The Broken Road (The Broken Series) (43 page)

“That’s
perfect,” Cenia said. I’ll track one down. She immediately began searching the
Internet with her phone. “Found one!”

I
dipped a piece of bread into my curried pumpkin soup. “We need to make sure
they accept homemade food donations, not all shelters do.”

Cenia
nodded as she dialed the phone. “Hi, my name’s Cenia. Some friends and I would
like to bake Christmas cookies and bring them by your shelter within the next
few days. Do you accept homemade food donations?” Cenia grew quiet. “She’s
transferring me to the director,” she explained as she covered the phone.

Marie
and I exchanged glances.

“Yes,
thank you. I’m calling to see if you would accept a food donation of homemade
Christmas cookies.” Cenia nodded as her eyes met mine. “Do you have children
staying there?” Again, she nodded. “Sure. We’ll bring them by Thursday.” She
smiled as she disconnected the call.

“Yes!”
Marie exclaimed. “Now, what kind of cookies do you girls want to make?”

“Sugar
cookies!” Cenia and I shouted, each trying to call dibs before the other.

“Oh.
That’s what I was thinking too,” Marie replied with a hint of disappointment.

“Why
don’t we just pick one recipe, instead of making three different kinds of sugar
cookies?” I suggested, completely abandoning my soup.

“Well,
what are your recipes like?” Cenia asked hesitantly.

“My
sugar cookies are frosted, and they’re made with sour cream and nutmeg,” I
revealed reluctantly. The sour cream sugar cookie recipe was a well-guarded
family recipe, one that could only be shared with my mother’s consent.

“Mine
are more traditional, and they aren’t frosted. They have colored sugar
sprinkled on top, and they practically melt in your mouth. What about yours?”
Marie asked, turning her attention to Cenia.

“My
cookies are frosted, but they’re made with almond extract,” Cenia responded.

“How
do we decide which recipe to go with?” I inquired with mock innocence. I knew
full well what the answer would be.

Cenia’s
face lit up.

“Oh,
no,” Marie groaned. “Here we go again.”

*
* * * * *

Senator
Rockefeller invited Kadyn and me to a Christmas Party at his home in DC. I was curious
to see what the inside of his house looked like and excited about the
opportunity to dress up. Gabi took me shopping, this time at a much smaller
mall. She helped me pick out a breathtaking dress in midnight blue. The dress
had thin straps that crisscrossed artfully across the back, so she insisted I wear
my hair up for the event.

Gabi
asked Kadyn to get ready at his place so we could surprise him with my dress.
She had just finished helping me pull my hair into an elegant up-do, when Kadyn
arrived.

Gabi
blocked the door to my bedroom when I moved to answer the door. “Oh, no you
don’t. You’re staying right here. I’ll get the door while you slip into your
dress. And I don’t want you coming out of your room right away. I want Kadyn to
wait a little bit. Trust me, he’s not going to mind once he gets a load of
you.” She winked before disappearing to answer the door.

Gabi’s
melodic voice trailed from the living room. “Hi, Kadyn. You look great. Kri
will be out in a little bit. You don’t mind waiting, do you?”

I
smiled when I heard Kadyn respond, “Did you seriously just ask me that?”

Gabi
laughed as she strode back into my bedroom with two glasses of wine.

“Can
I go now?” I asked as my hands smoothed over the dress. “I’m starting to have
flashbacks to my high school prom.”

Gabi
handed me a glass of wine, then plopped down on the bed. She began swinging her
legs off the edge of the bed. “Nope. We’re just going to sit here and enjoy a
glass of wine.”

I
tried to object as I slipped a pair of silver heels on. “But…”

Gabi
threw her hand up to cut me off. “A little anticipation goes a long way. Kadyn
will be fine. Drink up!”

She
giggled as I sank into the arm chair next to my bed and took a sip of wine. “I
can’t believe I’m making him wait,” I whispered nervously. Kadyn was strangely
silent, and I had no clue what he was doing to entertain himself in the living
room.

