Chapter 4 Kinley
“How did it go?” my sister, Elsa, asked the second she picked up the phone.
“Terrible,” I admitted. She’d made me promise to call her as soon as the interview was over. I hadn’t entirely kept that promise, though. I’d been aimlessly walking through the Gaslamp Quarter for almost two hours before calling her.
“Oh no. Did he give you a hard time?”
“He knew about the scandal, and he obviously doesn’t want to risk hiring me.”
“What an asshole.”
I sighed. “He isn’t, actually. I can understand where he’s coming from.”
“Well, he’s still an asshole.”
“Elsa, everyone is going to feel the same way. I’m spoiled goods until this scandal fades away, and that could take years!”
“Oh, Kinley, don’t say that. Want to drop by this evening?”
“Yes, I’d love that. I can treat you and Emily to some Ben and Jerry’s and get my cuddles.”
Elsa was mostly alone with my niece. Her husband was in the Army, so he was gone for months at a time. “When do you want me to come by?”
“Be here for dinner. I’ll make lasagna.”
“Yum!”
“And I promise you, by the time we go to sleep, you won’t even remember what happened today. Now, if only I could find a stupid costume...”
“Oh?”
“Emily has this carnival thing coming up at school. The kids are supposed to get costumes, and I can’t find anything online.”
“If you want, I can look for something. I’m in the Gaslamp Quarter and have lots of time on my hands. I can look through the shops here. They’re bound to have something.”
“That would be a lifesaver!”
“I’m on it. Won’t show my face tonight without a costume. Anything you’re looking for in particular?” I asked.
“Whatever you find is more than perfect. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
I chuckled. “You know I’m happy to do anything for my niece.”
“I know, and I appreciate that. And sis? I’m really sorry about today.”
I hated hearing pity in her voice. Elsa knew the entire story and couldn’t believe Mark was such a two-faced criminal either. Fortunately, he was in prison now and wouldn’t see the light of day for years.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll find a job soon. I’m sure of it.” I sounded more confident than I was.
“That’s my sister. Always a fighter.”
“Yes, I am,” I assured her before we hung up. Then I googled costume shops in the area.
Fortunately, there was a store with Halloween supplies not far away from where I was. They always had bright sparkly costumes, didn’t they? Hopefully, I’d find a princess outfit or two.
As I walked through the narrow streets, I gave myself a pep talk. I had a fantastic résumé, and the jury had found me not guilty. I was going to find a job sooner rather than later.
Perhaps I should search for another type of job, though—one where I’d be doing something altogether different. Where I wouldn’t have to contact partners and build something up. Maybe a back-office job—accounting or finance. Mark always said I’d be good at both.
I asked him once why he liked finance, and I found his reply odd: “Because people don’t like numbers, and that gives me a lot of power. I hold all the strings.”
Little did I know that he’d actually meant it.
I pushed any thoughts of Mark to the back of my mind.
I thought of him at least once a day, and not in a good way.
Mostly cursing him for getting me into this situation.
He’d fooled me for years, making me think he cared for me.
Maybe he had loved me in the beginning. Regardless, I had no idea now, and it certainly didn’t matter.
Right now, I was going to find a kick-ass costume for my niece. And once I got my shit together, I was going to chat with the recruiting company again.
I was starting to feel optimistic. What choice did I have? I wasn’t going to stop until I had a job.
I walked for several minutes before realizing I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. I took out my phone again and noticed a missed call. It was from a number I didn’t have in my contacts. Maybe from the recruiting company?
I called the number right back. By now, they probably knew Wyatt had turned me down.
“Kinley?”
It was Wyatt Sterling! Had he changed his mind?
“Yes.”
“Listen, are you still in the area?”
I put a hand on my stomach, barely able to withhold a squeal. He had changed his mind. “Yes, as a matter of fact. I’m heading to a shop to buy my niece a costume.”
“Right. How about having lunch together? I don’t like how things went this morning.”
“Sure, Wyatt. Thanks for calling.”
“Just send me your location, and I’ll text you with some suggestions of where we can meet.”
As I ended the call, I smiled. I was getting a second shot, and I wasn’t going to mess it up. I sent him the address of the shop.
Once I stepped inside the store, I wrinkled my nose with concern.
Damn, the costumes were really scary. Great for Halloween, though, so I’d keep this place in mind for October.
They had some really nice ghost and monster costumes.
To my surprise, I found a trunk full of princess dresses at the back of the store.
I picked one that was pink and glittery—perfect for my niece.
