Kissing Kendall by Jennifer Shirk Read Free Book Online Page A

Brad that she had been crying. Especially over a sock! There were people in town—namely Georgie and Dee—who worried enough about her already. If the two of them got wind of how she was acting tonight, she’d be in for something a lot stronger than a day at a spa.
    “What are you doing here?” she asked, still unable to meet his penetrating gaze. Deuce began to whimper and scratch at the screen door. She cooed at him lightly and tried to settle him down.
    “I wanted to stop by and drop off these flooring samples,” Brad said, watching her with a careful eye. “The earlier you decide what kind you want, the earlier I can put the order in. Who knows how long they’ll take to come. I was going to leave the samples here by the door but since I saw your car in the driveway and the porch lights on”—he glanced up and squinted—“or at least one porch light on, I thought I’d say hi.” He shrugged, giving her a disarming half smile. “So…hi.”
    Kendall smiled and stepped out onto the porch. “That was thoughtful.”
    “I have my moments.”
    “You always did.”
    “I can’t believe you’d remember, considering how long it’s been since we’ve hung out.”
    She pondered that, surprised how easy it was to slip back into their old friendship. “I guess I have my moments too.”
    “I’m glad.” He startled her by reaching out and stroking her cheek. It nearly set her on fire. His touch was whisper-light but that didn’t stop goose bumps from rippling up her arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked huskily.
    “I…” Gazing into his blue eyes, her mind suddenly floundered. He was ridiculously good-looking in his wind-blown hair, ripped jeans, leather jacket sort of way. An appeal that went deeper than looks alone.
    What was wrong with her tonight? She definitely wasn’t okay. Her response to him came so swiftly, she took a step back. Even in the dim light, Brad’s smile managed to kick her pulse up a few extra beats. She had always thought Brad was an attractive man, but never in all the time she had known him had those thoughts gone further than that. But now, this magnetic pull toward him made her want to do things she hadn’t done with a man in a very long time.
    Wonderful. She had become a walking stereotype now: lonely widow turned hussy . Poor Brad just wanted to say hi and now she wanted to jump him. It was her grandmother’s fault, asking all those questions about Brad and whether she thought he was handsome or not. She was completely losing it and figured it was in both their best interests not to invite him in. Hopefully he would take the hint that it was a bad time to come by.
    “All right then,” he said with a sigh, handing her the sample booklet. “You seem busy, so I’ll leave you to whatever you were doing. See ya later.” He then turned on his heel and jogged his way down her steps.
    Good. He got the hint and he’s leaving . But as soon as he left her porch, she felt a strange sense of loss and it jerked her to her senses.
    What was she doing? Brad was so wonderful to help her with her repairs and then she had to go and shut him out. Hadn’t she just told him the other day that she missed his friendship and he should stop by more? She was such a fool. Brad was her friend—a good friend—and he was more than safe from being jumped by her tonight. After all, she was a grown woman, not a teenager with her first crush. Plus, she could use a friend tonight—a friend who was not of the canine variety, for a change.
    “Wait!” she called.
    Brad stopped a few feet from his car parked in her driveway. He slowly turned, inhaling a deep breath, almost as if he dreaded hearing what was going to come out of her mouth next. Obviously she had hurt him by not being friendlier when she’d answered the door, but Brad kept a lot of things to himself—including his feelings—and she always respected his privacy.
    He folded his arms, tall and straight, reminding her of a towering