Bargaining With the Boss

by Jennifer Shirk

  Kinsley beamed proudly at her chef. She’d always known his talents were being underutilized.

  Arden whistled. “Damn. I love it. It fits perfectly with the beachy atmosphere here.”

  “I love it, too,” Kinsley said. “It has fantastic marketing potential. I can add it to the brochure I’m working on. Great work, Rick.”

  Rick waved off her compliment. “Thanks for giving me a chance to use my talents again. I was going out of my mind with boredom before you took over. You ladies enjoy.” He shook Arden’s hand and nodded at Kinsley then left them to continue eating.

  When it was just the two of them again, Arden pointed a finger at Kinsley. “You, my dear, are one major miracle worker.”

  She shook her head. “Not a miracle worker. Just a worker. I told you this place had potential.”

  “You were absolutely right, and I was absolutely wrong. I am scum, and you are…” Arden’s eyebrows drew together. “Um, you’re whatever the opposite of scum is.”

  Kinsley chuckled. “You know when you say things like that it totally sucks the pleasure out of me telling you ‘I told you so.’”

  “I know,” she said, grinning cheekily. She reached for a cucumber sandwich and took a bite. “So what does Damon think about all this? He has to love how this room looks, right?”

  Kinsley was about to take another bite of her scone but suddenly lost her appetite. “Um, yeah. I think he’s pleased. Hard to tell. He hasn’t been around lately.” Or said much to her, even in email.

  Arden eyed her friend. “He just, poof, left?”

  “Sort of,” she said, brushing the crumbs off her hands. “He said he had some business in North Jersey and Atlantic City, so I’ve really only been giving him updates through email or voicemail. I’m totally on my own.” She drummed up her best fake smile.

  “So he just left you to do whatever you wanted?”

  “Apparently.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Yes, very.”

  “Then why does your expression look as if you’ve come down with a fatal case of food poisoning?”

  She made a sound of disgust. “You’re being ridiculous. My expression is as it always is.” Although, she did feel a little queasy and her head felt too heavy for her body. And she was absolutely sure it had nothing to do with food poisoning and everything to do with Damon St. James.

  The truth was she missed him.

  Arden narrowed her eyes. “Okay, I’ve known you and your recluse of a brother for way too long. I know that look. So you better start talking.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about. Nothing happened.”

  “Aha!” she said, raising a finger in the air. “That definitely means something happened.”

  “Oh, fine,” she huffed. “It’s just that…well…Damon and I kissed.”

  Before Arden had time to react, Elena appeared in the entryway. “Oh my gosh! I knew I was missing more than just cupcakes in here,” she said, rushing up to the table and pulling out a chair for herself. “What’s all this juicy stuff about you kissing the boss?”

  “Shh!” Kinsley said, waving her hands in the air. “All I need is to start that kind of gossip flying. But just for the record, he kissed me.”

  Arden wiggled her eyebrows. “Move over Days of Our Lives. There’s a much better drama in town.”

  “I’ll say.” Elena blew out a breath. “And yes, that detail is good to know, Kinsley; however, I’m much more interested in whether or not you kissed him back. And if you liked it.”

  When Kinsley remained silent, Arden slapped her well-manicured hand on the table. “Details, woman. Now.”

  She sighed. There was no use trying to pretend the kiss didn’t mean anything. And with how miserable she’d been since Damon left, she felt an overwhelming need to get everything off her chest.

  Kinsley nibbled on her lower lip as she gazed at the two of them. “Damon kissed me the day that Paul was here.”

  “Whoa, whoa,” Arden said, raising her spread hands. “Paul was here? What did that asshat want?”

  That coaxed a small smile from her lips. “He wanted me back. Believe me, it shocked me more than pleased me. But I figured out pretty quickly that he doesn’t love me. Unfortunately, I don’t think he ever did. Then Damon came in the room and threatened him.”

