A Kick in the Pants (a Riley O'Brien & Co. novella)

by Jenna Sutton

  Teagan stood beside the huge granite island, drinking golden liquid from a clear glass bottle. She was dressed comfortably, clad in a gray Harvard sweatshirt, pink plaid pajama pants, and tan UGGs.

  Her wavy, dark hair hung past her shoulders in tangled streamers, and her face was completely free of makeup, revealing her pallor. Her cobalt-blue eyes, framed by glasses with thick silver rims, lacked their usual sparkle.

  “Hey, T,” Kyla said. “Are you feeling better?”

  “A little.”

  Moving farther into the kitchen, Kyla stopped next to the curvy brunette. She gently grasped Teagan’s wrist so she could read the label on the bottle.

  “Fever Tree Ginger Ale. Made with natural gingers.” She glanced at Teagan. “Upset stomach?”

  “Yes.”

  “Flu?”

  “I’m not contagious, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Teagan snapped.

  Whoa. Cranky much?

  “I’m worried about you, not catching something from you.”

  Teagan sighed softly. “I know. I’m sorry for snapping at you.” She screwed the cap back on the bottle. “I’m pregnant.”

  “Pregnant!” Kyla squealed and threw her arms around Teagan. “That’s wicked awesome! Does my mom know? She’s going to be so excited!”

  “It is wicked awesome. And yes, she knows. It’s kind of hard to hide it from her when I throw up twenty times a day.”

  “Is the ginger ale helping?”

  “Yes. And Letty found some recipes that are supposed to help with morning sickness.”

  “Where is my mom, by the way?”

  Teagan grimaced. “I can’t stand the smell of food cooking, especially vegetables, so she’s making dinner in the carriage house and bringing it over here.”

  “How far along are you?”

  “Only a few weeks.” Teagan set the ginger ale on the island. “We aren’t telling a lot of people, so please don’t say anything, Kyla. It’s still early, and something could happen…”

  Wrapping her arm around Teagan’s shoulders, Kyla pressed her head against the other woman’s. “Nothing is going to happen. You’re going to have a healthy, beautiful baby, and my mom is going to spoil it rotten.”

  “Babies.”

  “What?” Kyla asked, drawing back so she could see Teagan’s face.

  Teagan held up two fingers. “Two heartbeats. Two babies.”

  “Twins!” Kyla screeched. “Oh, my God!”

  Suddenly, Nick appeared in the doorway, dressed in a gray Under Armor long-sleeved tee that clung to his muscular chest and black track pants. Her screech must have activated his protective instincts. His light green eyes swept over the room, and his warrior stance relaxed when he saw that Kyla and Teagan were okay.

  “I just told her about the babies,” Teagan explained.

  A huge smile transformed Nick’s face. Kyla had known him for nearly six years, and she’d never seen him so happy, not even on his wedding day.

  With his tawny hair, athlete’s body, and eyes the same shade as the mineral olivine, Nick was extraordinarily good-looking. In fact, People magazine had named him one of the sexiest men alive. But that smile … it was breath-taking. He was obviously thrilled that he was going to be a daddy.

  Kyla knew, without a doubt, that Nick Priest would be there for his children from their first breath to his last. And she was sure he’d do his best to make sure they were taken care of even after he was gone. Teagan was a lucky woman.

  “Congratulations!” Kyla shouted.

  She darted over to Nick, wrapped her arms around his waist, and squeezed him as tightly as she could. Grunting a little, he hugged her to him and dropped a kiss on top of her head.

  Despite the fact that he was only eight years older than Kyla, he’d always had a fatherly demeanor with her. She was grateful for her relationship with Nick. It was a blessing.

  Kyla doubted that Nick knew how much he’d changed her life and the lives of her immediate family. She would never admit it to anyone, but she secretly thought Nick was their guardian angel. He’d come along when they needed him most, hiring Letty to be his personal chef and part-time assistant while he’d played pro football for the Boston Colonials.

