Chapter 7

 

Putting the empty suitcase beside the door, Kelsey turned around and surveyed her efforts. It looked like her room again. When she’d walked in and seen it so barren, it had struck her harder than she thought. Beth had said she was thinking of redoing it, but Kelsey didn’t think that meant all her stuff would be boxed up. Having gone through the boxes and pulling out a few things made her feel better.

Happy, she turned and headed down the stairs. It was almost five and her stomach was reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything but a bag of chips when she was driving. Biting her lip, she wondered if Gage would be home for dinner. She hadn’t thought to ask if he had plans or not.

Opening the fridge while she bit down on the unexpected jealousy that flooded her at the thought of Gage going out on her first night home, she sighed and shut the door, leaning back against it. The feelings she had convinced herself were leftovers from a teen crush were not gone. If anything, they were worse.

Closing her eyes, she groaned. When she’d walked into the shop and stood just watching him, lightening had flashed through her veins. He’d been totally focused on what he was doing and hadn’t known she was there. Just seeing him had been a shock to her system, but when he’d gone all he-man on the truck he’d been working on, she thought she was going to swoon. She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. Who the hell uses a word like swoon nowadays?

Shaking her head, she moved to look in the freezer. The lack of food was making her angst worse. If she were a smart woman, she’d get back in her car and leave while she could. She’d been so close to asking if he thought of her as a sister. At least she’d know if there were obstacles. Gage thinking of her as a little sister would put a kibosh on her pursuing these feelings any further. Did she really want to pursue them? Not entirely. The emotions that swamped her from just seeing him scared the hell out of her. It was unnatural to be that drawn to a man.

Finding several containers stacked in the freezer, she dug through and found one that was her favorite stew Beth had made. It wouldn’t take her long to whip up biscuits to go with it. It might not be a gourmet meal, but it would work well enough to fill the void in her stomach. This way, if she was eating alone, it wouldn’t be a waste and she could just put the leftovers in the fridge for lunch. She couldn’t believe her fear of seeing Gage made her forget about eating.

Moving around the kitchen as she gathered what she needed, she felt better than she had in a long time. It was familiar and comforting. That was another thing she noticed when she moved away, no matter where she was it had never felt like home.

Without warning, heat flashed through her and all the hair on her arms tingled. She heard the porch door close softly. Turning, she watched Gage walk into the kitchen. He stopped in the door and stood there looking at her. She felt her cheeks flush and couldn’t remember ever having this feeling.

“I was making biscuits to go with the stew I found in the freezer.”

He gave her an easy smile. “Sounds good.” Moving further into the room, she couldn’t help feeling like he was an animal stalking her, the controlled power in his stillness. “I’ll go get cleaned up.”

She nodded, probably a little too enthusiastically, not knowing what else to do. Suddenly, the air was too heavy to breathe.

With a brief smile, he walked through the room with a grace that no man that large should have. When he was gone, her shoulders drooped and she let out a shaky breath. This is crazy, she scolded herself, and it’s completely insane the way I feel when he’s near. Frowning, she turned back to the counter and finished mixing the biscuits. Whatever it is, I need to back off. He is so far out of my league that I’m delusional, thinking he could ever see me as more than his sister.

These thoughts continued while she got everything ready. Her constant brain chatter kept her occupied and no closer to any sort of decision. By the time he walked in, she had everything ready and on the table.

Pausing at the end of the table, she went around to sit in the chair she always had. Gage sat across from her as he had for years, whenever she was home. She remembered how defeated she always felt when she looked over at an empty chair at the table.

“Thanks for making this. The last few weeks have been fend-for-myself, and most nights I’m too tired to care what I put in my stomach.”

She picked up a hot biscuit and broke it open butter it. “Your folks go away a lot now?”

He grabbed a couple of the biscuits and set them beside his plate. “Not too much.”

Kelsey may have been gone a few years, but she could still tell there was something he wasn’t saying, not to mention that she could see the tension in him. “At least you have more help at the shop with your dad away.”

Gage hesitated for a second before he took a bite. “Yeah. Noah’s been here a few weeks now, I guess.”

“Did he come here to train?” She blew on a spoonful of the stew.

Shaking his head, he took a drink of his water, studying her over the rim of the glass. “No. He’s been through hell and needed somewhere isolated and quiet to heal.”

“Oh.” She looked down at her food, not sure what she should say or if she should ask. “Well, here should be isolated enough.”

Gage chuckled softly, making her spine tingle. “I would think so.”

Chancing a glance, she found he was sitting there with his spoon poised over the dish watching her. She felt her cheeks flush and wanted to groan, embarrassed that it kept happening.

“It’s good that you’re home, Kelsey.”

The sincerity in his voice gave her goosebumps. Focusing on his dark eyes, she offered a simple smile. “It’s actually good to be here.” She shrugged. “I feel a little out of place, but it still feels like this is where I need to be.”

“We never really talked when you came home to visit. What did you do all summer when school was out?” He paused, waiting for her to answer.

“I worked. Mostly waitressing, sometimes helping out in the kitchen.”

He gave her a strange look. “I don’t see you waitressing,”

Grinning, she picked up her glass. “Well, there weren’t any equipment shops in the neighborhood, so I had to take what I could find.”

“You could have come home for the summer.” He took a few bites, glancing at her between them.

“It was too hard to find a decent place to live, so my roommate and I decided rather than lose it and find a new place each year, we’d stay through the summers.” She couldn’t tell him she didn’t come home because of her broken heart. When she’d realized he was avoiding her, after throwing herself at him at seventeen.

“What thoughts are you lost in, Kel?”

Startled, she looked over, his deep blue eyes were searching her face. “Nothing important.”

Setting his spoon down, he sat back and gave her a teasing grin. “You’re lying.”

Raising her eyebrows, she smirked. “Maybe saying nothing important was my way of letting you know it wasn’t anything I planned on sharing, with you.”

“Is that so?” His eyes were sparkling back at her.

“It is.” She took a bite to avoid having to continue looking at him.

A few minutes passed with neither of them speaking. She knew he was watching her, but she refused to look up. Finishing, she got up and took her dishes over to the sink.

“What did you want to talk about when you were at the shop today?”

Surprised, she met his eyes. “I can’t remember.”

He chuckled. “You’re lying, again.”

Reaching across the table, she picked up his bowl and turned away quickly. “Then I guess you’ll have to wait until I feel like talking about it again.” What was wrong with her? Setting his dish in the sink, she quickly poured the tea into the cups turned and yelped, he was right behind her. “Gage, don’t sneak up on me like that.” Taking a deep breath, she stopped short and held her breath. Holy, what kind of soap did the man use to smell that good?

“Sorry, honey.” He placed a warm hand on her shoulder. “I thought you heard me get up.”