Right from the Start (19 page)

Every plunging stretch of those long, long legs made him think
how they might wrap around him and lock his body against hers with a grip
surprisingly strong, with skin so sleek.

He lay rooted to the spot, barely breathing, the sight of her
in motion pummeling his reason into a befuddled daze. His body dominated the
battle of wills between reason and need right now. Hot blood slugged toward his
crotch with every sharp throb of his heart. In this moment he was nothing but
awareness and need, a sensation so acutely physical, he could barely
breathe.

Then Kenzie moved away from the barre with a series of
practiced spins that whirled her into the center of the room.

And she began to dance.

Reason finally broke through the lusty ranks of sensation that
had immobilized him. The memory of her telling him she’d once been a student
with the building’s former owner came to him. Will had envisioned kids about
Sam’s age parading on the big stage in the hall in tutus.

Will had been so wrong.

Kenzie danced.

Her body moved with the practiced grace of a dancer. A real
one. His experience was limited, but Melinda had once forced him to sit through
a ballet in Charlotte, entertaining some studio executives who liked that sort
of thing. Will had barely been able to keep his eyes open during the
performance, lulled to sleep by the sedative strains of the orchestra, the
numbing movement on stage. He hadn’t been invited again.

But watching Kenzie reminded him of those dancers, of the
effortlessly precise movements that displayed her beautiful body in all its
exquisite glory. He couldn’t have cared less about the dance he’d seen in
Charlotte, but Kenzie’s body in motion reached deep inside him, touched him on
so many levels. Her body in motion reflected all the gentle passion that made
her so uniquely who she was, a woman who was impacting him far more than he
could allow her.

Pursuing Kenzie wasn’t a choice he could make. Giving in to the
way he felt right now wasn’t an option, and wouldn’t be.

Reason finally won the battle. With a deep breath and a final
longing glance, Will eased the panel into place.

CHAPTER TEN

T
HE
B
ISTRO
,
OR
K
EVIN
’
S
,
as it was locally known, was the commercial version of an Italian
kitchen—all about food and friendship. Guests gathered at the bar, which stocked
everything from pricey port to craft beers. The wine cellar routinely earned
starred reviews. Guests sat at tables with red-checkered tablecloths inside the
dining room or outside on the patio during mild weather to enjoy a sunset over
the mountains.

Everyone who walked through the door was a friend of the owner
and chef, Kevin, who presided over his establishment through a cutout in the
wall where he called out greetings and made small talk with every guest who
walked through his door. He personally sent out orders through that cutout,
ensuring every dish lived up to expectation. He had a few traditional items on
the menu, but most came to eat Kevin’s daily special, which was always different
and always delicious.

Fiona hadn’t been able to make the dance class, only dinner, so
as a result, Kenzie and Jess looked like train wrecks compared to Fiona in her
business wear.

Twins Fiona and Jess were so identical with their honey-gold
hair and warm brown eyes that most people couldn’t tell them apart. Back in the
days when they’d all danced, Fiona and Jess had been the performance darlings,
drawing attention because of their appearance. They’d been known to style their
hair and dress alike to confuse people.

Until high school, anyway. Then the pendulum had swung back and
they’d made concerted efforts to express their individuality so no one could
possibly confuse them. As long as one knew Fiona was the more conventional,
type-A-personality twin and Jess the intellectual, avant-garde twin.

Nathanial still mixed them up, but only because he never hung
around long enough to tell them apart. Kenzie had never had the problem. She
wasn’t sure why. They did look alike. Both were striking with their gloriously
golden skin, but they were still individuals. Their expressions differentiated
them, maybe.

Fiona was the elder by twenty minutes and the big sister in all
ways. More take-charge, and definitely the more nurturing of the two, while Jess
had a mischievous grin and a quick wit that made her the life of the party.

They greeted Kevin and bypassed the bar for a table, where they
ordered a bottle of wine and caught up. They discussed Fiona’s fund-raiser of
the previous night, Jess’s solo run teaching Wheaton’s class and Kenzie’s first
scheduled presentation of her new curriculum.

Finally, Fiona couldn’t stand it. After refilling the glasses,
she got down to the real business. “Are we done with all this chitchat yet? It’s
not as if we haven’t seen each other since our last class reunion or something.
Anything else, anyone? Anything? Because I want to know what’s going on.”

“Ditto,” Jess said. “You’ve got the floor, Kenzie.”

All the turmoil that had been simmering inside her for days
didn’t take more than that invitation to erupt verbally. She outlined exactly
what had been going on since the day she’d met Will then finally concluded,
“Something is wrong with me.”

