Her Kind of Man (13 page)

“Ouch. Okay, Ma.” He rubbed his shoulder. “I'm sorry.”

She waved him off. “It's okay. So, how long has she been here?”

He opened her car door and waited until she was seated before he closed it. “Since Friday.”

“Wow. I hope she's able to pick up the pieces quickly and get back to her life. It's a shame.”

“She's better off,” he said.

“Are you?”

Leaning against the hood of the car, he peered down at his mother. “What do you mean by that?”

“That's close quarters, son. Spending nights with someone can change things.”

Deciding to tell her the truth, he said, “It already has, Mama.”

His mother jerked her head back, her eyes widening. “Oh my. That fast, huh?”

“Not as fast as you think,” he murmured. “Nothing's happened between us, really. Before you got here, we had a little talk about where we see our relationship going.”

Mama nodded slowly. “I can't say I'm not concerned, Kent. I want you to be careful. Breaking an engagement doesn't necessarily break off feelings.”

“I know, Ma. That's why we haven't really made any decisions yet.”

“Okay. You're a grown man and you can make your own decisions. I like Allina. But I want you to be careful.”

“I will.” He gave her a peck on her cheek. “And I'll call you about dinner next week.”

“Love you, son.”

“I love you, too.”

Allina was in the office at his computer when he got back in the house. She was sitting, staring at the monitor, a hand over her mouth.

“Oh my God,” she gasped.

He walked over to her. “What's going on?” Peering at the screen, he read the headline. “Twenty-eight-year-old Woman Missing. Family suspects foul play,” he read aloud. “Do you know her?” he asked.

“That's her,” she whispered.

Frowning, he glanced at the picture of the missing lady. “Who?”

“The woman from the church,” she said.

“I thought you said you didn't get a good look at her face,” he said, leaning in, skimming the article. The woman had last been seen Friday, driving a tan Toyota Corolla, license plate HJU 5744.

“That's her car. When she sped away from the church, I saw her car and caught a glimpse of her plate. Oh my God,” Allina breathed before glancing back at him. “He did something to her. She's gone.”

B
y one o'clock the following afternoon, Allina still hadn't heard from her father. She'd left him a brief message explaining that Karen Little, the missing woman she'd read about online, was the same woman she'd encountered at the church. She knew her father didn't have court on Mondays, so he should have called her back by now.

Allina dialed her father again. When his voicemail picked up, she left another message: “Daddy, call me as soon as possible. I need to talk to you.”

Slamming the phone down, she punched her mother's number in.
Straight to voicemail.

Kent had made a quick run to the office to grab some work. He'd decided to work from home so he could be close. He'd been gone for only forty-five minutes, but it felt like hours had passed. He'd asked her to ride with him but she'd told him she was fine.

Yesterday had been rough, though. Allina was spooked by the article. According to the Cleveland PD, Karen had last been seen on Friday afternoon around three o'clock. She'd been scheduled to work the afternoon to midnight shift at the hospital but failed to show up. Her abandoned car had been found on Saturday morning.

Allina had been checking for updates on the story every ten minutes or so, praying they found Karen safe and sound. Because if they didn't…

Allina couldn't shake the feeling that Isaac had done something to Karen Little. Kent had dismissed the idea, telling her that he highly doubted Isaac would do something so drastic. She'd agreed with him last night, but now…
now I'm not so sure
. Obviously, the woman had something on Isaac. Maybe she'd threatened him again with exposing whatever it was. And he took care of her.

Groaning, she rolled her eyes. She was starting to sound like Syd, the ID channel junkie. Chances are, she was making too much out of the missing woman. This wasn't a Lifetime movie. But she still wanted to hear from her dad.

Allina was walking out of Kent's office toward the kitchen when Kent's cell phone, which he'd left for her, rang. She recognized her father's number on the screen and picked up.

“Daddy?”

“Allina?” The static on the line made it difficult to hear him. His voice was breaking up.

“Daddy, I can't hear you,” she called.

“Hold on.” A moment later, he asked, “Are you there?”

“I'm here. Where have you been?” she asked. “Did you get my message?”

“I did. I've been doing a little digging. Isaac has been looking for you around town. Yesterday he went to your job.”

Allina closed her eyes, let out a slow breath. She was grateful now that she'd only told her boss that she wouldn't be returning to work. Something had told her to keep it simple. She hadn't even asked for her last paycheck. “I think we should call the police.”

“Already done,” he said. “I called my friend Tom and told him what you said about the missing woman. They're already on the way to question Isaac.”

Thank goodness
. “So your guy is still tailing him?”

“Yes. I told you not to worry. I've got this under control.”

