“Nice.”
Nice? That didn’t sound promising. Of course, it was better than hearing her tell her friend the truth, which was that he was a moody asshole.
“He draws the most amazing plans for boats.”
“That’s it?” He could see the other person’s reflection in the glass as she frowned. “Nice? I see.”
“No. You don’t see. He’s a really nice boss.”
“Nice means ugly,” the other person said. Before Kenley had time to respond, Zane took a few louder steps and coughed before he walked into the lobby.
“Hi, Zane. This is my sister-in-law, Vanessa.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Vanessa cleared her throat and said, “Nice to meet you too.” She was blatantly checking him out. Unfortunately, it wasn’t this woman’s attention he wanted. Not that he should want Kenley’s attention.
Thanks to the physical requirements of his job, and the gym, he was in relatively good shape. Maybe Kenley preferred her men bulky like Brady. Not that it mattered, because Brady had backed off after Zane claimed her. He wondered how long Brady would hold off if Zane didn’t make a move. He couldn’t make a move. He was her boss. He squared his shoulders and prepared to do just that. Be the boss.
“Have you heard anything about the Oliver boat?” Zane got to the point of his interruption.
“No. I just checked on it again today. They said they would know soon.” Zane had a buyer for that boat and a new motor waiting to be installed before he could flip it to his customer who demanded it be in the water for summer. It was already the middle of April. Time was getting tight. He frowned at her answer, but shook it off quickly and moved on to the next topic.
“So the show we talked about is in two weeks, would you be able to leave that Friday morning? he asked, seeing her face light up in surprise. “We’ll be back on Sunday.”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Thanks.” He nodded and gave her a smile. “Nice meeting you, Vanessa.”
“Yeah. You too,” she said, still staring. As he walked away, he heard her say. “Holy shit, he’s hot.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s my boss. I can’t lose this job.” Was she having as much trouble keeping things professional as he was? He shook his head as he went into his office.
A few minutes later Kenley came in with a big smile on her face.
“So I really get to go to the boat show?”
“You seem to have a boat show confused with backstage passes to a premium rock concert, but yeah, I’d like you to come along to check it out.”
“Will we be buying a boat?”
“We’ll be looking for a thirty-foot cuddy for my roommate from college. The show actually starts on Saturday, but on Friday there’s happy hour in the afternoon and a lot of deals are made then.” He watched her as he mentioned the overnight stay again and was happy to see an extra flair of excitement. Or maybe he imagined it.
“It sounds so much better than being here alone for days on end driving myself crazy.” She put her index finger up. “Which reminds me. Can I see your phone?”
“Okay.” He handed it to her and watched her bite her bottom lip as her fingers swiftly slid over the screen. He looked away before her lips distracted him any more than they already had.
The smile was back as she turned the phone toward him and pointed.
“See this app with your company logo on it?” she asked as he stared at the screen.
“Yes.”
“I thought it might be handy if you had all those pictures from your bottom drawer more readily available, so I put them up on the server. Then I got to thinking about how you would have to log in and fumble around with the tabs, so I figured it couldn’t be that hard to design an app. I looked it up on the Internet and voila, you have an app with tabs to all the photos in that box.”
“Holy shit!” He tapped the tab under brass, and scrolled through the photos. Her laughter made him look up. Standing so close, he could smell her hair. Strawberries and cream.
He got to a photo of a steering wheel he’d already used.
“This one isn’t available anymore.”
“I figured there would be things in there that weren’t in stock anymore, so I made this little trashcan in the corner. Just slide it down there and it’s out of the way.”
“Very cool.”
“Oh, and I thought this might come in handy. See this file icon here? Let’s say you wanted to use a photo in a proposal to a client. You can label the file with the client’s name and then slide it there. It moves the photo into the file so you can sort it later and attach it to the proposal. If you don’t use it you tap that arrow and it goes back into the rotation.”
“This is amazing, Kenley.” He looked at her in awe. Kind and brilliant all wrapped up in a beautiful package.
He didn’t see how she had time to do this and get the rest of her work done. Then he frowned.
“Did you do this on your own time?”
“No. Well, I learned how to make an app at home, but that’s knowledge I can use for other things too.”
“I’m going to pay you for doing this.”
“No. It’s really okay. I was bored.”
“Still. I can’t imagine how much it would have cost to have an outside company do this, so I’m going to find out and pay you.” He wanted to compensate her for her efforts. He wasn’t going to take advantage of her boredom. She was brilliant.
“You’re too smart for this job,” he told her with a grin.
“Yeah, well, you’re the only person I could trick into hiring me after my scandal, so lucky you.”
Lucky him indeed.
Chapter 7
When Kenley got the confirmation that the Oliver boat was ready to be transferred, she knew it was going to be a problem.
The woman who owned the boat was only available on Wednesday. She knew Zane already had a meeting to settle on the Lake Erie property on Wednesday. She walked into his office to find out he’d already heard.
“I can’t be in two places at the same time,” Zane was complaining to someone on the phone. “I understand that, but I have to be in Galveston to purchase a boat I already have a buyer for.”
