Thanks to qtpie235, The Halfa Wannabe, GargoyleSama, Zaratan, JPMod, mattb3671, spectre666, jasminevr, kemiztri, Ace Ian Combat, campy, JeanieBeanie33, momike, Yuri Sisteble, JMAN2.0, conan98002, TexasDad, The Incredible Werekitty, nmorgendorffer, DragonMaster4381, surfost, Jezrianna2.0, Dixon-San, Theta-Alpha-One, Lonestarr, IncrediRaider8, Scoutcraft Piratess, little-n-lost, recon228, NeatScreenName, The Odd Little Turtle and Go-Colts for reviewing. Thanks, too, to those of you have added Nacho Boy to your favs and alert lists – and to everyone for reading.
Special thanks, and a chimarito combo, to campy for his beta-reading and proofreading.
By the way, if you are the only Kim Possible fan to have never seen Gorilla Fist, it will be aired on DC on Nov. 18 at 7:30 as part of a KP marathon. This means that the last remaining unaired episode, the one we actually want to see here in the good ol' US of A, And the Mole Rat will be CGI, should be shown some time in early 2006. Sigh.
If you saw it on KP, Disney owns it. Not that they appreciate what they have …
I.
Ron looked over at Kim; she was nervously drumming the steering wheel as she drove towards the attorney's office for the closing.
"KP, pull over."
"What?" she said, sounding distracted.
"I said, 'pull over'. Now, please."
"But Ron, we'll be late," she said as she looked at the clock on the dashboard.
"Don't care. Pull over."
Kim sighed and did as Ron asked.
"Okay, what is it?" she asked, sounding a bit agitated.
"What's bugging you?"
"Nothing, Ron …"
"Don't give me that, Kim. You've been skittish the last couple of days. And last night you were thrashing about in bed."
Kim grinned at Ron. "So, what's unusual about that, Ron? We do that a lot in bed!"
He smiled warmly at her, but then let a concerned look spread over his face. "Nice try, KP. But you were already sleeping. As someone I love likes to say: spill."
Kim sighed again and stared out the windshield. She wished Ron couldn't read her so well. She was afraid that he'd take what she was going to say the wrong way. "I'm scared, Ron."
He didn't need her to tell him what was causing her to be scared. "We don't have to do this."
"But I want to. You know that, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do, KP. But just because you want to do something doesn't mean you ought to."
Kim groaned. "Thanks, Dad."
"Look, KP, this is huge. For both of us. You think I'm not nervous? I've never bought anything more expensive than a five-year-old car. And now I'm going to buy a condo with you. And I don't even have to deal with memories of what it's like to buy a house with someone and then have everything go south. I don't blame you for being scared."
Kim looked at her boyfriend. "Ron, I just feel terrible. I love you. And I trust you. Yet I feel like, like I'm haunted by Josh, by his betrayal. This, this is such a big step for us. W-what if things go wrong …" she whispered, her eyes beginning to tear up.
Tell me about it, Ron thought. He had at first wondered why they were even going to take out a mortgage. Kim could have bought the new place outright, on her own, and in her own name. But she had talked about the low cost of money and how she could better invest her cash elsewhere. That all sounded fine to Ron, but he knew there was something else going on. He knew that Kim wanted him to feel invested in the place, and she wanted to do something tangible to cement their relationship. He knew she wasn't ready to marry him; he knew she still had issues to work through. But buying a place together seemed like a good way to say, "We're in it for the long haul."
"Kim, I can't tell you what's going to happen in the future. I can only tell you how I feel. You do know I love you with all my heart?"
Kim looked at Ron, and with a smile, nodded.
"Good. Like I told you a while back, always remember that." Ron then took a deep breath. "But maybe we're not ready to take this step. That doesn't mean we're bad people or that there's anything wrong with our relationship. You know I'll still love you. You can buy the place on your own. And if you need some space, I'd be cool with staying in the studio …"
Kim looked at him with a pained expression on her face.
"… not that I want to. I have to confess that I've grown accustomed to having a bon-diggity babe in my house," he admitted with a grin that made her feel especially desirable. "KP, whatever you decide to do, you mean the world to me. In fact, you are my world. And if it isn't today, I hope that someday in the future we will make a home together."
Kim looked at Ron for a long time. "Ron," she said softly. "We've already made a home together. I don't want to give that up. Now or ever." She reached over and took his hand. As if willing her demons into exile, she said confidently, "I want to do this. Are you still willing to?"
