He tilted his head to the side and grew serious. “My biggest concern with Erik is you getting hurt. He’s not known for relationship stability.” He shrugged. “But if shit hits the fan and I have to take over the account again, that’s what I’ll do. It’s not a big deal. I want my employees to enjoy their jobs and create the best advertising possible for our clients. I also want them to be happy.”
He stood and smiled, his teeth a white slash against his dark complexion. “I think you’d be good for Erik. It’s obvious you’re already giving him fits and keeping him on his toes.” He laughed and turned toward the door. “Keep up the good work.”
Kat sat, stunned, watching Rusty’s retreating back. He’d just given her permission to date Erik. Well, “date” probably wasn’t the best word to describe a potential relationship between them, but what did that mean exactly? Rusty didn’t mind if she… whatever’d Erik, but could she afford the distraction?
The chirp of her cell phone interrupted her thoughts. She picked it up, checked caller ID, and saw her granddad’s number. Like a sign from heaven above, there was her answer on caller ID. Regardless of Rusty’s policy, she couldn’t afford to be scattered, like this morning. She had to remained focused on her job, prove herself capable, and earn that VP position.
A quick rap on the doorframe and a wave of Seth’s aftershave wafting over her preceded his stealthy approach into her office. He glanced back in the hallway like Super-sly Seth, making sure he hadn’t been followed, then shut the door behind him. “Hey, girlfriend.”
Kat figured, most mornings, Seth spent more time on his perfectly kept blond hair than she did hers. This morning, however, he looked like he’d hit it with a hand mixer. And if she wasn’t mistaken, he was wearing the same clothes he’d worn yesterday. She bit her lip to keep from laughing at both his appearance and behavior and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “What’s going on?”
“I wanted to give you some information.” He dropped into the chair Rusty had vacated and scrubbed both hands through his hair. Ah, so that’s how he achieved the egg beater look. He yawned, then rubbed his eyes and said, “I was working late last night... Actually, I was here all night while you were, according to Riverside’s grapevine, with Erik.” He sighed and slumped further into the chair. “Paint me ten shades of green—”
“Damn.” Kat dropped her head into her hands and groaned. “Is there no privacy in this town?”
“Um, no, not really.” As if just looking at her for the first time today, he leaned in and squinted his eyes. “You look like shit. You definitely don’t have the morning-after glow I would have expected. Don’t tell me Erik’s skills have been overstated.”
Ignoring the part about Erik or his skills, she focused on the first half of Seth’s comment. “Have you looked in a mirror this morning?”
“No, I really don’t want to know. But like I said, I’ve worked all night. You, having spent the night with Erik… in a situation that would’ve hopefully included a bed… Well, I expected more from you.”
Kat shook her head and took a deep breath. “Please tell me you didn’t come in here just to tell me how bad I look.”
Seth shook his head and tsked. “My, my, my. Aren’t we grumpy? Anyway, late last night I noticed the lights on the phone blinking a lot. Like someone was making a call, hanging up, then quickly dialing again. I came downstairs to investigate and found Elise.”
He looked at her expectantly, like she should prepare herself for something really, really significant. “She was making calls to various people in the Charlotte area. Your moving from a large agency, like Reynolds and Ashbury, to a smaller one, like SMG, doesn’t make sense to her. She’s trying to find some kind of dirt on you.” His gaze narrowed and focused on Kat’s. “Is there dirt on you? If there is, she didn’t find it last night. But that doesn’t mean she won’t keep looking.”
“Wow.” Kat sagged back in her chair, stunned. It wasn’t Elise’s actions that surprised her; it was that no one had thrown Kat under the bus. She would’ve thought one or two phone calls would’ve netted Elise all the information she could have ever hoped to find. The fact that it didn’t slightly raised Kat’s faith in humanity. “I’m shocked.”
Seth snorted. “Why would you be surprised? Elise is a snake. You had to know she would do something like this.” He picked at his fingernail and the corner of his mouth twitched. “I’m sure your seeing Erik only adds fuel to the fire.”
