Page 82 of Point of Contact

"Well." His mother turned to the fridge. "I will teach you ours then." She pulled out a produce bag filled with something leafy. "Today we will make Kkaennip Jangajji."

She spent the next thirty minutes side by side with Reed's mother, plucking the slightly fuzzy leaves from their stems and cleaning them well before mixing up a brine of soy sauce, garlic, chili flakes, and a little sugar. That was poured over the leaves and thinly sliced chilis before being put in the fridge to marinate.

"Are those a condiment?" Courtney worked at wiping down the counter the way she'd seen Reed's mother do no fewer than ten times. She was definitely where he got his more regimented nature, and Courtney wanted her to know she understood and was happy to follow the house rules. She'd never had rules and it was oddly nice to finally be with someone who had expectations of her. Someone who thought she was worth the investment of time and energy.

"You eat them with rice or with bibimbap or with fish." She tipped her head, thinking it over. "You can eat them with everything."

Courtney considered the explanation. "Like kimchi?"

His mother smiled. "Like kimchi." She wiped her hands on a towel. "We will make kimchi later this week. You will need to learn to make that too. Reed eats so much."

Courtney smiled a little easier, that warmth from before blooming at the mention of him. He loved her. As someone who'd never been loved before, it was a pretty heady feeling. One she was still letting sink in.

If it had been any other man who said it, she wouldn't have believed him. Especially since he was practically balls deep when the admission came.

But this was Reed. Honest, assholeish, Reed.

Definitely not the kind of man to say something he didn't one-hundred percent mean, regardless of the location of his balls.

And he'd known she loved him back. Claimed her feelings for himself without hesitation. Also a very Reed thing to do.

Which was part of why she did, in fact, love the shit out of him.

"Then I definitely want to learn how to make kimchi." She gave his mother a smile. "And anything else you want to teach me how to make."

Reed's mother stood a little taller, like she was pleased. "Maybe one day you will get to cook for us too."

Courtney couldn't contain her smile at the possibility. "Maybe."

She'd been so alone for so long and the thought of having a whole family of people around her was unbelievably exciting. Even after just a couple of days, she felt like a part of their group.

And she'd seen firsthand how much work it took for Reed's mother to take care of his father on her own. She was small but mighty, and able to help his father transfer from his chair to the wheelchair they used, but it clearly took all her strength. They needed an extra set of hands, but his mother was adamant she didn't want a stranger in her house. So maybe she could help out on a regular basis. Spend her days here while Reed worked.

His mother checked the time on the microwave. "The mail should be here. I need to go get it. It has medications we need."

Courtney immediately went for the door. "I'll get it. You stay in here where it's warm." She hurried toward the door, not waiting for agreement. Reed's parents were doing so much for her, the least she could do was get their mail.

After switching pink slippers for boots, she layered on her coat, tugged on a hat, and trudged out into the snow, sucking in a sharp breath as the cold air slapped her in the face.

"Fuck a duck, it's cold." She hugged her arms against her chest as she shuffled down the sidewalk to the driveway. The mailbox wasn't far, but by the time she reached it, her teeth were chattering and the shivers were setting in. Thank goodness she hadn't let Reed's mom come out here. The weather was freaking brutal.

And probably normal.

Prying open the mailbox, she grinned in spite of the freezing cold. It was impossible to be too upset if this was the worst part of her new life.

She’d just pulled out the pile of junk mail and the shipping envelope containing the medication Reed's dad needed, when a van coasted down the road. She hurried to grab the rest so she could get out of the way and avoid getting splashed with the mucky ice layered over the road. But the van stopped just as she snapped the hinged door back into place.

Courtney turned, half expecting to see Reed when the side door opened. But the man who stared out at her wasn't Reed. Or anyone else she knew.

She took a step back, wiggling her boot to check the traction as the huge, menacing looking guy climbed out. Before she had the chance to spin away, he was on her, grabbing her arms and attempting to drag her into the vehicle.

She'd worked so hard in Miami to make sure she was prepared for a situation just like this. But she'd been stupid enough to let her guard down here, thinking she'd finally found love and happiness and no one would ever come all this way to try to finish her off.

But it looked like she was wrong.

She dropped the mail—unable to hang onto it and defend herself at the same time—before gripping her hands together and using all the force she could muster to bring one elbow back into his ribs. The guy grunted, doubling over as he struggled to catch his breath. Courtney took full advantage of his momentary stun and again started to turn toward the house.

Then stopped.

---