Page 26 of Operation Wolf: Hunter
CHAPTER 13
Hunter
I STARTED AFTER KIA, intent on giving her a piece of my mind.
How dare she talk to me like that!
I was her fucking lifeline, and it was time she started treating me like one. But I paused at the sight of a bunch of paint cans and brushes, piled on the porch chair closest to the door.
“What the . . .” I muttered, picking up one of the brushes and thumbing the bristles. The horsehair was still slightly damp, indicating recent use. “Did she actually use these today?”
Carefully, I opened the front door and stepped inside. Then I stared at the living room in shock. Gone was the mottled white paint, replaced by a lovely shade of lemon yellow that I knew would really brighten the room during the day. She’d also repainted the baseboards and molding a bright white, and upon closer inspection, I couldn’t see a single brushstroke out of place.
I noticed how smooth the walls were.She even used primer.
Glancing back toward the entrance, I saw another pile of painting supplies and knew she’d done more than just the living room. Guilt swamped me as I realized, while I’d been out investigating, she’d been here, at home, doing manual labor. And instead of complimenting her on it, I’d laid into her about something she hadn’t even really done.
God, I’m such an asshole.
Not willing to face Kia quite yet, I quietly gathered up the painting supplies and returned them to the shed in the backyard. I stood out there in the twilight for a long moment, thinking about everything that had gone on today before finally heading back inside.
Closing the front door behind me, I heard the microwave running in the kitchen. I walked in to find Kia standing in front of the machine, staring intently at it, as if it were the most fascinating thing in existence.
“I was going to paint the kitchen too, but I didn’t have time,” she said coldly without turning around. Her back was stiffer than a steel pole in the dead of winter. “Sorry I’m such a fucking disappointment.”
“Oh, Kia,” I sighed, feeling like ten kinds of asshole.
I crossed the distance between us, turning her around by the shoulders. Her eyes were hard and brittle, as if they might crack at any moment and tears would spill forth.
“I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to snap at you like that, and I know you didn’t do anything to deserve it. I was just in a really bad mood when I got here, and when I saw you with that man . . .” My mood darkened as I thought about that slimeball. “Well, I overreacted, and for that, I apologize.”
Kia’s shoulders relaxed a little, but the look in her eyes didn’t soften. “Well, okay then.” The microwave beeped, and she turned around to take her food out.
I eyed the frozen dinner with distaste. “You don’t need to eat that crap, Kia,” I protested. “Leta’s coming by with dinner at any moment.”
Kia shook her head. “It’s fine. I’m not even very hungry anyway. You can help yourself to the food when it gets here.”
She took her microwaved dinner into the dining room, and I followed her. I paused to admire the pale gray paint she’d chosen for the walls.
“You did such an excellent job,” I told her, awed.
Kia blinked, clearly surprised at the compliment. “You really think so?” she asked hesitantly.
“Absolutely.” I pulled out a chair and sat beside her, determined to repair the rift between us. We needed to be able to work together if we were going to get the ranch in shape. It wasn’t as though I actually cared about her feelings otherwise. “Where did you learn to paint so well?”
Kia smiled a little, and some of the anxiety in my gut eased.
“My college roommate was going to school for interior design, and she was constantlyupgradingour dorm room,” she said, her eyes shining fondly with the memory. “At first, it was annoying. But eventually, I looked forward to her redesign projects and even helped her with some of them. I learned a lot from her.”
“Well, from what I can see here, she was a pretty good teacher,” I said, looking at the walls again. “Are you two still friends?”
Kia nodded, but her face fell a little. “She moved to the West Coast for a job though, so I haven’t seen her in years. We try to keep in touch.”
The doorbell rang, and I excused myself to answer the door. “Leta!” I exclaimed, my stomach grumbling at the bags of food in her hands. I reached down to take them from her and then stepped back to let her inside. “I was just daydreaming about sinking my teeth into a rack of your delicious baby back ribs.”
“Well, you’re in luck, honey, because that’s what I made tonight.” Leta took one of the bags back from me before I could protest, and then she bustled past me and into the kitchen. “Ooh, Lordy, someone did a nice job with the paint in here!” she said, looking around. Her eyes settled on Kia, who had stood up from the table, and Leta smiled. “You must be Miss Nash.”
“Please, call me Kia,” she answered as Leta set the bag on the table. Kia came around to give Leta a handshake, squeaking when the old woman roped her into a hug. “It’s nice to meet you,” Kia choked out.