Kadyn
popped his head inside my doorway. “You girls having a good time in here?”

Gabi
gasped. “Kadyn, you weren’t supposed to come look!”

My
eyes widened as Kadyn’s broad shoulders filled the doorway. The tux looked like
it had been designed with Kadyn in mind. I couldn’t believe how well the cut
emphasized his muscular shoulders and trim waist. “You look amazing,” I
whispered as I set my wine glass on the nightstand and stood. Desire pooled
from my abdomen to my toes as I closed the distance between us.

Kadyn
appeared to be at a loss for words. His eyes swept over my dress.

I
froze just a few steps in front of him, then smiled as I turned around. “Do you
like it?”

“Kri,”
he said brokenly.

Goose
bumps scurried down my back. Kadyn had said my name the same exact way the
first night we met, when he walked me to Mickey’s car. My heart clenched as our
eyes met.

Kadyn
captured my hand as I reached for his face. He kissed the inside of my palm. “I
have never seen anything as beautiful as you.”

“Ahhhh,”
Gabi sighed from the bed.

Kadyn
and I exchanged looks, then laughed. “Shall we?” he asked as he tucked my hand
into the crook of his arm.

I
nodded as Gabi handed me the silver pashmina that had been draped over the side
of my bed. “Thanks, Gabi!”

“I
expect a full report in the morning,” she responded as she followed us through
the front door.

“Sure,”
Kadyn answered. He tucked me into his car. “You be sure and hold your breath
while I work on that report.”

Gabi
just laughed and waved as she walked back to Mason and Kadyn’s place.

“I
don’t know about that girl,” Kadyn said as he joined me in the car.

I
smiled. “I like her. A lot. Do you think she and Mason will ever admit they’re
dating?”

Kadyn
smiled as he pulled away from the curb. “Mason’s thinking about proposing.”

I
gasped. “Are you serious?”

He
nodded.

“That’s
awesome. They’re perfect together,” I responded happily.

“He
thinks she’ll be more surprised by the proposal if he’s still refusing to admit
they’re dating.”

I
just shook my head. “That sounds like Mason.”

“I
don’t think they’re the only ones we’ll see engaged next year,” Kadyn predicted.

“Cenia
and Roger?” I asked.

“Yep.”
He chuckled. “The jury’s still out on which couple will get married first.”

I
laughed. “Maybe I’ll get another opportunity to wear this dress after all.”

Kadyn’s
face grew serious. “You have to promise me you’ll wear that dress again.”

I
smiled. “Only if you promise to buy that tux. I’m going to want to see you in
that again. Soon.”

Kadyn
pulled my hand to his lips. “Is New Year’s Eve soon enough?”

“For
what?” I murmured, completely distracted by the feel of his lips brushing
teasingly across my fingers. As innocent as the gesture was, there wasn’t a
single part of my body that didn’t feel that kiss.

Kadyn
laughed. “I’m asking you out for New Year’s Eve.”

My
eyes widened. “You’ll wear the tux?”

Kadyn
nodded as he brought the car to a stop. He gave our names to the security guard
in the gatehouse just outside Senator Rockefeller’s property. The guard checked
our names against a list, then waved us through.

“Where
are we going?” I asked curiously.

Kadyn
eased his car through the gate. “To Senator Rockefeller’s house, where else?”

I
thumped him in the arm with my clutch. “For New Year’s Eve!”

“Oh,
I think I’ll keep that under wraps for now. You know, a little anticipation
goes a long way…”

I
gave him an indignant look. “Hey! Gabi’s the one who said that. Not me!”

Kadyn
laughed as he pulled into the large circular driveway. He handed his keys to
the parking valet, then walked around the passenger side to help me step out of
the car. He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm as he led me up the wide
marble steps.

