Read Online Back to Square One (Brandon Bay Babes) by Noni Calbane - Free Book Online
Authors: Noni Calbane
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“Happy Birthday Mr. Calder” Kit said, hugging the Birthday boy tightly. Jonas Calder had been a steadying fatherly influence over Kit during her teenage years, and she would be forever grateful to him and his wife for bringing a sense of normalcy into her crazy world. Her father had pretty much left the scene by the time Kit was a toddler, so she really had no-one she could relate to when it came to having a Dad.
“It’s so good to see you Kit. Have you seen Mary yet? She’s probably in the kitchen, if you want to check”
“Okay” Kit replied kissing her surrogate father on the cheek, “I’ll see you later.”
By becoming Barnaby’s friend at age ten, she’d also become the Calder’s adopted daughter in the process. Barnaby had been more than happy to share his parents with her; it meant that she was a constant visitor to the house, and therefore he got to spend even more time with her.
Where was Barnaby? Kit thought, as she walked around the home and greeted the few people who remembered her. He’d come to Brandon Bay especially for his father’s birthday, and yet he was nowhere in sight.
Kit didn’t stop to analyze why she wanted to see Barnaby so badly, but she highly suspected it had something to do with him giving her a severe case of the butterflies the other evening.
Getting a glass of wine from the Calder’s makeshift bar in their living room, Kit felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
Following the feeling, she looked over towards the door to the kitchen and noticed Barnaby, also glass of wine in hand, watching her with a contemplative mix of interest and just plain outright annoyance.
Kit dropped her eyes from his stare. What was his problem? He’d asked her to come to this shindig in the first place. She looked down at her shoes; her usual starting point when she felt she was drawing attention; no TP there. It couldn’t be what she was wearing, could it?
The dress that Jasmine had lent her was a soft tangerine chiffon creation that hugged all the good parts and disguised all the ones that Ben and Jerry found so attractive to cling to. She’d done her hair up in a high pony-tail, and left out wisps of hair to prettily frame her face. On the whole, Kit thought she looked pretty darn fetching. At least she looked better than the last time Barnaby had seen her. The difference was night a day.
Frowning, Kit looked up and found him gone from his observation post. Good, she thought crossly; if he was going to make her this uneasy, his absence would not be missed.
The new Barnaby was much more moody and complicated than the one she remembered. The old Barnaby couldn’t make her quiver in her shoes or produce sweaty palms. That was something that only Jeremy Atwell could do.
With that thought, Kit shook uncontrollably and almost spilled her wine all over her borrowed dress. She needed some air desperately. Things were getting all muddled up in her head. What she felt back then and what she felt now was skewed, and a little fuzzy.
Placing her wine glass on a nearby sideboard, Kit made her way outside to the barbeque area and took some deep breaths. She shouldn’t have come. There had been something brewing in the kitchen (other than tea) the other night between her and Barnaby and she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to find out what it was.
The air blowing in from the sea was cool and refreshing. Hopefully, it would blow all the confusion from Kit’s scrambled brain. Calm down, she told herself in no uncertain terms, everything was going to be okay; all you need is a few moments solitude to make some sense of all these bewildering new feelings.
“Nice dress” said a voice from the darkness. Kit peered into the night and instantly recognised the form relaxing on one of the chaise lounges, obscured by the
“Happy Birthday Mr. Calder” Kit said, hugging the Birthday boy tightly. Jonas Calder had been a steadying fatherly influence over Kit during her teenage years, and she would be forever grateful to him and his wife for bringing a sense of normalcy into her crazy world. Her father had pretty much left the scene by the time Kit was a toddler, so she really had no-one she could relate to when it came to having a Dad.
“It’s so good to see you Kit. Have you seen Mary yet? She’s probably in the kitchen, if you want to check”
“Okay” Kit replied kissing her surrogate father on the cheek, “I’ll see you later.”
By becoming Barnaby’s friend at age ten, she’d also become the Calder’s adopted daughter in the process. Barnaby had been more than happy to share his parents with her; it meant that she was a constant visitor to the house, and therefore he got to spend even more time with her.
Where was Barnaby? Kit thought, as she walked around the home and greeted the few people who remembered her. He’d come to Brandon Bay especially for his father’s birthday, and yet he was nowhere in sight.
Kit didn’t stop to analyze why she wanted to see Barnaby so badly, but she highly suspected it had something to do with him giving her a severe case of the butterflies the other evening.
Getting a glass of wine from the Calder’s makeshift bar in their living room, Kit felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
Following the feeling, she looked over towards the door to the kitchen and noticed Barnaby, also glass of wine in hand, watching her with a contemplative mix of interest and just plain outright annoyance.
Kit dropped her eyes from his stare. What was his problem? He’d asked her to come to this shindig in the first place. She looked down at her shoes; her usual starting point when she felt she was drawing attention; no TP there. It couldn’t be what she was wearing, could it?
The dress that Jasmine had lent her was a soft tangerine chiffon creation that hugged all the good parts and disguised all the ones that Ben and Jerry found so attractive to cling to. She’d done her hair up in a high pony-tail, and left out wisps of hair to prettily frame her face. On the whole, Kit thought she looked pretty darn fetching. At least she looked better than the last time Barnaby had seen her. The difference was night a day.
Frowning, Kit looked up and found him gone from his observation post. Good, she thought crossly; if he was going to make her this uneasy, his absence would not be missed.
The new Barnaby was much more moody and complicated than the one she remembered. The old Barnaby couldn’t make her quiver in her shoes or produce sweaty palms. That was something that only Jeremy Atwell could do.
With that thought, Kit shook uncontrollably and almost spilled her wine all over her borrowed dress. She needed some air desperately. Things were getting all muddled up in her head. What she felt back then and what she felt now was skewed, and a little fuzzy.
Placing her wine glass on a nearby sideboard, Kit made her way outside to the barbeque area and took some deep breaths. She shouldn’t have come. There had been something brewing in the kitchen (other than tea) the other night between her and Barnaby and she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to find out what it was.
The air blowing in from the sea was cool and refreshing. Hopefully, it would blow all the confusion from Kit’s scrambled brain. Calm down, she told herself in no uncertain terms, everything was going to be okay; all you need is a few moments solitude to make some sense of all these bewildering new feelings.
“Nice dress” said a voice from the darkness. Kit peered into the night and instantly recognised the form relaxing on one of the chaise lounges, obscured by the
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