Page 51 of Finding Kenna
One more reason to hate Shawn.
But today she’d convinced Carly to come with her, and was looking forward to spending time with her friend outside of work.
As they drove toward the western side of the island, Kenna said as nonchalantly as she could, “So…how are things with Jag? You guys still talking?”
“They’re fine. And yes.”
Kenna could tell Carly didn’t want to talk about the handsome SEAL, but she wasn’t ready to drop it. “Marshall said he’s worried about you.”
Carly sighed and looked over at Kenna. “Look, I know you’re deliriously happy with Marshall, but don’t go getting ideas that I’m gonna end up with his friend. I’m done with guys. Seriously. Maybe not forever, but for the foreseeable future. Okay?”
“Okay, okay,” Kenna said. “I want you to be happy. And just because Shawn wasn’t the man for you doesn’t mean someone else isn’t. Not to mention, they’re not all abusive assholes either.”
“I know. And I really do like Jag. He’s nice and he makes me feel safe. But I’m still not ready. I feel like I need to get my feet under me again. Learn to be happy on my own for a while. It also wouldn’t be fair to him to be a rebound.”
“I get it,” Kenna said. And she did. She had a feeling if Carly let Jag in, she wouldn’t regret the decision, but she had to be the one to decide when she was ready to move on. “Thanks for coming with me today,” she said, changing the subject.
Carly smiled. “Thanks for asking me. I know I need to get out more, but I just imagine Shawn jumping out and hurting me the second I leave my apartment.”
“I understand. But no one is gonna hurt you today. This should be fun.”
“Who’s gonna be there again? The two women from Duke’s the other night, I know, but who else?”
“Yeah, Elodie and Lexie. Lexie works for Food For All and they’re expanding into this new location. She’s apparently in charge of getting it all set up. Another woman who works with her, Ashlyn, will also be there from what I understand.”
“Cool. So the guys aren’t coming?” Carly asked a little too nonchalantly.
Kenna suppressed a grin. She had a feeling if Jag had just a little bit of patience, he’d totally wear Carly down. “No, they’re working. I think they helped move some of the bigger pieces of furniture yesterday.”
Carly nodded.
They talked about work gossip and their schedules the rest of the way to Barber’s Point. Kenna pulled into a parking spot a block from the Food For All building, and she and Carly climbed out of her trusty Chevy and headed down the sidewalk.
The windows of the building were covered with tan paper, indicating to the general public that they weren’t open yet, but Lexie had told Kenna to just come on in when she arrived.
Kenna pushed open the door and walked into a large, bright and welcoming space. She smiled. If she happened to be down on her luck and felt bad about having to ask for help with feeding herself or her family, she’d feel much better about it after walking in here. It wasn’t depressing. It was almost uplifting. The walls were bright white and the lighting was vivid as well, but without the harsh glare of fluorescent bulbs. And once the paper was off the front windows, she knew the sunlight would help even more.
“Hi!”
“Yay! Kenna and Carly are here!”
“Good to see you again!”
The immediate welcome from the three women made Kenna smile even wider. It reminded her of the old television show Cheers, where everyone always greeted Norm when he walked into the bar.
Kenna waved at everyone. “Hi! You guys remember Carly, right?”
“How could we forget the best waitress ever?” Elodie said with a grin.
“And this is Ashlyn. She works with me at Food For All,” Lexie said.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Kenna said politely.
“Same. I’ve heard a lot about you from Lexie,” Ashlyn said.
“You can put your purses down over there,” Lexie said, pointing to a table along one of the walls where their own bags were sitting. “Then we’ll get to work.”
“What are we doing today?” Kenna asked as she headed for the table.