  Kyla released Nick from her python-like squeeze and looked up at him. “You know, my mom will think of your babies as her grandchildren.”

  If it were possible, Nick’s smile grew even bigger. Teagan laughed before saying, “That’s a win-win. Nick and I already think of Letty as their grandmother.”

  Kyla couldn’t prevent the grin that took over her face. “Thanks for taking the pressure off me, T.”

  “If you think your mom is going to be satisfied with only two grandchildren, you’re delusional,” Teagan warned. “I don’t think you realize how eager she is for you, or Vanessa, or Ben to make her a grandmother.”

  Teagan’s face turned the color of skim milk, and her eyes widened behind her glasses. She lunged for the cabinet that hid the trash can at the same moment Nick did. He jerked it open just in time for his wife to puke up the ginger ale she’d just imbibed.

  While Teagan heaved over the trash can, Nick held her hair away from her face. When she was finished, he moistened a paper towel with tap water and carefully wiped her cheeks and mouth.

  “This sucks,” Teagan muttered.

  Pulling his wife into his arms, he murmured soothing noises and rubbed big circles on her back. Kyla felt as if she was intruding in a very private moment.

  “Maybe I should come back later. This doesn’t seem like a good time to talk about work.”

  Teagan chuckled weakly. “I’m not sure if or when there will be a good time in the next eight months.”

  Nick tossed the paper towel into the trash, pulled out the plastic bag, and efficiently tied it off. With the bag in hand, he exited the kitchen, leaving Kyla and Teagan alone.

  After grabbing the ginger ale, Teagan slowly made her way to the kitchen table and plopped down on a chair upholstered in navy blue dupioni silk. “Let’s talk about your report. Why did you write it?”

  Familiar with the location of the kitchen supplies, Kyla opened the pantry and found a replacement trash bag. As she fitted it into the plastic can, she asked, “Do you know Phoebe Werner? She’s also in the management trainee program. Relocated from Boise. Brunette. Short, curly hair. Big boobs. Little mole above her lip.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I guess it doesn’t matter if you know her or not.” Kyla pushed the cabinet door shut with her knee. “The report was her idea. We were talking about our experiences with the program, and we agreed that there were some aspects that could be a lot better.”

  “We don’t solicit feedback from trainees, which is a problem because there’s no way for us to know if it’s a negative experience.”

  Shaking her head, Kyla slid into the chair diagonal to Teagan. “Don’t misconstrue the report, T. My overall experience was positive. I’m appreciative that you worked behind the scenes to get me into the program, and I’m happy that I went through it.”

  “I shared your report with Winyu,” Teagan said.

  Winyu Parnthong served as the executive vice president of human resources for Riley O’Brien & Co. Kyla had seen him around the office, but she’d never spoken with him. The human resources department had not been one of her rotations during the management trainee program.

  Teagan continued, “He was impressed with your analysis and your suggestions to improve the program.”

  “I’m glad my report was helpful. That’s all I wanted to do … to improve the program.”

  Teagan picked at the label on the bottle of ginger ale. “Winyu agrees with you about the need for a dedicated manager for the trainee program.”

  It was important to Kyla that Teagan understood that Miranda wasn’t incompetent, but simply overwhelmed. She didn’t want to disparage or discount the other woman’s hard work.

  “I think Miranda is doing the best she can. But sh
e has a lot on her plate, even without the additional responsibility of managing the trainee program.”

  Teagan nodded. “Winyu is aware of that. He’s working to redistribute the workload in his department.”

  She stood abruptly, and Kyla jumped up from her chair, ready to provide assistance if Teagan needed her. The expectant mother waved her hand.

  “Relax. I’m just hungry.” She smiled wryly. “That’s how I roll now. Either I’m barfing or I’m starving. There’s no in between.”

  Kyla watched as Teagan rummaged through a wicker basket on the countertop. As she pulled out a plastic-wrapped brown loaf, she said, “Letty made banana bread this morning. Want a piece?”

  “No, thanks.”