Ron, who had been holding Kim's hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed it. "Yeah, I am, KP."
II.
Kim was sitting on the floor of the living room of the new condo, decorating magazines and color swatches spread out before her, talking to Ron. She looked up; a frown began to form on her face. Ron had his back to her and was rummaging through a box.
"Ron! You haven't heard a word I've said," she said, sounding peeved.
"Not true, KP," he replied as he continued his search.
"Don't give me that, Ron Stoppable. I can see you're …"
Ron turned around and looked directly at Kim. "Quote: I think the linen white would be a perfect choice for the guest bedroom. It is SO versatile and would give us lots of decorating options. I could use different sheets and comforters …" Ron continued repeating Kim's words verbatim, right down to the inflection and tone, for the next five minutes. "… so, what do you think? Ron! You haven't heard a word I've said. End quote."
Kim stared at Ron, open-mouthed. "Ron … I, you … how?"
He grinned. "Dunno, I can only do it with you and Snowman Hank, though. Kind of wild, huh?"
"Way wild," she answered with a sigh, conceding defeat. "So, what do you think?"
"I'm all about linen white," he said enthusiastically. "As long as we can use the Fearless Ferret sheets on the bed."
Kim shook her head. She was amused by Ron's devotion to the forty-year-old TV show. She recalled his reaction when she gave him the Fearless Ferret DVD set; one would have thought she'd given him a winning lottery ticket. "Nuh uh," she said.
"Aww, c'mon."
Then she moved over to him and put her arms around his neck. "I thought we'd use them in our room. You never know when I might want to ferret out some fun …"
"Boo …" Ron began to exclaim, until he was cut off by a kiss.
III.
"What's wrong, Kimmie?" Ann Possible asked over her salad. She was delighted when her daughter called to ask her to lunch. Ever since Kim and Ron had become serious, Ann noted, Kim seemed to find more time for her family. There was no question her daughter was still driven and too easily lost in her work, but she was actually taking time to do things other than be in her lab. Not needing to hide from the pain of a failed marriage was making a tremendous difference in Kim's life.
"It's Ron."
That was the last thing Ann Possible wanted to hear from Kim. She had so wanted this relationship to work out. She and James had been thrilled when Kim and Ron bought the condo, seeing that as a sign of how solid their relationship really was.
Kim saw the pained expression on her mother's face. "Mom, it's nothing like that. We still love each other and I couldn't imagine life without him."
Ann let out a sigh of relief.
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know how to say this without sounding like such a jerk, because I really do love Ron. But he's not exactly Stephen Hawking's twin, if you know what I mean."
Ann arched an eyebrow.
"Mom, just listen before you give me that 'I thought I taught you to be better than that' look. I love Ron just as he is. But even though I've told him that time and again, he doesn't really believe me. I thought it was sweet when he began reading the Science for Idiots book. But now he's enrolled in a physics course at Middleton Community College."
"What's wrong with that, Kim? I thought you'd be proud of Ron for trying to improve himself."
"I am, Mom. But he's drowning. Physics just isn't his thing. It's sort of like me and the blender …"
Memories of disasters past caused Ann to shudder.
"…yet he feels inadequate because I can't talk to him about what I do in any real detail. And the conference in Hawaii has him on edge again. He's convinced that when I'm in a room with a bunch of 'brainboys' as he calls them, that I'll wake up and dump him." Kim sighed.
"Have you offered to help him?"
"Yes …"
"Hmmm." Anne looked pensive. "Kimmie, is it possible he took your offer the wrong way?"
Kim snorted. "Possible? Try definite. He essentially accused me of thinking he was too stupid to do the work on his own." She then slumped in her chair. "It probably didn't help that when I first saw his college textbook, I said something about how I remembered using it in Mr. Barkin's 11th grade physics class. He gave me such the look." Kim then sighed. "Considering that he told me how much of a slacker he was in high school, it's really ironic. He just will not let me help him."
"It's a male thing, dear."
"What?"
"Kim, Ron's trying to impress you."
"He doesn't need to impress me. I'm impressed already. I can't fit into some of my favorite clothes anymore because I'm addicted to his cooking and, well, in bed …"
"Too much information, dear …" Ann interjected with a smile. "Kim, this physics thing is a special way for him to say he loves you. It's kind of sweet, really. Most men would just buy you flowers. You found a guy who's trying to talk wave functions with you."
