Page 17 of Kiss Across the Universe
Yeah, most families tended to be a bit more polite with each other, paid attention to the guest and jollied the conversation along so that the guest didn’t feel left out. But it wasn’tthatonerous a task if the guest worked to meet them halfway, and he would have. He knew how to hold a conversation when he had to. He’d attended enough regimental dinners where polite conversation had been expected of him.
Alannah had implied that his presence would somehow throttle them. That he would suppresseveryone.
As the truck zoomed smoothly across the highway, which was nearly empty this late in the day, Kit wondered if there was more to the family than met the eye.
Only…what?
All families had their secrets. Perhaps they just wanted to be able to run down the government or the way the economy sucked without a Canadian hearing them. But that was…trivial.
No, it had to be something bigger than that.
Maybe they were all nudists at heart? The idea made him grin. Or maybe they were all lushes and liked to tie it on good and proper when no one was looking. The stars knew Kit had more than one of them in his extended family, who made big family dinners uncomfortable with their loud voices and indiscreet meanderings. At least they had when he had still been attending big family dinners.
Only, Alannah wasn’t like that. And he couldn’t recall Veris ever doing more than taking tiny sips of anything. Neither Brody nor Taylor had ever knocked back a drink with relish that he could recall.
But…it just didn’t seem to fit with Brody, Veris and Taylor that they would try to hide family indiscretions that way. Or Alannah, come to that. She had a straight way of looking at herself and others.
He flexed his fingers as he recalled the touch of her flesh against the tip of his. Heat and incredible softness.
She had faced the unpleasant truth about dodging looking for work without flinching.
What would the rest of her feel like? Against his hand, and not just the tip of a finger?
Kit swore as he realized the familiar direction his thoughts were taking him. He snapped on his indicator as the turn came up, and steered carefully around the curved exit, onto the narrow road that would deliver him to the log house that washis. Only his house was much smaller than the one he’d just left.
And much emptier.
The thought came to him sideways and made him suck in a breath as discomfort speared him again.
Hediddump fish and run. It was only when Veris caught him at the door and insisted he step inside that Kit actually stuck around and visited. And yeah, there had been invitations besides those times… All three of them had had Kit’s phone number for years and Taylor often phoned and invited him for dinners, barbecues, games nights, and other events.
Kit couldn’t remember accepting more than one or two of them over the years.
If the truth was truly stated by what one did, rather than what one said, then hadn’t he demonstrated for four years that he didn’t think of himself as more than a casual friend to the family?
No wonder Alannah had felt his presence at the table would be intrusive.
Yet Veris had told Kit he considered him to be close enough to the family to be countedasfamily. At least, counted as someone who could sit at Veris’ table.
And Kit had been warmly pleased by it.
So what the hell, Kisecawchuck? You wanna fish or cut bait here?
Kit turned into his own roughly cleared driveway and the truck immediately began to shimmy and jerk under his hands. He steered on automatic, his thoughts crowding him, and halted the truck on the hard stand in front of the house. But instead of turning the engine off, he gripped the steering wheel and stared through the windscreen blindly.
Be a friend, or be more than a friend…
What would Alannah prefer?
Chapter Eight
Alannah pushed the half-eaten sliceof turkey around the puddle of gravy. The turkey was delicious. The gravy was perfectly made, with just the right amount of thickness and with a subtle flavor that lingered on the tongue.
The mashed potatoes were the ideal texture and creaminess. There were green beans in bacon sauce, at the peak of crisp tenderness, the stuffing had lots of sage and onions in it, the corn was creamed, and just the way she liked it
She just couldn’t eat any of it. The tight knot that had formed in her belly whileFar, Atharand her mother had walked Kit McDonald to the door and bid him farewell had not eased. When dinner had been announced, and all the pans and dishes sat steaming on the buffet, she had felt the tension in her gut increase.
Kit should be here, picking up one of the first plates as a guest should do.
