Flight to Paradise Ch. 05

"Okay. Let me find the car." He pings the car and it responds with its location, which Mac then calls up a map. "I'll be damned," he says with a chuckle. "I don't know how it happened, but the car is just around the corner and one block up."

Kate smiles slightly, her mood beginning to brighten. "All part of my master plan."

She moves as if her feet are fine, and as they walk along, the dress shop falling farther behind, she continues to brighten, until by the time they reach the car, her normal spunk has mostly returned. When he located the car, he had the vehicle start and begin to cool the interior, so by the time she settles into the comfortable leather, the interior is a pleasant 72°. Kate sighs in comfort, settling into the thick seats and kicking her shoes off.

He shuts her door and strides around the car. As he settles behind the wheel, he looks at her, still a bit unsure of what happened earlier. "Where to?" he asks as he pulls away from the curb.

"I think I'd just like to go home."

"Everything okay? I haven't done anything to upset you have I?"

She pats him on the arm. "Everything is fine, and no, you haven't done anything to upset me." She pauses, as if she has more to say, but then seems to change her mind.

It takes about an hour to get to Kate's house, a drive that passes with little conversation. Mac is slightly confused by her up and down mood. Before he'd offered to buy the dress, she'd been very upbeat, but then her mood had turned dangerous over the dress. While walking back to the car her mood had brightened considerably, but she still seemed a bit moody, and for the life of him he can't figure out why. Hell, he'd spent more than the cost of the dress on dinner last night, and that didn't seem to bother her.

As he pulls into her drive, she begins putting on her shoes. He retrieves her range bag from the trunk and opens her door just as she finishes tying her shoes. He's a bit surprised when she slips her arm through his and snuggles in close, figuring he's done something to piss her off and this would be the last he sees of her.

She unlocks the front door then turns into him and kisses him fully on the lips. He's still for a moment but recovers quickly and returns the kiss. Her blood begins to rush, but just as the kiss begins to get interesting, she breaks it off. "Ping me tomorrow?" she asks, placing a hand on his chest as she holds her lips close to his.

He blinks, trying to get his mind around what it is going on. "Sure, if you like." Kate is all over the place, cool, then hot, then cool again. Just when he thinks the kiss is going somewhere, and she's going to invite him in, she pulls back.

"I'd like you to," she says before kissing him once more, but without the passion of the previous kiss. "I have to go." She opens the door, takes her bag from his hand, and backs inside before closing the door.

He puts his hand against the door, holding it open. "Kate! Wait a minute," he says, releasing the door to prevent her from thinking he's going to force his way in. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

She pauses, looking at him. "It's nothing, Mac. It's nothing you did, and I'm not upset with you. I must be tired, that's all. I think you wore me out." Her face breaks into a smile before sobering again. "Don't worry, okay? It really is nothing." She pauses for a moment, then smiles again. "But you'll ping me tomorrow, right?"

"Yes," he says, relieved that he hasn't done something to upset her. "I'll ping you sometime tomorrow morning, before I leave town."

"Okay, good." She steps out of the door to give him one more modest kiss, then backs into the house and smiles at him as she begins to close the door, expecting him to block it open again. He doesn't and she swings the door shut.

He stands on the porch for a moment after the door clicks shut, wondering what the hell is going on, and wondering what her strange little smile is all about. With a small shake of his head, he turns and walks back to his car. As he backs the car out of Kate's driveway a ping arrives from LA Prosthesis.

"McMillan," he says, accepting the ping.

"Mr. McMillan. Your prosthesis is ready, and we have you scheduled for an 11:00 fitting tomorrow," the voice on the other end of the ping says. "Say 'Accept' to accept this appointment or 'Change' to reschedule."

"Accept," he says with a smile, knowing that Abby probably had something to do with the timing of the appointment.

"Appointment scheduled. Thank you for using LA Prosthesis," the voice says before the link drops.

He's satisfied with the arrangements. He'll be fitted with his leg tomorrow morning, grab a quick lunch with Abby, and be his on his way home by two or three o'clock while there's still plenty of light left for flying. It's too bad Kate hadn't invited him in, so they could have one more tumble before he leaves tomorrow, but sometimes that's the way of things. She really may not be mad at him, but her dark mood makes him unsure, so he hadn't pressed her to let him stay. He likes Kate. He likes her a lot. He can be patient, not pressure her, and see where this might be going. As the Mercedes glides silently along, a tickling of an idea forms, and he smiles as he debates the idea with himself.