Lavished with Lavender - Valerie Comer Page 0,57

her gaze away. He looked good in those jeans and a slim down jacket. She longed to smooth the curls by his ears. The man needed a haircut since she’d last had that right.

But was it a right? Or had she taken advantage of him, pouncing on him every night as he came home from work, keeping him up so he couldn’t get enough sleep? Not that he looked rested now, either. There were shadows under his eyes.

She had them, too, but hopefully she’d applied enough makeup he wouldn’t be able to tell. “Sounds like a plan.” She refolded the wheelchair, but Tony took it from her before she could lift it and deposited it in the vehicle.

Kenna stepped out of the way and pushed her hands into her coat pockets as he closed the back. She could avoid this awkwardness by hurrying to catch up with Marietta and Kenji — not that they’d gotten very far — but she’d promised her client to do her best to make amends. “Um, how are you doing?”

Tony’s blue eyes darkened as he glanced at her. “Okay, ish. How about you?”

Wow, that had been noncommittal. Which she totally deserved. “I’m planning to move out right after Thanksgiving. Maybe even that weekend, since your parents will be staying with your grandmother.”

He gave a curt nod and headed toward the gate. “That’s what you’ve wanted all along.”

“Not all along.”

She kept her voice soft, but he’d heard her. She could tell by the hesitation in his step, but he carried on. He stepped up beside Marietta and Kenji, who’d paused to peer into the koi pond.

Kenna stared after him, feeling every bit the outsider she was. Marietta had done this more for Kenna’s sake than her own, but look at her, hand tucked in the crook of Kenji’s arm, sharing a moment, while Tony had already rejected Kenna... just as she’d done to him. Walked away while he pleaded with her to stay.

She hadn’t begged yet. Begging didn’t come easy. A woman had her pride. But it was more than that. She didn’t want him to know how needy she was, but how could they have a relationship if she wasn’t honest with him? She’d prided herself all her life on making decisions and following through, but what if her decision had been wrong? What if they could be reversed? She’d never allowed for that.

But she’d been wrong to push Tony aside when he’d called her sweetheart. It hadn’t been an insult when he said they were alike. Being like him could never be mockery. He was wonderful. Kind. Gentle. Awesome.

Okay, sure, he’d had his crusty moments, as had she. But now she had this moment to humble herself and admit vulnerability. And then he’d stick to his earlier decision, of course, and that would be the end of anything that might have been.

Was it even worth trying when the outcome was already set?

Love conquers all.

Kenna gathered her courage around her like a cloak and stepped into the Japanese garden.

21

Why had Nonna invited him on this outing? She didn’t need him, that was obvious. She kept her hand tucked at Kenji’s elbow, and the two of them ambled so slowly down the hard-packed path along Kiri Pond that they’d never complete the circuit before dark. They’d barely crested the iconic bridge, let alone reached the first bench to take a rest.

Tony stiffened as Kenna came up beside him. Hadn’t he wanted to talk to her? But now that the moment was here and she seemed amenable, accusations and frustration whirled around in his mind. It would be all too easy to say the wrong thing and not have a clue what it was. Again.

“I’m sorry, Tony.”

He inhaled slowly before glancing at the woman beside him. She was beautiful as always, her blond hair curling past her shoulders, her gray eyes bordering on purple as she met his gaze. Was that a reflection from her down coat the way the arched bridge lay mirrored in the still pond, with Nonna and Kenji looking over the edge?

His heart hiccupped. He should be over Kenna. Liking her at all had crept past his strong barriers. Becoming a friend — then falling in love — had been way more than he bargained for. Then to be shut out cold two weeks ago... what was he supposed to do with that?

“For what?” His question covered the scope of his thoughts, whatever direction she chose to take it, if any at all.

“I’m