“What? Why would Elise care that I’m seeing Erik? I mean, I’m not. But if I were, why would it matter to her?”
Seth’s face and shoulders dropped. “You weren’t with Erik last night?”
“Grrr… Jesus, Seth, focus would you? Erik helped me unpack after we got back from touring his plant. That’s it; no big deal. Back to Elise. Why would she care if I was seeing Erik?”
“Put it this way: if arranged marriages were still customary, Elise and Erik would’ve been hitched at thirteen. Their mothers have been best friends since they were little, and from what I understand, they’ve always had the idea that Erik and Elise would make the perfect couple. Elise wouldn’t mind a bit if the parents succeeded in arranging that hookup, but Erik despises Elise.” He grinned. “Any time he has to be with her, he jokes about intravenously connecting a keg just to get through it."
Kat remembered Erik’s mutterings about that when his father mentioned an upcoming dinner Erik needed to attend. Picturing Erik and Elise together made the liquor-induced acid burn in Kat’s stomach.
But what did it matter? She wasn’t seeing Erik. And even if she was, he’d never be hers exclusively. She grabbed a bottle of Tums from her desk drawer and prayed they were faster acting than the worthless pain relievers she’d popped before leaving home.
“Back to the dirt,” Seth said. “There’s nothing for Elise to find? Everything’s copacetic?”
Kat laughed. There was plenty for Elise to find. Fortunately, Kat had been completely honest with Rusty about the events leading up to her departure from Reynolds and Ashbury, and he was her only concern. “It’s all good, Seth. But thanks for having my back. You’ve been a great friend, and I really appreciate it.”
“Cool.” He stood to leave, then stopped. “Oh, by the way, a bunch of us are going to The Office on Thursday night. Plan on coming with us.”
Kat glanced around her office, then back to Seth. “I don’t understand.”
“The Office. It’s a bar and grill where Riverside’s business people hang out. After eight, it turns into a meat market, but prior to that, it’s a great place to make connections. Work connections.” He waggled his eyebrows. “After eight, other connections can be made if you’re interested.”
“Ah.” Kat knew the kind of place. There had been one in Charlotte, and it had pretty much been a requirement to be seen there. “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll definitely be there.”
After Seth left, Kat sat her desk, seething. Frustration, sexual and professional, was becoming a living, breathing, destructive force within her. She needed an outlet, and Elise made the perfect target.
Kat stood, then looked down at her way-too-comfy feet. The tennis shoes she wore to work were great for walking, but not so impressive when it came to bitch slapping. She dug her trademark three-inch heels out of her bag, slipped them on, then stomped across the lobby to Elise’s office.
Not bothering with the politesse of knocking, she stormed in and slammed the door shut behind her. Elise’s head snapped up so quickly, Kat hoped she’d given herself whiplash.
Planting her palms flat on Elise’s desk, Kat said, “I hear you’ve been asking questions, looking for something that might cause me problems.”
Elise’s eyes flared for a fraction of a second, then narrowed. “It’s the strangest thing. For reasons I can’t fathom, you’re well liked. No one would tell me anything.” She smiled snidely. “But that doesn’t mean there isn’t something there. No one as hungry and determined as you seem to be would have willingly left Reynol
ds and Ashbury, especially for a small agency like this.”
Black spots floated in front of Kat’s eyes, and the only thing keeping her balanced as her blood pressure hit an extreme spike was her palms rooted to Elise’s desk. That, and her complete unwillingness to allow Elise to see just how badly she’d affected her.
Kat forced her jaw to relax and through only slightly clenched teeth said, “Rusty knows all the details surrounding my departure from R&A. There’s nothing there, so stay the hell out of my business.”
Without giving Elise an opportunity to respond, Kat turned on her spiky heels and stormed back across the lobby to her office, where she somehow managed to not slam the door shut.
She took a deep breath, then slowly released it. Damn, that felt good.