The
butler took our coats before ushering us into the living room. The place was
packed with elegantly dressed people. I peered through the crowd, trying to
identify a familiar face.

Kadyn
kept my hand tucked snuggly inside the crook of his arm as he snagged a glass
of white wine from a cater waiter and inquired about a Sprite. He handed me the
wine, then kissed me on the top of the head. “You really do look breathtaking,
Kri.”

I
stopped scouring the crowd so I could look at Kadyn. The waiter returned with
the Sprite just as Kadyn was leaning in to kiss me. Kadyn smiled as he accepted
the Sprite. “Just so you know, I’ll be collecting on that kiss later.” His tone
suggested he’d be collecting far more than a kiss.

“There
she is!” Senator Rockefeller exclaimed as he approached with a pretty blond
woman. “This is my newest staffer, Kristine. She’s the one spearheading the
bill that will deliver mobile medical care to the homeless. Kristine, I’d like
you to meet my wife, Sharon.”

I
shook Mrs. Rockefeller’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Rockefeller. This
is my boyfriend, Kadyn.”

Senator
Rockefeller reached for Kadyn’s hand. “Captain Rand. I’m pleased to finally
meet you. I want to thank you for your rather heroic efforts to find and free Kristine.”

Kadyn
shook Senator Rockefeller’s hand. “We couldn’t have done it without your help,
sir. Thank you for letting us use your plane.”

Mrs.
Rockefeller reached for Kadyn’s hand. “My husband has told me all about you.
You are a remarkable young man.”

My
eyes met Kadyn’s. “That he is,” I agreed.

“You
two have fun,” Senator Rockefeller said as he patted my shoulder. Then he and
his wife ambled away to greet another guest.

Kadyn
and I circulated among the other guests as we sampled
hors
d'oeuvres and looked for my colleagues.

“Kristine,
over here!” Jamie called out. Patrick, Jonathan, and Jamie were standing just
in front of the piano.

There
were so many people packed into the living room that it took some time to reach
them. “You look beautiful,” I told Jamie as I gave her a quick hug. “Emerald
green is definitely your color.”

Patrick
shook hands with Kadyn before giving me a hug. Jonathan did the same.

“You
guys clean up nice,” I said teasingly.

“You
don’t look half bad yourself,” Jonathan needled back.

“What
do you think of the house?” Patrick asked.

I
studied the décor a bit more closely. “It’s lovely. I’m surprised by all the
color. I was expecting something much more subdued.”

Patrick
nodded. “Me too.”

“You
should check out the artwork in the hallway,” Jamie suggested, “and just
outside the bathroom.”

“Where
is the bathroom?” Kadyn asked.

“That
way,” Jonathan pointed. He snagged a glass of wine from a nearby waiter.

“Do
you want to go check it out?” I asked Kadyn.

“Sure,”
he agreed, offering me his arm.

I
waved at Jonathan, Patrick, and Jamie as Kadyn pulled me into the crowd. “We’ll
see you later,” I called over my shoulder.

Kadyn
led me to the other side of the room before ducking down a long hallway.

I
stopped short of the painting just outside the bathroom door. “No way. Is that
what I think it is?”

Kadyn
nodded. “That’s an original Picasso.”

I
shook my head in disbelief. “I would have never guessed you could own this kind
of art. I thought it was all held in museums.”

He
shrugged. “Senator Rockefeller probably loans his art collection to museums.”

Kadyn
ducked inside the bathroom, so I continued on down the
hallway,
which was far less crowded than the living room. The walls were lined with original
paintings, which were displayed under small spotlights. I stopped in front of a
painting of Monet’s gardens. Monet was my favorite artist. I had two of his
prints hanging inside my apartment. This was not a print. This was one of his
original oil paintings, a canvas that Monet had actually touched. I was still staring
at the painting when Kadyn walked up behind me and kissed my shoulder.

“I
want to touch it,” I confessed, “but I can’t.”