9. Kaitlyn
9
KAITLYN
O kay, so comfort wasn’t something the high-and-mighty James Morris was willing to accept. At least, not from me. Duly noted.
But still. Why did he have to act like such a grump, shaking me off like I’d sullied him or something and then stomping back to his office like that? I was just trying to let him know he wasn’t alone, that I was on his side. But maybe he didn’t appreciate the help getting familiar like that. If he wanted to treat me like that, then so be it. I just didn’t appreciate the bosshole vibes. Especially when everyone else was so friendly.
I glanced down at the tired little girl curled up in her bed and noticed that her eyes were finally shut. We’d barely made it through one book before she drifted off for her nap, which meant our morning activities had taken a lot out of her. I was relieved she hadn’t picked up on the CPS people. Seeing scary-looking official people was the last thing she needed when she was already struggling.
Slipping out of bed was always a challenge, but she barely stirred as my feet touched the ground. I glanced at her once more when I reached the door. Such a sweet child.
But her father… grrr . Moody, unpredictable, dismissive.
The more I thought about his reaction the angrier I felt. The worst part was, he hadn’t technically done anything wrong. Just shrugged off my touch like it was nothing, which hurt since I knew there had been one night at least when he’d been desperate for my touch.
Even if he wanted to forget it now.
I had at least two hours before Harper woke up, and I decided the best way to move past my feelings of aggravation would be a quick workout and shower. I’d started running regularly to vent some of the frustration I felt, taking advantage of the manicured trails that ran through the neighborhood. It helped to keep me sane. I quickly changed into a tank top and shorts and headed for the door.
Once outside the gate, officially off James’s estate, I took in the beautiful view of the ultra-ritzy community for a few minutes, finishing up my pre-workout stretches. I hated to admit that I felt a little weary. I briefly considered going back inside for a quick nap instead but it would be better for my mental health to sweat out my frustrations about my boss.
Five miles later, as I slowed my pace to a brisk walk, I was glad that I’d pushed myself. Sure, the heat was relentless, but the community planners had made sure the running path was well shaded. Everything about the property was designed with the comfort of the inhabitants in mind, to offer them all the beauty of nature without any of the hassles. Smooth trails. Not a weed in sight. Swans in the ponds. Beautiful teak benches nestled in idyllic flower patches where residents could sit and think about…well, whatever billionaires thought about when they weren’t out making more money.
I was distracted from my thoughts when my phone rang. It was Cassie, probably on her lunch break.
“Hey, what’s up?” I asked.
“Did I tell you about Lacey McCall?”
It was a typical Cassie non-sequitur. She always acted like I could read her mind—or like we were just continuing a conversation she didn’t realize she’d started without me. “Nope, not that I remember.”
“Lacey is the wedding planner Scott’s mom ‘gifted’ us, to help plan the wedding. Well, lemme tell ya, the woman’s got some nerve!”
“Oh no,” I said, continuing along the trail’s loop back toward James’s house. “What did she do?”
Cassie made a frustrated growl. “It’s so stupid but so annoying! Scott and I are trying to decide on the cake flavor. He wants red velvet, I want classic vanilla. I asked Lacey to be the tie-breaker and you know what she said?”
“Tell me.” I tried to keep the laughter out of my voice.
“Neither! She said both options are—what was her exact phrase? She said the flavors were ‘very 2010.’ How the hell can a cake flavor go out of style? Huh?”
I snickered. “Hey, she’s in the biz so she must know.”
“Oh my God, Katie, are you siding with her?” Cassie’s screech was loud enough to make me pull my phone away from my ear.
“No, no, of course not,” I soothed. Clearly she wasn’t in the mood to be teased. Cassie was usually very level-headed, but the stress of wedding planning was clearly doing something to her. “You’re the bride, you should get what you want. Did she have a suggestion for a fashionable cake flavor?” I stifled a giggle at the thought.
“Ugh, yes,” Cassie groaned. “Pineapple upside-down cake! Disgusting, right? I’d rather serve Ring Dings at my reception.”
“Yikes, I agree. Listen, if you want my vote please tell her that I’ll be more than happy to eat very unfashionable vanilla or red velvet cake, and I’m sure the rest of the guests will too.”
“ Thank you! I’ll let her know that my maid of honor agrees with me. Scott’s too chickenshit to take sides—he doesn’t want it getting back to his mom and becoming a whole thing. Ugh. I love the man, but he can drive me crazy sometimes.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered under my breath…but not quite quietly enough.
“What was that?” Cassie demanded. “Are you having problems with James? Do I need to get Scott to go kick his ass?”
I’d filled Cassie in on the basics—that James and I had hooked up, it had ended abruptly when he got an important phone call, and we’d both been shocked to find out he was my boss.
I’d left out the part about how I was still inconveniently attracted to him.
