When he thought about it that way, it felt wrong. Weak, even. And he was a lot of things, but he didn’t like to think that weak was one of them.
He scooted his plastic chair a little closer. “You know, Kimber, I’ve been looking for the right time to talk to you about how I’ve been feeling, but I guess that was silly.”
One eyebrow rose. “Silly?”
He guessed she had a point. He couldn’t ever recall a time when he’d used that word to describe himself. “Um, how about wrong?” He thought some more, then went back to his original descriptor. “Weak?”
This time, both of her eyebrows rose. “Weak? Gunnar, whatever you’re describing isn’t close to how I’ve been thinking of you. You’re gonna have to be a little clearer because I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Okay. What I’m trying to say, and not very well, is that I care about you. A lot.”
Her whole expression softened. “I care about you too, silly.”
He chuckled. “Uh-oh. I’m not going to live that down, am I?”
“Probably not. It’s too tempting to use to tease you.”
Just as he was bending down to kiss her smiling lips, they heard a rap on her door.
“Knock, knock.”
They sprang apart like two guilty teenagers.
The cop, Officer Benson smirked as he sauntered in. “Sorry for interrupting, but it’s time I finished my interview with Miss Klein here.”
CHAPTER 30
“We’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”
—Robert Burns
After getting released from the hospital, Kimber had attempted to go back to her hotel room instead of her parents’ house. Going home with Gunnar and Traci in tow had felt like too much.
Too many memories. Too many explanations. Too much togetherness, especially since both Traci and her parents had a tendency to speak what was on their minds. The last thing she wanted to do was play referee, or worse, have Gunnar witness it all.
But in her parents’ typical bossy way, they’d overruled Kimber’s wishes. Mom had been especially persuasive, saying how she wanted to fuss over her but there was no way she was going to be able to do that while sitting in a hotel room the size of a postage stamp, no matter how fancy it was.
She’d ignored Kimber’s protests that she didn’t need to be fussed over.
Her parents had also said they wanted to spend some time with Gunnar and Traci. Her dad kept joking about he wanted to get acquainted with “Kimber’s young man,” like she was seventeen or something. Her mother kept talking about how “gorgeous” Gunnar was, but she also kept hinting that she wanted to try to make up for lost time with Traci.
Her parents had good intentions, and everything kind of, sort of sounded reasonable, but it still made Kimber a nervous wreck.
In the end, Kimber had agreed to go home, but had also shared that she really needed some space and couldn’t stay up too late, since she, Traci, and Gunnar all had to be at the airport in the morning to catch an early flight back to Cincinnati.
This was after she refused to stay in New York longer.
Her parents weren’t exactly wealthy, but they were well off. Well enough to hire a car instead of hailing a taxi to take them all to the Brooklyn brownstone that Kimber had grown up in.
So they’d all arrived on her street in style, which had made more than a couple of their neighbors come out as Gunnar was helping her out of the car.
Noticing that Mrs. Latimer was leading the pack, Kimber inwardly groaned. Mrs. Latimer had always gotten into her business.
“Get ready,” Kimber said. “They’re going to want to say hello. They can be kind of nosey too.”
Gunnar grinned. “Babe. I’m from Spartan, West Virginia. I can handle nosey neighbors. Being nosey is what we do back there.”
“Kimber!” Mrs. Latimer called out.
“You go say your hellos and I’ll rescue you in a second. I’ve got this.”
And sure enough, he did. While she was asked about her bandage on her head, Gunnar answered questions about dating a super model and assured them that his whole family had the same accent that he did.
Traci was far more awkward, but she was pleasant enough and ignored Kimber’s attempts to run interference.
“Kimber, what happened to you?” another lady asked.
Before she could answer, Gunnar swooped in. “She had a little accident, so I think I better get her inside, ma’am.”
The ladies smiled at him like he was the cutest thing they’d ever seen while he escorted her toward the door.
After chatting to quite a few people as well, her parents and Traci ushered them all inside.
“Kimber, you go relax,” her mother said as she climbed the stairs. “Dad’s going to start dinner. I’ll be down in a minute to help him.”
Knowing her mother was going to want to get the guest bedrooms organized, Kimber nodded. “Okay, come on in. So . . . this is home.”
“No, this is you,” Traci announced.
Noticing that her sister was staring at the wall next to the fireplace, Kimber tossed her bag on a chair and followed. And then saw . . . her.
Four magazine covers were framed and displayed in the center of a dozen other smaller, framed shots of her.
Kimber was shocked into silence.
“Kimber, baby, look at you,” Gunnar said.
“It’s like a Kimber shrine,” Traci said.
And . . . her whole level of embarrassment had reached a new low. “I swear, I didn’t know this was here.”
He lightly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad it is. I can’t believe I’ve never seen all this. You look . . .”
“What?”
“Different.”
“I know. It’s a lot of lighting, makeup, and camera angles.”
“I don’t think so, Kimber,” Traci said, tilting her head slightly to the right. “It looks like you, but Gunnar’s right. It’s almost like looking at a stranger.”
“Let’s go into the kitchen. I’m sorry about this.” She was not only embarrassed by the whole display but acutely aware that Traci didn’t have parents who commemorated her accomplishments.
Gunnar didn’t move. “Just a minute. Why are you sorry? I like seeing all of your photos. It’s fun to see what you did in your former life.”