Covering Kendall(87)

Maybe not.

The ride from the airport offered some time to make some calls, and to think. It was pretty ballsy to show up at her house without letting her know he was coming. He saw a flower stand as they exited off the freeway in Santa Clara.

“Would you please stop for a minute?” he asked the driver. “I’d like to get some flowers.”

“Sure,” the guy said.

Drew reached into his pocket for a little cash and bought a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses.

“Go big or go home,” he muttered to himself.

“Excuse me?” the woman selling the flowers said.

“Oh, nothing. Don’t worry about it.” He gave her a grin and got back into the SUV.

He wasn’t sure if Kendall was home from work yet, but there was only one way to find out. They pulled into the driveway of her house.

“Would you mind waiting a few minutes? I’d like to drop these off,” he said to the driver.

“Not at all,” the guy said. He shut off the engine and unsnapped his seatbelt.

Drew slid out of the SUV and mounted the few stairs to Kendall’s front door. His stomach was in knots. His heart was pounding. He forced himself to breathe. He hoped he’d know what to say.

Who was he kidding? He’d been rehearsing what to say for the past week. He reached out to ring the doorbell. He waited. He rang it again. A minute or so later, he heard light footsteps and a woman’s voice.

“Just a minute,” Kendall called out.

The front door flew open. She stared up at him. “Drew,” she whispered.

He cleared his throat. “I’m new in town. I was wondering if you could show me around or something. I’m planning on being here for a while, and I want to—”

She threw her arms around his neck before he could get the rest out. He wrapped his good arm around her and breathed in the scent of green apples.

“You’re staying?” she said.

“For as long as you want me to.”

Her fingers were already in his hair. He saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. “How about always?”

“Works for me,” he said.