"You're right. And it really is kind of sexy, even if he can't tell the difference between Isaac Newton and a Fig Newton …" she said dreamily.
Ann smiled as she watched her daughter fantasize. "Then you have to let him do this."
"But I can't! I want to help him. And without my help, he's so going to fail, Mom. He can't do this on his own."
"Kim, two things. First, you will never utter those words again. Even if they're true. If you don't let Ron do this, he's never going to overcome his insecurities about not being good enough for you. That said, I do have an idea …"
IV.
"Glad we could meet for a drink, Ron," James said, as he and Ron sat down at the bar.
"Thanks for asking me, Dr. P …"
"Ron, call me James."
"Uh, okay, James." Ron may have been a grown man, but he still felt awkward around Kim's father. Maybe it was the stories about the black hole threats that set him on edge.
They ordered their drinks, James opting for a Lagavulin and Ron an Anchor Steam. They had been talking for a while when James asked, "So, I hear you're taking a physics class at the Community College. Good for you."
"Thanks," Ron said glumly.
"Is everything all right, Ron?"
Ron sat quietly, staring into his beer. He was failing. He just knew that Kim was going to drop him when she realized just how stupid he was. And her father was surely going to think he wasn't good enough for his daughter. All of which pained Ron, because he'd begun to think about proposing. He'd even done some research on restaurants in Honolulu where he might pop the question. But then he'd enrolled in the course, and after just a few meetings of the class all of his insecurities began to resurface and his confidence was shattered. He'd been tempted to drop out, yet he couldn't bring himself to do that. The only thing worse than being stupid, he thought, was being stupid and a quitter. So he'd wind up spending his life alone with an F on his permanent academic record. They could chisel that on his tombstone. 'Ron Stoppable. F in Physics, F in love.'
"No," he finally admitted. "I'm going down. I wanted to be able to share a little bit of Kim's world so I took this class and I am so in over my head it isn't funny. It's been so long since I was in school and I'm not exactly Mensa material …"
James looked at Ron, suspecting he knew what Ron was thinking. That Ron might harbor such thoughts was rather amusing since, in truth, James was very proud of his daughter's boyfriend. He smiled. "How would you like some help?"
"What?"
"Ron, let me go out on a limb here. And please don't take anything I say the wrong way, because I have tremendous respect for you."
Ron looked at Kim's father intently, wondering where this was going.
"You're not cut out for science. You can't hack it, right?" Before Ron said anything, James continued. "You know I have two PhDs?"
Ron nodded.
"You know I almost failed Sociology in college?"
Ron stared at James in amazement.
"I just didn't get it. It was all so – abstract. Not one single equation. All a bunch of touchy feely useless gobbledygook." Ron was impressed by the disdain with which James said all of this.
"So, uh, what did you do?"
"Well, I was dating someone at the time; turned out we were totally incompatible, but we didn't know that then. But boy was she hot!" James saw the expression on Ron's face. "Come on, Ron. I may be a nerdlinger rocket scientist, but I've got hormones, too!" He laughed. "Anyway, Marita helped me through that semester. I'd never needed a tutor before, but she got me through that class …"
"Nice story, James, but totally different situation."
"Why?"
"Your girlfriend had to know you were genius material. I can't go to Kim. It'll just confirm that I'm a dope and, and I don't want Kim to think I'm some kind of loser. James, your daughter is so out of my league … You must wonder why she's even with me."
"Ronald …" That caught Ron's attention. "I know why she's with you. She loves you. And I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you just how happy I am that Kim's with you; I mean that. So you're not going to win a Nobel Prize tomorrow. That's not the only thing in life that's important." James could see Ron was going to protest. "But that's all immaterial. You want to do this for Kim without her help. Well, what if we get you some outside tutoring?"
"I guess I can talk to someone at the College …"
"Actually, Ron, I thought we could do this together. You'll still do all of the work, Ron, but I could help you understand things."
"You'd really do that?"
"It would be my pleasure."
"Thanks, James, I, I don't know what to say …"
"How about you're going to pick up the next round?" James suggested as he waved to the bartender.
V.
"Ron, you seem to be in quite a hurry this morning …"
"Uh, there are some, uh, things I need to take care of before work … See ya later," he said, giving Kim a kiss on the cheek.
