Page 4 of Silent Partner (Pine Falls 3)

Speaking of someone. “How was your visit with Jill?” I needed to ask, before I let any dreams take hold that tonight would be any different than our friendly runs together.

Brant cleared his throat, and even in the dim light, I noticed his face flushed red. “It was fine. She’s coming back in December,” he rushed to say.

“Oh.” My heart plummeted to the core of the earth. “That’s nice.” That was a lie. It was awful. It meant I was right—Jill Copeland was destined to be Jill Holland. I held my stomach. The thought of them together made me want to vomit.

“Yeah,” he whispered while turning onto the main road that led to the highway. “Anyway,”—he shook his head—“the salted caramel apple pie you made for dinner was amazing.” He seemed desperate to change the subject.

While grateful for the change in topic, my heart was still stinging. “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” I managed to say.

He patted his stomach. “I think I’m going to need to run ten miles tomorrow.”

“We could run tonight,” I offered, even though it was already pitch black and freezing cold outside. And it had snowed earlier this week, so the trail was probably a bit treacherous.

He flashed me a crooked grin. “Absolutely not. Star Wars can’t wait.”

“Are you going to bring out the action figures you had growing up?” I taunted him. During our runs, he had practically given me a dissertation about the evolution of Star Wars action figures over the years.

He chuckled. “I would except they’re boxed up in my parents’ attic.”

“Maybe next time,” I said presumptuously, without thinking. I mean, he’d just told me Jill was coming back soon. That had to mean something.

Brant paused, making me feel even more ridiculous for my slip of the tongue. “I’d like that, Kinsley,” he finally said. I loved the tender way he said my name, but I could hear the hesitation.

“I might not even like the movie,” I threw out there to cover up the awkwardness.

He slapped a hand against his chest. “Don’t even think that. Mark my words, you’ll be a fan by the end of the night.”

I was a fan all right. His biggest one. “We’ll see,” I sang playfully.

For the rest of the thirty-minute drive, we made small talk. In between, I sang loudly along to the Christmas songs on the radio, including Mariah Carey’s, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which made Brant laugh. He had no idea I meant every single word.

When we pulled up to his place in the heart of Carrington Cove’s historical district, we looked at each other, knowing this was crossing a new threshold for us. I could see confusion swirling in Brant’s eyes, as if he didn’t know what this all meant. I wanted to answer all his questions and tell him how I felt about him. To determine if he could see me as more than Dani’s kid sister or just a friend. I needed him to know that I was more than who people saw me for—the cute and sweet Kramer sister. I was capable and strong. And I wanted to be with him for him, not his money or his last name. I was attracted to him because he was one of the best people I knew, always trying to help those less fortunate than him. And he was funny. His laugh filled my world. Not only that, but he saw the world not in terms of how bad it was, but how good he could help it to be. I loved his outlook on life.

Sure, I knew I wasn’t gorgeous like Dani, or as well-schooled, but I was smart in other ways. I knew how to run a business—even if my partners didn’t agree—and I could create beautiful masterpieces in the kitchen. Maybe I wasn’t senator girlfriend material now, but I’d had to fight for everything I’d ever achieved. I would fight for that too. I’d already been reading every book Brant had recommended, from the biographies of our founding fathers and supreme court justices, to the history of the Magna Carta, to the writings of John Locke. This wasn’t a one-way street. Brant had watched all the cooking shows I loved and even read some of my favorite Colleen Hoover books. Man, could she write an incredible kissing scene. Brant even agreed. It was funny, some of the things we had talked about on our runs, including romance novels. Things I don’t think either one of us had shared with anyone else. Like no one knew that Brant could do impersonations of famous people. For some reason he was embarrassed about it. One of my favorite runs was when he’d reenacted The Godfather for me, doing the characters played by Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, and James Caan perfectly. And only he knew that I could wiggle my nose without using my hands. Yes, I know, it’s quite the feat. At least Brant found it adorable. However, he was more impressed that I secretly kept a Hula-Hoop under my bed and was constantly working on my goal of twirling it around my hips a hundred times in a row without letting it drop. The highest I had gotten so far was to eighty-nine.

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