Honey Pie (Cupcake Club) - By Donna Kauffman Page 0,94
I figure he never had to, since women probably throw themselves on him. At him, I mean. Well, probably on him, too.” She laughed, even as her fair skin turned a little pink.
Honey laughed, too, mostly because from the moment she’d laid eyes on Dylan, she’d wanted to jump him. “Actually, he wasn’t remotely attracted to me. In fact, I’m pretty sure he thought I was nuts. But then, when I think how I leaped out of my skin around him, it’s not a surprise. I was a little bit nuts.” She gave Kit a self-deprecating smile. “I hadn’t been around people for a long time, and he was . . . a lot to be around. So I was kind of jumpy. I guess it started because I had a vision when he grabbed my arms to keep me from dropping stuff I was getting out of my car. And . . . I don’t know, things changed after that.”
“Well, I guess they would! Was the vision about him? Of course it was,” Kit answered herself. “Did it freak him out?”
“No, that’s just it. It didn’t freak him out. In fact, he was really matter-of-fact about it, and . . . it stunned me to have someone sort of shrug and accept what had happened for what it was. I mean, he asked some questions and tried to understand it better, but then we sort of moved on as if it was just one of those things you make allowances for. Like being allergic to stuff, or . . . you know?”
“I don’t,” Kit admitted. “I mean, I understand it, but I can’t imagine dealing with it.”
Honey shrugged, feeling a little more self-conscious, but it was more a kneejerk reaction than because she felt uncomfortable. “He told me I should just own it. Put it out there as if it were just a natural part of me and expect folks to deal with it. And so . . . I have been doing that. Well, little by little. I think that’s why I told Barbara Hughes.”
“Normalize it. I do get that. Well, Barbara thinks you’re the best thing since guardian angels. You’ve seen her B&B, so you know she has a thing for angels.”
Honey laughed. “You know, I hadn’t really thought about that, but you’re right, she does have a few pillows and stitched samplers with a running theme.”
“Well, I understand more now why Dylan is protective of you. He might want you to own your special skills, but after being up close and personal with what happens when you have them, it’s natural he wants to make sure you’re protected while you do. And the more we get to know you, the more we’ll be able to take care of you, too, if it happens when he’s not around.” Kit lifted a hand when Honey started to respond. “I know you don’t want us to take care of you, but—”
“No, I wasn’t going to say that. I mean, I don’t want you to have to do anything. But . . . I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little freaked out wondering what will happen when I have one in public. It’s just a matter of time. I do pretty well at maintaining my personal space and it’s been truly wonderful that you all have respected that. But stuff happens, visions happen. I’ve had three since I’ve been here, and he’s been there for all of them. So—”
“So, he wants to take care of you.” Kit smiled. “I say, let him. Men like to feel like they’re taking care of their own, you know? And we want to take care of them right back. Nothing wrong with that.”
“You know, you make a lot of sense.”
Kit’s smile grew wider. “I’m scary like that.”
Honey laughed. “It is a little scary, to be honest. I’m looking at things from such wildly new perspectives. Bea tried to tell me, I guess, but with my limited experiences, I couldn’t begin to dream of how things could be. I have a good imagination when it comes to creating fanciful creatures, but not so good when it comes to imagining an equally fantastical world where people might actually accept me, weird crap and all.”
“Well, if you’ve been made to feel like an outsider your whole life, it’s kind of understandable that you wouldn’t be wildly enthusiastic about reaching out to anyone else. I think it’s amazing you even tried. You just have