The Has-Been and the Hot Mess - Isabel Jordan Page 0,48

a snort.

“Thanks, Grandpa,” Kendall said dryly, “but I’ve got this.”

Kyle straightened his tie and cleared his throat. “We can talk about this later, Kendall.”

“Nothing to talk about Kyle,” she said with a shrug.

“We’ll see.”

And with that, he wandered out of the restaurant—hopefully to be hit by a bus or something, Jackson thought uncharitably.

Everyone sat back down to finish their dinner, but the vibe was more subdued after that.

Until Frank popped up and asked, “Remember when Kendall brought that guy home and I made everyone an Old Fashioned?”

Lilian frowned thoughtfully. “Yeah, I remember, Dad. Why?”

“I spit in his.” He turned and winked at Kendall. “You’re welcome.”

There was a moment of stunned silence, followed by riotous laughter. And just like that, the playful, happy mood of the evening returned.

Thanks, Grandpa Frank. I owe you one.

Chapter 28

While Jackson stepped out to take a call from his kennel manager, and Annabeth was busy making plans to meet up with some friends after dinner, Kendall got her first opportunity to talk to her mom alone. (Grandpa Frank had finished his beer and dozed off, so he was currently slumped over a little at the table, snoring.)

“So, how are you doing, mom?” she asked.

Lilian let out a big, gusty sigh. “I’m doing much better now that I know Sam is going to be fine. Monitoring his diet is not going to be pleasant, but if that’s what it takes to keep him around, then that’s what I’m going to do.” She shook her head. “Oh, honey…there was a minute there when I thought he was going to leave me. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do without him. I mean, we’ve been together so long. I’m not even sure who I am anymore without him. He’s my other half.”

Kendall’s eyes welled up as she took her mom’s hand. “Oh, mom. That’s maybe the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. You guys are so…I mean…how are any relationships supposed to ever measure up to yours? You guys set the bar too high.”

Her mom laughed and wiped at her own teary eyes. “It’s not like it was always easy. There were fights and tears and nonsense like you wouldn’t believe over the years. But when the love is there, you can somehow find a way to get through the rest of it. And for us? The love was always there.”

Kendall had never been in love. She’d doubted she was even capable of it. But now? With what she was feeling for Jackson? She was beginning to question everything.

She swallowed hard. “How did you know dad was the one?”

Her mom smiled at her—a little too knowingly for Kendall’s liking. “In the beginning, it was tricky. I had to go by how he treated me. He made me feel important, you know? Respected. And he actually listened to me when I talked.”

Jackson made her feel like she was the most important person in any room. And he listened to everything she had to say, even when he didn’t like hearing it.

“Then,” her mom went on, “there were times when I caught him looking at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.” She smiled dreamily. “He looked at me like heaven put an angel right here on earth just for him.”

Kendall frowned. Well, how the hell was she supposed to know how Jackson looked at her when she wasn’t paying attention? Was she supposed to spy on him and pretend to not be looking so that she could catch him looking? That seemed twisted. And overly complicated.

“But,” her mom went on, “the biggest clue of all that he was the one for me was how I felt about him. When something good happened, he was always the first one I wanted to tell. The good stuff just didn’t seem real unless I’d talked it over with him.”

Well, up until a week ago, that person for Kendall was Ray. But now it was definitely Jackson, with Ray following in a very close second position.

What could she say? Ray was a pretty awesome friend.

Had Kyle ever been the first person she wanted to call when something good happened? She couldn’t remember now. That probably meant the answer was no.

“And here was the real kicker,” her mom said. “When I thought about not being with him, that thought was way scarier than the idea of letting myself fall for him and be vulnerable.”

Kendall was quiet for a minute as she let all of that digest. The thought of leaving Jackson when