There's so much I felt I should say Who: Kiley Ricks and Mason Normandin Where: Starbucks to start When: Late afternoon
Things were slow this afternoon, and Kiley was grateful. Granted, it meant there were always projects to do around the store, and things that needed to be cleaned, but she never minded that. So long as there wasn't any bleach involved, her werewolf senses had never liked the stuff, and she didn't foresee that changing in the immediate future. It also meant she was going home an hour early, and though she could probably use the money, an early day was always something to be happy about.
There were two things that gave Mason away the moment he walked into the store: his scent, and the fact that he was towering over everyone else in line. Kiley just grinned and reached over to snag a venti cup along with her Sharpie. "You're in luck," she called out to him as she wrote down his drink first, and then started scribbling along the side of the cup. At the moment she was going for a cop car speeding away; whether or not it actually looked like that to anyone else, she didn't know. An artist, Kiley Ricks was not. "Yours is the last drink I'm making before I'm out for the day. Don't worry, I'll get it right." Smiling, she bounced over to the bar, steaming some milk. Hopefully Mason wasn't rushing out the door, she would like the chance to catch up with him for a while.
It had been a fucked up past couple of weeks for Mason. A mixture of everything happening in town along with constant media hype with his family, especially with the full moon coming soon, left the alpha-male exhausted. The only thing that was keeping him up was caffeine, and dear god, did he need it now. He had gotten off his shift for the day, dressed in his usual preppy casual attire with a fancy, designer peacoat thrown over it to stop the rain. Walking into the Starbucks, he closed his umbrella and instantly caught Kiley's scent. Even through the thick smell of coffee, he could pinpoint her any day.
"Well then, isn't that impeccable timing?" Mason smirked with a smug chuckle, whipping out his wallet to pull out his Starbucks card that was pretty much on a daily refill at this point. "Guess I caught you at a good time. I just got off of work myself. And hey," he snapped his fingers playfully at Kiley, "no rushing my drink just because you're home free after this." Kiley was perhaps the only person he trusted to make his drinks. She had it down to an art, regardless if her scribbles on the cups said otherwise. It was enough to put a smile on his face and keep the ones that perked up his day the most. There was a pyramid of Starbucks cups in the office, which no one dared to touch. The idea of facing Mason's wrath was bad enough.
In moments like this, it was easy to forget that the full moon was right around the corner, and the monster inside her would find a way out once again. It wasn't that she didn't know what to do; she had her cage, and she knew Corwin would be there going through the same thing with her, and she'd get through it. Anything to keep her mind off that was a good thing - and Mason, dressed up in that peacoat, did just that. Seriously, she was starting to wonder if the boy actually knew what the word "casual" meant.
Anyone else snapping their fingers at her might have been met with a glare or a warning, but Kiley just giggled, waving Mason's hand away. "I think my coworkers are just happy I'm here to make it so they don't have to remake it a bunch of times for you," she said, teasing. She'd made his drink enough times to know exactly how he liked it, and yes, there was a pride thing, knowing she was one of the few he trusted with it. It was a little thing, but it did make her feel special. "Any big plans for the afternoon, or just heading home?" A question she could have asked anyone, but she couldn't lie, she did hope he was free long enough for more than a five minute conversation while he got his caffeine fix.
"I think they'd have to suffer way more than remaking my drink," Mason snorted while pulling out a ten dollar bill and tossed it nonchalantly to the counter. Way more than what was needed to pay for the drink, but the extra went to tips, because holy crap, whoever could pull off his orders deserved it. Then there was Kiley's question, which he merely sighed at. "Unless you count me going home to take a nap and watch TV some master plan of mine, then no. Last thing I need is something to overwhelm the hell out of me." He rubbed his eyes with a sigh, quite evident as to why he needed the caffeine in the first place. That and he was certain Kiley could sympathize with the whole anxiety prior to the full moon. Not that he had the same worries as her, but still. Any were got all sorts jumpy before that night. And then he raised an eyebrow in Kiley's direction, watching her work away. "Why? Do you have major plans? I'd think your plot for world domination would be on hold until after the rain." Kiley was the only person he could joke with like that. Had to be the geeky side of her. Anyone in his family would have raised an eyebrow at him. What? This was what happened when he was once mated to a freaking RISD student for who knew how long.
