by Karen Booth
“Wes, you cannot expect my assistant to deal with the caterer for your event. She has enough work of her own. Get your act together,” Jillian said.
“I do have my act together. But they keep asking me questions I can’t answer, and I’m already dealing with hotel accommodations, transportation... I have some big egos on my hands and they all expect to be treated like royalty. It’s a lot to deal with.”
“Those are excuses. Just get it done,” Jillian said, soon breezing down the hall.
Kendall spun around in her chair, and stared out her window, mindlessly watching pigeons on the rooftop of the next building. She thumped her foot on the floor. She gnawed at her thumbnail. It was driving her crazy to know that there was even a sliver of a chance that Sawyer’s event wouldn’t go off without a hitch. If she were in charge, there would be zero problems.
She jumped when there was a knock at her door. She turned and there was the last person she expected to see. Wes.
“I need your help,” he said. “You’re the only one who’s any good at this stuff.”
It would have been so easy to rub his face in it, but the truth was that the Grand Legacy meant too much. The project that Sawyer had poured his heart and soul into was too important. “Yes. Of course.”
Wes rushed in and dropped a clipboard on her desk. Before Kendall could get in a word edgewise, he was rattling off the laundry list of problems—writers demanding preferential treatment, the caterer complaining that the on-site kitchen wasn’t fully up and running as they’d been told it would be.
“Take a deep breath,” Kendall said. “It’ll be okay. I’ll deal with logistics. You deal with the writers.”
Wes’s shoulders dropped. “Thank you.”
“I’d better go talk to Jillian, though. I’m not supposed to be working on this project at all.”
“Are you trying to steal my thunder?”
She shot Wes a look. “No. I’m just trying to make sure I don’t come close to getting fired again.”
Kendall gathered herself and marched to her boss’s office. Jillian’s assistant was away from her desk, so Kendall poked her head in the door. “Jillian, do you have a minute?”
“Of course.”
Kendall sucked in a deep breath and stepped inside, deciding that she had absolutely nothing to lose. “I need to work on the Grand Legacy media night. The firm can’t afford for it to be anything less than flawless.”
“Wes went to you for help?”
“He did. But even if he hadn’t, I would’ve shown up in your office at some point today, giving this exact same speech. I completely understand why you had to take me off the project. I should have told you up front what was going on. But the truth is that the promotion, the job and Sawyer were all equally important to me and I was afraid of losing any of them. What Sawyer and I had was not a fling. It meant more than that.”
“And now?”
“I’m not sure what the future will hold, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work together. You know that I belong there tonight. I worked my butt off on this project and you should allow me to be there, so I can see my hard work to fruition.”
Jillian sat back in her chair, pursing her lips, seeming deep in thought. Calculating. Taking her sweet time. “You’re right. This close to the finish line, we have to do what’s best for the client. That means you at the Grand Legacy. Tonight.”
Fifteen
As he walked into the Grand Legacy an hour before the media event, Sawyer wasn’t feeling nervous, nor was he feeling calm. He was more numb to everything at this point. Running on coffee and two or three hours of sleep for the last several weeks had left him feeling empty, but at least he’d made it this far. The project was nearly complete. A few rooms were being finished, there were hundreds of tiny details on the punch list, but they’d be ready for the big party in four days. There would be champagne flowing and guests checking in. There would be credit cards swiped and money finally moving in the right direction. It was everything he’d worked for, but he’d be lying to himself if he said it felt as good as he’d imagined it would. It felt like very little accomplishment at all without Kendall. In fact, it felt flat-out wrong.
He’d stopped leaving her messages almost two weeks ago. He couldn’t be the pathetic guy outside her bedroom window, begging for forgiveness. He needed to be a man of action, and that was exactly what he’d been. He had scrapes on his knuckles and flecks of paint in his hair to prove it. He’d been moving out furniture and moving new pieces in. He’d been scraping off feminine wallpaper borders and patching walls. He’d been painting. In the middle of the night, bleary-eyed and exhausted, he’d thought about hiring someone to do it for him, but he’d been unable to do it. When he finished everything and made his overture to Kendall, hopefully before the grand opening party, he wanted her to see that he had done everything with his own two hands.
Noah walked up to him, a wide smile on his face. “I was just in the speakeasy. Everything looks spectacular. You should go up there.”
Sawyer was wiped out just thinking about having to talk to Wes. “Yeah. I’ll head up in a little bit. I was going to head back to the security office and check on the monitors that were installed today.”
Noah shook his head and grasped Sawyer’s shoulders. “No. Dude. You need to go up to the speakeasy. Now. Before anyone else gets here. I promise you will be very happy with what you see.”
“Unless it’s a bed, a dark room and a pair of earplugs, I doubt it.”
“If you don’t get up there now, you will never forgive yourself. Trust me.”
