Kris gets home just after eight.
"Hi buddy," she smiles when she walks in the door.
She walks to the other end of the room and picks something up.
"Did you miss me?" she asks.
Her phone rings. She quickly pulls it out of her pocket. After a short conversation she hangs up. She turns her attention to what she was focusing on before.
"I missed you. I'm sorry that I was gone so long,"
It was good to be out of town for a while. Not that she was going to stay, but she needed some time to tie up these loose ends. Her phone rings again. She answers once again.
"Hello?"
"Hey Kris it's me,"
"Matt?"
"Yeah,"
"What are you doing?"
"I just got home why?"
"Got home?"
"Yeah,"
"As in where?"
"As in the place that I currently reside,"
"Are you still here?"
"Yeah,"
"Are you coming back to stay?"
"I don't know Matt. Probably, but things might change," she admits.
"So then why did you come back here in the first place? I mean now you're training flame, but it just doesn't seem like you're here to stay,"
"I needed some time to figure some things out,"
"Did you figure them out?"
"I guess. Look I'm really tired, can this wait until later,"
"Later as in when?"
"Later as in morning,"
"Yeah, ok," he agrees.
"Bye," she hangs up.
She puts her phone down on the counter. "Hey handsome," she smiles once again.
"I'm so stupid I never should have left you," she says not eliciting a response.
"I love you so much," she says very easily.
She stares into a pair of deep brown eyes. She pets a head full of curly dark brown hair. She clutches a warm body.
"What are you looking at buddy?" Kris asks as a pair of brown eyes look at her.
She sits quietly at home in a low light on a not so comfortable couch. The truth was she was just home. For the night anyway. She was home finally. Soon she drifts off to sleep. At ten a low gurgling noise wakes her up. She opens her eyes and meets a pair of identical ones.
"Sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep on you,"
Once again no response.
"Ethan I'm talking to you,"
Crickets.
"Excuse me I'm talking to you. Aren't I important? Huh? Excuse me,"
She stretches and then takes a deep breath.
"Oh boy do you smell bad,"
She just stares at the face staring back at her. She lays the body she's holding on the couch on it's back. She takes it all in. She looks at the body from head to toe. Chubby toes, and legs, a healthy belly, and rolls of fat around the arms. All covered in red fleecy fabric. Then on up to the face. A beautiful round face with perfect lips a button nose, and big brown eyes. All topped of with wavy dark brown hair.
"Ethan Christopher, what about me?" she asks as the tiny chubby body sucks on it's own fingers.
Those big eyes just stare up at her.
She plants several sloppy kisses on his face. He smiles at her. "Are you ready for bed?" she asks.
She arrives at work on time. She brushes past Dani and says a quick hello to Noah before they get started. Their first order of business is to head out to Raintree to check on one of the rescued horses. They get back to the office just after eleven. Noah decides to go out for lunch, and Kris straightens out some paper work.
"Something on your mind?" Dani asks her.
"Yeah,"
"You want to tell me about it?"
"Nope,"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah,"
"You've been different lately what's going on?"
"I don't know what you're talking about,"
"You seem really preoccupied lately,"
"How so?"
"Well you get done with work, and it's almost as if anything extra is an imposition,"
"I don't understand,"
"You act like you are in a rush to get home. As if you can't wait to get there,"
"So?"
"So is there a reason?"
"I'm just tired,"
"Kris that's not it. I've seen you tired, and I know that you can sleep anywhere,"
"So? Sometimes I just want to get home to my own bed. I'd like to have a nice shower after being with a bunch of horses all day,"
"I can understand that. But I'm never that rushed,"
"I've just got... stuff,"
"Stuff?"
"Yeah stuff,"
"What kind of stuff?"
"I don't know?"
"Stuff like a man?"
"A man are you kidding me? Like I even have time for that sort of relationship right now,"
"Is he good looking?"
"Dani there is no man,"
"A woman?"
"NO!"
"Can you honestly look me in the eye and tell me that you don't have a boyfriend waiting for you at home?"
"Dani I don't have a boyfriend waiting for me at home," she honestly admits as she stares Dani in the eye.
"Ok,"
"That's it you're going to drop it?"
"I didn't say that, but I'll let it go for the time being,"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes,"
"Ok,"
Kris gets home by six that evening. She's just sat down when her phone rings. She quickly answers it.
"Hello?"
"Hey Kris are you home?"
"Yeah why do you need something?"
"Like what?"
"Do you need me to come back?"
"No,"
"Then what do you need?"
"I thought we were friends now,"
"We are, but I'm just really busy right now,"
"Ok. I'll talk to you later then,"
"Ok," Kris agrees.
"Bye," she hangs up.
Less than five minutes later there's a knock on the door. She gets up from folding laundry, and looks through the peephole. She sees Dani and opens the door.
"Are you following me now?"
"No I just wanted to see where you lived,"
"Ok,"
"Can I come in?"
"No," she replies semi-seriously.