"You do realize you scare the crap out of our newbies, right?" She said this in jest, but it was also true. Not everyone wanted to make Mason's drink, and if Kiley hadn't been doing so for so long, she couldn't blame them. At least she knew that, when she came around the other side of the counter to present it to him, she knew it was made right, and that it had enough caffeine in it to help fight off the tiredness she could see in his eyes. Without missing a beat, she said, "Well, it's the same thing we do every night, Pinky." She winked, hoping like hell he'd get the reference. "Seriously, though, I'm out an hour early and I don't have anything to do tonight. Maybe we could hang out for a bit, feels like I haven't seen you in forever." This was about the time everyone within earshot was raising an eyebrow at her, if only because the two of them didn't seem like they'd be friends. But they were, and to Kiley, that was really all that mattered.
"Oh trust me, I do." He was certain that smirk on his face just made the new girl down at the end cower a bit. Some days Mason would come in and order a somehow possibly more complicated drink, just to fuck with them. It was how he rolled. And Kiley's adorable reference to Pinky and the Brain had him laughing. Oh, childhood memories of after school cartoons. Why couldn't they still be around? "Wow, I'm being included in your evil overlord plot? I feel honored." Taking his drink, he nodded gratefully in her direction and took a sip. Mmm, perfect. "I'd be down for that, just as long as it's nothing too over the top. None of this running out into the woods bullcrap, yeah?" Mason raised an eyebrow, knowing that they wouldn't run into a demon this time around, but seriously. He was just flat out exhausted. "Besides, it really has been forever. The hell have you been doing?" While his voice was calm, there was a demanding tone in it, as if he was lecturing his child about where they were past curfew. Then again, he considered Kiley pack, so of course he was going to be worried if she dropped off the face of the earth for a while.
All the other baristas might have been scared of him, but Kiley wasn't. Truth was, she never really had been. Probably helped that Mason was good friends with her brother, and somehow that gave her an in, or something. He was one of her good friends, now, and likewise, she considered him pack - and not just because he was a wolf, the same as her. "Seriously, evil shenanigans. You never know, I'm sure I can think of a way to use your height and strength to my advantage." She was teasing, of course, the smile on her face said so. "Oh, no, no run," she said, reaching up to take her hair down from its ponytail. "We could just watch a few movies or get food or something, I'm all over being low key." The next question was a little tougher to answer, because she knew Mason, and she knew he'd be pissed over the whole Cedric thing. "Would you believe me if I said I really was just sitting around my house trying not to feel sorry for myself?"
Movies and take-out actually sounded like a good idea. Mason was all for that. Even more so now that he was able to catch up with Kiley. While he enjoyed their little teasing comments on and off, he was still concerned when she told him what she had been up to. Now that wasn't very Kiley-esque at all. She had way more life to her than that. His eyebrows knitted up while looking at her, catching her scent and knowing that there wasn't fear laced in there. She was telling the truth. Now, why exactly she was doing that was beyond him, but he hoped to find out. "I'd like to not believe that, but you kind of give me no choice." Another sip from his yummy drink, shifting his weight onto the other leg, and he raised a brow at Kiley. "Everything been alright? I mean... is that bothering you at all?" That being the full moon. He knew how hard the girl was on herself with being a bitten were, but Mason refused to let her feel sorry for herself. Hell no, he'd keep her chin up.
Kiley wasn't the kind of person who lied to her friends. Granted, not all of them knew exactly what she was, but that wasn't lying, that was just her own fears and concerns getting in the way. When it came down to it, she did want Mason to know, and if that wasn't part of catching up, then what was? She just didn't want him to get some crazy ideas about tracking Cedric down via his police connections because if she really wanted that, she would have asked him to do so in the first place. Tucking a piece of hair around her ear, she glanced around the cafe, knowing her coworkers had known she'd been seeing someone and that Cedric was not coming around anymore. "It's not that," she said, "no more than usual, anyway." Meaning: with the moon coming up, it was about to bother her a whole hell of a lot more, but Mason already knew that. "Give me two seconds to grab my stuff from out back and I'll explain on the way out, okay?"
