Should’ve Known It’s You (Not You Again #7)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

KENNEDY

A couple of days after my meeting and subsequent axe-throwing episode with Austin, I arrived at Winrey and Benji’s small two-bedroom apartment. Sliding my hands into the pockets of my coat after I knocked, I blew out a long, slow breath, trying to snap myself out of the downward spiral I’d been in since that day.

I’d been trying so hard to stay positive through everything, but now that I knew what I was facing and I also knew that there was no way I could get it done by myself anytime soon, it was really hard to keep the dream alive. The fact of the matter was that I could draw up a business plan by myself, and I’d spent the last couple of days researching how to do just that, but ultimately, especially for a business with as many facets as I envisioned mine having, it wasn’t as simple as just bleeding my thoughts onto a piece of paper.

As Winrey opened their front door, I looked at her glowing, round cheeks and her wide, happy smile, and I decided to check my worries right here in the hallway. I wouldn’t take them in there with me. It just wouldn’t be fair.

“Kenny!” she exclaimed happily as she drew me into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. Come see what Benji did today.”

“I can’t wait.” I gave her a quick squeeze before letting go and following her into their place.

They’d been living here for a few months, having signed the lease shortly after finding out that my sister was pregnant. It was in an okay area of the city, and frankly, it had been the best they could afford.

Benji worked in the paint department of a hardware store, and he’d been getting discounted paint from work and busting his butt every night to make the place shine. I loved coming here to visit them, and I really couldn’t wait to see what he’d gotten up to today.

As Winrey and I walked in, he strode out of the kitchen and came over to hug me, a giant grin on his face and his floppy black hair speckled with pale yellow paint. I grinned as he enveloped me in a bear hug, my voice muffled against his chest as he squeezed me tight.

“I think I know what you did,” I said in a playful, singsong voice. “We’re finally making progress on the nursery, aren’t we?”

Benji chuckled, nodding against the top of my head as he released me. “We are. Hey, Kenny. How’s your week been going?”

I shrugged, but I wasn’t about to burden them with my problems. “It’s okay. Nothing new or exciting to report, unfortunately.”

I stepped away from him and let out a low whistle when I realized the nursery wasn’t the only thing he’d been painting this week. Their tiny entrance hall had once been a dirty, minty green reminiscent of the mental institutions of old, but it was now a pleasant, calming light gray.

In their little living area, he’d painted the wall around the fireplace a striking navy blue while the remaining walls were the same gray as the entrance hall, and even the kitchen cupboards seemed to have gotten some attention. I grinned.

“Wow, Benji. This is looking really good. Amazing.”

While he’d been busy with the actual structure, it looked like Winrey had been decorating. Their bookshelves were filled with novels, the spines of which said they’d actually been read, and various knick-knacks had been arranged around the edges.

They’d also brought in some greenery with potted houseplants and it looked like they’d started with babyproofing as well, the corners of their tables now all boasting foam where there had previously been sharp edges. “Well done, you guys. It’s really starting to take shape, isn’t it?”

“Only the best for my girl,” Benji said, slinging an arm around Winrey’s shoulders and nuzzling her hair.

She giggled and leaned into him, her eyes closing as she brought up a hand to lay it over his heart. I smiled. It always brought tears to my eyes when they had a moment like this, and they had them often.

Regardless of my parents’ opinions about Benji, he was putting his heart and soul into creating a wonderful home for their baby. He knew this was a compromise for her, moving into a place like this when she’d grown up in a freaking mansion on a large piece of property with housekeepers and new clothes all the time, but he didn’t have to worry so much.

Winrey adored this place because it was theirs , and besides, she and I both remembered what life had been like back when we’d been living in Firefly Grove. Our entire family home hadn’t been much larger than this apartment and yet it was the happiest either of us could ever remember being.

She opened her eyes and giggled again, then slipped out from under his arm, grabbed my hand, and led me down the short corridor to the bedrooms. “Benji spent all day in here. He painted the window trim, and he’s also hung the shelves and mounted the dressers to the walls. You’re going to be so surprised. You won’t even recognize it.”

As I walked into the little bedroom after her, my heart skipped as I realized that soon, there really was going to be a little baby sleeping in here. A miniature version of either Winrey or Benji.

“It’s really coming together,” I commented lightly, clearing my throat so she wouldn’t hear how emotional I was.

These days, if I started crying, so did she and this was supposed to be a nice family dinner. Not a sob-fest.

I smiled at the ornate wooden rocking chair tucked into the corner, a flowered cushion resting on top of it and an ottoman that had seen better days at its side. “I love that. It looks so cozy.”

Winrey chuckled as she wrapped her arm around mine and rested her head on my shoulder. “We just picked it up at a garage sale earlier this week. I need to get a cover for the ottoman and we’ll have to buy a new cushion for the chair, but I love it too.”

“Alright, Sweet sisters!” Benji called from the kitchen. “The lasagna’s ready. Come get it while it’s hot.”

“We’ll be there in a minute,” she replied, squeezing my arm before she turned and left the room.

I stayed for a moment longer, pressing my hand to my racing heart as I imagined the baby who was going to be living in here. I couldn’t wait to be an aunt, and I desperately wanted to be able to help them out, but I couldn’t do that until I made something of myself, and that goal seemed to be further away than ever.

Sighing, I finally spun and followed Winrey to the kitchen. I pasted a wide grin on my face as we dished up, but then, as we sat down to have dinner together, she just had to go and be the amazing sister she was.

