Man, this week was the worst.
“What can I do for you?” she asked. Her tone was so curt it was rude even for her. She’d never been one for fake pleasantries, but she wasn’t typically outright rude either. She strove for professionalism in her office, which meant reserved but polite. With Caleb, she’d been anything but polite and the fact that he upset her typical demeanor, at the office no less, made her even more annoyed with him.
Again—sick cycle.
Yet again, he seemed to overlook her bad behavior, his kind smile never faltering as he met her gaze with those disturbingly blue eyes of his. No man should have eyes so pretty, or a jawline so perfect, or a face that handsome.
In short, no man should be this attractive in real life. And if by some chance they were, they should have the ego to match. Especially if they were an actor!
But clearly Caleb hadn’t gotten the memo. He grinned as if seeing her brightened his day. That was her, Miss Mary Sunshine. The thought made her frown deepen until it actually kind of hurt her cheek muscles.
Taking a deep breath she forcibly relaxed her face, hoping to achieve a bored but polite air.
“I wanted to see what you have in store for me next week.” His smile grew and he honestly sound enthusiastic.
Ugh.
He was an intern, for Pete’s sake. Even the other eager interns who were all ten years younger than him and insanely wide-eyed and optimistic didn’t display Caleb’s levels of joy with this gig. Not only did he not have the giant ego that she’d expected, but he seemed to have no problem doing the grunt work that no one else wanted to do. Needed someone to run out for coffees? Caleb’s your man. Have a storage closet that needs cleaning out? Caleb would be happy to do it. Need some files sorted and some tedious data entry done? Caleb can’t wait to get started!
After she’d given him the requisite tour on Monday and had him fill out the paperwork, she’d dropped him off with the staff in accounting, who’d been way too eager to show him the ropes in their department. It seemed several of the women in that department were fans of his soap opera character and were dazzled senseless at the sight of him.
She’d watched Caleb’s reaction, expecting some sort of strutting peacock action. She’d hoped to catch a sight of that gargantuan ego. But no. He’d ducked his head, graciously and humbly thanking them for their praise, and then he’d started asking them questions about what they did in their department. Sure enough, the topic quickly turned to work and Caleb eagerly dove right in.
A very similar experience happened on Tuesday when she dropped him off in marketing, on Wednesday when he’d spent time with the sound and lights crews, and so on and so on. Now it was Friday and he was… what? Eager to hear what new grunt work she’d cooked up for him the following week?
She didn’t buy it. But then again, he’d given her no reason to doubt his veracity.
She narrowed her eyes at him now, hoping irrationally that he was here to complain about this week’s tasks, though she knew better by now. He seemed to be genuinely happy here. There was no way he was going to quit.
She bit back a sigh. If she was being honest with herself, that was what she’d hoped for at the start of the week. That his pride wouldn’t be able to take this new, lowly role in life after being treated like a star for so many years.
But she supposed it was time to let that dream die. “I don’t know yet,” she said in all honesty. “I’ll let you know on Monday morning.”
The intern program was relatively new and just like her casting issues, the interns had been thrust upon her when the higher ups discovered that their new HR executive was an over-achiever and a workaholic.
She didn’t mind… usually. But after a week like this one she was tempted to push back and remind the executives-that-be that she’d been hired to assist the human resources department, not pick up the slack for everyone who couldn’t pull their weight.
The truth was, the other interns were on a set path that she’d laid out from the start of their semester. But since Caleb started late, his role was more amorphous.
He was one more headache in her life, in so many ways.
“That’s fine,” he said gamely. Of course he did. Of course it was fine by him. He was so dang easy to please it was going to kill her.
She waited for him to move. When he didn’t she arched one brow, giving him what she hoped was a politely inquiring look. She tried her darnedest to rid her devious mind of all mental images of this man leaning forward in the shadows of the backseat. Of the way he’d cupped her face so gently, like she was some fragile treasure. The way he’d looked at her like she was the most beautiful, desirable woman on the planet…
The more she tried not to think about it, the more her brain seemed intent on flooding her mind’s eye with the delicious image.
What was wrong with her? It had been one kiss. One. It wasn’t like they’d dated or anything, he was just—
“Would you like to go out with me tonight?”
She stared at him in a shock that was so complete, her brain stopped working. “What?”
Maybe she’d heard him wrong. Surely this guy didn’t want to go out with her, not after the way she’d been acting. Heck, she didn’t even like herself after the way she’d been acting.
His grin turned sheepish and for the first time all week he looked a little uncomfortable as he shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s inappropriate or against the rules….”
It wasn’t. She knew the rules on colleagues dating better than anyone. When she’d started here she’d been asked to review and update the policy. While it might have been frowned upon, it wasn’t against policy.
