Page 50 of Saving Her Heart
"The conference?—"
"Screw the conference. My best friend's finally getting her head out of her ass about her man. That's way more important than learning about sous vide techniques."
"I don't have my head in my ass?—"
"You've had it so far up there you could taste your own kidneys," Charli says bluntly. "But that's over now, right? You're done running?"
"I was never running?—"
"Kendall." Her voice goes serious. "You've been running from that man since the day he came back to town. Using yourrulesas armor. Hiding behind your job. But something changed yesterday."
"Everything changed yesterday." I whisper.
"Good. About damn time." She looks over at Jax. "He's watching you, by the way. Been stealing glances every thirty seconds like he's afraid you'll disappear on him."
I turn to look, and our eyes meet across the field. The intensity in his gaze makes my stomach flip. Last night comes rushing back—his hands, his mouth, the weight of him, the way he looked at me like I was everything.
"Oh my god, you're blushing," Brooke squeals. "Kendall Greene is actually blushing!"
"Shut up."
"Was it good?" Riley asks. "Please tell me it was good. You've been in a drought for so long, FEMA should've gotten involved."
"Riley!"
"What? It's a legitimate question. Sexual compatibility is important in a relationship."
"It was..." I pause, searching for words that won't add fuel to their fire. But then I remember the cameras, the threats, all the reasons I should be terrified right now. And yet all I can think about is how safe I felt in his arms. "It was perfect."
The admission opens the floodgates. All of them talk at once, offering advice, sharing their own stories. Grace talks about how Kane pursued her relentlessly, even when she kept pushing him away. Kate shares how Hudson waited patiently while she dealt with her trauma. Mia tells the story of Ian learning to trust again after his own wounds. Even Brooke puts her phone down and talks about how her and Trevor got past his ex being a constant issue for them.
"The point is," Kate says finally, "love isn't easy. But the right person makes it worth fighting for."
"PLAY BALL!" someone shouts.
The teams start organizing, and I notice Valerie across the field. She's not dressed for kickball—she's in her usual armor of designer clothes and judgment. Brad's with her, and they're definitely plotting something together. You can just see it in their eyes.
"I'll be right back," I tell the girls.
I drift closer to where Valerie and Brad are talking, pretending to warm up.
"—cameras were genius," Brad's saying. "Did you see their faces in the videos?"
"Keep your voice down," Valerie hisses. "And stick to the plan. The building inspection is tomorrow. Once they find the violations, she's finished. Then the job is yours."
"What violations? I thought we were done with the vandalism," Brad replies.
"We are. But Building 1 has some interesting code issues that are about to be discovered. Electrical problems that could cause, say, a fire if they had been handled correctly in the first place."
My blood runs cold. They're planning to frame me for safety violations that could cause exactly what they've been threatening to do.
"Kendall?"
I jump. Jax has appeared beside me, holding a water bottle.
"Are you okay? You look pale."
"I just heard—" I tell him about Valerie and Brad, but they're already walking away, Valerie's phone pressed to her ear.
