Well This Is Just Swell
Chapter 14: A Visit with Kendra
Bo sat on the couch while Kendra poured them both some lemonade in her kitchen. It had been Kendra’s idea to meet up and talk some, so she was glad when he’d decided to come over and take her up on the offer. Luke had told her about the deal that he’d made with Bo, and she had been impressed with their growing maturity. Luke had also mentioned that he wanted her to kind of talk to Bo and find out how he planned to approach Hilery. Kendra knew that she and Daisy would have to help him with quite a few things along the way.
Kendra returned, lemonade in hand. She set the two glasses down on the coffee table, and sat down beside the blond Duke. Bo instantly grabbed his glass and gulped half of it straight down.
“Thirsty huh?” The brunette chuckled as she watched him lay the glass back down and wipe his mouth.
“Just a little.” He gave her a grin and she chuckled more. “So what are we goin’ to talk about?”
She knew he wasn’t comfortable talking like this, but he knew he had to open up if he wanted to boost his chances of going out with Hilery. “Let’s see.” Kendra said, breaking the uneasy silence. “How about we start off with you telling me what you usually do to get a girl to like you.”
He shot her a look, leaving her in no doubt that he really didn’t want to answer. “You know.”
“Yah, but I want to hear you say it.”
“Fine.” He sighed. There was no way of avoiding this. “Well… you know… show off a bit in the General, and then flash them one of my smiles.”
Kendra just shook her head. “You’re goin’ to need to stop with that. First off, if you’re going to try and find a serious relationship you need to let the girl fall in love with the stuff on the inside, like your personality. Second, Hilery won’t fall for all that. She’s seen it all before and ‘sides, she has her own fast car.”
“Okay….” He had to concede that that approach would not impress Hilery.
“Now, what is your dream date?” She was very genuinely curious about this. They’d known each other so long that there weren’t many secrets between them, but this was one of the few things she didn’t know.
Bo thought long and hard. His bemused look no doubt revealed that no one had ever asked before. “Isn’t that a girly thing?”
She rolled her eyes at him. It was just like Bo to make that kind of comment. “No. Guys can have them too.”
“Fine. My dream date would be to take a girl to something I like… like a race.”
The brunette shook her head at this suggestion. “That is such a typical male answer. Hilery might act like one of the guys, and she may even enjoy going to a race with you, but I bet she’d prefer something a little more girly.”
“Okay. Tell me what yours would be.” Said Bo, eager to shift the conversation away from himself. Kendra looked at him. They weren’t here to talk about her. Bo seemed to tell what she was thinking. “If you’re goin’ to ask me questions, then I should be able to ask you some.”
She sighed. She knew it was a fair point. “Well… my dream date would be a guy getting me just one single camellia, then taking me to a beautiful spot in the county for a picnic.” Bo looked at her and held in a smile. She didn’t hide her feminine side, but her dream date sounded more girly than he’d expected. “Now that that’s done, tell me what ya like about Hil.”
“Her personality.” He answered quickly. “I love the way she can take care of herself and doesn’t let guys control her. I also love her hair. The length is perfect and the color just shines in the sun.”
Kendra looked at him as he talked. She tried not to show any emotion even though she’d never heard him speak like this. He was like a completely different person. Gradually his voice tailed off, leaving him staring silently at his glass. He was in his own little world.
“Bo.” She gently shook him and he was back in the real world.
“Huh?” All he was able to remember was that he was telling Kendra what he loved about Hilery. Once he’d started thinking of her he couldn’t stop, until Kendra had shaken him.
“Ya okay?” She wanted to make sure that he was alright.
Bo knew that Kendra would make fun of him if she found out what how deeply he’d been thinking. He didn’t want to give too much away. “Yah I’m fine. I was just thinking.”
The brunette knew he wasn’t telling her everything. She’d known him long enough to pick up on the tell-tale signs. She also recognized that she wouldn’t get any more by pushing him too hard. “Good. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me?”
He did have something, and he’d been waiting for the best time to ask. “Do ya think Hil likes me the way I like her?”
The blond looked at the brunette in hope that she would give him a good answer. “Bo, I don’t see why not. She knows you better than most. She knows so much about you. She knows the stuff you love, the stuff you hate. Heck, she knows enough that she could create an exact clone, almost.” He perked up at hearing that. “And you both have so much in common that it’s not funny. Ya both get along easily, and that’s a good thing.”
Bo knew she was right. She always seemed to be right. “How come you act like you’re the older one?”
She chuckled. Sometimes she did seem like the older of the two. “I don’t know. Just depends on the person I guess.” She said as she grabbed her glass of lemonade and took a drink. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Bo yawning. “Ya tired?”
She laid the glass down and looked over at him. Bo hadn’t thought of it until she asked, but he was tired. The medicine could be mean sometimes. “A little I guess.”
“Yah want to sleep in the guest room?”
“I’d rather go home.”
“That’s fine with me.” She stood up and grabbed her keys out of the kitchen. Bo met her by the door and they both walked out to her car.
Getting in, Kendra kept thinking about all that Bo had said. He seemed like a whole different person. She’d never known this side of him.
As she drove him home, he began to snore softly. He had fallen asleep with his head resting against the seatbelt that held him in place. He looked so handsome as he slept, and younger than his 24 years. Kendra hoped Hilery would appreciate the love he was finally ready to give to her. Bo could be devoted when he wanted to be, and he was going to be devoted to the beautiful, blonde Davenport woman. Yes, she sincerely hoped they would be good for each other. Both deserved to be happy… but she also suspected Bo had called his visit short due to more than just the medication. She suspected it was because he didn’t know how to talk about his feelings for the younger woman. They were feelings he’d never expressed, and when you suppress something for so long, it becomes hard to let those feelings out; to let others know about them.
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