Her audience didn’t appear as shell-shocked by all the erupting
emotion as Kenzie felt. They exchanged a glance that didn’t include her. The
exchange was even more than a twin thing, a couple thing that meant two people
were intimately connected.

Kenzie’s own parents interacted that way. Together so long they
could practically read each other’s mind. She was like that with Nathanial. One
glimpse of his expression, and she knew exactly what he was thinking. His tone
of voice alone could cue her about what was coming next.

“Why does something have to be wrong?” Fiona asked. “So you’re
attracted to the guy. What’s wrong with that?”

Hadn’t she heard a word Kenzie had said? “The being attracted
part
isn’t
the problem. The not being able to
control being attracted is.”

“Correct me if I’m mistaken,” Jess said. “But I thought that
was the fundamental nature of chemistry. It’s physical. It brings people
together who should be together.”

“Um, obviously not.” Kenzie hissed then lowered her voice to a
conspiratorial whisper when a server passed the table. “I’m not supposed to be
with this guy. While I admit my opinion of him has grown a great deal from my
first impression, he’s still not relationship material by any stretch.”

Fiona swirled the wine in her glass thoughtfully. “You don’t
have to marry him, Kenzie.”

“Which is good, since he’d be going for round three.”

“Then have sex, get him out of your system and move on.” Jess
pulled a face as if to say,
“What’s the
problem?”

Kenzie dropped her face into her hands. Maybe the whole ranting
idea hadn’t been a good one after all. She didn’t feel any better. More confused
if anything.

“Oh, please, you two. You’re beginning to sound like Geri.”

“You shared all this with Geri before us?” Fiona looked as if
she might choke. “Well, that’s nice. Are we, like, the very last to know?”

“Not for lack of trying. You were too busy to get together,
remember?” They had lives. Balanced lives that involved more than work. Geri’s
life wasn’t quite so balanced, but she did pretty well considering.

Jess had yet to weigh in, was still staring wide-eyed when
Kenzie finally lifted her head.

“Geri told you to have
sex?
” She
blinked a few times for good measure. “Who knew? She always seems so stern and
no-nonsense. Must be the black robes.”

“Like, when have you seen Geri in court?” Fiona scoffed.

Kenzie shook her head. “No sex, you two. Not an option.”

“Why not?” Jess asked. “You and Nathanial aren’t together.”

“And I liked Will when I met him at the agency,” Fiona added.
“Which was a good thing since I voted for him.”

Had everyone in town voted for the man? Her parents. Fiona.
Kenzie seized the perfect segue from the sex conversation with both hands. “You
voted for him? Why?”

Fiona shook her head as if to clear it. “You’ve seen the man
and you can still ask me that question?”

“I’m telling Cody,” Jess said.

Fiona scowled. “Do not tell Cody.”

These two were even more of a comedy skit than usual, which was
saying something. “Do not tell me you voted for the man because you thought he
was attractive.”

“There’s no
thought
to it. He is
attractive. I have twenty-twenty vision.”

This nation was in big, big trouble. “Oh, Fiona.” She exhaled
in disgust. “Seriously.”

“Okay, not really. But I do think he’s attractive. You and I
have the same taste, Kenzie. Always have.” She glanced sidelong at her twin. “Do
not tell Cody. I voted for Will because he called my house and told me all about
his plans if he got elected. He was really pleasant, and I like the idea of
someone in office having a plan.”

The very calls that Kenzie had avoided. Would her impression of
the man have been influenced if she’d picked up the phone, listened to his
campaign spiel? The voice mail messages hadn’t conveyed the gravel and silk of
his voice.

Or had Kenzie’s mind been closed because of her impression of
him based only on bits and pieces of information?

“Family Foundations is quite a plan. I know all about it,” Jess
informed them. “The political science, cultural affairs and religion departments
have all been watching with interest to see if the new councilman gets any
backlash.”

Now this was news. “Really, Jess? How come?”

“That school you’re supposed to share the building with. It’s a
private school with religious affiliations.”

“Family Foundations wants to cover all the community
demographics from what Will told me. Angel House addresses special needs.”

Jess nodded. “I know, but people get really touchy about
private institutions and government funding. Trust me. I work for a private
college, and you have no idea how many haters there are. Everyone’s got internet
access nowadays and wants to share opinions. That school that’s supposed to move
next to you isn’t only private, but it’s religious.”

“You keep saying
supposed to be
moving next to me. I thought this was a done deal.”

“All I know is what’s been going around the college,” Jess
said. “Professor Davis said she’s holding her breath to see when the special
interest groups start rearing their ugly heads. She says it’s bound to happen,
and she should know since she’s the dean of political science and very
knowledgeable about current political events.”

“Oh, wow. I don’t like the sound of that at all.”

