Collision (30 page)

“Do you even notice when someone has feelings for you?”

“Nobody’s ever had feelings for me before, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Holy crap! You’re crazy! Griffin just asked you to marry him. And I—”

“Griffin doesn’t have feelings for me like that. Trust me. He knows we’re good for each other, and he’s in love with that, not me.”

“What about me?”

“What about you?”

“I’m here, in Uganda. I’m a world away from everything I know. There’s no part of you that wondered if I came here because I had feelings for you?”

“No. I understood you came to Uganda because you wanted to see Uganda.”

“You can’t be serious?” My voice traveled through the stadium, bounced off the opposite wall, and came right back to us, so she got my question twice.

“Cabot, you’re the Choice Male Hottie. You win surfboards, and your face is plastered all over weeklies.”

“My celebrity has never been an issue with you before. Why would it be about this?”

“Because it’s your reality. We can pretend it doesn’t exist while we’re alone. But as soon as you walk out the door, it’s there.”

“Okay. That might be true. But why would think that would keep me from being interested in you?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

“Are you serious?” she asked with a laugh.

“Completely.”

“Cabot?”

“Kei.”

“Cabot, get serious,” she huffed.

“What, Kei?” I huffed right back.

“Are you delusional?”

“Delusional about what exactly?”

“Look around. Look at my life. You’ve lived it for three weeks. I live with no running water. I sleep on a three-inch piece of foam. I own no more than ten sets of clothing, I don’t wear makeup, and I wouldn’t know how to fix my hair if my life depended on it. The majority of the time, I’m covered in an inch of dirt and film on my skin, and I’ve never, ever painted my fingernails. You get paid to look good, not that it’s difficult for you to do. You’re practically a Greek god.”

My chest vibrated. It was the first time she’d actually admitted that she thought I was attractive. It was progress, maybe just a little bit, but it was progress.

“You stay in beautifully decorated hotel rooms, and you sleep on big, fluffy mattresses. You get facials and manicures, you wear tuxedos to events and nob your co-stars.”

There was that subject of nobbing again. It was an issue that she obviously couldn’t get over. Maybe we hadn’t made any progress after all.

“Like we’ve said before, we’re of two different worlds. Why would I ever believe you could want someone from mine?”

I jumped off the wall and stood in front of her. “Remember the time you got mad at me because I was making assumptions about you based on your parents being missionaries?”

“Of course.”

“You’re doing the same thing to me.”

“Am I?”

“You’re making assumptions about who I am as a person based on what I do for a living. All of those things you mentioned say nothing about who I am and what’s important to me. They don’t say anything about my heart and where it’s at. And for the record, I don’t nob my co-stars anymore. I haven’t since the day I got to Asheville. I already told you that.”

“Cabot, I—”

“I’m not finished.”

She shut her mouth. I placed my hands on either side of her on the wall and looked up at her.

“I think it’s hard for you to understand that all of those things you said about me don’t make me who I am because all of those things you mentioned about yourself are a direct reflection of who you are and what’s in your heart. You’re living out who you are. I’m not. Not yet. But I’m telling you right now, Kei, that my life in the future is going to reflect what is important to me. I don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like, but it will look different. My life and my heart are going to line up. Mark my words.”

She slid off the wall and stood in front of me. I didn’t take my hands off the wall, so we were within inches of each other.

“You’re perfect the way you are, Cabot. You don’t need to change anything.”

“Not perfect enough.”

“Why would you say that?”

I wanted to tell her that I knew I wasn’t good enough for her. But I also wanted to tell her that I could be, that I would be. If she could get over my past and the choices I’d made before we’d met, then we could be together and we could be happy. If only she could forgive my past.

“I’m not the man I need to be, not yet,” is what I actually managed to say.

“And what type of man is that?”

“A man worthy enough of the love of a woman like you.”

“You’re worthy of anyone’s love, Cabot. And really”—she laughed—“your goals should be much higher than a sod like myself. Perfection deserves perfection. And you, my dear, are perfection.”

“You are too.”

She ducked under one of my arms and walked the direction we’d come. “Trust me, Cabot. If you knew me, what I’ve done, you wouldn’t feel that way at all.”

“What? Your past?” I asked as I walked behind her. “Why don’t you just tell me what it is?”

“Like I said, it isn’t important.”

“If it’s important to you, then it’s important to me.”

“What’s important to me right now is that we get back to the house and get some rest. We’ve got a long trip ahead of us tomorrow.”

If I would’ve been leaving her behind, I would’ve forced her to talk to me, but we were going to be together for at least another week. We were going back to the place we’d started. We were going back to Asheville, and by the time we left, I had every intention of her being mine.

C H A P T E R

26

“We’re almost there. It’s going to be so different this time, what with everyone home. Are you ready for this?” Kei asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve enjoyed having a little time alone. I kind of wish nobody would barge in on it.”

“Well, they’re giving you the guest house again. You can spend most of your time there, and nobody will bother you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” I muttered.

“You’ve met Oliver and Mariah, so that shouldn’t be a problem. It’s Millie you’ve got to prepare yourself for. She’s one of a kind.”

“How?”

“She’s Southern, very Southern. She gossips like mad but hides it behind a prayer request or follows it with a, ‘Bless her heart,’ so it sounds like she’s concerned rather than like she just dished the dirt.”

“Okay. Sounds fun.”

“Oh, and she’s a kleptomaniac. But she only steals free stuff.”

“I don’t get it.”

“You will.”

The cab pulled into the driveway and pulled to a stop. Kei had opened the door and was about to jump out when I heard the front door open, followed by a, “Where’s my girl?”

