Chapter 6 Kinley
I sprayed perfume on my neck while I took in my appearance. Hell yeah! I was full of energy and ready for a round of shopping before my date tonight. I was looking forward to it even though I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Aside from that, I was in a good mood. I’d submitted tons of applications, this time for low-profile jobs and without going through a recruiter. The pay would be less, but still enough that I could keep my gorgeous home. I was sure it would all work out.
The living room was my absolute favorite part of the house.
I had comfortable armchairs, a sleeper sofa, frames full of photos I’d taken over the years—specialty apps did wonders for my photography skills—and bookshelves loaded with my favorite books.
What I didn’t have? A TV. Instead, I had huge windows overlooking a bunch of palm trees.
I couldn’t think of a more relaxing view.
As I went to grab my car keys, my phone rang from somewhere inside the house. Whoops! Where did I put the thing?
I hurried back to the living room, and my stomach somersaulted when I saw it was Wyatt was calling. We hadn’t spoken or messaged at all since Monday.
What if he wants to cancel the date? a voice said in the back of my mind.
Then oh well. I wasn’t going to let anything ruin my good mood.
Did I want to go out with this sexy man so he could flirt the pants off me?
Of course. He was great-looking, and I wouldn’t kick him out of bed.
But if he canceled, I wouldn’t be heartbroken.
I was getting used to handling disappointment really well these days.
“Kinley, hi. It’s Wyatt,” he said when I answered.
“I know. I saved your number.”
“Do you have a few minutes? I want to talk to you.”
Hm, this could go either way.
“Sure.”
I sat down in my favorite armchair. I swear it had the shape of my butt imprinted in it. The others looked perfectly pristine. I crossed my legs, looking out the window.
“I had a lot of interviews this week.”
“Okay.” I wasn’t sure where he was going with this.
“None of the candidates even come close to being as great as you.”
I instantly straightened up, holding my breath.
“Go on,” I encouraged.
I didn’t want to get my hopes up again, but I couldn’t help it.
“Do you have any other jobs lined up? I mean, are you still looking for employment?”
I laughed. “Of course I am.”
“Then, if you’re still interested, I’d like to offer you the job as VP of business development.”
“Yes!” I exclaimed, literally jumping to my feet. “Wyatt, God. Are you serious?”
This time it was his turn to laugh. “Yes, I am.”
“When do you want me to start?” I didn’t want to give him a chance to change his mind.
“I’ll have HR draft up everything. I assume that won’t take longer than a week. Then, once you sign all the paperwork, we’ll be ready to go.”
“That sounds absolutely amazing.”
I was over the moon. This was finally happening!
“I’m glad that you still want to come on board. The head of Human Resources will contact you next week to sort it all out.” Now, about tonight...” He sighed. “It’s not a good idea for us to go out.”
I exhaled in relief. I didn’t want to be the one to say it, so I was glad he did.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“I just don’t want any complications.”
“I understand perfectly. We’re on the same page. So, how about we start fresh and pretend you were perfectly professional as you walked me to my car?”
He chuckled. “Perfect. I like the way you think.”
“I guess that frees up my evening,” I said, more to myself than to him.
“What are you thinking of doing?”
“I’m not sure. You?”
“I’m going to take Jeremy to the movies.”
That was too cute.
“You just gave me a great idea. I’ll call my sister and ask if she wants to hang out, maybe pay our parents a visit if they’re home.”
“They’re in San Diego too?”
“Oh yeah. I was born and raised here. Same as them. We spend every other Saturday together. My parents have a very active social life, which is great, but it’s rather difficult for them to spontaneously meet with us.”
“It’s great that you’re so close to them.”
People were always shocked when I told them this, but I was quite happy that my parents had their own life and had fun.
“So, when will I hear from you again?” I asked.
“We’ll get the ball rolling on Monday. As I mentioned, the head of HR will handle your hire. I don’t work weekends, and neither does my staff.”
“Good to know. It’s a quality I truly appreciate in a boss.”
“I’ll book us tickets for Napa the Monday after that.”
I sucked in a breath. Us?
“Napa. Right. You’re coming too?” I asked. Did my voice squeak? Hopefully not. Get it together, Kinley.
“Of course. Like I said during the interview, I won’t micromanage you, so don’t worry. But I am very hands-on in the beginning, just until a new hire gets the hang of things.” After a brief pause, he added, “Is that a quality you like in a boss too?”
“Oh yes. Yes, it is.”