He flashed her a grin that made her insides flutter. Fluttering? What was this? She was not a woman who fluttered!
For the first time in her life she understood that stupid butterflies in the belly analogy. She’d always thought it was hyperbolic, but it was, in fact, stunningly accurate.
“I’m meeting up with Kat and a few other friends after work and wondered if you might like to join us. We’re celebrating my first week as an intern.”
Oh. Her stomach fell—the butterflies shriveled up and died—but she refused to admit that it was disappointment. It wasn’t like she wanted to go on a date with him. Policy or not, there was no way she would ever date this guy. One, he was an actor. She hated actors. Two, he was clearly not practical or ambitious, the two qualities she most respected and sought out in a relationship. And last but not least, she had Patrick.
Feeling slightly more in control of her brain and her stomach, she shook her head. “I don’t think so.” Belatedly she added, “But thank you for the invite.”
Again, she expected him to leave, or to at least make some move in that direction.
Yet again, he stayed put. “Why not?”
She stared at him, at that easy smile. Was he really challenging her on this? Oddly, she liked that. Most people were afraid of her, especially people who worked under her. No one challenged her. Ever. Not even Patrick.
Before she could come up with an answer, he continued, shifting in his seat so he was leaning forward, presenting his case. “Kat will be there, so you’ll at least know one other person aside from me.”
Ah yes, because this was a group hang. Not a date.
And that was not disappointment making her chest tight and uncomfortable.
“Look,” he said with a sigh. “Kat likes you… a lot. And I’m one of her best friends so I think it’s safe to say she likes me too. And I’m pretty sure we both like Kat so maybe, just maybe, if we got to know one another, we might like each other too.”
She blinked at him. His logic wasn’t hard to follow but it brought up questions for her. Questions she didn’t want to know the answers to. Did that mean he didn’t like her now?
Was he saying he wanted to get to know her so he could possibly like her?
She gave herself a mental eye roll. Of course that’s what he was saying. And why would he lik
e her, she’d given him no reason to.
Her mind flashed back to that night. Except, that night he’d liked her. He’d laughed at her humor and he’d flirted with her, too. He’d suggested they grab a pizza, hadn’t he?
She was so caught up in her own weird anxieties and super vivid memories that she stopped paying attention to him.
Another sigh caught her attention and when she looked up this time his smile seemed… sad. Heartfelt and a little desperate. “Kennedy, I know we got off on the wrong foot, so to speak.”
She felt her lips twitch up in a grin at his sheepish expression. It was an awkward, nervous smile because she knew what he was referring to. The elephant in the room. The kiss.
The kiss to end all kisses, as she’d come to think of it.
He shifted in his seat and glanced down at the floor before looking up again and meeting her gaze.
Goodness, those eyes were shocking. They looked almost transparent, like she could see inside him and he could see into her vert soul. You know, not to be melodramatic or anything. The effect was hypnotizing. No wonder he was so compelling on the screen.
Not that she’d know, but people had mentioned it. Many, many times his fans-slash-co-workers had mentioned it.
“I’m sorry.” His gaze wouldn’t let her look away. His brow furrowed in earnest sincerity. “Clearly I did something wrong… that night. And whatever it was, I’m truly sorry. I never meant to take advantage or offend you in any way—”
“You didn’t,” she said quickly. Oh shoot, was that what he’d thought? That she thought he’d taken advantage of her? Hardly. She’d all but begged him to kiss her because she’d been sad and lonely and…pathetic.
Ugh. Guilt and shame were impossible to avoid as they slammed into her with all the force of a semi. She’d been such an unfailing ice queen this week. And he hadn’t done anything to deserve it.
It had been her. The mistakes were hers and if she was any sort of grown woman, she needed to own them.
That kiss shouldn’t have happened. She’d been weak and lonelier than she’d wanted to admit—but she was also a grown woman who was allowed to kiss men and not feel guilty about it. She’d just never really let herself address the fact that she had been feeling guilty.
It wasn’t like Patrick expected her to be true to him. They’d outright said they would be free to pursue other relationships while he was gone. But even though she’d said that, she hadn’t planned on doing so. And she certainly hadn’t planned on kissing with some random stranger who shared a taxi with her.
So yeah, she’d been feeling guilty and wrong—whether it was warranted or not. But either way, she shouldn’t have taken it out on him. She cleared her throat. Then she licked her lips as nerves made her mouth go dry. This wasn’t going to be easy. “I’m the one who should be apologizing,” she said.
His shock was so exaggerated it was almost funny.
“I—I’ve behaved badly ever since… that night,” she said, clearing her throat again to get the words out. “I’m sorry.”