She watched him leave the condo, and smiled. Knowing exactly what those things he was going to take care of were, she picked up the phone and placed a call.
"Dad? It's Kim. One hottie physics student is on his way over to you. I just wanted to tell you: You rock in stereo!"
VI.
"You tamed Kimzilla, didn't you?"
Ron remembered those words from Kim a few weeks earlier. Recently, though, she'd been a bear to be around. She worked late; she was snappish. Things weren't going well with her project. She'd encountered some sort of roadblock. He'd hoped that the weekend trip to the regional meeting would have provided them with a nice escape; but here he was, sitting alone in the car, driving to Denver.
He was sad and, to be honest, a bit annoyed. She'd backed out only that morning.
"Ron, I'm sorry, but I can't go. I just don't have time."
"Sure, KP, whatever," he replied.
"Ron," she said, sounding exasperated. "Look, I know this meeting is important to you. And I'm proud that you're receiving an award. But I have to deal with this sitch on the project. I'm sorry, but it just can't wait."
"Yeah, I understand," he said.
"I knew you would," she said as she gave him a light peck on the lips.
But in reality, Ron wasn't sure that he did. He may not have really understood what she was doing, but he couldn't imagine that 48 hours was going to make all that much difference in whether her project succeeded or failed. He couldn't help but think, rather sourly, that despite all the nice things Kim said, she just didn't value what he did. It's not as if anything I do really is important, he fumed as he sped down the highway.
VII.
The Kiminator's in fine form, thought her assistant Nancy. I haven't seen her this tweaked since last summer. Kim had actually been yelling at people the last few days, ranting about her colleagues' incompetence. Now Kim was lashing out at Nancy about some data she'd just reviewed.
Nancy ducked as Kim threw a folder of printouts. The research associate just stared at Kim; as angry as Kim could be, she'd never been one to throw things.
"What are you looking at?" Kim snapped.
"Uh, nothing."
"I'm sorry, Nancy," Kim said, suddenly sounding deflated. "I can't believe I just threw that at you."
"It's okay," Nancy said, noticing Kim's chagrined look.
"It isn't going to work," Kim confessed. "It's not going to work. All this time and effort. For nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"I don't know," she admitted, feeling sorry for herself, as she realized she was confronting professional failure for the first time in her life. She didn't even have Ron to turn to for comfort or a smile, having blown him off so she could struggle with this issue.
Ron. She'd been ignoring him the last few weeks. He'd been a good sport, kept smiling for her, often bringing in delicious meals on the nights when she worked late. But she knew she'd hurt him this morning. She'd crossed a line. She looked at the picture of him she now kept on her desk, then picked up the Bueno Toy.
"Nice work, Possible. Maybe Monkey Boy was right," she muttered. I've got a guy who loves me like there's no tomorrow, she thought, and I'm sitting here on his big weekend worrying about … what? Phase capacitors?
"You okay?" Nancy asked.
"I'm fine. I was just thinking that maybe I do spend too much time here." She looked at her watch. If she left now, she might just make it to Denver in time for the cocktail reception. She could then drive back afterwards, do some more work tomorrow, then return for the Awards Banquet. She knew Ron probably wouldn't believe her, not now, but she really did want to see him walk up to the front of the room to collect his honor. "Let's call it a day. I'll be back tomorrow at 11:00." That way, Ron and I can take our time getting up in the morning …
VIII.
Ron looked out the window; the snow was falling harder. He wanted to call Kim, but he was still peeved and was worried he might say something he'd later regret. He decided to call her before bed. He may have been annoyed with her, but he loved her. Nothing, even her at times disturbing commitment to her research, would change that.
IX.
Kim had always thought of herself as a good driver, one who was aware of everything occurring around her. But in her desire to get to Denver, she didn't fully account for the speed with which driving conditions were deteriorating. She was about twenty minutes from the city limits when she hit the patch of black ice and lost control of the car. She was caught completely off guard, went into a tailspin and slammed into another vehicle.
X.
"You've been doing great work, Ron,"
"Uh, thanks, Art. And thanks for giving me the chance in Middleton."
Ron was at the opening reception, talking with the Regional Vice President.
"Well, you'd done a great job in Riverdale, and what you've done over the last few months has only justified my decision. You're a great site manager, Ron. And you've got a real future with the company."
