Page 73 of Finding Kenna
“Where’s the fire?” Kenna asked on a laugh.
“Just think it’s a good idea we get out of my bedroom,” Marshall said.
Kenna laughed harder. Being with him was…easy. Fun. She genuinely enjoyed the man’s company. “So, what are we going to do to pass the time until dinner?” she asked. She wasn’t trying to make an innuendo, but when Marshall turned and raised a brow at her, she laughed again. “I mean, other than the obvious.”
“You want a tour of the property?” he asked tentatively.
“Yes.” Kenna wanted to know everything about this man. And that included seeing where he lived.
An hour and a half later, after seeing the pools, the workout room, the sauna, the spa, the restaurant, the lounges, and being introduced to just about every single person they passed, they were back up in his condo, sitting on the balcony. She was in a lounge chair, with Marshall in another. They were close enough that Kenna could reach out and touch him. It felt intimate and cozy. And she still couldn’t get over how perfect his view was.
Kenna was nursing a glass of wine while Marshall had a glass of tea.
“I’m impressed that you know so many people here,” she said.
Marshall shrugged. “I don’t know-know them,” he said. “I don’t know anything about their lives or their work, but we’re all friendly when we see each other.”
“I really was rude when I said that rich people stayed inside their apartments and didn’t talk to each other,” Kenna blurted, feeling the need to apologize again, having met a few of the residents.
“No, you’re right. I’d guess you know everything there is to know about your own neighbors. The relationships are more superficial here. But if someone needed something, I’d happily help them out.”
“I know you would,” Kenna told him, reaching for his hand. He took it without hesitation and squeezed reassuringly.
They talked about nothing important for a while, but then the conversation turned to Carly and her ex. Marshall wanted to know how she was really doing.
“I think she’s okay. She struggles with feeling safe still, I think. She’s hardly going anywhere, basically to work and back.”
“But she hasn’t seen Shawn since he came to the restaurant?” Marshall asked.
“Not that I know of, but she could be keeping it to herself if she has,” Kenna said honestly. “I just don’t understand men like him.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if you made it clear that we were over, that you didn’t want to see me anymore, I wouldn’t get all weird and psycho and insist that you weren’t allowed to break up with me. And I know that some women get that way too, but from what the statistics show, I don’t think it’s as prevalent as guys. Can you explain it to me?”
“No.”
Marshall’s answer was short and to the point.
Kenna sighed. “I also don’t understand why some men get off on scaring and raping women. I mean, I get that it’s a power thing, but where does that come from? Why do they think it’s okay to violate someone like that? Why does it give them pleasure? And I’m not talking about the serial killers who most likely have messed-up brains. I’m talking about the men who have friends, and secure jobs, and good families…the ones who you’d never guess could act that way. Who seem to harass and overpower women just because they can. I don’t get it.”
Marshall’s thumb brushed back and forth over the back of her hand, making Kenna feel calmer. “I don’t know,” he said. “I can’t imagine what goes through someone’s head when they decide to do something like that. And I’m like you, if a woman says she wants to break up, I might not be happy about it, but I’d respect it. Why would I want to be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me?”
“Exactly!” Kenna exclaimed. “The whole, ‘if I can’t have you, no one can,’ makes no sense to me. People aren’t possessions. And the angst and hatred that would have to be present in that relationship would be unbearable. I have such a hard time understanding why Shawn is acting the way he is toward Carly. Why isn’t he moving on? Finding a woman who does want to be with him?”
“I wish I had an answer for you. All I can do is reassure you that there are more of us in the world who respect women and would never act like that asshat.”
“I know,” Kenna said with a sigh. “I just hate that Carly is dealing with it. I just want him to go. To move on.”
“Me too,” Marshall said.
They were quiet for a long while, each lost in their own thoughts. It was one more reason Kenna liked being around Marshall. They didn’t have to talk constantly. They could simply exist in the same place at the same time.
“Want to go to the store with me?” Marshall said after a while.
Kenna looked over at him. “For what?”
“Stuff to make dinner.”