He waved and smiled at her and then let his head fall back.
“I understand, but can we just move it to the next day?” He let out a sigh. “I know it’s not your fault. Let me think about it and I’ll call you back.”
He hung up and took a sip of his coffee.
“Sounds like you’re starting the day out right,” she said as he rubbed his temples. “Can I do anything?”
“Can you split me in half? I need to get that boat in Texas now that she’s finally ready to sell it, and you saw the settlement for the Ohio place is tomorrow as well.”
“Yeah, but I think splitting you in half would be kind of messy.” She got a smile out of him at least.
“Maybe you can tell me how I’m supposed to be in Galveston signing the papers on a boat and in Ohio settling on the new property.”
She twisted her lips to the one side while she thought over the predicament. Which thing was the priority?
Both.
Which thing did he absolutely need to be there in person to do?
She smiled and held up her index finger to indicate she had an idea.
“You sign over temporary power of attorney to me. Then I can go to Galveston and buy the boat. You can go handle the settlement on the new place.”
“I need to have the boat shipped out immediately.”
“Brady can take care of that while I handle the purchase.”
“You would do that?” he asked.
“Yes. It would be much easier than splitting you in two.”
“Okay. That will work.”
“I’ll call your attorney so we can go have the paper drawn up, then I’ll fly out.”
“Tell her we need this quick.”
She nodded.
“Thank you, Kenley. Really. I
don’t know what I’d do without you.” His words held a sincerity that made her break out in goose bumps.
“Well, hopefully you won’t ever have to find out,” she said, before she realized how it sounded. Rather than retract it and make it worse, she turned and left his office as quickly as possible.
* * *
Kenley was in heaven.
Actually she was at JFK, but as she waited to board the plane to go to her first assignment, it was pretty damn close to heaven.
Most people wouldn’t be this happy about flying out for a job, but she was excited to have the opportunity. She was going to do her best to make Zane glad he’d hired her.
* * *
Smoothing her black pants repeatedly during the flight, she hoped she wouldn’t mess this up.
From the airport she took the rental car straight to the notary’s office following the instructions on the GPS. And that was where her heaven abruptly turned to hell.
“I’m sorry. I know I said I wanted to do this, and you’ve come all this way, but I just can’t. It was my husband’s boat. We spent so much time on that boat. Earl and I and our two boys. I know I won’t be able to take it out again, but I just can’t stand to see it pulled out of the water,” the elderly Mrs. Oliver said. Brady, who was standing next to the door, sighed. He had the truck ready to go. It was going to be a long trip home with no boat.
Kenley watched in horror as tears filled the old woman’s eyes. She could feel her own eyes sting. It wouldn’t be good to break out in hysterics when Zane was counting on her.
“Shit,” Brady muttered and walked out of the office. He was probably going to call Zane and tell him they didn’t have the boat.
She needed to do something. Zane couldn’t take more stress on this job. Plus he might back out of the letting her go to the show next week if she was incompetent. She quickly came up with a plan.
“Mrs. Oliver? Can I show you something?” Kenley asked while opening her laptop. She turned it so the woman could see the screen. “These are other boats Zane has restored. Boats that were losing their battle with the sea. Zane was able to save them and make them beautiful again.” The woman looked at the pictures with her lips pulled together in a frown.
“He does wonderful work, but I just don’t think I can part with it.”
Desperation made the next words fly out of her mouth.
“Are your boys interested in fixing it up?”
“Well. No. I did ask them if they wanted to, but neither of them have the time.”
Kenley nodded. “I’ve spoken with Mr. Donovan—the man who wants to buy Earl’s boat and have it restored. He was very specific about the year and model he wanted. He used to go out with his grandfather on a boat exactly like Earl’s. He said the times on that boat were his greatest memories. At least until his own children were born. He wants to relive that happiness with his own kids.” The woman continued to look at the screen. “Joel and Alex.”
“This Mr. Donovan has two boys?” Mrs. Oliver asked.
“Yes. They live on Lake Ontario so they spend a lot of time out on the water. The youngest is six and can already water ski.” The woman looked impressed. Mr. Donovan was pretty proud of the little guy. Zane had even posted the video on the company website. “I know you see this as the end of your boat, but it’s not.” She gave the woman a sad smile. “It’s like a rebirth. Earl’s beauty is going to get the care it needs. And a new family is going to enjoy her and make memories on her for years to come.”
Mrs. Oliver nodded and looked at her hands for a long moment before raising her head.
“You’re right. I’m just being sentimental. I’m ready now,” she said surely and reached out with the pen to sign where she was told.
When the papers were pushed in Kenley’s direction, she got a bit of a thrill signing her name on the line above Zane’s name. It was stupid, but she couldn’t help it.
She gave Mrs. Oliver a hug and offered to drive her over to the dock to see it one last time, but the woman declined.
Once outside, she found Brady pacing and talking on the phone.
“…what about that one in Wiscasset? It wasn’t the same, but it was close.” She walked up and tapped him on the shoulder with a smile.
“You can go get Mrs. Oliver’s boat now,” she said.
