“William did say he caught sight of you in a suit and that you cleaned up nice. I want pictures, and if I have to call Kelsey to get them, I will. And Kurt? She seems sweet enough, but as your mother, I have to say it.”
“Say what?”
“That I hope she knows what a great guy she’s getting. I hope she appreciates all the many things you are.”
A dozen different images of Kelsey—grinning at him, laughing with him, running her fingers through his hair, pointing at him, letting him know he could do better, be better—flashed across his mind. “The thing is, Mom, she does. She absolutely does.”
“Then I’ll cross my fingers it’s like a fairy tale for you from here on out. Lord knows, you’ve had enough of everything else.”
Kurt said goodbye and dropped the phone back onto the passenger seat, wondering how the tide had turned so much that he was agreeing with his mother more and more.
* * *
Kelsey felt a buzz kicking in. A part of her wanted to feed it, to get lost in cuddly oblivion, but she suspected that if she did, all the many words she was holding back would stumble out in a torrent the first moment she had Kurt alone. There was so much she wanted to say—to ask, to clarify—that she knew if a single important thing came out, she’d never hold any of them back.
And tonight wasn’t for clarification. It was for fun. The type of fun that didn’t involve dogs or responsibility or clarifying relationship status. It did, however, appear to involve her parents. Kelsey wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, hoping for a romantic getaway night with Kurt that her parents were invited to. She couldn’t figure out who was being clingier, her mom or her dad.
Kurt was taking it all in stride, answering her dad’s questions about his military service and his upbringing on an army post, and both their parents’ questions about his work with the dogs.
Kelsey was thankful when Patrick joined their small group twenty minutes into the conversation. Her parents loved Patrick. Last year, when his parents had gone on a cruise, he’d even accepted her parents’ Thanksgiving invitation. However, after catching up with him, Kurt became the focus of their attention once more. Kelsey accepted it as payback for all the times over the last month when she’d been too busy to join them for anything more than a quick dinner. And having been so evasive about Kurt had made them more curious than ever. Add this to the fact she’d hardly had anything beyond a sporadic first date for the better part of a decade, and this was what she got. At least her brothers weren’t here. They’d probably want to challenge him to an American Ninja Warrior competition on the frames of the grape trellises out back.
When it was clear she wouldn’t be overheard, her mom leaned close and whispered in Kelsey’s ear. “He seems like a sweet one, Kels.”
Kelsey smiled and sipped her appletini, savoring the blend of sugary sweet mixed with tart apple.
Her mom reached up to fidget with the back of Kelsey’s dress. “And since you say I never like your clothes, I’ll admit I don’t think I could have found a nicer dress for you myself.”
“Thanks.” Kelsey couldn’t remember her mom complimenting her attire in forever. Certainly not since before she’d gone off to college.
“And I saw the way he looked at you when he came in. It’s safe to say he approves as well. Those eyes. Oh my is all I can say.”
“Mom, shh. Please.” Thankfully, Patrick jumped in with a list of questions about the menu, while Kelsey’s dad switched out his empty glass of wine for a full one.
Kelsey glanced Kurt’s way, and her neck grew warm. He looked so perfect in jeans and a T-shirt that she was surprised how natural he looked in a tailored suit. He reminded her of a suave movie star on a red-carpet night. Calm, confident, and just reserved enough to look like a pro. The dark-gray suit fit perfectly, only bunching a bit at the biceps as he held his drink. The thought of how all those extra clothes would make undressing even more fun tonight made her palms sweat.
Even though he looked content with a bottle of Guinness, she lifted the slice of Granny Smith apple off the edge of her glass and, after a nibble, offered him a bite. A hint of a smile tugged up one corner of his mouth. He gave a light shake of his head, though his gaze lingered on her mouth, not for the first time. “Later. But thanks.”
Later. Her heart fluttered. Yes, please.
A new server passed by their small group, carrying a tray of crispy puff pastries filled with something that looked mouthwatering. “Artichokes and Alouette?” the woman asked.
Patrick shook his head, declaring that Alouette was too soft a cheese for his liking. Aside from Kelsey’s dad, everyone else took one. Unlike her mom, whose biggest form of exercise was passing from store to store at the mall, her dad had recently gotten into biathlons—biking and swimming—after determining that running was too hard on his fifty-five-year-old joints. He was sticking to the passed trays that were primarily protein.
Kelsey’s mouth watered at the savory blend of cheese, pastry, and delicate artichoke. “I could eat an entire plate of these.”
Patrick wrinkled his face in displeasure. He was the pickiest eater Kelsey knew. Megan had once chided him for having the palate of a six-year-old, and he didn’t argue. Tonight, he looked cute but a bit uncomfortable in a dark suit that was just loose enough to make Kelsey suspect it belonged to his father. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Patrick out of his traditional pair of cargo pants