Sawyer had a sneaking suspicion that the shipment of the rare single malt scotch they’d ordered had finally come in, but he decided that a drink was as good a reason as any to scale the grand staircase and get Noah off his back. As he took each step across the plush black carpet with the cobalt blue scrolls, he reminded himself that someday he would look back on this time fondly, especially if everything worked out the way he wanted it to.
When he took the turn into the main speakeasy entrance, his lungs gave way. It was like he’d been holding his breath for weeks, only he hadn’t realized it. Kendall.
Standing at the bar, with her back to him, he still knew it was her. Her gorgeous red hair, her sumptuous curves and even more than that—her presence. It was like having pure life pumped back into his veins. She turned and her eyes lit up. She smiled softly. She dropped her chin. He didn’t remember making the choice to walk to her. It just happened. The parts of him that wanted so badly to have a second chance were now in charge.
“You’re here,” he said, taking her hand and inhaling her sweet scent.
“I am.” She stepped closer, making the attraction between them impossible to ignore. It was like she was the magnet and he was a hunk of metal.
“On time, no less.”
“Technically, I’m early.” She licked her lip and bounced her eyebrows.
God, he’d missed her. Every last thing about her. He didn’t ever want to let her out of his sights. “What happened?”
“Wes needed help. I couldn’t let anything go wrong. It means too much to you.”
“After everything? After the way I reacted?” He very much needed to know if she was there to save him or her job. Or both. Or perhaps, there was something else to it. He had a deep need to pull her into his arms and apologize, kiss her, tell her he wanted to try again. That he had been trying this whole time, behind the scenes, especially since he and Noah had their heart-to-heart.
“I can’t even believe you’re asking those questions. Of course, after everything. The Grand Legacy means a lot to you. Therefore, it means a lot to me. There’s no separating the two.”
Was that really the way she felt? He looked at her, their gazes connecting, his mind whirring. He’d planned out what to say when the time came
to ask big questions of Kendall, but he hadn’t thought it would be tonight. “But we are separate right now. And I don’t want it to be like that. I really don’t.”
She shook her head, and raised her finger to her lips. “I know, Sawyer. I got your messages.”
“And you never called me back.”
“I was saving my hide at work. You know that.”
He fought the disappointment threatening to overwhelm him. “And now? Is tonight about saving your job?” He wrapped his fingers around hers, even when he wasn’t sure she wanted him to.
She sighed and looked down at their joined hands. “I think we both know there’s something between us that could be far more important than either of our careers. I think we owe each other the chance to talk about it. We owe each other the conversation.”
A chance. That was all he needed. “I couldn’t agree more. I just want to know that we can have that conversation tonight.”
She smiled. “I owe you that much. I owe us that much.”
Wes barged into the room seconds later, and Sawyer and Kendall were forced to part and resume their professional roles. Still, that conversation left Sawyer feeling like he’d just slept for a day, had a shot of B12 and could leap tall buildings. All he needed was one more chance.
Kendall and Wes went off to deal with details and arriving writers while Sawyer and Noah went over the plan for the tour and which one of them would be leading which parts. All too soon, the room was filled with their media VIPs enjoying cocktails and food, asking countless questions, vying for the attention of both Sawyer and Noah. Sawyer was immersed in the process and loved talking about the Grand Legacy and his hard work, but he knew very well that he wouldn’t be “on” right now if it wasn’t for Kendall. If she hadn’t swept in, he would be dragging right now. She’d saved the day in more ways than she probably even imagined.
Noah led the beginning of the tour, starting at the top floor with the luxury condominiums that would soon be listed for sale. Next were the three most impressive suites in the hotel, including the one Sawyer and Kendall had christened the day of his interview with Margaret Sharp. As Noah rattled off the list of famous people who had once stayed in this room, she stood in the corner, exchanging glances with Sawyer, charging every atom in his body with her particular brand of electricity. If only she knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of one of her looks—she filled him with optimism and warm feelings he hadn’t known in a long time, even when he was unsure everything would work out.
When the group returned to the ground floor, Sawyer led the tour through the finer details of the lobby, then they ended up in the grand ballroom. This was where things had started to come together for Kendall and him—he’d seen the appreciation in her eye and he could see it now. She respected the work he’d done. She admired his dedication. It felt so good to be appreciated for those things.
“I just want to thank everyone for coming this evening. I do hope that those of you who are based in New York will consider coming back in a few days for our big opening night.”
Kendall stepped forward and raised her hand. “I want to say one thing before everyone disperses. I hope that the one takeaway everyone has from this evening is that Sawyer and Noah Locke have done everything in their power to bring back a historic piece of this city. They have done so in meticulous fashion, even when faced with setbacks.” She cast her eyes across the room at Sawyer. “Too few people put that much care into preserving the past. I think it’s something to be admired. Thank you all for coming this evening and giving us your time.”
The writers settled in to chatter back and forth, several approaching Kendall and Wes, shaking hands. Sawyer had his own goodbyes to bid, as well, but soon enough, everyone had gone. The caterers and a few members of the newly hired hotel staff were cleaning up the ballroom when finally Sawyer could speak to Kendall alone.