“Don’t worry, Kenzie.” Fiona smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure
Will can find someone else to put in the building if that happens. Someone who’s
not a strip joint. Sounds like you have an in with him.”

But Kenzie wasn’t thinking about how a new neighbor would
reflect on Positive Partings. She was envisioning a glossy-haired little boy who
wasn’t crazy about carrots. “You’ll keep me posted if you hear anything new,
won’t you, Jess?”

“Yeah, sure. But I agree with Fee. I don’t think you have
anything to worry about. Positive Partings doesn’t touch on any hot issues.
Well, I suppose divorce is a hot issue. How about noncontroversial? Better
choice of words.”

“And this is exactly what I’m talking about,” Fiona said
sternly. “Do you hear yourself?”

“What?” Kenzie asked, surprised.

Fiona and Jess slanted knowing glances at each other.

“You’re right back to worrying about work again.” Fiona was the
one to break the news. “You need to do something other than work, Kenzie. One
could get the impression you’ve got nothing better to do while you’re sitting
around waiting on Nathanial.”

“Just tell her how you feel, Fee.” Jess scowled as she raised
her glass in a toast.

“Oh, my. That was direct.”

Jess snorted with laughter. “You think?”

Fiona pulled a face. “I’m sorry to be the one to break it to
you, but give it some thought. I say this with love.”

“I thought you two liked Nathanial.” Kenzie sank back in her
chair, attempting to wrap her brain around this much
love.

One thing she did know was to say Fiona and Jess
liked
Nathanial was a mild understatement. Neither of
them would ever breach the boundaries of friendship, Kenzie knew, not even back
in middle school when hormones had been raging, but long-distance lusting had
never been off-limits. It had even become a running joke through the years.

Well, Nathanial had never found it very amusing.

“I do like him,” Fiona said. “Don’t you like him, Jess?”

“Of course I do. He’s family after all these years. But you
snooze you lose.” Jess spread her hands in entreaty. “Oh, well. Nathanial can’t
expect you to sit around and wait forever.”

“Is that what you think of us?” Kenzie asked.

They both nodded simultaneously, making Kenzie’s eyes cross.
“That’s not how it is. Not at all.”

Jess shrugged and Fiona said neutrally, “If you say so.”

Everyone reached for their glasses in the ensuing silence, a
feat since Kevin’s was hopping and loud on the slowest of nights. Kenzie sipped
her wine, savored the disconnect from reality. The intensity of the moment was
fading. The urgency of her feelings didn’t feel quite so urgent, and all the
activity inside Kevin’s, all the sights and sounds seemed sharper.

When had drinking become an acceptable coping skill?

“How long has it been since we ordered?” she asked.

“Not that long.” Jess hopped up from the table and went to the
bar. Fiona watched her go and asked, “You want an unsolicited opinion?”

Kenzie suffered a moment’s hesitation. Would she really want to
hear this? Probably not. “Solicited. I wanted to get together, remember?”

“Then be happy, Kenzie. I know you love Nathanial. You always
have. I know he loves you. Jess and I love him, too. You know that. We’ve always
loved him.”

Was she missing the point in there? Had there been one?

She didn’t get a chance to ask because Jess returned with a
server in her wake, who set a plate of bread and a bowl of olive oil herb dip in
the middle of the table.

“Thanks.” Jess pushed the plate toward Kenzie.

Fiona did have a point. “I want you to consider that
Nathanial’s the best friend. Not the hero.”

“Isn’t that a line from a movie?” Jess laughed and handed
Kenzie a piece of bread.

“The Holiday.”
Fiona smiled. “I
made Cody watch it with me last weekend. He wanted to die a little inside, but I
did watch
Ironman
with him. Fair’s fair.”

“Like, how hard is it to watch Robert Downey, Jr.?” Jess rolled
her eyes. “Seriously, Kenzie. Maybe you need to look at what you want for the
future. Seems to me like you and Nathanial are more apart than together as a
couple. I’m just saying.”

Nathanial
not
the hero. That came
at Kenzie sideways. She stalled, swiping the chunk of bread in the herbed oil.
“I’ve never seen that movie. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Explain the
difference between the best friend and the hero?”

“Well, it’s actually the best friend and the leading lady,”
Jess corrected.

“Then how does this apply to me and Nathanial?”

“It works both ways. Best friend is a nongendered term and
leading lady, leading man—same thing.”

Kenzie blinked. She seemed to be having more trouble than usual
following these two tonight. “Did I mention I’ve never seen this movie?”

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen it.
Jude Law.
” Fiona brought her hands to her head and leaned back in a
dramatic swoon. “
Jude Law.
The man had a cow. What
else can I say?”