Kei jumped out of the cab and ran into Oliver’s arms. He actually had tears in his eyes as he hugged her. I was shocked at his emotion. I had no idea that they were as close as they seemed.

Mariah squealed behind them and held her arms out as she waited for her turn to hug her niece.

“Still gorgeous,” Oliver said as he set Kei back onto the ground and let her loose so Mariah could get a hold of her.

“How was your trip?” he asked me.

“It was great,” I answered. “No problems at all. It was nice to have someone to keep me company.”

“And first class was splendid,” Kei said, “absolutely splendid. I’ve been spoiled, and it will be nearly impossible to survive economy when I return home.”

“Hello, Cab,” Mariah greeted.

“Lawd have mercy! Are you gonna bring that child inside, or am I gonna have to come out there?”

“Coming, Millie,” Kei called. “Just a moment. Let us get our bags.”

The four of us grabbed the luggage from the trunk and finally made our way inside to a waiting Millie.

“Oh, Anna, look at you. So beautiful.”

Kei ran to her and hugged her.

“Hello, Grandma Millie. I missed you!”

“Anna, you are stunning. Your mama would be so proud to see your face.”

Anna.
Apparently, Millie still called her by her given name. I couldn’t help but wonder how Kei felt about that and if it reminded her of the life she seemed to be trying to forget.

“Don’t you worry, Millie. She’ll see it soon enough.” Kei’s voice now turned very Southern. Her drawl matched her grandmother’s.

“I suppose she will. I bet she’ll tell you you’re pretty?”

“I hope she’s pleased.”

“I know she will be. Bless her heart. Such a doll,” the woman said before kissing her on the cheek. “And who’s this cool drink o’ water?” she asked, looking at me.

“That’s Cabot. He’s a guest.”

“Your guest?”

“No, ma’am. He’s Oliver’s guest. He’ll be staying in the guest house for the week.”

“And staying away from you, I hope.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’m not his type.”

The hell you aren’t.

Kei winked at me and then led the woman into the living room while I stood in shock.

“You’ll never guess who I saw yesterday while we were driving ’round town,” Millie said.

“Who?” Kei asked as she helped the woman into a chair in the living room.

“Just set everything down,” Mariah told me. “Come on in and chat with us for a bit.”

“All right.” I put down the luggage and sat next to Kei on the couch before someone else could take the spot.

“Gert Winters,” Millie continued. “That poor woman was walking down the street in all this heat, dressed to the hilt, and thinking she’s in high cotton. Little did she know, her slip was flapping in the wind behind her. She looked a mess, bless her heart.”

Kei tapped my elbow with hers, making sure I’d heard the veiled insult.

“Oliver wanted to offer up a ride, but I told him not to bother. She’s jus’ trying to show off her money, all dressed up like that. It was the most pitiful sight my eyes have laid on in quite some time. We need to pray the pride right off her.”

“I’m sure she’d appreciate that,” Kei said as she elbowed me again.

Oliver brought his mother a glass of tea, and as he talked to her, Kei turned to me, cupped her hand around my ear, and whispered into it, “Prepare yourself. We’re about to have some fun.”

“So, Millie,” she said, turning to the woman again, “do you have anything for me?”

“Lawd yes! Oliver, fetch my pocketbook.”

“Yes, Mama.”

“You have too little, Anna. Every time my eyes spot something, I just can’t resist snatching it for you.” Her eyes followed her son as he brought her the bag and put it on the table in front of her. There was no way her pocketbook would’ve fit in a pocket. “Last month, we were staying at such a nice hotel. They had all kinds o’ things for you, Anna. I got towels and such and put ’em in your room when we got here. They’re up there, waitin’ on ya. I even got you a robe. It’s a wonderful terrycloth thing. You’ll love it. I know you will.”

“I’m sure,” Kei said, nodding.

“Mama only
thinks
the things are free. I’m sure they’ll end up on my bill,” Oliver mumbled. “We’ll be lucky if they don’t consider it theft and press charges.”

“It ain’t stealing if it’s free. Isn’t that right, Anna?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Kei, you’re not helping,” Oliver snapped.

“Oh, leave ’em be,” Mariah snapped back. “They haven’t seen each other in almost a year. Let the women chat. And get me some tea. Cab, would you like some tea?”

“I can get it myself.” I stood to go, but Kei grabbed my hand and yanked me back onto the couch.

“Oliver will get it for you. You stay put. Go ahead, Millie. What do you have for me?”

“Let’s see here.” The woman’s wrinkled hands disappeared into the bag and then pulled out a handful of something and laid them on the table. “Ketchup,” she muttered as she pulled out more. “You can never have enough ketchup. Course, there’s probly some mustard in there too, and honey. I found a lot o’ honey at the restaurant we ate breakfast at every morning. They had mo’ than enough, and I know that if they knew it was going to the poor, they woulda approved.”

“The poor?” I whispered in Kei’s ear. “Are you the poor?”

“Of course,” she whispered. “I do love honey,” Kei cooed out loud as she sorted the packets into piles according to what they were.

“Oh, and Anna, you’re gonna be so thrilled at this,” she said, digging some more. “I found these in the bathroom of the same restaurant. I got no need for them anymore ’cause my plumbing stopped working over three decades ago.”

“Oh no,” Kei muttered. “I don’t want to know.”

“Here you go,” Millie said, handing out a handful of tampons. “Those should help you a little bit.” Her hands then reached in and threw out some pads too. They landed on the mustard packets.