“Thank you so much for everything tonight. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Kendall shrugged. “Wes would’ve muddled his way through it. The food might have not been right, but the hotel looks fantastic. That part would have been in place.”
Sawyer shook his head and took her hand. “No, Kendall. It’s all you. Just seeing you tonight was enough to put me back on my game. I feel like I’ve been floundering for the last several weeks.”
She nodded, taking in his words. “I haven’t been doing great either. But maybe we needed this time to clear our heads. Figure out what we both want.”
“Right now, all I want is for you to let me take you home.” He hoped like hell she would let it become their home. Their family’s home.
“Something tells me you won’t let me say no.”
“You’re right. I won’t.”
* * *
Kendall wasn’t sure this was the right decision, but the earnest look in Sawyer’s eyes left her with no response other than “Are we talking your place or mine?”
“Mine, if that’s alright with you.”
“I know you’re not a big fan of my neighborhood.”
“It’s more than that. I made some changes to my apartment that I want you to see.”
“Changes? How could you have time to do anything other than collapse in bed every night?”
He was quiet for a moment. “I’ve been a busy guy. I had to keep my mind occupied somehow. I put up some new paint. Got some new furniture.” He tugged on her hand. “Come on. Let’s go before Noah finds me and asks me to do something.”
Kendall grabbed her coat and they rushed outside to Sawyer’s waiting car. They sped along in the New York night, no more words to be said, not in the car, where his driver might hear them. If they were going to launch into yet another discussion about the future, it was better to be alone. But there was something about Sawyer tonight. A calm that hadn’t been there before. Perhaps it was the product of being so close to the end of the Grand Legacy project. That had to be a huge weight off his mind.
He reached across the seat and placed his hand on Kendall’s. It wasn’t sexual or seductive, even though there was a rush of excitement every time he touched her. It was sweet and tender. She didn’t say anything. She simply turned her hand, so they could be palm-to-palm, so his body heat could pour into her.
They arrived at his building and rode the elevator to his apartment. Sawyer held her hand the whole way, which filled Kendall with both nervousness and exhilaration. Had he decided that he wanted to play a role in the baby’s life? And if so, how did that include them as a pair? She didn’t want to do any of this halfway, but she recognized now that she could compromise if she had to. The baby wasn’t just hers. It was Sawyer’s, as well.
He took her coat once they reached his floor.
“So? The big changes?” she asked, looking around, not seeing so much as a throw pillow out of place.
“I’ll show them to you in a minute. Can I get you a glass of water? Some tea? You must need to sit down. You’ve been on your feet all night.”
She cocked an eyebrow at him. “It’s sweet when you show concern for the pregnant woman.”
He took her hand again. “I have always been concerned about you. You know that, don’t you? Even when I wasn’t taking the news of the pregnancy well. I don’t know if I was just losing my mind because of everything going on with the hotel or the drama with my father, but I need you to know that’s not me.”
“I know, Sawyer. I do. You just never planned to become a father. I get it. We’ve been down this road.”
He shook his head. “Come. Sit.” He led her to the living room, clicked on the fire, and they sat together on the couch. “I have spent a lot of my life trying to do everything I could to be the opposite of my dad. I refused to work with him after college, and instead went into the military. I wouldn’t work with him when I returned from serving overseas. I went to work right away
on building my business so I could afford to bring back the Grand Legacy. Everything I’ve done has been in opposition.”
“I know. You have your reasons.”
“But here’s where I messed up. It’s one thing to not want to be him. It’s something completely different when that gets in the way of my happiness. When it prevents me from having the life I want. I never planned on becoming a dad because I simply refused to consider it. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I realize that there’s this hole in my heart and it’s only felt full one time in my entire life.”
Kendall swallowed, bracing for the answer. Her heart hoped like crazy that he was about to say what she wanted him to say, but she didn’t want to endure more disappointment. “Tell me.”
“With you. That first day you came to the hotel, even when I thought I couldn’t have you, you still made my world better. You valued what I do, you admired what I wanted to get out of the hotel. You made me feel like somebody, somewhere was on my side. I have never felt like that, Kendall. Never.”
“What about with Noah? You work with him every day. You’re on the same side.”
“That’s different. We’re bound by blood and money. It’s not the same. I know you were just doing your job, but I sensed from the beginning that it meant more to you. And you just confirmed that tonight. I’m so sorry that I ever hurt you. I’m so sorry that I doubted that the baby could make me happy. I know now that you’re what makes me happy.”
Tears stung her eyes, but she fought back that urge to cry. The truth was that Sawyer made her happy, too. And all of that other stuff was just stuff. Things that would have to get worked out. He made her feel safe. He made her feel protected and cherished. Something she’d only had a glimpse of in her life, and something she’d been so desperate to have again. “You make me happy, too. You do.”