Something besides the full moon? That was new to Mason and he found himself instantly concerned. What the hell could be eating at Kiley Ricks enough to put her at such distress that wasn't the obvious? Blinking, Mason found himself nodding in response, knowing that the sooner they headed out, the sooner she could tell him what was going on. "I'll be here," he lifted his drink up at her while heading over to one of the window seats to sit down at, sipping casually at his drink. While waiting, he couldn't help but be lost in his thoughts, worried about the lovely redhead. Mason knew he would do whatever he could to make sure she was happy. If someone needed to be punched in the face, he was all over it. No one fucked with his pack... or the girl he had been eying for quite some time. Good thing Nikki wasn't there right now or she would have been laughing at him for blushing a bit at the thought.
She gave him the strongest smile she could, not looking forward to that conversation either. But, the sooner they had it, the sooner it was out of the way and they could move on to something else. With a quick nod, she went out back, clocked out and grabbed her things. Of all days, why was today the one when she didn't bring a change of clothes? Instead she just had a hoodie to throw on over her black Starbucks clothes, though she did pause to take a quick look in the mirror. Kiley always felt like she looked like something of a frump next to Mason - because he definitely had more fashion sense than she did, hands down. But, so long as she was free of any flecks of syrup or chai or mocha, it was the best she was going to get. Bag slung over her shoulder, she came out to find Mason sitting at one of the tables, and was he blushing? Kiley smiled at the sight, tapping him on the shoulder. "All yours now."
Mason couldn't help it if he grew up in a rich household where his parents refused to buy clothing from places like Target. That and his kid sister always dragging him to all sorts of designer stores. It sort of brushed off on him. And Kiley didn't look like a frump. Not by a long shot. If only she knew how beautiful she looked in just a hoddie. Looking over his shoulder, he flashed her a smile while rising out from his seat, towering over the redhead. "Good to know," he gave her a playful wink before heading to the door, opening it politely for her. "So I do believe you owe me an alibi, missy." She did promise to let him know what was up and like hell Mason would ever shake that out of his mind. He wanted to make sure Kiley was doing alright, even if he came off as a prick when he did just that. "What's up?"
Knowing how much taller Mason was than her and standing next to him were two different things. Kiley smiled up at him, nodding her head in thanks as they went outside, flicking her hoodie up over her head in a vain attempt to keep from getting too soaked. Unlike Mason, her umbrella was at her house, damn good place for it with weather like this. She did like the sight of that wink, even knowing that there was a command behind his words, too. There was no doubting that he was an alpha, and she wasn't. And Kiley did listen to him. "Okay, don't get mad," she said, "because you and I haven't hung out since before the last moon and you know how I get after all of that and the vampire thing happened and - yeah." She blew out a breath, glancing up at him, "I was seeing someone for all of about thirty seconds and of course he left, and I got sad about it. That's why I wasn't going anywhere, I was busy feeling sorry for myself."
Various thoughts danced about Mason's head, trying to figure out what was eating at the girl. Knowing that she was miserable because of a boy? A boy that wasn't himself? Oh, that put Mason in a whole new level of pissed off. He was busy opening up his umbrella for the two of them when she laid that bit of information into him, happy that both his hands were occupied or else he would have slammed a fist into the wall. His muscles tensed up, then told himself to relax, knowing that her heightened powers probably could have picked up on his disapproval. Last thing he wanted to do was stress out Kiley. And of course, he wasn't upset at her. Oh hell no, he was pissed at this fucker who A) thought it was a brilliant idea to pursue Kiley and B) thought it was an even BETTER idea to fuck her over. He hoped that when Kiley said he had left that he fled the country, because now he wanted to hunt the douchebag down and give him a taste of his own medicine. "...seriously?" He tried his best to be calm, but there was a hint of anger that couldn't be denied. "Why didn't you call me, Kiley? You know I would have been there for you." Was he that overbearing? He hoped not or else he'd be giving some serious puppy dog eyes.
She didn't need to be a werewolf to see how tense it made him. She knew Mason would be unhappy, yes, mostly because she hadn't told him, but they hadn't really met up since before this whole thing started. But there was something almost - defensive in his actions. Like he was going to kill a bitch, all over her. "Seriously," she said, looking down at her hands for a second. "A week after the moon, he took his sister and left town. I don't know where he is now." Cedric hadn't called, and he hadn't said where he was going. If things were that dire, and he really did have family things to take care of and he wasn't leaving because he was dating a bitten were... Kiley wasn't going to think about it. It was only going to make her even more upset. "I know you would have been," she said, softly. "I just - I knew you were going through a lot and I didn't want to be a burden. Especially as I wasn't much fun to be around." She gave a small shrug, "It's done now. Better for it to end quickly than to get my hopes up over something that wasn't going to last forever, right?"