  “Threatened?” Elena grabbed a cream puff and stuffed it into her mouth. “Wow, and you’re always saying how your life is uninteresting,” she mumbled with her mouth full. “You could get your own Netflix series with this stuff.”

  Arden handed her a napkin and shushed her. “Let her finish. So then what happened?”

  “I guess we talked a little after Paul left. Then Damon told me he felt he’d underestimated my abilities as manager and that I should come up with a larger budget proposal to do the renovations I wanted. At that point, I just didn’t think. I was so happy he increased my budget and was really giving the hotel and me a chance that I hugged him. Then…he kissed me. Then I kissed him back.” Enthusiastically.

  Although she thought it best to leave that last part out.

  Arden shook her head. “I don’t understand. Why would Damon barely be in contact with you after that?”

  Kinsley’s shoulders sank. “Probably because I told him I didn’t want any contact. Physical contact, that is.”

  “Now why would you say a dumb thing like that?” Arden demanded.

  “I don’t know,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air. “I guess I panicked. Things kind of went south from there. He apologized right away and said he’d crossed the line. So I agreed and said we should keep things between us strictly professional.”

  Elena cringed. “Professional? Oh, I’m sorry. That sucks.”

  “No,” she said glumly. “Damon’s right. Things are much better this way. I don’t want to repeat the same mistake I made with Paul. Work can get tricky and awkward when you mix in anything romantic.” She looked up, trying to gauge her friends’ thoughts. “I mean, right?”

  Her friends were both quiet for a moment then Arden spoke first. “Yes. I think what you did was absolutely right. I would stay away from Damon St. James.”

  Elena gaped. “Arden! How can she stay away? He’s her boss! And these office-type romances happen all the time. Sometimes they even work out.”

  Arden reached for Kinsley’s hand and squeezed. “I’m sorry, Kinsley. Normally I would say go for it. But I’ve been in the wedding business too long and have seen way too many commitment-phobic would-be grooms. Damon St. James falls into that category.”

  Kinsley blinked. “How do you know?”

  Arden shrugged. “It’s a gift, being able to read men the way I do. Unfortunately, it’s also a curse and the reason why I date so little. But even meeting him just a few times, I quickly got the vibe that he is emotionally distant.”

  “Oh, you’re wrong, Arden,” Elena said. “You said the same thing about Scott and look how that worked out.” She grinned, flashing her engagement ring at them.

  Arden avoided her gaze, her lips pressed together in a grim line. It was true that Arden was no fan of Elena’s fiancé, Scott. Then again, neither was Kinsley. Sure, Scott was a very good-looking guy with a great job in marketing, working at Google in Manhattan. However, he always came across as a little too sales-y to Kinsley, even when they were just among friends. But if he made Elena happy, far be it for them to interfere. They only wanted the best for her.

  “Oh, come on,” Elena said, looking at Kinsley, “tell Arden that Damon is not emotionally distant. I mean, you guys talk and stuff, right?”

  Kinsley swallowed hard. “Um, yeah…I guess.”

  “And he wants to be friends,” Elena added. “It’s always a good sign of a healthy relationship when the guy wants to be your friend first.”

  Arden rolled her eyes. “It’s a facade, Elena. An emotional shield. Trust me on this.” Then she pinned her blue-eyed gaze on Kinsley. “Has Damon shared any deep, dark secrets with you? A
nything personal? Or is it always you who does the emotional unburdening?”

  Kinsley opened her mouth then promptly closed it again.

  Hey, what has Damon shared with me?

  Well, they did talk about her mom and dad and her memories in the hotel. But that was her opening up to him. And come to think of it, she gave Damon a chance to talk about his brother’s accident, but he clammed up almost immediately. Her shoulders wilted. She looked down and began picking imaginary lint off her skirt.

  “You’re right,” Kinsley finally admitted. “Damon is just an emotionally distant playboy.”

  Elena quickly reached out and placed a sympathetic hand over Kinsley’s forearm. “I’m sorry, Kins. Then you did the right thing. Much better to keep your professional working relationship just that. You know, before you get attached.”