"Really?"
"I'd like to nominate you for our corporate management training program."
"Wow. That's incredible. But, uh, you know, I never even went to college."
"Well, we can take care of that, too …"
Ron's cell phone began to ring; Kim had finally prevailed upon him to get one. He realized that he'd forgotten to turn if off before coming to the reception and was annoyed at having to interrupt this conversation. He frowned when he saw the caller ID: Denver General Hospital. Someone must have dialed a wrong number, he thought. But if they're trying to find someone, I should let them know … "Excuse me," Ron apologized, "I think I should take this."
His colleague nodded and Ron began to walk across the room.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Stoppable?"
"Uh, yeah …" he asked, confused. Why would the Denver hospital be calling me? he wondered.
"I'm calling about Kim Possible. She's been in an accident."
XI.
Ron ran into the Emergency Room reception area, shivering. He'd run right from the cocktail party through the lobby and to a cab, ignoring the cold and snow. He told the duty nurse who he was and who he was looking for. She told Ron where Kim was located.
He found her in a bed behind a partially drawn curtain, an IV drip in her arm and a bandage on her forehead. She looked like she'd been punched in both eyes, had a number of bruises and her left arm was in a sling.
"Hey, Beautiful."
She turned to see him and smiled, "Hi there."
Ron pulled up a stool and sat beside her bed and took her hand.
"It looks worse than it is," she said, knowing he'd be worried and curious. "The wrist was sprained, nothing's broken and there were no internal injuries."
"Kim, what happened?"
She ignored his question. "I've been such the jerk lately and you've been so sweet …"
"KP, that's not true …" he interjected. All of his anger and frustration with her had melted away the moment he had heard she'd been in an accident
"Ron, don't try to sweet-talk me. You know it is true. I've been taking you for granted. I knew how important this weekend was to you. My priorities have been all messed up. Josh was right … I do put my work first …" she said looking away from Ron. "Of course, he's still a creep and I should never have married him," she added, smiling at her boyfriend. Then she grew serious. "But even a creep can be right. I don't want to lose you, Ron."
"You're not going to lose me, KP. I'll admit, I was hurt that you weren't going to be here for the meeting, especially tomorrow. This is the one thing I do really well …"
"That's not true, Ron. I can think of a number of things you do very well," she said saucily.
"… and," he continued with a sheepish smile, "I wanted to show off for you."
"That's so sweet, Ron."
Ron reddened. "So, you were driving here for the reception. To be here with me."
She nodded. "I thought you might like to go to your party with some eye candy hanging from your arm."
Ron looked at Kim, bruised, her hair disheveled. He leaned over and gently kissed her on the forehead, then grinned. "The Ronman has eye candy. Oh yeah!" Then he leered, knowing how self-conscious Kim could be about her appearance and how she'd appreciate a little ogling. "I bet that johnny you're wearing is kind of revealing in the back, no? Think I could have a peek?"
Kim giggled. "Maybe later …"
Ron's grin grew even wider. "So, when are they going to let you go?"
"Tomorrow morning. They said they wanted to keep me for observation tonight."
"Fair enough. What time should I be here? I'll drive you back to Middleton."
"You will do no such thing, Ron Stoppable. You have your meeting tomorrow."
"Uh, KP, all things considered, I think I can skip the meeting …"
"Ron. You are staying for the meeting. And you are taking me to that banquet tomorrow."
"You sure, Kim?"
She smiled. "So sure. I planned on driving back to the lab tomorrow, then returning for the dinner. But it looks like I'm going to have to do some clothes shopping. Poor me. And I think a spa treatment might be in order," she said, looking pleased with herself, as if she'd just made some great discovery. Then she grinned at Ron. "Now give me a kiss and get out of here. I need my beauty sleep!"
XII.
Kim didn't care that she looked awful, a bandage over her right eye and two shiners to match. She knew there had been a time when she would have been loath to be seen in public like this, but things had changed. She had changed. She was proud of Ron as he walked up to the podium to accept his award, almost as proud as she was when he introduced her to the Regional V.P., who began to tell her about his hopes for Ron's future with the company. Besides, when Ron had gushed over her outfit and told her how beautiful she was, she could tell that he really meant it, which made her feel beautiful – bruises, bandages, and all.
