Once the cake is in the car, and I’ve locked up the house, I head on my way to Kyler’s. It takes about seven minutes to get to his place. It’s a two-story colonial style home with steel-colored siding. I really like it. When I get out of my car, I can smell the grill and see the smoke billowing into the air from the backyard.
Carefully, I grab the cake out of the car and shut the door with my foot. The front door opens, and Kyler walks out onto the front porch, dressed in a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved gray T-shirt that hugs his perfectly sculpted body.
“What in the world do you have there?” he says, grinning wide.
I walk up to him so he can see the cake. “My mom made it for you.”
He slaps a hand over his heart. “And it’s my favorite too. Carrot cake is the best.”
“Yes, it is. Well, other than chocolate milkshakes.”
We both laugh, and he follows me inside so he can shut the door behind us. The house smells fantastic, and my stomach growls. I set the cake down on the kitchen counter beside the large salad bowl filled with bright green lettuce and toppings and look around. His living room is cozy with a brown leather couch and loveseat with the best view of the sizeable widescreen TV on his wall.
“What are you smiling at?” Kyler asks.
I nod at his TV. “Just thinking how much Logan would love to have one that big.”
Kyler chuckles. “He’s welcome to come over here anytime. We’ll watch some football.”
“Right now, we’re watching Cobra Kai together. We love it.”
He beams. “So do I. I’ve already watched all the episodes. You’ll love the season two finale.”
“I’m dying to get to it. We’re not allowed to watch any of it without the other. That’s our rule.”
Kyler smiles and shakes his head. “Hearing things like that makes me really wish I had kids. You’ve got a good one, Maeve.”
This warms my heart. “Yes, I do.” I breathe in the smell of food wafting from the oven. “And I think we have ourselves an amazing dinner coming up. What did you cook? The salad looks delicious.”
He goes over to the oven and slides the mitt over his hand so he can reach inside. “We have baked potatoes in here, and our steaks should be ready to take off the grill in two minutes.” He pulls out our potatoes and sets one on each plate. There is even a row of butter, sour cream, fresh chives, bacon, and cheese off to the side.
“I’m impressed,” I say as I survey the spread.
Kyler smirks. “What can I say? I don’t do things half-assed.” He grabs a plate out of the cabinet. “I’ll be right back with the steaks.” He walks out the back door and comes right back in with two huge filets on the plate. “Dinner’s ready.”
Stomach growling, I fill up my plate and pile the toppings high on my baked potato. Kyler does the same, and we sit down at the kitchen table where there’s already a bottle of wine waiting for us. “Thank you so much for this. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. I guess that chocolate milkshake earlier wasn’t filling enough.”
Kyler snorts. “The same goes for the fried Oreos Logan, and I ate.”
I take a bite of the steak, and it practically melts in my mouth; so tender. “I appreciate you spending time with Logan. I haven’t seen him that happy in a long time.”
Kyler pours us both a glass of wine. “I enjoyed every minute of it.” He takes a sip of his wine. “He reminds me so much of you. Not the way you were in high school, but how you are now.”
“Hey,” I say, tossing a tiny piece of bacon off my potato at him. “I was shy in school.”
We both laugh, and Kyler holds up his hands. “And I was a prick. We’re not the same as we used to be, and I’m thankful for that.” He lowers his hands and stares at me. “I am curious, though. Was it moving to a bigger city that changed you?”
Nodding, I finish swallowing my food before I answer. “It was a different way of life. Faster paced, more dangerous, and exciting. I always knew I wanted to get away from here. Start over somewhere else.”
His smile slightly fades, and he averts his gaze to his food. “Does that mean you’re not going to stay?” When his eyes meet mine, I can see the seriousness in his expression. The only reason I would stay is to be with my parents, but I’m starting to think there might be something else I’d possibly be willing to stay for.
“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be coming back. I see our town in a way I never did before.”