve just said something to them about providing some clothes for Bernie. But there was something that gnawed at the back of my mind, pulsing with the steady drum of heat caused by the man himself, that had kept me from doing so.

“It was warm today,” I muttered, heat rising in my cheeks.

Her blue eyes darted back to mine. “And you’re still wearing the same clothes you worked in.”

“Well, I was halfway undressed when you knocked so I quickly put them back on since that was easier than taking them the rest of the way off and putting new clothes on.”

“Those ones?” She lifted a finger, pointing at the pile Bernie had set on the cedar chest.

“Uh, yeah, of course,” I replied, biting down on my bottom lip. My stomach squeezed, the guilt of a small white lie twisting tightly.

“Your brother’s clothes. The same brother who’s away for the summer working with mustangs, so I know for certain you just went and got those clothesfrom his room.”

“They’re comfy?” I said, unintentionally more as a question than an answer.

She placed her hands on her hips and closed her eyes with a sigh. “Just hurry up. Your food is getting cold.”

---