Page 20 of Target Acquired
He took it. “Definitely.”
“Should have given it to you last night. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all good. I don’t mind the washcloth in an emergency, but a toothbrush is my first choice.”
She laughed. “The electrician is coming to repair the primary bathroom wiring and may be here before you’re done, so if you hear voices, you know who it is.”
“Got it.”
As though on cue, the doorbell rang. She headed to answer it, and Cole aimed himself at the half bath off the kitchen.
By the time he emerged, she’d gotten the electrician started, texted her neighbor about checking on the whole situation, and was pacing the floor in front of the mantel. She was tired but wanted answers and prayed a run would help clear her head.
Although now that Cole was in her den, she was having second thoughts. Running with him would not clear her head, it would probably just muddle it more. But he’d offered and she’d agreed, and after yesterday, running with company was probably a smart idea. Safety in numbers and all that, right?
She had no idea why her emotions were all over the place when it came to him, but she thanked the good Lord that because of her brothers, she had lots of practice in keeping a poker face.
He insisted on driving and she didn’t bother to protest. Ten minutes later, after a stop at his place, she climbed back into the passenger seat of his 4Runner.
“The park?” he asked.
“Sure.”
Once they were on the back road that would take them to Lake City Community Park, Kenzie tried not to give off “I’m uncomfortable” vibes because she really wasn’t—even though she was slightly weirded out by the fact she was riding with Cole in a nonprofessional capacity.
He cleared his throat. “So, should we go ahead and address the elephant in the room?”
She blinked at him. “Why?”
He laughed and snorted. “Or we can ignore it.”
“Look, Cole, I’m not overthinking this if that’s what you’re worried about.” At least she was trying not to. “Let’s just enjoy the day.”
He shot her a perplexed look, then shrugged. “Fine by me.”
She fell silent for the next couple of miles, then rubbed her nose. “What’s the elephant?”
He laughed. A belly laugh that crinkled the corners of his eyes and pulled his dimples out of hiding.
Oh my, he was one good-looking man. Not that she hadn’t known that, but . . . sheesh, it shouldn’t take that much effort to put it out of her mind.
“Just us, I guess. Hanging out together without the company of anyone else. I thought you might be uncomfortable with that.”
“Oh, I am.”
His laughter filled the vehicle once again, and when it died off, he shot her an amused look. “You’re . . . intriguing. I don’t remember you being that way from our teen years.”
It was her turn to laugh. “That’s because you never paid me a bit of attention when we were teens. But the truth is, I’m not really intriguing. Just honest.” She cleared her throat. “Yeah, it’s weird because I’m never sure what you think of me. At work, I believe you trust me to do my job.”
“I do.”
“But you’ve been mostly aloof and distant. Until now.” She shrugged. “I’m not trying to read any more into that.”
“I’m sorry, I just . . . well, let’s just leave it at that. I had my reasons to keep some distance, and while they seemed like good ones at the time, I’m not sure they’re good ones anymore. So, I’m sorry.”
His contriteness reached her, and once he turned into the park entrance and wound around to the parking lot to stop, she looked him in the eye. “Tell me this. Do you have any resentment that you had to choose me over Logan because I was better qualified to be on the team?”
“No.”