  Teagan unwrapped the bread, and to Kyla’s amusement, she didn’t bother to cut a slice. She just took a big bite off the end of the loaf.

  Once Teagan had swallowed her mouthful of banana bread, she said, “After reading your report, I think the trainee program needs more than a dedicated manager. I think it needs to be completely revamped. I know we can do a better job recruiting people into the program and deploying them where they’re needed most.”

  Her comments didn’t surprise Kyla. Teagan had been the one to push for a makeover of the entire women’s division. She wasn’t someone who would ever be content with the status quo. She was always looking for ways to improve the company.

  “I know you really like working in the finance department, but would you be interested in managing the trainee program?”

  Teagan’s question came out of left field, and Kyla struggled to wrap her head around what the other woman was suggesting.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never considered doing something like that.” She frowned. “Am I the right person to manage the program? Isn’t there someone else who would be better?”

  Teagan slowly wound the plastic wrap around the loaf of banana bread. “I think you’re the perfect person to manage the program.”

  “You do? Why?”

  “Because you’re the person who recognized the flaws in the existing program. You’re the person who took the initiative to write a report about it. You’re the person who outlined a strategy to build on what we’re doing right and fix what we’re doing wrong.”

  “I’m not sure I’m qualified—”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Teagan snapped. “You have an MBA from a top-rated university. So that checks the box for education. As for experience, you’ve gone through the trainee program. You know what works and what doesn’t. That experience is invaluable.”

  She considered what Teagan had said. The other woman had made some valid points. Maybe Kyla was the perfect person to manage the trainee program.

  Teagan groaned pitifully and pressed her hand to her lower stomach. “Please, babies, give me a break.”

  Just then, Nick returned to the kitchen. He took one glance at Teagan’s waxen complexion and hurried to her side.

  “Bed,” he said. “Now.”

  Teagan tilted her head back until she could meet Nick’s eyes. “This is your fault, you know.”

  His mouth quirked in a smile. “I know.”

  “Will you lie down with me?”

  He nodded, and Teagan brought her attention back to Kyla. “Just think about what I said. Please. I think it would be a great opportunity for you.”

  Kyla nodded. “I will. I promise.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Unfortunately, Jake was fully clothed when he answered the door to his condo. Fortunately, he was shoeless. That meant she could get his Rileys off in thirty seconds.

  “Hi,” she said, giving him a big smile.

  He didn’t respond to her greeting. Instead, his greenish-gold gaze roamed over her, seeming to catalog each and every distinct part, from her unbound hair and beaded tiered necklace to her emerald green V-necked sweater and floral print skirt and ending with her black Mary Jane heels.

  He silently welcomed her into his condo by standing beside the door. Once she crossed the threshold, he closed the door with a soft snick.

  His place had an open floorplan with a large bar splitting the kitchen from the dining and living areas. She stopped next to Jake’s brown leather recliner, which was marred with several pieces of duct tape.

  He still hadn’t spoken. A knot formed in her stomach. Something was wrong.

  After tossing her bag onto the recliner, she turned to face him. He stood about two feet away, his expression grave.

  “We need to talk.”

  The tone of his voice, coupled with his foreboding expression, warned her that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. It was quite possible that she would be in tears before it was over.

  “I don’t know where to start…”

  “I’ve heard the beginning is a good place.”

  “Right.” A laugh rustled in his throat. “So Quinn stopped by my office this morning. We went to a new smoothie bar called Smoothie Criminal.”

  “And?”

  “And he gave me a promotion.”

  Relief flooded her. This was good news.

  “That’s great!” she exclaimed. “I’m so proud of you!”

  She charged forward, intending to give him a hug, but he held out hands like a traffic cop. Confused, she stumbled to a stop.

  “What’s wrong? You should be happy that Quinn recognizes how hard you work. This promotion is a reward.”

  Jake looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. “Quinn offered me the CFO job, Kyla. He wants Diana to retire by the end of quarter.”

  “CFO?”

  “CFO,” he confirmed.