“Okay, first off, what are the odds Scott could even come close to kicking James’s ass?” I pointed out. “Scott’s a great guy, but come on. His idea of a workout is a foosball tournament with his friends. Meanwhile, James has a whole private gym that he uses, like, a lot .”
“Fair point. Well then, do I need to come kick James’s ass? Find out what he thinks about pineapple upside-down cake and I’ll do it for free.”
I laughed. “I love you for offering, but I don’t think any amount of kicking would knock that stick out of his ass.”
“Ouch. That bad?”
“He’s just…infuriating sometimes,” I admitted. “Sometimes, he can be great—he’s amazing with Harper, and she absolutely adores him—but then he turns around and makes me feel…”
“Horny?”
“No!” Definitely not horny. Definitely. Not. That wasn’t an option. “He signs my checks, I don’t think of him that way.”
It was a lie, but she didn’t have to know that.
“You sure about that? It’s not every guy who can get under your skin. You’re basically calm for a living. Don’t you think it means something that this guy has you so riled up?”
“Yeah, it means he’s an asshole who treated me like garbage the one time we hooked up. Believe me, I’m in no hurry to go back there.” That actually was true…more or less.
“Oh, hold on,” Cassie said, her voice muffled. “I just saw the time. Lunch break is over, I need to get back to the bank. Love you so much, and thanks for weighing in on the cake drama!”
She hung up before I had a chance to answer. Typical Cass, always in a hurry.
I paused next to a lamppost to stretch out my leg, kicking it out in front of me and bending at the waist.
“Tight hammies, huh?”
I whipped around and discovered a sweaty but handsome man behind me. He was tall and lean with a head of floppy, sandy-colored hair that made him look like a grown-up frat boy. He had the confident aura of a man who knew he could have whatever he wanted. When he walked closer, I noticed the faint lines in the corners of his eyes. He was a few years older than me but still hot as hell.
I finally collected myself enough to answer him. “Uh, yeah. I haven’t been running as much lately so I’m already a little sore.”
He had an easy, smiley way about him, like we were already old friends.
“But that’s the best feeling, right?” he enthused. “That muscle tension right after a run. Makes you realize you did something!”
“You’re right,” I said and switched to the other leg.
“I haven’t seen you around before. I’m Lou.”
He offered his hand.
“And I’m sweaty. Really sweaty,” I said as I quickly wiped my palm on my shorts.
“Nice to meet you, Sweaty!”
We clasped hands and I laughed. “I’m Kaitlyn , nice to meet you.”
“Are you headed this way?” He pointed to the trail in front of us. “I’m gonna walk a bit to cool down.”
The path he was about to walk headed to the Morris house, and I had no choice but to agree to it. But he seemed so friendly, so easy to talk to. It was a welcome change after dealing with standoffish James.
“Sure, I need to cool off a bit more before I head in.”
“You new to the community?”
“Sort of, I’m here for the next six months.” I declined to say more.
“Isn’t it great?” Lou asked gesturing toward our lush surroundings. “I love it here.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it’s actually perfect. I need to get out and use these trails more, too.”
He paused and turned to look at me. “I’m out here quite a bit. I hope we’ll bump into each other again.”
There was that smile. Our accidental meeting started to feel like flirting, and I wasn’t sure I was on board with that. He seemed nice, but for some reason I didn’t want to examine too closely I just couldn’t really muster up much enthusiasm for the idea of a relationship at the moment.
“Sure, it’s always nice to find a new running buddy.”
“Where are you staying?” His face immediately shifted to a pained expression, as if realizing the question was overstepping. “That is, if you don’t mind my asking. You don’t have to give me the address or anything.” He looked so concerned that I laughed.
“No worries, I can tell you’re not a stalker. I’m staying over there.”
I pointed to the Morris property and Lou let out a low whistle.
“Um hm, that place. Interesting. Guy’s a bit of a control freak, huh? Can’t imagine he’s easy to work for.”
As much as I wanted to go off on James there was no way I’d compromise my working relationship with him or my relationship to Harper. I shrugged. “Every employer has their flaws, right?”
“Some more than others,” he said with a sympathetic smile. “Believe me, I’ve heard stories. Maybe I’ll fill you in the next time we cross paths, and you can dish on your own tale of woe. I promise, I’m a great listener.”
As much as I wanted to hear the gossip, I opted to avoid the topic. James felt like an unknowable entity, and I would’ve loved to get some intel, but I sensed that Lou would want some gossip in return and I didn’t want to potentially breach the gigantic nondisclosure I’d signed. “I run three times a week. I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” I said casually, keeping it noncommittal.
“I hope so, Sweaty. I mean, Kaitlyn.”
There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he waved and headed down the parallel path, and it made me smile. Even if we couldn’t share gossip, he seemed fun. It would be nice to have a friend I could relax with—someone who wasn’t as frustrating and mercurial as my confusing, maddening, sexy bastard of a boss.