  Right. Before that happened. But she was afraid she was already attached.

  Her cell phone began to ring. She leaned over on the table and saw that it was Damon. A flicker of apprehension coursed through her.

  She glanced up with wide eyes. “It’s him.”

  Arden cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe you should answer it.”

  What was wrong with her? Of course she had to take a call from her boss. She could be just as professional as he was.

  She took a deep breath, poised her finger over the answer button but hesitated, pushing it after one more ring. “Hey, there, boss-man,” she said brightly.

  Her friends shook their heads and frowned at her.

  She winced. Okay, need to dial down the phony enthusiasm.

  “Did you email me the preliminary operating budget for this year, Kinsley?” he asked in way of greeting.

  His tone was cool and all business. Every syllable he uttered seemed to chip away at her heart. “No, actually. I thought you would want to discuss it in person. I was going to wait until you got back.”

  “No need to wait. Just send it to my email, and I’ll look it over tonight and give you my thoughts tomorrow.”

  “Oh, sure.” She paused. “So how is everything going in Atlantic City?”

  “Good,” he said brusquely. “I hope to be back in Cape Harmony sometime next week. Keep me posted if anything pressing happens. I’ll be in touch.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you—” Kinsley clicked her phone off when she realized he’d already hung up.

  She blinked back a tear and forced herself to remain indifferent. “See?” she said to her friends. “Our working relationship is perfectly normal. Back to the way it should be. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really have work to do,” she said, longing to bolt through the door.

  Arden and Elena exchanged concerned glances. “Honey, it’s okay if your feelings are hurt,” Elena said. “You don’t need to pretend with us.”

  Kinsley flipped her hair off her shoulder. “No, everything is fine. I’ll see you guys later, okay?”

  She turned and made her way back to her office but couldn’t help feeling as if a cloud was hovering over her. By the time she sat down at her desk, she’d completely convinced herself that she was being ridiculous. Damon was giving her exactly what she wanted: freedom to run the hotel as she saw fit, with no personal relationship between them interfering. They both had admitted the kiss was a mistake. There was absolutely no reason to be hurt or to connect any emotions at all to their encounter.

  See? She knew she could reason with herself. She was silly to entertain, for one split second, that she could or would have it all—a man she was actually head over heels for and the hotel she loved. So she’d concentrate on making this hotel like it once was. For her family, she was determined to save it.

  And by doing so, maybe save a little of herself.

  Chapter Twelve

  Damon walked through the front door of The Harbor Light Hotel and felt a change in the air immediately. There was a welcoming aroma of vanilla from the bowl of potpourri on the front desk. A large bouquet of sunflowers mixed with a variety of greenery sat on the center table. Nice touch.

  He glanced around, trying to see if there had been any other renovations made to the lobby while he was gone, but besides those minor details, everything else appeared relatively the same.

  Elena beamed at him from behind the front desk. “Hey, great to see you, Mr. St. James. I hope your business trip went well.”

  “Yes, it went very well, thank you. And please, call me Damon.” He placed his briefcase down and had to practically bite his own tongue off to resist asking about Kinsley. “The landscaping out front looks nice,” he said instead.

  “Oh, I know. It really does. We’ve had so many compliments on it. I haven’t seen it look that nice since before Kinsley’s mom passed away. She was a stickler for details like that,” she said with a fond smile.

  “Kinsley’s a lot like her mom, huh?” he asked.

  Elena nodded. “Yup, and she looks like her, too.”

  He drummed his fingers on the desk. For the past two weeks, he’d purposely avoided talking to Kinsley on the phone, and when he had to, he’d made sure he’d treated her as he would anyone else he worked with. And it practically killed him. But what else was he supposed to do? It was what she wanted, or at least, what she’d said she wanted. He wondered what she thought of his actions. Wondered if she thought about him as much as he thought about her.