Her father was her hero. She knew there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“My guy is still on him,” he added. “Nothing seems out of the ordinary. Other than his trip to the bridal store, he's only left his house to go to the church. Nothing more. Like I said, he will probably let it go.”

“You're probably right,” she conceded. “Where's Mom? I tried to call her, too.”

“She's at home,” he replied. “Her phone is probably dead. If you need to talk to her, call the landline.”

“I'll wait until later. Kent is taking me to get a cell phone today or tomorrow. I'll call with the new number once everything is up and running.” Kent used a Google+ number and had told Allina to give it to her parents. He'd told her once he got her a phone, he'd help her set up an account for herself. She agreed it was best to use an untraceable number for now.

“Good thinking. I love you, baby. I'll be in touch.”

One more good-bye and two more
I love you
s later, Allina disconnected the call.

There. Looks good.

Allina pulled two nine-inch cake pans from the oven and fanned them with her mitt. The smell of strawberries and vanilla filled the kitchen. After she'd spoken with her father, she'd called Kent and told him to take his time. She felt a measure of peace knowing the police were investigating Isaac now.

With Kent gone most of the afternoon, she didn't have anything to do, so she'd decided to bake a cake and cook dinner for him. To thank him. After their conversation, they'd turned a corner. Or so she thought. Now she was second guessing herself. Considering everything she'd been through, the earlier conversation with Kent felt almost too good to be true. Was she on the verge of having the man she'd wanted for years? Would it work out between them?

Then there was the lingering issue of her canceled nuptials. Part of her was concerned about starting something new with Kent. Yet she'd waited so long, spent many nights imagining a kiss like the one he'd given her, and she found herself wanting to forget about everything else and focus on him.

He'd shocked her kissing her the way he had, especially after he insisted they take some time. It hadn't been one of those passion-filled kisses that she'd watched on television. But it was sincere, sweet. Everything she'd dreamed of.

She'd only ever heard people talk about butterflies in the stomach, shivers of pleasure described in romance novels, and tingling nerve endings. But to actually feel that for herself—with one kiss?

Closing her eyes, she let her mind travel back to that instant. She was like a giddy teenager, and she wanted more. For the first time in her life, she actually wanted to forget about everything holding her back and move forward. Even though she'd just left a relationship, she wasn't willing to deny herself this chance with Kent.

She heard the beep of the alarm system signal that the front door was open. Biting the inside of her cheek, she wondered if she should greet him or let him come to her. Setting her spatula down, she decided to go to him first.

Walking out of the kitchen, she paused when she saw him standing at the doorway, looking at his work phone. Lowering his brows, he tapped at his screen. Figuring she'd give him a minute, she stood there.

Once he fastened his phone in the holster on his waist, she stepped forward and asked, “Is everything okay?”

He glanced up at her and smiled. “Hey. Smells good in here. Did you bake my favorite?”

Something is definitely wrong
. He was smiling, acting like he was fine, but his eyes gave him away. There was a shadow there that hadn't been there earlier. “Just pulled it out of the oven,” she replied.

He sniffed, then closed his eyes. Groaning, he said, “Fried chicken, too? What's the occasion?”

“I figured I should at least do something since you've been so good to me.” She inched closer to him.

“Yum.” He pulled his laptop out of his bag, walked over to the couch, and set it down. She heard his phone buzz again. Sighing, he glanced at it and rolled his eyes. Instead of putting it back on his belt, though, he set it on an end table.

Looking up at her, he asked, “Have you heard anything else from your dad?”

She shook her head. “No.” Wrinkling her brow, she asked, “Are you okay? It's just…” She wrung her hands together. “You look like something is on your mind.”

The smile on his face wavered, and he sat down on a chair. He ran a hand over his head and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. She took a seat opposite him on the coffee table, folding her hands in her lap.

“Mama is worried about Den,” he grumbled. “She just texted me to ask me if I could try to find him. He hasn't been answering her calls and she's worried.”

Allina tugged at her earlobe. Den wasn't exactly her favorite person. He'd treated Syd horribly during their relationship, proposed to her after he'd cheated on her to keep her with him. But he was Kent's brother. She cared because
he
did. “Do you think he's in trouble?” she asked.

Den was bipolar. He'd often go through periods when he wouldn't take his medication, which caused a lot of trouble. She'd been around on more than one occasion when Kent and Morgan had had to look for him. And Syd had convinced herself to forgive Den time and time again for the things he'd done to her because of his illness.

Hunching his shoulders, he shook his head. “I don't know. It's not like we've talked much. I've seen him a few times at Mama's house, but other than that, I have no idea what's going on in his life. He could be fine, just keeping his distance.”

Knowing what she did about Den, she agreed with Kent. He was kind of an attention whore. He'd always make these awful scenes in order to get everyone to drop what they were doing to come to his aid. Syd used to complain about it often. “I'm sorry,” she said. “When you did see him, did he look like he was having an episode?”

He stared off behind her, like he was trying to recall the last time he'd seen his brother. Which in itself was sad to Allina. The brothers had always made it a point to know what was going on in one another's lives. She knew it was important to Kent to spend time with his brothers. Each year on their birthdays, they would go out to breakfast and play basketball. Although Kent was closer to Morgan, she knew he loved Den and wanted him to be happy.

“He looked fine. We actually had a laugh when Mama let out a slew of curse words after she dropped one of her plates on the floor.” He clasped his hands together. “That was the first time I had seen him in months. After the first of the year, I thought he might be coming around. Mama said he was coming by every Sunday, calling her regularly. But she told me things changed after Brynn was born.”

He bowed his head. They sat there for a few minutes. She chewed on her thumbnail, thinking about what Kent had just revealed. It made a lot of sense that Den's demeanor had changed once Brynn arrived, since Den had been with Syd for so long. He was probably hurt that he wasn't the one to give her a baby, that Morgan and Syd and Brynn were a happy family.

“I'll go with you if you want to go look for him,” she offered finally.

He looked at her then, his eyes softening. “No, that's not necessary. I have a lot of work to do. Den…” He sucked in a haggard breath. “He's probably okay, hiding like he's been prone to do in the past.” He gave her a half-smile.

Nodding, she said, “Well, let me know if you change your mind. I want to be there for you, just like you're always there for me.”

“Please stop saying that,” he said. “You've been there for me many times, too. We depend on each other. That's why we're friends. So you don't have to keep thanking me.”

“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I won't say it anymore. I'll just fatten you up with my cakes.”

He laughed then. “Allina, if you knew what ‘cake' meant on the street, you wouldn't have said that.”

Blinking rapidly, she asked, “What does it mean?” Her mind raced, searching for possible definitions. Syd and Cali used to make fun of her all the time for getting her slang wrong or mixed up. Or she'd say things that were seemingly innocent only to have them tell her she'd basically said something naughty.

He smirked. “I'll tell you but you're going to be embarrassed.”

“Just say it,” she told him, smacking his knee playfully.

Clearing his throat, he chuckled. “When someone says ‘nice cakes,' it means the woman has a nice ass—shapely, large.”

Her mouth fell open and she covered her face with her hands. “Oh my God. I had no idea. Yikes.”

“You're funny. It's okay. It also means money,” he added. “Either way, what you said is a good thing.”

Eyes wide, she laughed. “Stop. I'm going to go finish dinner.”

She stood up and he grabbed her wrist. Looking back at him, then at his hand on her, she asked, “What?”

“I missed you,” he admitted softly. “While you were gone,” he added in a low voice.

Her heartbeat quickened. “I missed you, too.”

“Seriously, you make me laugh. I don't think you realize how funny you really are.”

That was a first. “I don't think anyone ever told me I was funny.” She placed her hand on top of his and squeezed. “But I'm glad I could return the favor.”

The fact that Kent made her laugh was one of the reasons she'd been drawn to him. It was his way. Everybody loved his sense of humor, the way he could lighten up the room with his smile and his wit. It made her feel good that he thought she was funny.

“The offer still stands,” she said. “If you need me to go with you, or even if you want to talk about Den or anything, just let me know.”

“I will.” He stood up, peered down at her. “I'm going to go take a shower and get to work. I need to finish this project.”

He squeezed her shoulder, picked up his briefcase, and headed toward his bedroom. Sighing, she strolled back into the kitchen.

Syd had once told her that she always held back when it came to business and matters of the heart. She guessed it was true to an extent, except with Kent. Being with Isaac, letting him in, had been a big step for her. Isaac was her first boyfriend, the first
man
she'd ever kissed. In an attempt to cope with what her aunt was doing to her, she'd kissed a few boys in high school, but after Aunt Laura died, she'd backed away from boys altogether. She didn't even go to her prom, instead choosing to go to a church function.

She'd always be grateful for Syd being in her life, because Syd brought so many different characters with her. Having guy friends was something she could never have imagined until Red barged into their dorm room freshman year with Morgan. She and Red were both business majors in undergrad, so they shared a lot of classes. They were able to forge a friendship because they were study partners. He was respectful and protective. As nice looking as he was, other girls assumed she had a crush on him, but he was like a brother to her. And Morgan was elusive, closed off—except with Syd, even then. He preferred to keep his business private, but he was fun to be around. Then there was Kent.