Page 22 of Until Kendal

A slow song started. I held out my hand to dance, and she accepted.

As we swayed, she said, “You’re lucky. Tell me about your birth father?”

I wanted to know more about her and her secrets. I wanted to help. Maybe if I talked, she would feel safe. “He died recently. It’s what started the trip.”

The song changed, and her nose curled. She didn’t like the music, so we headed back to the table. As we sat and looked over the menus, my phone rang.

The next time I took her out, I would have to leave it behind. She saw Arman’s face and said, “It’s your brother.”

I waved it off. “I’ll call him back.”

The music was loud. She answered the call, and my eyes widened. "Arman, he’ll call you back.”

She'd pressed the speaker, so I heard Arman's reply. “Please tell him I need his advice on a woman.”

Her lips pouted as she nodded. “I will.” Then she hung up. “You should have talked to him. Arman wants advice.”

I took her hand. I was more curious about her and decided it was time for total honesty. “In a minute. You asked about my dad. He beat me if I got in the way of his drinks, so I usually hid away and worked on a broken computer that had a few games. I learned if I didn’t make noise, I didn’t get knocked down. Mostly, he didn’t care about me, but recently, I had to go supervise his funeral.”

Her shoulders trembled like she understood. Then she swallowed and whispered, “My dad beat me too, but I was happier when they divorced.”

“Good," I said. Valerie seemed nice, and neither of them deserved to suffer. “Kendal, I’d never hurt you.”

“You probably could do way more than fists would.”

“It would never be on purpose.”

Silence clung in the air like plastic wrap until the waitress came. She ordered blackened chicken, and I ordered a cheeseburger and beer. I’d promised not to be over the top for the new few hours.

As the next song started, I offered my hand. “Let’s get back out there now.”

“Agreed.”

The dance floor meant I had to innocently touch her. It was all I would do until she gave me a sign that she was ready for more.

ChapterFourteen

Joel

After the dance floor, Kendal needed a minute, so I headed back to the table and gulped water. Normally, I avoided dancing, and I had no idea when I’d been in a bar last. Overindulging set off a fear I would ruin all the gifts I’d ever received.

My phone beeped, and I saw my brother again. I checked where she’d gone then covered my ears to hear on the phone. “Kendal’s in the bathroom. Why are you calling again?”

“Besides the fact we run a business?”

It wasn’t serious if that was the answer. I let out a breath. “It’s after hours.”

“You’re in a position I’m not.”

I blinked. I wasn’t sure what he meant then tugged my ear as I asked, “What do you mean?”

“You invited our mother to meet your girlfriend. Now Karla, who I went out to drinks with once, heard and asked to meetmaman.”

The music went to a lull, and I needed to gulp some water. I put him on speaker phone. Once I finished the drink, I saw Kendal walking toward me. “I wasn’t trying to interfere with your life,” I said.

“How did you know you’re with the one?”

She came closer, and my heart beat differently. “Because she makes my heart beat differently.”

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