She had looked admiringly at Ron as the V.P. told her about the management training program he wanted to nominate Ron for and how the company would pay for Ron to earn a college degree. Since the company's headquarters were just 100 miles from Middleton, they wouldn't even have to move, as long as Ron didn't mind a long commute.
"Nice work, Nacho Boy," she said as she kissed him when he returned to their table.
"Thanks, KP," he replied, beaming.
XIII.
Kim lay on top of Ron, running her fingers through his hair. She knew that they'd have to restrain themselves during the week Ron's mother was with them. Kim didn't think Mrs. Stoppable needed to know that her son's lover was a screamer. (Kim smiled at that; she'd never been that way with Josh.) Or that her son wasn't exactly quiet in bed, either. (Kim smiled at that, too; she liked knowing she had that effect on her Ron.) Kim was grateful for the night they'd just had together and smiled at her boyfriend, who was wearing a very satisfied look of his own.
"Think that'll carry you through the week, Big Boy?" she asked, wearing a sly grin.
"No way. I think you might need me to help you fix one of those neutronic atom thingies at your lab. And then I'll need you to come to Bueno Nacho to help me inventory the bendy straws."
Kim's curiosity over Ron's mother had been mounting steadily, especially as he grew closer to her parents. James and Ann were very fond of Ron, and he returned the feeling, as if they were fulfilling some unmet parental need of his. Kim's relations with her family had been strained, especially in recent years, but she loved her parents and her brothers. And once she'd put her failed marriage behind her and had begun dating Ron, she had begun spending more time with James and Ann and found that she even enjoyed the time she had spent with the tweebs at Christmas. The events of recent months had reminded her just how important her family was to her.
But Ron's relationship with his mother was different. The tensions seemed to be more primal, more visceral. He rarely talked about her and seemed to view his filial duties as a cross that he had to bear. She secretly hoped that maybe he would be able to revive his relationship with his mother as she had with her family.
Kim kissed Ron, then caressed his ear. "I'm looking forward to meeting your mother."
"Yeah," Ron retorted, "and I heard that Custer said he was looking forward to meeting the Indians before Little Big Horn."
She laughed. "You've talked like she's, oh, I don't know, a dragon lady!"
"We all know there's only one of those, KP. And I heard she's got a thing for chimeritos," he said, with a salacious grin.
"Oh yes, she does like chimeritos. But what she really likes is her side order of manager with some Diablo sauce …"
Ron was quite relaxed by the time he and Kim went to the airport. His mother was to take care of that in short order.
XIV.
Barbara Jo Stoppable strode down the jetway into the terminal. She had unwittingly been to Middleton, or at least the sprawl on the edge of town, once before. Eighteen years earlier, the Stoppables had taken a cross-country drive. Ron had hated the trip, with one exception. It was Ron's birthday, and, unbeknownst to him, his parents had forgotten to get him a present. It was already late, so his father, seeing a Smarty Mart off the interstate, improvised. He exited the highway, pulled into the store lot, and said his son could choose any one thing under $20.
That day, a dream of Ron's came true. He had long wanted a pet. But since his father was allergic to dog and cat hair, Ron couldn't have one. At least wanting to pretend he could have a puppy or kitty on his special day, Ron wandered to the pet section. There he found something he'd actually read about on the internet: naked mole rats. He decided he wanted one. His dad agreed, his mother pulled a face, and Ron put Rufus in his pocket.
XV.
"Mom!" Ron said trying to muster some enthusiasm as she walked through the security gate at the airport.
"Hello, Ronnie," she replied condescendingly, then looked at Kim, who immediately felt like a used car being given the once-over by a suspicious prospective buyer. "You must be Kim," she said coolly as she extended her hand. "Barbara Jo Stoppable."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Stoppable."
"I'm sure," Ron's mother said with an arched eyebrow before she turned her back on Kim and looked at her son.
"Ronnie, get my bags," she ordered.
"Sure, Mom," he said, sounding miffed.
"Let me help you, Ron," Kim offered.
"No, Ronnie's a gentleman," she said with what Kim was sure was a smirk. "He wouldn't let a lady carry luggage. Besides, I wouldn't want you messing up that lovely outfit. St. John, isn't it? I know how expensive those suits are," she said in a way that conveyed her disapproval of what she deemed to be Kim's extravagance. Inwardly, Kim sighed. She'd thought that perhaps Ron had exaggerated about his mother; now she wondered. She was going to have a full week to find out.
TBC …