Mason never meant to strike fear into Kiley, and thus the second she looked away, he felt some of that anger subsiding in him. She had no reason to look away from him. Mason was suppose to be there for her no matter what. The moment she insisted that she was a burden, Mason merely rolled his eyes and scoffed lightly. "Kiley, look at me," he stopped walking so he could stare right at her. "When the hell have I ever said you were a burden? Hmm? Just because my job has been out of control lately and my family right up there with it, doesn't mean that you can't come running to me." I insist, if anything. "You do know it makes me more worried that you never talked to me about this douchenugget in the first place, right?" Not that Mason wanted to be controlling who she was and wasn't talking to, but this? This was not ok. Any guy worth his dick didn't treat a woman like that. Fucker did the right thing the skip town or else he'd be meeting Mason first thing in the morning along with his fist. "Please, for the love of god, don't leave me hanging like that. I worry about you too much."
Fear wasn't the right word for what she was thinking. She just didn't want to upset him if she could help it, something she didn't really realize would happen until she actually told him. Perhaps he was just so protective over her because he was her friend? Her green eyes flicked up to his blue ones, standing close to him so they were both underneath the umbrella. "I will keep that in mind for the future, how does that sound?" she said. "I just - my first reaction was to pull away from everyone again, even if just for a few days." Sadly, that had included Mason, too. The fact that he'd been overwhelmingly busy had helped her not feel so bad, because she knew he was going through a lot and she didn't want to add to it. She reached over his hand, the one not holding the umbrella. "I won't leave you hanging anymore, I promise. And Cedric's gone now, and I've not going to waste anymore of my time on him." Not if she could help it, anyway.
Having Kiley that much closer made his heart pick up slightly, only to swallow hard and ignore the sensation thrumming in his chest. Cute girls tended to do that and Kiley was no exception. Then he scoffed and showed a bit of a smile. "That was way more than a few days. Just saying." He paused to take a sip on his drink, licked his lips, then went on. "And good, you shouldn't be wasting your time with some douchebag that breaks your heart like that. I'd break his nose if he came near you again." Insert protective big brother figure here. Mason couldn't help it and he was sure Kiley understood that by now. Werewolf thing, definitely. "Now then, how about we do something to rejoice with, hmm? Celebrate the fact we're catching up and that you now live a prick-free life." He paused and smirked at that. "Well, you still have me, but you know."
She did hear his heartbeat pick up, but didn't put two and two together and realize it was because she'd moved closer. "I know. I'm really bad at that." At least she'd come back out of hiding, right? Mason knew as well as anyone that it was a defense mechanism and with the moon just a few days away, she'd be going right back to that sooner rather than later. This was why she had to make plans for the weekend, so she didn't sit and wallow that whole time. "At this point, I think I would let you do more than just break his nose," she said, matter-of-factly. What good was it being friends with a 6' 6" werewolf willing to defend you if you didn't actually let him do just that? "Absolutely. Did we decide that movies and food was a sure thing, or did you have something else in mind?" She didn't mind having Mason around, not in the slightest, and she squeezed his hand for a second before letting go.
A shame that hand had to go away. Was rather nice. He only smiled more as she agreed with him, happy to see she was bouncing back to her normal self. "Movies and food is perfect. Wasn't sure if you wanted to head back over to your place or mine." While Mason preferred his penthouse for obvious reasons, he liked Kiley's place just because of the fact it was so her. It wasn't filled with designer everything or neat as a pin. And for some reason he figured her movie collection was far grander than anything he'd ever accumulate over the years. Not to mention this was about her and not about him. Anything to make her feel more comfortable. "Either way, I'm paying. This evening's on me."
Truth be told, she didn't mind Mason having her hand in the slightest, and if he were to take it back again he could have it the whole evening. "Depends, my place is closer," she pointed out, "and I have a bunch of stuff to pick from." Over the years she'd amassed a pretty big collection, not just sci-fi stuff, but anything that caught her eye. They could even raid Corwin's stash if they wanted to, her brother wouldn't mind. Kiley's chick flicks were well hidden in her room and she had plenty that could appeal to a guy, she liked blow-em-up movies more than the stereotypical girl ever would. She beamed at him, "You're a sweetheart, you know that?" Everyone else might not see it, but she did, and that was all that mattered to her. "Suppose that means you get to pick the food, then."