“How did your business pitch go the other day?” she asked. Her eyes were soft and caring on mine as she speared her fork into the lasagna. “Do you have an investor yet?”

Crap. I was really hoping she forgot about that meeting.

“It was good,” I lied. Although I had gotten a few good tips from Austin, so it hadn’t been all bad either. “I’ll see if they get back to me with a yes.”

“They will,” she said confidently, beaming at me. She took a delicate bite of her food and swallowed it before reaching for her water. “If they don’t, then the next investor will. You’re going to find the right person, Kenny. I know you are. Your idea is awesome. You just need a person with a little bit of vision to hear it.”

“She’s right,” Benji said, his voice as confident and strong as hers. “It’ll happen, Kenny. You just need to keep the faith.”

I felt pressure behind my eyes once more, but I held back the tears, really not wanting them to worry about me. They had more than enough going on in their own lives and there was no reason to worry them anyhow. Neither of them could help me with a business plan this complex. Telling them would genuinely be nothing but a burden.

“How are you feeling after telling Mom and Dad about the baby?” I asked. “I’ve been worried about you.”

She sighed heavily and shook her head. “I’ve been hoping that they would’ve given me a call sometime over the last couple of days to apologize and to tell me that they’re happy for us, but it just hasn’t happened. It’s probably not ever going to happen. They’re just not like that, I suppose. I have to find a way to make peace with it.”

I grimaced, my heart aching for her. I saw the profound sadness suddenly shimmering in her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Winrey. I’m still hoping they’ll come around, but in the meantime, I’m here for you guys.”

“I know. Thank you.” She gave me a genuine but teary smile, then dabbed her eyes with her napkin and shook her head again. “They’re too busy doing damage control at the country club to check on me, I’m sure. Imagine what all their well-to-do friends will think about their unwed daughter getting knocked up.”

I snorted. “It’s 2024. Nobody is going to care or think twice about it. It’s just our parents who are uptight, judgmental prudes.”

“Really? I always had the impression they were very open-minded and accepting,” Benji joked, obviously trying to lighten the mood.

My sister and I both laughed, and I finally tucked into my food, once again grateful that Winrey had him in her life. Honestly, they were perfect for each other. My parents couldn’t see it, but before they’d met, Winrey had been serious, tightly wound, and terribly unhappy, simply going through the motions of life.

Benji had taught her how to have fun again, and in the process of falling in love with him, she had discovered her authentic self. At the same time, however, she had also grown apart from our parents, which was another big gripe they had about him.

Rather than realizing that Winrey had grown distant from them because of their attitude toward him, they blamed Benji for it. The pauper who had stolen their little princess. It was ridiculous.

“Do we know yet if it’s a boy or a girl?” I asked, revisiting a conversation we had every time I saw them. “They have to be able to tell by now, right?”

“They can, but we’ve decided not to find out,” she said playfully. “I know you’re desperate to know, but we want to be surprised.”

“Surprised?” I groaned, my head shaking hard and fast. “Nooooo, you can’t do this to me. How am I supposed to know what to buy? How are we supposed to debate names?”

“Says the girl called Kennedy ,” Benji teased as he shot me an amused look. “We’ve got a few names picked out, so if there are any you want to throw into the ring, do it. Just let us know and we’ll add them to the list, but we’re only going to make a decision when the baby is here.”

I sighed dramatically but let it go, asking more about their appointments with the doctor and their plans as we finished dinner. Once we were done eating, Winrey made to get up to clear the table, but I waved her away.

“Go and relax. You guys made dinner. I’ll clean up.”

They both mumbled a few protests but pretty quickly stopped pretending to be disappointed and headed into the living room instead. As I did the dishes, I caught sight of Benji massaging his pregnant girl’s feet while she lay back on the sofa. I paused to watch, smiling at the sight of the man so openly loving on my sister.

Winrey deserved it. One of these days, my parents would finally realize it too. At least, I truly hoped they would.

As I turned back to the sink, I wondered if I would ever find love like that. Maybe I just wasn’t wired that way, though. Every time I felt like I’d gotten close to finding the one , the universe wound back and clocked me on the jaw.

My last boyfriend had been the worst one of all, which was why I’d sworn off men for a while. Aside from Austin, obviously, who had been a very fun distraction for just that one night. Before Jess’s wedding, I’d gone on those disastrous dates and realized it might be best to take a break from that scene for a bit. Then Austin had happened, but I hadn’t even looked at a man since.

Which meant finding the elusive one was as unlikely as getting my business off the ground.

Eventually, as I finished up with the dishes, I put an end to that train of thought.

The only thing that had to matter to me right then was my business, not love. Love could wait or it could just go on its merry way. I had to stay focused on what was important, and that was work. I left the kitchen and joined Benji and Winrey in the living room, settling down with a glass of water.

“Can I ask you guys some questions?” I glanced between them. “It’s about the restaurant. The investor I met with asked me a few things and I’m trying to do a bit of market research.”

“Of course,” my sister agreed immediately and Benji nodded his agreement as well. “Anything we can do to help. What do you want to know?”

I thought about everything Austin had said. “Well, let’s start with what your favorite thing is about a restaurant, and also what you feel is missing right now on the list of your go-to places? As a couple and as individuals, what puts you off and what is it that keeps you going back?”

As they considered the questions, I pulled my phone out of my pocket to take notes of their answers. This was just the beginning of what I knew would be a very long process, but I had to start somewhere and this was as good a place as any.