He shook his head. He didn’t think she was backing off, just trying to be fair to him, to give him an out—before he took one himself. “You go on and I’ll be down in ten minutes, dry and ready to help out, okay?”
She nodded. “If you’re sure.”
Her hesitant voice told him she wasn’t. That no matter how many times he told her he wasn’t going anywhere, she was waiting for him to do just that. Rick didn’t miss the irony. He wasn’t the one leaving. “Read my lips.” He grasped her face in his hand. “I’m sure.” He brushed a kiss over her lips. “Now go.”
She shot him a smile and ran out the door. The sound of her footsteps followed, growing fainter, farther away. Just like Kendall.
Like Jillian before her.
Rick paced the floor of his apartment in the town where he’d always lived. He tried to distinguish Kendall’s situation from Jillian’s, to put himself in Kendall’s place. Never having had two parents she could rely on. Moving from home to home, family to family, never having people she could call her own, including close friends. And then coming to a town where most people were what they seemed. Where friendship was offered with no strings and all the trappings of stability were dangled before her. Seemingly just out of reach—if only because she was afraid to reach for what she’d never had.
Hell, he’d had it all, grown up with a loving family, had married, then divorced, and he was afraid to reach out completely and be hurt again. How could he blame Kendall for her inability to do the same?
* * *
Kendall walked into Norman’s and immediately spotted Hannah sitting in a booth with Lisa Burton. Upon walking up to them, Kendall met her sister’s defiant gaze but instead of starting an argument in front of the other woman, Kendall decided to work on tact and diplomacy.
She glanced at Lisa first. “Thank you so much for bringing Hannah here.”
“It wasn’t like I had a choice, Ms. Sutton. She was unchaperoned and she’d already dumped a bucket of water over the principal.”
Kendall winced.
“I couldn’t leave her alone to cause more trouble and it wasn’t like you were anywhere to be found.”
Kendall narrowed her gaze. She’d only heard Rick’s side of the phone conversation, not Lisa’s, and she had no idea why his friend Jonesy had taken off. But Kendall assumed he had good reason and had made sure Hannah was cared for. Recalling Rick’s words the other day, she could only assume jealousy was causing Lisa’s behavior and Kendall refused to give the other woman the satisfaction of showing her emotions.
“Hey, don’t blame my sister, miss.” Hannah spoke up before Kendall could formulate a neutral reply.
Kendall blinked in shock. Hannah had actually stuck up for her. Even her sister’s rudeness couldn’t prevent the accompanying tug of pride and caring rushing through Kendall as a result. And though Hannah’s smart mouth as well as the water-dumping incident called for a reprimand, Kendall didn’t want to destroy any small inroad in their burgeoning relationship by reprimanding her in front of a teacher, especially Lisa Burton.
“Hannah,” Kendall began tentatively, but her sister ignored her, still glaring at Lisa through eyes lined with dark makeup but smudged from a long day in the sun.
“I heard you tell Officer Rick you’d love to do him any favor he might need,” Hannah said to Lisa.
Kendall didn’t miss Hannah’s emphasis on the word any or the implication the word implied. Nor did Hannah if the ick expression on her face was any indication.
“Eavesdropping’s impolite,” Lisa said in a haughty teacherlike tone.
“Then why’d I see you doing it all day? Everywhere Rick was, you were. Everyone he talked to, you listened in on. What’s up with that?” Hannah folded her arms across her chest, waiting for an answer.
A bright flush stained Lisa’s cheeks. “It’s obvious she needs adult guidance and supervision,” Lisa said despite her embarrassment.
Kendall didn’t know who was worse, Lisa or Hannah, but she had to put a stop to this now before it degenerated. And Lisa called herself a teacher? The example she set was pathetic.
“Well, like I said, thank you for bringing Hannah home.” Kendall smiled at Lisa through gritted teeth, then turned to her sister. “Hannah, Izzy’s holding a table for us in the back. Let’s go.”
To Kendall’s surprise, her sister slid out of the booth without argument and stood beside her.
“Rick’s taken,” Hannah hissed at Lisa, then stormed off toward the back of Norman’s.
Kendall shook her head. Apparently more than one Sutton girl had a thing for Rick Chandler.
“The child’s rude,” Lisa said.
Kendall shrugged. “That may be, but she’s also right.” Catty or not, she couldn’t help but let Lisa know where things stood. Coming from an intimate rendezvous with the man, Kendall’s possessiveness regarding Rick was at an all-time high. So was her protective streak, and after hearing of Rick’s past from Charlotte, Kendall felt certain a woman like Lisa was the last thing Rick needed.
“You’re both rude and I’m certain the Chandlers will see it soon enough.” Lisa grabbed for her purse and started for the door.
“Thanks again for bringing my sister home,” Kendall called out to Lisa’s retreating back. She smiled and waved for the audience of patrons at Norman’s.
Kendall met up with Hannah at a small table in the back and sat down, folding her hands in front of her. Where to begin, she wondered.
“Don’t read anything into me sticking up for you. I just don’t like that woman hanging all over Rick.” As usual Hannah beat her to the punch.
Kendall decided to ignore her sister’s protestation. Hannah had stuck up for her and Kendall planned to take advantage. “I don’t like it either but Rick’s a grown man and an expert at fending off women. He doesn’t need either one of us doing it for him.” Seeing an opportunity to bond with