The thought of traveling with him made me a tiny bit nervous. We’d be spending a lot of time together. But so what? I’d better get used to it. From today on, Wyatt Sterling was my boss—not a flirty hunk who wore cuff links and had a sneaky tattoo.
No, this thing between us would be strictly professional from now on.
* * *
Wyatt’s HR team reached out to me later that very same day with the contract.
I guess they were anxious to have me on board.
It was all standard personnel stuff, and the salary was very generous.
Actually a bit above what the recruiter had listed.
Yep, this was a done deal; no point in negotiating any further.
Now I had to prove that I could be an asset to the company.
I let the recruiter know that I was accepting the job offer and sent the signed contract back before dinnertime. I didn’t expect to hear from Wyatt or his team until Monday, but just as I headed out to grab some dinner, my phone beeped. It was Wyatt again.
“Hi,” I said, putting the phone to my ear.
“Hi, Kinley. I’m surprised you sent the contract back so quickly.”
“I’m anxious to get started.” That was the truth. I’d never been unemployed this long, and it was definitely weighing on my self-esteem.
“No negotiating?” he asked.
“No, I’ll save that for next year. Once you see how great I am, I’ll have more bargaining power.”
“I like how your brain works.”
That made me smile. Wyatt and I clicked on many levels.
“I should hope so. I’ll need you to agree with me about lots and lots of things in the foreseeable future.”
He laughed throatily, and my brain lingered on the sound. It was a shame we couldn’t date, because I was sure we’d click that way too. But that could never happen.
“So, listen, since you already signed, we can move everything a week earlier.”
“Then I’ll start on Monday?”
“Yes. I’ll get the tickets for Napa right away, and we’ll hit the ground running, okay?”
My stomach somersaulted for no reason at all when he said we. That had to stop. No sexy thoughts.
“Of course. I’m happy to get on with things as soon as possible. What time would we be leaving?”
“On the first flight.”
“Great!” I bit the inside of my cheek and added, “If you want, I can fly out first and get acclimated, and then you could join me a few days later.”
“Why?” Wyatt’s voice was a tad lower, and it sounded even sexier.
Yes, why, Kinley? Because you can’t control yourself?
I licked my lips as I got a brilliant idea.
“I assume you have things planned for next week already,” I told him.
“I do, but that’s no problem. I’ll postpone them. The winery has priority.” He sounded playful when he added, “Is that the only reason?”
I cleared my throat. “Yes, of course.”
“I see. I’ll send you the schedule soon.”
“I thought you didn’t work weekends,” I teased.
He laughed. “This trip will be an exception.”
“All right, then. I can’t wait.” I was grinning from ear to ear. Wyatt and I were going to work very well together, especially if I managed to not let my mind wander. “And thank you again. You won’t be disappointed.”
“I know. Have a great evening, Kinley.”
“You too.”
* * *
True to his word, Wyatt sent me an email with the itinerary Sunday morning.
I glanced over it while I sipped my coffee, sitting in my favorite armchair once again.
It was all very detailed. Our schedule was full each day from nine o’clock in the morning until four in the afternoon.
I was getting more excited by the second.
He’d left the evenings free, so after the workday finished, I could explore the area.
I’d never been to Napa Valley and was looking forward to it.
My phone beeped with a message from Wyatt.
Wyatt: The plane leaves tomorrow morning at eight o’clock.
Before I even managed to reply, he called me.
“Are you a morning person?” he asked instead of hello.
I laughed. “Morning person, evening person, whatever the schedule calls for. I don’t mind.”
“We’ll have a very productive Monday.”
“I agree. Thanks for sending the schedule. I’ll prepare some stuff beforehand.”
“You do know that you don’t officially start until tomorrow, right?”
“I know, but I like to be prepared.”
“We can meet today if you’d like to go over some things. Have dinner together.”
I straightened up in my armchair. Was he asking this in a professional capacity or not?
“Dinner?” Shit. My voice didn’t squeak again, did it?
“Yes. As I said, you start tomorrow.” His voice was more playful, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Thank you, but I like to do research on my own.”
“Of course.” His tone brusquely changed back to business.
Huh. So, he’d been asking me out? That couldn’t be.
These mixed messages were confusing.
I cleared my throat. “I’ll see you at the airport tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect. Kinley, this is going to be fantastic.”
“I think so too.”
Was I ready to spend seven days side by side with this gorgeous man? Hell no. But I was going to be more than ready by tomorrow.