“I can respect that.” I pinched the dimple in her chin between my index finger and thumb and ended the conversation with my lips. It was a highly effective way of making whatever topic we were talking about disappear.
She slowly pulled away, her eyes gradually opening as if delayed. And as she slid to the side to exit the cart, she stopped and narrowed her gaze. “I’m not sure we made a decision about the whole drug store thing in the morning. Will it make you feel better or, at least, less stressed?”
“My only concern is you, Kenny.” Honestly, the idea of being a father never scared me off, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. I didn’t want her to think that I’d forgotten the condom on purpose to knock her up, because that was not it at all. I wasn’t afraid of having a kid—it wouldn’t affect my life the way it would hers—but that didn’t mean I wanted one anytime soon. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll take you. If you’re confident in your birth control, then I’ll trust you.”
“I’m confident,” she said as she leaned toward me for one last kiss.
“Then I trust you.”
Ever since Kenny showed up at the resort, I’d been flying through my daily tasks. I’d always thought that we had no downtime during this week, but as it turned out, we did. I guess I was so used to working at a snail’s pace throughout the rest of the year that it simply became my routine, regardless of how busy we were.
Then again, without Kenny here, what reason did I have for working faster?
Not for the first time, I wondered what it would be like without her here. Especially after last night. I wasn’t sure how I could possibly think that I’d be able to touch her, to completely be with her, and then let her go. Granted, it wasn’t like I had spent much time thinking before pushing her against my bedroom window.
Or the shower wall.
I shook my head, hoping it would disperse those thoughts for the time being. I had a job to do, and it wouldn’t get done if I couldn’t get my head out of the clouds. The faster I completed this assignment, the sooner I could see her again—I was supposed to meet up with her after cleaning the main house.
But as soon as I opened the door to The Birdhouse, I realized I wouldn’t have to clean anything before seeing her, because there she was. Her back was to me, but I knew it was her. She stood in front of a display case with her head down, like she was praying. I slowly stepped closer, wondering what held her concentration—and how she hadn’t heard me come in—all while not scaring her like I’d done the other night on her porch.
She seemed to be studying something on her phone, so I softly said her name.
“Kenny.” Practically a whisper.
No response.
So I took another step toward her. “Kenny.” This time, a little louder.
Still nothing.
Wondering if she was a figment of my imagination, I moved to her side, a couple of feet away. With her head down, her face was hidden behind the veil of blond silk, likely restricting her peripheral vision. “Kenny.” I tried one last time, and when she still didn’t respond or react, I went with another one of her senses—touch.
When I lightly grazed her arm, she jumped so high I wouldn’t have been surprised if both feet lifted off the ground. But as soon as she recognized me, adoration replaced the fear in her eyes. I discovered that she couldn’t hear me because she had earphones in, probably listening to music.
“You scared the crap out of me, Drew,” she panted with her hand against her chest. At least she wore a smile on her face. “I must’ve been concentrating too hard to see you. Which is probably why my mom always tells me not to wear headphones in public places.”
“What were you concentrating on?”
She glanced to the side and pointed at the display case. “I was just looking up some of the facts that are posted around the room. I found it all really interesting, so I decided to see what else I could find online about it.”
Artifacts from Chogan were displayed behind glass cases, but the one she stood in front of mostly contained facts about black birds and the symbolism they held to the family. I could already recite everything verbatim on that subject, so the thought of being able to discuss it with her excited me.
“Well, cleaning this room is my last task for today, so if you want, while I clean, I can tell you whatever you want to know about anything in here. It’ll save you from reading it all; plus, I have a few more tidbits that aren’t on any of the info posters. And when I’m done, we can grab something to eat.”
She stuffed her earphones into her pocket and smiled. “I’d love to.”
Chapter Fourteen
Kenny
Sleep had evaded me most of the night, thanks to my overactive brain. I couldn’t stop replaying my evening with Drew and our subsequent conversation at the end. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but at the same time, I didn’t really care.
I would deal with my feelings when we reached the end of the week.
Until then, I planned to enjoy what little time I had left.
As Drew began to clean the glass case where I stood, he pointed to what looked to be a stuffed bird, although upon closer observation, I realized it had never been alive. Sitting in front of it was a card filled with general information about black birds, but instead of reading it off to me, he recited it as if he’d written it in the first place.
“Every animal has a special meaning to Native Americans. Such as, they believe that crows are symbols of good fortune. If they saw one, it would signify that something positive was coming their way. But considering that a blackbird is a completely different bird species, it has its own meaning.”
“Wait…what? They aren’t the same?”
“Well, no.” He held my stare with knitted brows, likely not understanding my confusion. “Crows are black birds, but blackbirds aren’t crows.”
Assuming he was just messing with me now, I narrowed my gaze and said, “Your guest info center is filled with facts about crows, yet your resort is named after a completely different bird. That might be where you guys are going wrong with this place. Maybe if you rename it, people will flock to it.” That pun was a complete accident, although perfectly timed.
His booming laughter, rumbly enough to make me think of an earthquake, filled the room. “No, Kenny…” The amusement rolling through his body made it difficult to speak.
“No, what?” I pointed to the one card I had studied prior to him walking in and startling me—again. “In this one, both are used interchangeably. I don’t understand what the difference is.”
“The difference between a crow and a blackbird?” he asked through hiccups of humor.
I knew my unintentional joke was funny, but by the way he reacted, you’d think it was hysterical. Rather than respond, I simply crossed my arms and waited him out.
When he finally settled down enough to be understood, he explained—though this time, without making me feel as though he were making fun of me. “The resort is called Black…Bird, as in a bird that is black. Two words. Which is not the same as the type of bird called a blackbird. One word.”