Powerful (The Driven World) - Kathleen Kelly Page 0,13
and right now, the bad guy is about to get what’s coming to him.
“Athena?”
I jump, startled by his voice.
“Kris?”
“Yeah. Can I come in?”
He’s looking through the gate, taking everything in. I stand and pull on my sheer, long white coat. I’m wearing shorts and a tank top, and although it’s see-through, it will make me feel like I have more clothes on than I actually do.
As I move toward him, Kris smiles, and then I hear Todd’s voice in my head, ‘you are precious.’ Opening the gate, I usher him into my sanctuary.
“What brings you here?”
Kris moves past me and looks around. “Was this always here?”
“No, I had it built when I bought the place.”
“Smart, the wind must howl through here.” He touches one of my plants. “Must have made it hard to grow things.”
Sitting back at the table, I close the lid on my laptop. I’ll kill off the bad guy later.
“It used to. The walls keep the wind out and make it easy to grow things.”
“It’s beautiful.” Kris looks around my sanctuary. “You have a gap in your wall?”
“Yes, it’s so I can go out and stand at the bluff. I like to go out there and watch the storms come in.”
“Can you show me?”
“Sure.”
I walk barefoot between my walls with Kris close behind. The cobblestones give way to grass, and when we get to the bluff, I have a wooden bench cemented into the ground with a fire pit a few feet away.
Kris squats in front of my firepit. “Do you use this often?”
“Yeah, it’s nice to sit out here. Only I’m out of wood at the moment.”
Kris stands and looks out over the ocean. “The water here is so clear. It’s not like that back home.”
“LA is home now?”
Kris smiles and nods. “Yeah.” Closing his eyes, he tilts his head back as though he’s soaking up the sun.
“What brings you out here?”
The smile fades, and Kris looks back at me, those piercing blue eyes pinning me on the spot.
“I caught up with my dad today. He’s different.”
I sit on my bench. “Not really. He misses you, he’s damn proud of you. Whenever you have a new movie out, he rings and asks me if I’d like to see it.”
Kris grins and sits beside me, his arm going across the top of the bench and resting on my shoulder.
“So, you’ve seen all of my movies?”
I laugh. “Yes.”
Kris picks up a length of my hair and twists it between his fingers.
“Athena, I—” Abruptly, he stands, and one hand goes to the back of his neck, betraying his nervousness. “I owe you an apology.”
Yes, he does.
I cross my legs and look out at the ocean, desperately wishing I could avoid this conversation, but at the same time, knowing there is a lot to be said.
“Athena?”
I look up at him and realize I’ve been waiting, waiting for him to come back. And now he has, but with a brand-new girlfriend.
Is there really anything left to say?
Puffing out my cheeks, I let the air out of my lungs and smile up at him. “I need a tea. Do you want a drink?”
Without waiting for an answer, I stand and walk back into my house, going straight to the kitchen. I pull mugs out of the cupboard, fill up the kettle, and stare out the window. I know he’s followed me inside. There’s part of me that wants to rage at him, but it’s been seven years, and a lot has happened in that time.
“Athena, I’m sorry. The way I left, it wasn’t right. Hell, TB punched me in the jaw for it. I wish he’d done worse.”
Slowly, I turn and face him. Kris is standing near my kitchen island staring at a picture on the wall. It’s of him, TB, and me. We’re laughing, both of them have their arms slung over my shoulders. It was a million years ago.
“TB hit you? He never told me that.”
Kris gives me a lopsided smile. “Yeah, he drove all the way to LA, punched me, and got back in his car. He tried to drive away, but his car died. It was like divine intervention.” Kris laughs more to himself as he moves closer toward the photograph. “This was taken the summer before I left.”
I nod. “Yeah, down at Pemaquid Beach.”
His smile broadens, and his gaze comes to me. “That was the summer TB was chasing Tracey Hennessy.”
I burst out laughing. “Yes! The queen of free dinners, lunches, and twisting TB around her little