Being called a sweetheart made Mason laugh. Not really the title he was going for, but he'd take it if it was coming from Kiley. "I could go for Chinese right about now." Something that would make his family roll their eyes for. Greasy take-out wasn't kosher in the Normandin family. They were above that. And while Mason acknowledged that and even preached about it on the occasion, he was a dude. A jock at that, and thus random gross things were mandatory for any hang outs. "We can head back to your place and I'll put in a call for delivery. Sound good?" Because last thing Mason wanted was to be driving around town for take-out. Fuck that, they could come to them. Not to mention he wanted to be someplace warm and dry and the street wasn't really the place for that, regardless of how awesome his umbrella was.
She grinned, considering it a victory that he'd laughed at something she'd said. A little thing, but with Kiley, those were often what mattered the most. "Chinese sounds good," she said, "I'm not picky." In spite of any evidence to the contrary, she didn't eat take out every night. Before moving back into her childhood home, she had lived on her own and she knew how to cook for herself. Granted, they might not be the most spectacular meals ever, but she wasn't going to starve and she wasn't going to eat crap every single day. On a rainy day like this? Chinese food sounded perfect, especially if they got crazy fortunes in the fortune cookies. "And that works for me. You can follow me back to my house and make sure the Blazer doesn't break down before I get home." Kiley's Blazer was on its last leg, but she still hadn't given up hope quite yet.
"You make it sound like I don't even know the way to your house," Mason teased her, giving Kiley a playful wink to let her know he was playing around. With a smile on his lips, he walked on over to his own car - a sporty Ferrari. Definitely out of place next to a Blazer and would up the value of Kiley's property the second it rolled into the parking lot, but hey. He was a Normandin. And Normandins got to pick their own car for a graduation gift. Life was good. Waving to Kiley, Mason slipped into his car and closed the door, taking a moment to breathe in a sigh of relief as he sat there daydreaming about her for a second. He couldn't remember the last time he and Kiley had some quality time alone to themselves. And at her place. Part of him wished it was a date, but he knew Kiley was still suffering from Cedric, whether she said it or not. It took years for Mason to get over Donna and even to the day, he didn't feel 100% better. Dismissing the thoughts, he turned on the engine and followed the Blazer on back to Kiley's home, cranking up some good tunes all the while.
Oh, that wink did things to do her she shouldn't think about right now. Recovering from a breakup or not, this was Mason Normandin she was with. And when he looked at her like that, smiling, like there wasn't anyone else around but the two of them? It made a girl feel special. That was something Kiley could definitely use a little more of, truth be told. Her Blazer started on the first go, even if it looked like an even bigger piece of crap next to Mason's Ferrari. Well, if Corwin was home, he'd be sure to drool all over Mason's car, that was for damn sure. The ride didn't take all that long, seeing as she didn't work far from her house, and she pulled into her house first. She unlocked the door, hearing the approaching Ferrari as she did so, and she smiled. "Slowpoke," she teased when the other wolf got out of the car, holding her front door open for him. "Come on in. Cor's not here, so we've got the place to ourselves."
Upon arriving at Kiley's place, Mason parked the car next to hers and slipped on out, drink in hand and booked it to the door with her in hopes to stay dry. Her teasing comment about him made Mason smirk. "Hey now, can't be going above the speed limit, now can I?" He stepped inside, rather excited at the fact he and Kiley were now alone. Now wasn't the time to let his mind wander and instead focused on removing his coat while kicking off his shoes. No need to bring in the rain with him. "Shall we order out then? Do you know what you want off hand or should I just place in an order for one of everything?" As much as Mason liked to joke around with the redhead, he knew very well that he actually could do that. Anything to make her happy. While fishing out for his cellphone, he looked over to Kiley and simply smile. He wanted nothing more but to have her smile back. A genuine one. One where she was free from all worries and stress. Back to her normal self. Mason missed that.
