Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 32

The sun had climbed higher by the time Kaelani finally left the house. The air was warm, the streets busy, the kind of ordinary noise that should’ve drowned out the thoughts still buzzing in her head. But Julian’s voice lingered — that low, careful tone from the morning call replaying like an itch she couldn’t scratch away.

Irritation was still humming under her skin when she reached the café — sharp and restless. She spotted Tessa waving her over from a table on the patio, two glasses of iced tea already sweating in the midday sun.

“Finally!” Tessa grinned as Kaelani slid into the seat across from her. “I already ordered the appetizers. Mozzarella sticks, garlic knots, and—” She paused mid-sentence, her smile faltering as her eyes zeroed in on Kaelani’s neck. “Oh no. Don’t tell me that rash is back. The one you had a few weeks ago?”

Kaelani’s hand went up automatically, brushing her hair forward to hide the bandage that she placed over the mark. “It’s nothing. Probably just an allergic reaction.”

“An allergic reaction doesn’t need its own first aid kit,” Tessa said dryly, nodding toward the edge of the bandage peeking out from under Kaelani’s hair. “You should see a doctor.”

“It’s fine,” Kaelani insisted, reaching for her iced tea. “It’ll go away.”

Tessa gave her a skeptical look, “You say that every time something weird happens to you.”

Kaelani forced a small smile, though her stomach twisted. Weird didn’t begin to cover it.

Tessa finally let the subject of Kaelani’s neck drop, reaching for her glass instead. “So,” she said, leaning back in her chair with a grin, “you up for a little shopping after this? I need a new dress for my date tonight.”

Kaelani blinked, caught off guard. “You have a date tonight? Anyone I’ve heard of?”

Tessa’s grin widened, mischief sparking in her eyes. “Jeff. From the mechanic shop. Newly divorced.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify