Kellen eyed his brother for a brief moment, noting the way he was scratching his skin.
“Dad would probably see it as a betrayal of some sort.”
“No, I’m pretty sure he would understand,” Dreyden uttered. “Dad has always allowed us to make our own choices. You’re free to do whatever you want.”
“I don’t know what to do,” Kellen said with a sigh of frustration.
“I would give the job six months,” Dreyden stated. “If you still feel the same way, then start sending out your résumé.”
He nodded in approval. “I can do that.”
“I think I need to change the soap I’m using or something. My skin is dry and itchy.”
Kellen chuckled. “I’ve told you about buying that cheap stuff. You need to stop being so frugal.”
“And you need to start putting away some money for the future,” Dreyden advised. “God bless the child that’s got his own.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, big brother. You, Blaze and Ari have been good role models for me. I’ve learned from all of your mistakes.”
“But have you learned from your own?”
Kellen laughed. “The jury’s still out on that.”
* * *
“Charles will provide leadership for all team members throughout the life of this project to ensure continuity, meaningful collaboration and clear communication,” Addison stated Monday afternoon. “Kellen, I would like for you to shadow the team.”
He gave a slight nod, but did not respond otherwise.
Kellen had been with the company for almost three weeks now and hadn’t been able to touch a project. She could tell that he wasn’t happy with her decision, but this project was too important to the company—Addison was not willing to risk placing a novice on something like this.
After the other employees left the room, she said, “I get the feeling that you’re upset about my decision to just let you shadow the team.”
“I’m here to work. All I’ve been doing since training ended is shadowing this person and that person.”
“I understand that you’re ready to jump in and get to work, however, you need to observe a few projects first.”
“You saw my portfolio,” Kellen uttered with a hint of arrogance. “You know what I can do. Is all this necessary? Why can’t I learn by actually working on something?”
“This is a major project...”
“Oh, I get it,” he responded. “You’re afraid I’ll make a mistake and it’ll reflect badly on you. This is about you.”
She responded coolly, “This isn’t about me at all.”
“You don’t have to worry about me tarnishing your sterling reputation, Addison. I’ll shadow the team as you decided, but I’m not about to let you think I’m okay with it.”
Addison sat there, her cheeks on fire but trying desperately to appear calm, refusing to let Kellen see just how upset she was. “Kellen, I shadowed for a month before I was given a small project to work on. Just be patient.”
“I hope you don’t plan on having me shadow for a month.”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Actually, I was thinking it might be a good idea.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Addison met his gaze. “I am very serious about this, Kellen. Let me be clear. I’m not going to let you touch anything until I know that you’re ready.”
“I hear you, boss,” he uttered before walking away.
She could not believe his gall. If she’d been a man, there was no way that Kellen would talk to her this way. Clearly, he didn’t like having a female in charge. Some men believed that female managers were emotional and leadership-ability lacking. She knew that some of her male employees felt that way. Well, she wasn’t going anywhere. Addison led her teams with a firm hand, while being open to their thoughts and opinions.
In a way, Addison understood Kellen’s desire to get to work. She had been the same when she started, but not as arrogant. He had a lot to learn about the specific technical parts of the job—things he wouldn’t have learned in school. Kellen was very talented and he was intelligent. Still, there was so much he had to learn about his job.
* * *
Kellen sighed in frustration as he made his way home. Addison was just as bad as his father. Apparently, neither one of them had any faith in his skills. He’d spent the rest of his day at the office sitting in a conference room listening as a team of engineers discussed a project he wanted in on. It had been a struggle for him to just sit there quietly and contribute nothing.
At home, Kellen changed into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. He needed to work out some of his aggravation.
“I suppose you’re still angry with me,” Malcolm said when he entered the exercise room.
Kellen shook his head. “I’m not angry, Dad. I’m just really disappointed with the way things turned out.”
“I understand that. Do you want to talk about it?”
“It won’t change anything,” he responded. “So there’s really nothing for us to discuss.”
“Your mother made roast chicken for dinner,” Malcolm announced. “Will you be joining us?”
“I’m going to have dinner out, but I won’t be out late,” Kellen answered. “I’m in the mood for Italian.”
Malcolm stood in his path. “Son, I don’t like this distance between us. I’m sorry that you’re so disappointed and upset. It’s not what I wanted for you.”
“How did you expect me to feel, Dad?” he questioned, meeting his gaze.
“I knew that you would be disappointed, Kellen. It just didn’t occur to me just how much you wanted the position, but even if it had—I stand by my decision.”
“Dad, I accepted the position offered to me and I’m grateful to have a job, period. I know that you believe this is the best career path for me, but I don’t agree.”
“You’re right. I do believe this is the best career path for you,” Malcolm responded. “In time, you will feel the same way.”
Kellen smiled. “We’ll see, Dad.”
“Why don’t you stay and have dinner with us? Your mother would love to spend some time with you.”
“What about you?”
“I would like that, as well.”
“I’d like that, too,” Kellen confessed. He was tired of being angry and he hated the distance between them. It was time to accept what he could not change and just move on.
Chapter 4
Kellen shifted in his seat to keep from falling asleep. The person he was shadowing talked in a monotone voice, which was boring him senseless. He rose to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”
He made his way to the break room. Hopefully, moving around a bit could wake him up some. It was nearly the end of August, and he was still taking workshops, working on mock projects and shadowing others. He was ready and anxious to work on real projects.
“Kellen?”
He turned around to find Addison standing in the doorway.
“Taking a break?” she inquired.
“Yes, I needed one.” Despite his frustration with her, Kellen felt an invisible thread pulling them together. When he looked in her dark brown eyes and downward to her perfectly shaped lips, he felt the urge to taste them.
“Are you okay?” she inquired.
Kellen nodded. “I just came in here to get some water, but I’m glad you’re here. Addison, I was thinking about something while observing Josie. That new civic center is a gem of a project. What it needs is a high-profile, progressive design that will enhance its reputation, such as building it on the waterfront.”
“That was the original idea, but it means pier drilling and extensive foundation work. ADDG would have to foot the bills for this until the first payment comes in after the
end of stage one. This job’s too big for us, Kellen.”
“Addison, you’re thinking too small.”
“I’m thinking within our means,” she countered. “Thanks to your father, this company has never experienced any cash-flow problems. I definitely don’t intend to accrue any on my watch.”
“We’re on solid financial footing, which means we could expand. If the city wants the center on the beach, then we should give them what they want,” Kellen argued.
“We would need at least fifteen million dollars in reserve in order to do that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good idea,” she said, “but it wouldn’t be feasible for several reasons. One being that it would be much too expensive, and another is that your father would never give us his approval.”
“I could talk to him,” Kellen offered.
Addison shook her head. “I’m saying no to the idea.”
Her tone was firm and final.
Irked, he stalked out of the break room, heading back to observe his coworker.
She is going to be a problem, Kellen decided. He didn’t fully understand why his father had so much faith in her. Surely, he wasn’t swayed by her beauty.
A thread of shame snaked down his spine. He knew his father would never hire someone who was unqualified. Even so, he included Kellen in the group of unqualified individuals.
He had accepted his fate, but now he had to deal with Addison. He couldn’t help but wonder if she felt threatened by him.
After all, he was an Alexander.
Addison was still heavy on Kellen’s mind by the time he made it home. He put forth a valiant effort to put her out of his thoughts, but it proved harder than he thought.
* * *
After work, Addison met Tia at the La Serenata de Garibaldi located on East First Street for dinner.
“I love this place,” she said, sliding into a booth near the window. “It’s one of my favorite restaurants.”
“The food here is great,” Tia responded. “Especially the Callos de Hacha a la Plancha.”
The grilled scallops topped with mushrooms, peppers and onions were a good choice for appetizer. “I think I’ll have that, too, for starters. For my main entrée, I’ll get the fish enchiladas in green chile sauce,” Addison stated with a smile. “This is the perfect way to end a busy workday.”
“Hey, isn’t that your handsome employee over there?”
Addison stole a peek over her shoulder.
“Yeah,” she responded as casually as she could manage, turning back to face her friend. “That’s Kellen.” He was the last person Addison had expected to run into here of all places. The thought that he had followed her entered her mind, but she quickly chased it away. Why would he do something like that?
“Did you mention that you were coming here for dinner?” Tia asked.
Addison shook her head. She realized her friend had the same idea. “I’m sure this is a coincidence.”
“I recognized him from the magazine articles and pictures on the internet about his family. He looks much better in person.”
“If you like that sort, I guess,” Addison uttered with a shrug of nonchalance. “I personally don’t care for his arrogance.”
Tia gave a short laugh. “I’m sure you can handle him.”
“For sure,” Addison responded with a chuckle.
“So what’s he like?” Tia asked in a whisper that somehow managed to carry over the noisy din of the crowded dining hall.
“I have to be honest. Kellen can be so frustrating at times. He thinks that he can do whatever he wants because his last name is Alexander.”
“I take it that you two are not getting along?”
“We don’t get along at all,” Addison uttered. “He doesn’t respect me, Tia. If I say blue—he wants to make it red.”
Tia frowned. “You just need to set him straight with a quickness.”
Addison nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I do need to have a conversation with him. As much as I don’t want to fire my employer’s son, it might just come to that.”
“Maybe it’s what he needs. You can’t let Kellen Alexander run over you. Make sure he knows that you’re the boss.”
“He’s so talented and smart, Tia. In fact, I’m pretty sure that he wanted my position but didn’t get it, and this is why he has such an attitude.”
“Well, it’s good to see that his family doesn’t hand out titles to the children just because they have Alexander as their last name.”
Addison agreed. “Malcolm has always been fair. He’s a lot like Robert DePaul.”
Her gaze landed on Kellen.
When he laid eyes on her, Addison waved in greeting.
He walked toward their table.
“Good evening, ladies,” Kellen greeted.
“Hello,” they said in unison.
Addison gestured toward her friend and announced, “This is Tia.”
His full mouth moved slowly and she saw his white, perfectly straight teeth. But more than that, his face lightened as his smile reached right to his eyes and claimed Addison’s ability to breathe in the process.
“Tia, it’s nice to meet you.” Kellen turned his attention back to Addison. “I see we have something in common.”
“Imagine that,” she murmured with a smile. “Are you having dinner alone?”
“Actually, I’m waiting on a friend.” He glanced over his shoulder and said, “Here she comes now.”
Her heart stuttered a bit, but Addison kept her expression blank.
A surprising surge of envy swept through her. She didn’t know why it bothered her. A man who looked like him probably could have any woman he chose. She was pretty certain that he had a girlfriend somewhere in the world. Kellen was much too handsome to be single.
He made the introductions. “This is Carolyn. She and I attended grad school together.”
“She’s cute,” Tia said when Kellen and Carolyn navigated to their table. “Do you think they’re dating?”
“I don’t know,” Addison responded. “He introduced her as his friend. Maybe that’s all they are.”
“I don’t know. They seem pretty cozy.”
She glanced over her shoulder. Her gaze collided with Kellen’s brilliant gray eyes and held. Addison felt a threat of embarrassment that he’d caught her staring.
Tia chuckled.
Addison turned her attention back to her best friend. “What’s so funny?”
“You are. I know that you’re attracted to Kellen Alexander.”
“He’s good-looking and I’m not blind, but being attracted to him—I’m not.”
“This is me you’re talking to, Addison.”
“Okay, so I’m attracted to him, but he is my employee. I’m not going to cross that line.”
Addison meant everything she was saying. It just wasn’t as easy as that. She was acutely conscious of him sitting at the table behind her. His presence was strong—too strong for her to ignore.
* * *
It was after 11:00 p.m., and Kellen decided that he needed to find something to snack on—he could no longer ignore his grumbling stomach. He heated up a piece of grilled chicken that was leftover from his dinner earlier.
He could not stop thinking about Addison. The image of the woman floated to the forefront of his mind. He hadn’t expected to run into her at the restaurant.
A smile formed as he recalled the look she had given Carolyn. It was as if she was jealous. The thought amused him. Kellen wondered if she had a boyfriend. Although frustrating at times, Addison was beautiful and smart. But she seemed guarded, as well, prompting him to wonder at the reason.
In the office, she was the ultimate professional. At times, he wondered if Addison ever let her hair down to have a good tim
e. He observed her as she enjoyed dinner with her friend and noted that she still seemed a bit reserved.
He finished his meal and then headed upstairs to shower and change into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt.
Afterward, he settled down in the living room to watch television, although his mind was elsewhere. Kellen could not get Addison out of his mind. He was attracted to her, despite his efforts to resist that particular emotion.
* * *
The next morning, Kellen strolled into the kitchen. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” his parents responded in unison.
“Did I interrupt something?” he inquired as he loaded his plate with homemade biscuits, bacon, scrambled eggs and grits. “Sounds like you two were in a deep conversation when I came in.”
Barbara wiped her mouth with the edge of her napkin. “We were discussing the plans for a hotel in North Carolina.”
“I’m assuming ADDG is handling all phases of the designs,” Kellen said. He stuck a forkful of eggs in his mouth.
“They are,” Malcolm confirmed. “Your mom suggested that we consider Atlanta, as well.”
“I think that’s a great idea, but have you thought about going international?”
Malcolm met his gaze. “You really think so, son?”
Kellen nodded. “I do.”
He finished his breakfast while they continued to discuss the future of the company.
Fifteen minutes later, Kellen was in his car and on the freeway heading to the office in Beverly Hills. He could hardly wait to see Addison—he wanted to discuss his participation on the Alexander-DePaul Hotel project.
He sat his backpack in his office before heading to Addison’s office.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Kellen asked from the doorway.
“Sure,” Addison responded calmly. “Come in and have a seat.”
Even now she was trying to assume control, he thought silently. This was a woman who felt her position was threatened, and was determined to stand her ground.
“My dad mentioned that we are going forward with a new hotel in North Carolina.”
Five Star Desire Page 4