"I thought all cops got away with speeding," she teased back, giggling a little at his smirk. "Probably doesn't help that you'd get pulled over for having such a flashy car, though." And his car was flashy, but hey, at least she could always pick it out from all the others. Dropping her purse on the coffee table, she took off her work shoes and left them by the door. She had half a mind and go upstairs to change into something that wasn't her Starbucks attire, but she didn't want to be rude, and besides, she wouldn't find something she wanted to wear that quick. "Didn't you mention Chinese earlier?" she asked, leading him into the living room. "You can pick, if you want. So long as there's fortune cookies and pork fried rice, I'm happy." The Ricks had a nice entertainment center set up along one wall, and it was really the only thing in the house Kiley had changed after her parents died. Here there was most of her DVDs, a good chunk of Corwin's, as well as various gaming systems. "Another important question: What are we going to watch?"
The remark about the cops speeding made Mason snort. He did that on the occasion when he was feeling like a prick - more so than usual - but not today. Then he focus on the notion of Chinese, his snazzy iPhone already out and dialing up the number. "Chinese is perfect, as are fortune cookies and pork fried rice." With the phone to his ear, he shrugged at her next question. "I'm game for anything. Besides, I shouldn't be deciding. It is your-" His demeanor suddenly changed, the restaurant finally picking up and Mason began speaking to them. "Oh yes! Hi. Can I place an order for delivery... Yes, can I get a pork fried rice, spareribs on the bone, beef teriyaki, chicken fingers, crab rangoon, um... what are those noodle things you have? Lo mein? Yeah, one of those, too... Uh, yes, all of them large." Then Mason proceeded to give his credit card info along with the house info before putting in a last minute order for extra fortune cookies. With that out of the way, he looked over to Kiley. "Anyhow! Movies... It is your night to be relaxing and having fun, so I think it's right that you pick tonight's feature. I'm game for anything." He paused. "Just... no chick flicks. Please. Nikki submits me to that form of torture enough as it is."
The change in Mason's voice from talking to her to ordering their food was actually pretty impressive, and Kiley sat back and listened. Mason sounded all sorts of professional and demanding and with a definite tone that said he wouldn't be argued with - even when ordering food. Because he's the alpha, that's why. While he ordered, she looked over the movie collection again, picking out a few movies that might work - old school Independence Day, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Mummy, just to name a few. "Come on now," she said, rolling her eyes. "If you leave it up to me you'll end up with Star Wars, which might not be your thing. And for the record? I don't watch chick flicks in the company of other people, so you're safe." Just because she could quote The Holiday didn't mean she was about to do so in front of a cute boy. Moving on. "Any of these work for you? And thanks for ordering the food, by the way."
So much for letting the lady of the evening decide what she wanted. He knew Kiley was a hardcore Star Wars fan - shit, he'd be blind if he didn't realize that by now - and as much as he respected that, he didn't feel like watching it again for the millionth time. Instead, he walked on over to check out the DVDs and ended up pointed to Raiders of the Lost Ark. "How about that? Can't go wrong with some classic Harrison Ford, right?" Also maybe because Mason secretly wanted to be him when he was a kid. Details, details. "And no problem with the food. Anything to make you happy." He smiled to Kiley before grabbing the DVD and went off to get it ready. "You just relax and don't worry about a damn thing, ok? None of that bullshit tonight. Just me and you kicking it back and enjoying ourselves." Now if only he could get away with snuggling with her halfway during the movie.
Kiley was the kind of person who literally could watch anything any number of times, and she wanted them both to be happy with the outcome. Just because Mason said this night was about her didn't really mean she saw it that way. What would be the point if she was happy and he was miserable? Seeing him pick out Raiders, though, had the were grinning. "You can never go wrong with Harrison Ford," she said, matter-of-factly. She'd often debated whether or not Han Solo or Indiana Jones was better. (Han usually won. For the record.) "I still appreciate it, though." And she really liked the thought of it being just the two of them, taking a seat on the couch and gesturing for him to join her.
"Hey, anything for the lady, right?" A hint of teasing was present in his voice before getting the DVD all set, then proceeded to plop on down with Kiley on the couch. "I don't think I've seen this in a couple four years or so. Not since I was out on the east coast. Crazy art students and their fundraisers." Because there was no better way to raise money than throw a movie night with booze and pizza. Sold. And he knew Kiley would probably go on and on over how he could possibly not watch this on a weekly basis. Well, he liked to, but it didn't really fit into his schedule. Not with the responsibility he had on his shoulders now, both with his family and his job. No time to think about it - he needed to unwind as much as Kiley and they would do just that.