As she rounded the corner of her desk, the beep of her cell phone reminded her she had a voicemail from Granddad. She flopped down in her chair and listened to the message. “Hey, Katydid, it’s your granddad.” Like he needed to tell her that. There wasn’t anyone else special enough to get away with calling her a bug. “I thought maybe I could catch ya before ya got to work this mornin’. I shoulda known ya’d already be there. I’m jus’ checkin’ on ya, makin’ sure your gettin’ along all right. Call me.”
She rolled her head back and stared at the ceiling, hoping the tears pooling in her eyes evaporated before spilling over and streaking mascara down her face. Leaving Granddad had been the hardest part of moving, and she wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to him being so far away.
She closed her eyes and imagined him sitting on his porch, watchin’ the world go by, as he’d say. Granddad had always worked hard, but he’d somehow found a way to balance work and time off for fun. He and Erik were a lot alike in that regard. Maybe someday she’d figure out that balance, too.
Right now, though, making her grandfather proud was her driving force, and that meant taking time off wasn’t an option.
His call, and the knowledge Elise was gunning for her, were the kick in the ass she needed to get going despite feeling like hell. An idea had been forming since yesterday afternoon, and the more she thought about it, the more excited she got. She’d always found cross promotion with clients to be challenging and rewarding; throw in exposure and benefit for a non-profit and the deal got even sweeter.
She cleared her desk, found a notepad, and started jotting down the waterfall of ideas that had been flowing since leaving Erik’s office. The morning rolled into afternoon and then into early evening. She was considering calling Erik, to run some of her ideas past him, when a knock sounded on her door.
Elise stood in the doorway, a plastic smile splattered across her face. “I thought I’d show you how polite society does it. We knock and then wait to be invited in.”
“You’ll grow old and very droopy waiting to be invited in here. What do you want?”
Completely unfazed, Elise’s smile grew to sugary sweet and sickening proportions. “I’m having dinner with Erik this evening. I thought I’d see if I could help you out by passing along any paperwork or messages you might have for him.”
Kat barely managed to refrain from coughing “Bullshit” into her hand. However, since Seth had given her the inside scoop, and she’d heard Erik grumbling about the dinner, she was able to keep things in perspective and see it for what it was… Elise being a bitch. Again. Rather than taking the bait and getting worked up as Elise had hoped, Kat gave a genuine smile and said, “You can give him my condolences.”
Elise’s brow knitted in confusion. “I beg your pardon.”
“He’s having dinner with you.” Kat paused, giving Elise time to catch up. “Give him my condolences.”
As Elise huffed and stomped away, Kat laughed. Maybe she’d send Erik a text, just to let him know she was thinking about him.
She put her phone down.
Maybe she’d wait until later, when he was with Elise.
Chapter Six
Cautiously slipping in through his parents' kitchen entrance, Erik turned the knob so the lock wouldn’t click and shut the door as quietly as possible. It was a game that had started years ago when, as a child, he’d sneak into the kitchen to get extra snacks after school. In twenty-five years, he could count on one hand the number of times he’d actually gotten in unnoticed.
As luck would have it, tonight wasn’t one of those nights.
Annabelle, his mother’s housekeeper, turned from the stove to face him. Shaking her head and laughing, she planted her hands on her voluptuous hips and said, “Child, your mama’ll have a fit you comin’ in that side door instead of the front like’s proper.”
Erik leaned over and kissed Annie on the cheek. “Why would I care what she thinks tonight any more than I ever have?”
Annie snatched a wooden spoon from its holder on the counter and swished it in his face. “Don’t you sass me.”
Erik knew from experience that wooden spoon stung like fire, and he suspected, in her eyes, he’d never be too old for her to use it on him. “Yes, ma’am.” He leaned over the stove, closed his eyes, and drew in a deep breath, savoring the comforting potpourri of basil, garlic, and onion that filled the steaming air. “You made my favorite, and it smells fantastic. As always.”
