Read Online Clear as Day by Babette James - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Babette James
Ads: Link
our bedroom, doesn’t it, Chris?”
His mouth full, Christopher nodded and smiled. So strange seeing his quiet friend so besotted.
“Since when have you gone in for the art scene, Olivia?” R.J. interrupted, breaking off his conversation with Lloyd. His grin said he was joking, but his tone set Nate’s teeth on edge.
“Since I felt like it.” Olivia grabbed her drink, cigarettes and lighter, and paced off along the shore.
R.J. rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Women.”
Tension shadowed Kay’s eyes. Why was the Harpers’ squabble setting her off? And Dave, for that matter, who was currently glowering at the crunched sides of his beer can.
Crap. What to do? Kay’s beer was empty. Nate excused himself and headed to the ice chest. He popped two beers. He needed Kay relaxed. He needed her to talk to him. Soon. And he needed to do it the right way, with the right words. Thinking of Dave’s little lecture, he snorted. What more could he say besides “I love you” until he was blue in the face?
He carried the beers back to the table and gave Kay a kiss along with the beer. She softened into his kiss for a moment, before drawing away with a blushing smile. Good, right?
If he didn’t figure this out, he was going to lose his mind for certain.
“Hey, Nate, when are you going to show us pictures of the house?” Dave grabbed the salad bowl and refilled his plate.
Damn, he hadn’t even shown Kay the pictures yet. What else could he get wrong today? “I have them in the digital.”
“Well, bring them on. I want to see where I’m spending my vacation next year.”
Lloyd perked up. “House? What house?”
“I bought a house, in Oregon. On the coast. I’m moving back to the States for good.” He mindlessly answered the rain of questions and congratulations as he walked over to his bag and dug the digital out of the insulated case. Back in that lonely hotel room in Auckland, he’d seen the house listing and been so certain. Now…
His heart made the slow, throbbing rise into his throat.
But what if she really doesn’t love me?
Hell, he sounded like some sophomoric whiner, but, damn it, it hurt. He gulped a good slug of beer. Getting drunk might help, but that would only temporarily help him ignore the issues, would just make him more stupid than he’d already been, and he hated hangovers. They had to talk this out. Fine. Easily said. But how to talk without pushing Kay?
Get Kay drunk and talk then? Good luck there, since she drank even less than he did. That was a nonstarter.
Get Kay in the sack and talk when her guard was down? Problem was he’d just proved sex made him stupid, and he’d probably let his heart and cock run his mouth again and make things even worse.
Well, you have until the twenty-fourth, twelve whole days to figure something out, Nate, old boy. Get to it.
“Kay gets first dibs.” He clicked to the first shot of his new house. Their new house, he prayed, and handed her the camera.
He began the photo tour at the front steps, into the house, the living room, the kitchen, the bedrooms and bathrooms, the spaces he envisioned for their studios, keeping all the descriptions light and vague. What he wanted to share stayed jammed in his heart: what do you think of our bed going here, and wouldn’t that trunk I saw in the photo of your living room look fantastic there, or that would be a great room for a kid, wouldn’t it? The pictures couldn’t express the feeling of home he’d felt in the place. As he’d explored each room, he’d had the same spontaneous click of absolute rightness as he’d had the night he first met Kay.
Now, seeing the pictures again, he swallowed bile, and saw the house as she must: a shabby, eclectic fixer-upper, any potential shrouded under ugly paint, peeling paper, bare light bulbs, and outdated everything.
“Wow, it’s green there.” Her blue eyes flicked to his, anxious despite the smile on her face. She handed the camera off to Dave. “It’s
His mouth full, Christopher nodded and smiled. So strange seeing his quiet friend so besotted.
“Since when have you gone in for the art scene, Olivia?” R.J. interrupted, breaking off his conversation with Lloyd. His grin said he was joking, but his tone set Nate’s teeth on edge.
“Since I felt like it.” Olivia grabbed her drink, cigarettes and lighter, and paced off along the shore.
R.J. rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Women.”
Tension shadowed Kay’s eyes. Why was the Harpers’ squabble setting her off? And Dave, for that matter, who was currently glowering at the crunched sides of his beer can.
Crap. What to do? Kay’s beer was empty. Nate excused himself and headed to the ice chest. He popped two beers. He needed Kay relaxed. He needed her to talk to him. Soon. And he needed to do it the right way, with the right words. Thinking of Dave’s little lecture, he snorted. What more could he say besides “I love you” until he was blue in the face?
He carried the beers back to the table and gave Kay a kiss along with the beer. She softened into his kiss for a moment, before drawing away with a blushing smile. Good, right?
If he didn’t figure this out, he was going to lose his mind for certain.
“Hey, Nate, when are you going to show us pictures of the house?” Dave grabbed the salad bowl and refilled his plate.
Damn, he hadn’t even shown Kay the pictures yet. What else could he get wrong today? “I have them in the digital.”
“Well, bring them on. I want to see where I’m spending my vacation next year.”
Lloyd perked up. “House? What house?”
“I bought a house, in Oregon. On the coast. I’m moving back to the States for good.” He mindlessly answered the rain of questions and congratulations as he walked over to his bag and dug the digital out of the insulated case. Back in that lonely hotel room in Auckland, he’d seen the house listing and been so certain. Now…
His heart made the slow, throbbing rise into his throat.
But what if she really doesn’t love me?
Hell, he sounded like some sophomoric whiner, but, damn it, it hurt. He gulped a good slug of beer. Getting drunk might help, but that would only temporarily help him ignore the issues, would just make him more stupid than he’d already been, and he hated hangovers. They had to talk this out. Fine. Easily said. But how to talk without pushing Kay?
Get Kay drunk and talk then? Good luck there, since she drank even less than he did. That was a nonstarter.
Get Kay in the sack and talk when her guard was down? Problem was he’d just proved sex made him stupid, and he’d probably let his heart and cock run his mouth again and make things even worse.
Well, you have until the twenty-fourth, twelve whole days to figure something out, Nate, old boy. Get to it.
“Kay gets first dibs.” He clicked to the first shot of his new house. Their new house, he prayed, and handed her the camera.
He began the photo tour at the front steps, into the house, the living room, the kitchen, the bedrooms and bathrooms, the spaces he envisioned for their studios, keeping all the descriptions light and vague. What he wanted to share stayed jammed in his heart: what do you think of our bed going here, and wouldn’t that trunk I saw in the photo of your living room look fantastic there, or that would be a great room for a kid, wouldn’t it? The pictures couldn’t express the feeling of home he’d felt in the place. As he’d explored each room, he’d had the same spontaneous click of absolute rightness as he’d had the night he first met Kay.
Now, seeing the pictures again, he swallowed bile, and saw the house as she must: a shabby, eclectic fixer-upper, any potential shrouded under ugly paint, peeling paper, bare light bulbs, and outdated everything.
“Wow, it’s green there.” Her blue eyes flicked to his, anxious despite the smile on her face. She handed the camera off to Dave. “It’s
Similar Books