Honestly, I’d wear it, too, if it was socially acceptable.
I’d always seen myself having a daughter. But as I kept climbing the corporate ladder, I pushed off the idea of having kids. Mark and I agreed that we’d focus on our careers to make sure we were financially stable before trying.
I shook my head, taking a deep breath. Why did I keep thinking about him? I certainly wasn’t in love with him anymore. But one thought kept spiraling through my mind: Was anything he ever told me real?
“This store is a true find,” a familiar voice said from behind me.
I turned around, clutching the dress to my chest. “Oh, hey, Wyatt.”
“I see you found what you were looking for.”
“Yes. Yes, I did.” I held it up. “A princess outfit. It should work.”
Wyatt glanced around, flashing a devastatingly handsome smile. “Jeremy would love that.” He pointed at a Batman costume.
“Who’s Jeremy?” I asked.
“My nephew. He was into Spider-Man for a long while, but now he’s alternating superheroes.”
“I’m out of the loop with those. My niece is still in her Frozen era.”
Wyatt tilted his head. “What’s Frozen?”
“Girl stuff,” I replied.
He laughed. “I’ll keep this store in mind. I’m surprised I didn’t know about it.”
I kept waiting for him to get to the point and hire me, but I had a feeling he wasn’t going to while we were in here. That’s probably why he wanted to have lunch. Maybe he planned to discuss some things first.
“Well, unless you want to look for something for your nephew, I can pay, and we’ll go.”
“I’m ready to go,” he responded.
There was no one else in the store, so I checked out quickly. Then we both stepped out onto the street.
“There’s an excellent kebab place just around the corner,” Wyatt suggested.
“I eat everything. Not fussy in the least,” I replied.
“Perfect. They’re usually packed at lunch, but maybe we’ll be lucky.”
As we walked, I started to get anxious, and my palms were a bit sweaty. Wyatt wasn’t bringing up the job. What if I’d misread the situation? But what other possible reason could he have for wanting to meet again?
We arrived at Jelly’s Kebab a few minutes later.
I whistled. “Wow, you weren’t kidding.” They had long wooden benches and tables in the courtyard with only a few spots empty.
“It’s all a bit more informal out here. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, not at all.”
I didn’t expect Wyatt to be the informal type. Someone who wore cuff links didn’t exactly strike me as casual. But that tattoo peeking out from under his sleeve was another story altogether.
“Two free seats there.” He pointed to the edge of a table.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed two guys eyeing the same table.
“Quick,” I whispered. “Someone else is onto it.”
Wyatt grinned as we walked toward it at a very brisk pace, probably looking a bit ridiculous. We didn’t break into a run, but it was obvious we wanted to, and we sat down before the other two managed to get even halfway there.
Wyatt started to laugh. “I like you, Kinley.”
“Enough to hire me?” I was always direct, and I really needed an answer, because I was on pins and needles.
His smile fell. “Kinley,” he said slowly.
I swallowed hard. Fuck. That wasn’t why he’d called.
I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling so embarrassed that I didn’t even know what to do with myself. I clutched the plastic bag with my niece’s dress that was sitting on my lap.
“I’m confused,” I admitted, looking up at him. “When you called, I assumed that you changed your mind.”
Wyatt shook his head, and I wanted to run far, far away. “No, sorry. I should have been clearer as to my intentions. Unfortunately, I didn’t change my mind.”
“Then why did you call?”
“Because I truly didn’t like how things went, and I felt bad.”
Oh my God. He’d called because he was pitying me. And I’d thought this day couldn’t get any worse.
“I appreciate your concern, but I’m a grown woman. I can take care of myself. Not getting the job was a setback, but I’ll find something before you know it,” I said, putting on an air of confidence I didn’t have.
I was just about to get up from the table when an elderly man set two plates in front of us. “Two kebabs for you!”
I blinked, glancing at Wyatt. “Did we order?”
His smile was to die for. “You sit and that indicates your order. Everyone gets the same.”
Wyatt’s demeanor suddenly changed. He brought his hands together, elbows on the table and said, “If you’re uncomfortable and would rather leave, I understand. But I wish you wouldn’t.”
Ah, clearly he’d noticed that I’d been about to get up. My heart was beating fast. I still wanted to go, but the kebab looked delicious. And I didn’t want to completely burn bridges with Wyatt Sterling. Who knew when our paths might cross again? It wasn’t smart to bail.
“Since we already have our kebabs, I’d better enjoy it. I haven’t had one in a while.” My voice sounded strained.
He frowned slightly but nodded.