Straightening, he walked to the extra refrigerator in the garage-sized pantry and grabbed two Budweisers. His parents were wine connoisseurs who never understood his preference to beer, but at least they were kind enough to keep his favorite brand on hand.
Annie glanced at the beers and frowned. As a strong Southern Baptist, she’d never approved of his drinking, but she also never outwardly condemned it. Except when it got out of hand. Those times, she didn’t hesitate to treat him like a child and hand him his ass in a sling.
She turned back to the stove and resumed stirring the thick sauce. “I hear you got a new girl.”
“Jesus Christ—” The wooden spoon spun around and shook in his face. “'Scuse me, but this town is so fuu… fuuu…” He stepped out of range of the spoon. “Friggin’ unbelievable.” Annie glared, prompting him to flash his special get-out-of-jail-free smile. She’d been the first to respond to that smile, and once he understood its power, he set out to perfect it. Of course, in addition to personal gain, he worked to perfect it because it always made Annie smile, and he’d do just about anything to make her happy.
Since his mother hadn’t cared for the messes associated with babies and toddlers, she turned most of the child-rearing duties over to Annie. And thank God for that. Annie had been a mom who seemed to think he could do no wrong, whereas his biological mother had remained a cold, distant female who happened to occupy the same house.
Thinking what his life would’ve been like had his mother actually taken an interest in him sent a shudder down his spine. He’d probably be in the study right now, sipping wine, engaged in boring conversation. And worse still, he’d be with Elise.
That thought was as nauseating as it was distressing and sent him straight for the beer in his hand. When he’d finished taking a healthy swig, he said, “There’s a new account executive handling my advertising. She toured the plant yesterday, and last night I took her pizza and helped her unpack.” He shrugged. “That’s it.”
Annie kept her measuring black eyes trained on him while she stirred the sauce, which made him jumpy as hell because she knew him so well, she could probably look straight through his skull and see into his mind. And wasn’t that a scary, scary thought?
He fought the urge to squirm by downing the rest of his beer, then dropped the empty bottle in the recycling container. Opening his second, he said, “Guess I better go speak to Mother.”
“I want to meet her.”
He whipped around to face Annie. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me, child.”
“Why?”
Annie smiled and said nothing, just went back to stirring and humming.
Shit. She never cared about meeting anyone he went out with. She knew it was a waste of time. So what had sh
e seen in him that made her want to meet Kat?
Jesus, going to see his mother suddenly sounded like a great idea. She wouldn’t have a clue what was going on with him. Nor would she care. “How long am I going to have to be in there?”
Annie checked the oven and smelled the sauce. “About fifteen minutes.”
“I can probably survive that.” As he followed the sound of voices coming from the study, he wondered if everyone felt a sense of dread like this when attending a family birthday dinner.
He took a deep breath, then stepped through the doorway. His parents' house, decorated with dark wood, substantial antique furniture, and heavy upholstering, had always felt oppressive. But nowhere was it more evident than in the cramped study.
He engaged in brief conversation with his father and Mr. Winstead, then moved to the settee, where his mother and Mrs. Winstead sat chatting about the upcoming garden club meeting. He wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulder, which was as close to a hug as they ever got, and said, “Happy birthday, Mother.”
“Thank you.” She lifted her chin and studied him. “I hoped you would shave for my birthday.”
Accustomed to his mother’s attempts at guilt trips and manipulations, he drew a hand across his jaw and smiled—not his special smile—and said, “I did. I shave every morning.” And he did; he just used a guard to keep it close, not gone, like she preferred.
After a brief exchange with Mrs. Winstead and a terse nod thrown toward Elise, who sat in a chair opposite the settee, he moved to the window. He pushed the heavy drapery aside and stared at the river, wondering, yet again, why his mother insisted on keeping such a magnificent view locked away behind huge fabric panels.
Then again, he didn’t understand anything about his real mother, which was why he valued his surrogate mothers so much. Annie had loved him unconditionally and always treated him like her own. As he’d grown older, Steve’s Mom, Mama Vex, had also become a major influence, especially through adolescence.
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