  “Wow,” she breathed. “That is a huge, huge deal.”

  He nodded. “It’s my dream job. It’s what I’ve been working toward since my first day at Riley O’Brien & Co. I just didn’t think it would happen so soon. I didn’t think Diana would retire for another five years. I never expected that Quinn would insist that she retire before she was ready. But he doesn’t think she’s the right person to do the job anymore. He’s concerned about how difficult she is.”

  Kyla nodded. Difficult was one word to describe Diana. Bitch was another one.

  “Jake, this is amazing. You’re amazing. You’ll probably be the youngest CFO of a Fortune 100 company.” She waggled her eyebrows. “You’ll definitely be the hottest.”

  He shook his head. “You’re not getting it, sweetness.”

  “Getting what?”

  “As chief financial officer, I will be in charge of everything related to the company’s finances, from accounts receivable to payroll, and everything in between. I will also be in charge of everyone in the finance department. Everyone.”

  “I understand that it’s a big job,” she conceded, “but I have no doubt that you can handle it. You need to have faith in yourself. I do.”

  He laughed, but the sound held little amusement. “You still don’t get,” he snapped. “I will be your boss, Kyla! I will be your boss’s boss! And his boss’s boss!”

  Now she understood why he wasn’t doing backflips. As long as she worked in the finance department, his dream job made it impossible for them to be together.

  “I can’t be in a relationship with someone whose boss reports to me,” he continued. “It violates Riley O’Brien & Co.’s code of professional conduct. It would be unethical and a conflict of interest because I will have the power to influence your career.”

  Kyla sat down on the curved arm of the oversized sofa. “That’s a problem.”

  “A problem?” he repeated, his voice an octave higher than usual. “It’s not a problem, Kyla! It’s a fucking disaster!”

  She’d seen Jake pissed off. She’d seen him angry. But she’d never seen him like this … almost unhinged.

  “I want the CFO job. And I want you. I don’t want to give up either one. I want it all, damn it!”

  And in that moment, she knew that she was going to give up her job in the finance department and take the one that Teagan had offered. On t
he drive to Jake’s condo, Kyla had weighed the risks and rewards of managing the trainee program, but she hadn’t been able to make a decision. Jake’s promotion was the variable that tipped the scales.

  Some people might think that she was sacrificing her career. But she didn’t agree.

  Her career path wasn’t clearly marked. Unlike Jake, she hadn’t been striving toward any particular job or goal. He had, and now that his dream job was within reach, she wasn’t going to stand in his way.

  While the finance job was safe and comfortable, the job managing the trainee program would probably be far more challenging. And potentially far more rewarding.

  It was a risk that Kyla was willing to take to be with Jake. Even though their relationship was new, it was worth it.

  Jake moved to stand in front of her. She looked up into his face, and he curved his hand around her jaw. “I can’t give you up, Kyla. I won’t give you up.”

  Turning her head, she placed a light kiss on his palm. “I can’t give you up, either.” She let him pull her to her feet. “I’ll tell Sam tomorrow that I’m resigning my position.”

  He stared into her eyes. “I just want you to know … I don’t think my career is more important than yours. And I know this isn’t fair to you. If I could find any other solution, I would.”

  She nodded. “I know you would.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to manage Riley O’Brien & Co.’s management trainee program.”

  The space between his eyebrows crinkled. “What?”

  She spent the next several minutes telling him about the conversation she’d had with Teagan and her new job opportunity. When she finished, he picked her up by the waist and spun her around, sending her skirt belling out around her thighs.

  “You’re going to be perfect for that job, sweetness. I’m so proud of you.” He set her back on her feet and pressed a kiss on her mouth. “That problem was a little too easy to solve. The next one won’t be.”

  “Probably not,” she agreed. “And that’s why we need to celebrate this one.”

  “Hold on,” he said before jogging into the kitchen.

  He returned a moment later with a black champagne bottle and two crystal coupes. She took the bottle from him, wrapping her palm around the black foil on the neck.