Page 27 of Shine On Oklahoma

She’d hoped he might be starting to trust hera little bit. No such luck. It made her angry that he assumed shewas up to something, but that didn’t make much sense, since shewas, in fact, up to something.

“I want to invite her to Kiley’s shower.” Shetipped her head. “I could hardly come up with anyone from our sideof the family. Not that she is, really, but you work with Rob, so Ifigured….”

“Oh.” He blinked, and then his featuresrelaxed again. “I think she’d love to be invited. When’s theshower?”

She made a face. “This weekend. Short notice,right?”

“Mom’s arriving tomorrow. I bet she’d begrateful for an excuse to stay a while.” He gave her a gentlesmile. “She’s gonna be so happy to see you again.”

She’d tried hard to avoid meeting Dax’smother when they’d been fake-dating the first time around. Buteventually she had. Caroline was as petite and luminescent as aChristmas elf. She smiled with her whole being, and her big browneyes contrasted with her platinum-or-maybe-silver short short hairin a way that could make curmudgeons want to hug.

“Even though I screwed her only son over andcame between him and his old man?”

“What came between me and my old man was myold man.” He put a hand over one of hers. “She was pretty pissedwhen she found out about your kidney scam, Kendra, I gotta behonest about that. But we’ve talked about it a lot since then, andshe’s over it.”

Kendra frowned at him, trying to read hisface, which was usually easy to do. He averted his eyes this time.“Why is she over it? What did you tell her about me?”

“You want that last piece of chicken?” Hereached for it as he asked the question.

She snatched it before he could, and shook itat him. “You didn’t give her my motherless -child, daddy-in-prison,ward-of-the-state sob story, did you?”

“I want to hear more about your boyfriendturned stalker,” he said. “You said he was the reason you leteveryone believe you’d died in that fire.”

She took a big bite of the chicken, chewed itslow, then chugged some of the root beer to give herself time tothink. “It wasn’t a big deal. I hate talking about it.”

She handed him the rest of the chicken leg.He took it from her, but set it down instead of eating it, andleaned back on his elbows, watching her, waiting for her to fill inthe details.

She heaved a giant sigh. “He was a mark Inever should’ve messed with. Had whatever gene it is some men havethat makes them control freaks when it comes to women. When herealized he’d been had, he started parking outside my place towatch me. Followed me around, stole my cell phone, a bunch of shitlike that.”

Dax sat up slow, riveted, his face searchinghers.

“He dragged me into his car one day. Had agun. Told me it was over. That he was going to end us both. I puton my seat belt, jerked the wheel and stomped on his gas-pedalfoot. We hit a tree. Then while he was seeing little birdies fromthe impact, I got out and ran for it. The fire at the halfway househappened that night. They identified another girl who’d been therevisiting as me. I figured it was best to stay dead, given theasshole was still alive and still bat shit crazy.”

He was upright now, food forgotten. He lookedlike he wanted to hug her, the big angel.

“And what about now?”

“I don’t know. It’s no secret I’m alive. Itmade the news, the mistaken identity angle, you know? But I haven’tseen or heard from him again.”

“That’s…a lot to have hanging over yourhead.”

“I’ve put it behind me. Frankly I think newsof my death probably smacked him upside the head a little bit. Hewas questioned about the fire by the cops, while the cause wasstill undetermined. Turned out it was accidental, but that might’vegiven him enough of a scare to make him leave me alone.” It wasenough with the heavy stuff, she thought. “So, it’s your turn toanswer my question. You told your mom my sob story, didn’tyou?”

He nodded slow. “I did.”

“Hell. I hate pity.”

“You’d rather she go on hating your guts forbreaking her only son’s heart? Trust me, this is way better.”

“Baaaaah.” She started picking up the dishes.Dax snatched the remainder of the chicken leg before she grabbedhis plate. She put everything in a plastic bag and tucked the baginto the picnic basket. “So now what?”

“Now, we enjoy a few minutes of bliss beforemy mother and the lawyers descend and the baby shower planningresumes.”

“Bliss, huh?”

“Yep. Big Falls bliss. It’s the best kind.”He took the picnic basket to his car and put it in the back seat,then returned to the blanket while she sat there, watching him. Hestretched out on his back, hands behind his head. “Perfect. Comehere. Stretch out beside me, right here.” He patted the blanketbeside him before returning his hand to its spot, where it servedas his pillow.

She scooted closer and stretched out, but shekept her knees bent up, and only lowered herself as far as herelbows.

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