  “So…how is Kinsley doing anyway?” he asked. “I mean, not personally doing. I just wondered how she’s doing… running things here while I was away.”

  “Fine.”

  “Just fine?”

  She gave him a narrow-eyed glance that should have slayed him in his shoes. “What exactly do you want to know, Damon?”

  So much for trying to be covert.

  He cleared his throat. “I—”

  “Maybe instead of asking me, you should save the time and ask her yourself.” She threw him a complacent smile. “She’s in the ballroom right now.”

  “Uh, yes, thanks,” he muttered then turned and headed in that direction.

  He heard talking and laughter as he approached the doorway. Kinsley’s laughter. And like a Siren’s song, it immediately pulled him in. He’d thought—hoped—these last few weeks apart would have diminished the strange attachment he’d had growing for her, but no. Instead, his pulse rate spiked in anticipation of seeing her.

  Kinsley stood in the center of the room, talking with Mr. Knotts. Her dark hair was swept up, and she wore a tight gray skirt with a crisp white cotton blouse. With her petite frame and large dark eyes, she had a classy iconic look about her that reminded him of a young Audrey Hepburn.

  She turned her head when she noticed him standing there and offered him a polite if reserved smile.

  No punch in the gut could have been delivered with more accuracy.

  “Oh, hello,” she said, walking over to him. “So what do you think?”

  Think? He thought he’d never seen her look lovelier.

  “Damon?”

  He blinked. “Sorry. What do I… What?”

  She chuckled. “I hope you’re not getting sick again. What do you think of the room?” She swept her arms around her. “I just had the dance floor refinished.”

  He tore his gaze away from her face and noticed the new appearance of the ballroom for the first time. The walls were painted white and the table linens and decorations were mixtures of silver and gold. Classic but fresh. She’d done an amazing job for minimal cost.

  Guilt had his stomach slowly churning. It would be a shame for her to go through all of this work for nothing. He could only hope that what she’d done would help turn a profit and convince his father to change his mind about demolishing the hotel.

  “It looks…good.”

  She gave him a quizzical look. “That’s it? I thought you’d be more pleased than that.”

  “No, I am. You did everything I thought you could do and more. I must be tired from the driving I’ve been doing.”

  “Oh, right. So what happened with the casino buyout?�
�

  He gave her a faint smile. “It looks like we’ve got the acquisition. The board’s attorney still has to come down and finalize the paperwork, but if everything goes as planned, we’ll soon have some property in Atlantic City.”

  “That’s wonderful!” she said, clasping her hands together.

  Damon tried to summon up the same kind of enthusiasm Kinsley had, but his mind was filled with too many concerns. Yeah, it was great news. The buyout would appease the board, and for once, he’d done exactly what his father had asked. He just hoped it was enough. For both their sakes.

  “My dad’s going to be really happy. Actually, I haven’t had a chance to tell him yet. I should probably go call him now.”

  Kinsley stepped back. “Of course. Don’t let me hold you up.”

  Mr. Knotts shuffled over to them, twisting his red Phillies hat in his hands. “Hey, Kinsley, I think we’re finally finished up here. Sorry it took so long.”

  “Oh, not a problem. I’m sorry I kept adding things to my list.” She cast Damon a sideways glance and grinned. “At least I can now pay you properly. No more bartering.”

  “I’m not worried about that,” the older man said. “However, I was hoping to have a big bowl of your chili and a slice of one of your pies this weekend.”

  Kinsley nodded. “Even if it takes me all night, I will deliver them to you personally.”

  “You’ve just made a lonely old man very happy. And very hungry.”

  She chuckled. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening, then. I left your check with Elena at the front desk.”

  “Okay,” he said, shoving his baseball cap back on his head. “See you then.” He dipped his chin to Damon then collected his ladder and tool belt and left.

  Kinsley glanced at her watch. “I’d better head out now, too. I obviously have a lot of cooking and baking to do tonight. Arden was supposed to help me, but she got called away to meet with a skittish bride-to-be.”