“What?” Brady looked at her with his brows creased.
Kenley held up the papers and pointed to the signatures.
“The boat is ours. You can load it up.”
“But the lady changed her mind,” he pointed out, still holding his phone.
“I know, and I helped her change it back.”
“Did you beat her up?”
“No!”
“How—Oh, okay. Bye,” Brady said into the phone. “Zane’s calling you.”
At that second her phone began to vibrate.
“Yes?”
“What happened?” he asked immediately.
“She had cold feet and I dealt with it. We’re good to go. It’s ours—I mean yours. You know what I mean.” Apparently the signature thing was still having ramifications.
“I’m sorry it didn’t go as planned,” he told her.
“I used to work in mergers and acquisitions, Zane. Everyone has reservations, but if they’ve gotten to this point, deep down they really do want to sell. You just have to remind them why. How did things go on your end?”
“I have another property in Ohio.”
“Good job.”
“I hope I didn’t make a horrible mistake.”
“You didn’t.”
“Thanks for saving the day.”
“Not a problem.” She pumped her fist and gave a happy “Yes!” when she hung up.
* * *
When Zane got off the phone, a strange sense of calm coursed through him. Kenley wasn’t just an employee showing up for a paycheck. She was a partner. He knew he could trust her to be there for him. He felt even more comfortable with her decisions than he had with his sister’s.
Sidney always handled situations as she wanted to, which may or may not have been how he would have done it. But Kenley was like an extension of him. As if she could read his mind and handle things the way he would have if he’d been there himself. She acted on his behalf instead of with her own agenda. There was a trust there he’d never felt before with anyone.
He paid her well, but he needed to find a way to thank her for her trustworthiness. He wanted to show his appreciation. Pulling out his phone, he bought a ticket as he hopped in his rental to head to the airport.
What seemed like a great plan on the way from Ohio to Texas now seemed like a ridiculous gesture as he stood in the hotel lobby at almost nine o’clock at night.
Would she think it was too much? He fiddled with his key card, second-guessing himself. He paced for a few moments, until the desk clerk looked like she was about to call the cops. Deciding to take a chance he said, “Could you please tell Kenley Carmichael that Zane Jackson is here to see her?”
Hearing their names together in the same sentence gave him a stupid little thrill. Why was he here really? He wouldn’t have come all this way and spent the money on a ticket to thank Paul or Brady for a job well done. He held out his hand to interrupt the clerk, but it was too late.
“This is the front desk. There is a Zane Jackson in the lobby to see you.”
“The lobby?” Zane could hear Kenley’s voice on the other end of the line and smiled.
“Yes.”
“Of this hotel?” Yes, this was too much. Unfortunately he’d have to ride out the storm of stupidity.
“Yes.”
“Please tell him I’ll be right down.”
“Yes ma’am.”
It was only a few minutes later when she found him in the lobby where he was sitting in one of the fancy chairs, with his ankle resting on his knee. When he spotted her, a broad smile took over his face and he stood.
“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked as if it was completely no
rmal for him to be in Galveston.
“Good. Your boat is on a truck as we speak.”
“Excellent.” He glanced around the lobby. “Do you want to get a drink?” He pointed to the lounge.
She looked at the time on her phone and frowned.
“I’d better not. I have to get up really early tomorrow.”
Zane fought a smile and failed.
“I won’t tell your boss,” he said, making her laugh.
“I have an early flight. I’ll get a soda,” she compromised and followed him to the bar. “So are you checking up on me?”
“No. I wanted to make sure everything went okay with the transport.”
“So you’re checking up on Brady?” She lifted her brow, calling him on the lie. He winced and fessed up.
“Okay. I wanted to double-check the paperwork before we left to make sure there wasn’t an issue later.” This was only partly true, but that meant it was only partly a lie. An improvement from a few weeks ago.
She laughed and nodded.
“You wanted to make sure I did everything right. Are you a control freak?”
“No. Maybe. It’s your first purchase. What kind of boss would I be if I just threw you to the wolves without checking to make sure you were okay?”
“I appreciate your concern.” She rolled her eyes as the waitress brought her soda and his beer.
“By the way, I talked to one of Mrs. Oliver’s sons, and he told me you handled the situation perfectly.”
She shrugged and gave him a smile. “This job is really important to me. I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“That’s not going to happen.” She was actually worried about that possibility? As if she was capable of disappointing him. She was the best employee he’d ever had. She cared about his business. And maybe even about him. “I have complete faith in you. You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” he told her honestly. If he’d had any lingering doubts, they were long gone after today.
“You wouldn’t be here if you trusted me.” She tilted her head.
“Maybe I wanted to see your shining moment. Why should I miss out?” This was more truth than he’d planned to share.
“Really?” she asked, unsure.
“I know it wasn’t easy working with me in the beginning. I was pretty much an ass. I wasn’t really on board with hiring you, but I have to say, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.” He hadn’t really been involved in the decision at all. Bullied would be the better word. Still, the end result was that she worked for him, which at times—like right now—was a major inconvenience.
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