She could have gone on. She probably should have given some sort of explanation but that would have meant opening up to him, and she was definitely not willing to do that.
After a moment of stunned silence, he spoke up. “So then, will you come out for drinks with us?”
“What?” She let out a little surprised laugh. “Why?”
“So we can start over. A redo.” He shrugged and then reached out his hand to shake hers. “It’s time we got to know each other. We should be friends for Kat’s sake, if nothing else.”
She shook his hand, hating the way her entire body responded. “Friends?”
Crap. That had come out sounding wary and rude, like she highly doubted that they could be friends. Which she did, but she shouldn’t have made it so obvious.
He grinned in response and some of her tension eased. “Yeah, friends. Or friendly acquaintances, if you’d prefer?” His voice was teasing and the last of the tension melted with that tone.
Heck, maybe they could be friends after all. Crazier things had happened.
Hadn’t they?
Eight
Caleb was the first to admit that this was a risk. Maybe even a bad move. If Yvette and Kat’s expressions were anything to go by when he walked into their favorite bar with Kennedy at his side, this may have been a terrible idea.
Kat for one seemed happy to see her, though Yvette was a little more guarded. In her defense, she’d been the one he’d been complaining to all week since she was an objective bystander and not the good Samaritan who’d helped him score this gig in the first place.
And the gig he loved. Admittedly it was probably below his pay grade. But then again, was it? While he could memorize lines easily and could cry on demand, his skill set off camera was far less impressive.
It was pretty much nonexistent.
Over the course of this past week he’d learned just how ignorant he was about the world of people that were behind the scenes of television. Oh, he’d long admired the crew who worked on set—the director, the grips, the sound guys, the makeup crew—but he’d never paid much attention to the day-to-day operations and endless tasks that went on behind the scenes.
And it was fascinating. Truly. He knew the other interns, and Kennedy for that matter, thought he was either being insincere with his excitement, or was perhaps just too eager to please.
And he was that as well. But could anyone blame him? This was his first job, to some extent. His new venture into a foreign world, and he had something to prove. He wasn’t like these college kids who had the world ahead of them. He had to make the most of this chance because what other options were there?
But while he truly enjoyed learning about the multiple facets that went into television, he had yet to find one that seemed like a good fit. So far nothing had felt as amazing as losing himself in a role, in playing a part that entertained people and made them happy.
Sadly, he was no less aimless today than he had been on Monday.
But then again, perhaps it was ludicrous to expect to figure out his entire life plan in the course of one week. Maybe it was even asking too much to want to sort out a career path in that time.
No, he needed to relax about it all. Take a deep breath and trust in the process. Or trust in Kennedy, at the very least.
He glanced over at the stunning woman sipping a glass of wine beside him—his boss, sort of. Definitely his superior. While she’d been nothing short of awful to him as a person, he respected the heck out of her as a professional. He’d heard what everyone had to say about her and saw the way she interacted with everyone who was not him.
Literally, every single human who was not him was treated to an entirely different demeanor.
Oddly enough, he found that heartening. Yvette, on the other hand, thought he was a moron. But then, she pretty much always thought he was nuts. She was diametrically opposed to his way of thinking in general, even now when she’d found the love of her life and had to admit that true love was a real thing and not just widespread propaganda pushed down society’s collective throats to continue the propagation of the human race.
Those were her words, not his.
But despite Yvette’s hesitation, he’d decided that Kennedy’s apparent repulsion was a good sign. The opposite of love wasn’t hate, right? It was apathy. And Kennedy was not apathetic when it came to him. It was clear he brought out some strong feelings.
Strong negative emotions, apparently, but he’d take what he could get.
Besides, it wasn’t like she was the love of his life or anything. She wasn’t the dream woman he’d been searching for his entire life. And that was fine. He didn’t need her to be the one. He just wanted her to stop actively hating him. That was all. For a man who was known for his charm, that shouldn’t be too difficult a task.
Yet all week his attempts to get through her thick defenses had been a disaster. Each time he smiled, her frown intensified. He might not need h
er to love him, but he needed her help which meant he needed her to get past whatever injury he’d accidentally caused by kissing her.
It still nagged at him. It had been a good kiss, hadn’t it? It had been better than good… for him, at least.
Okay, fine, maybe his ego was at stake here just a bit. Or a lot. He didn’t think of himself as a terribly egotistical person but he wasn’t sure his fragile male pride could handle that sort of blow.
So tonight, he’d get to know her outside of work. He’d get her to see that he wasn’t the flirty player she must have thought he was.
So far this night was off to a great start. After some initial awkwardness, Kennedy seemed to be having a good time. He’d even caught her laughing and smiling when he’d told his friends about his first week at work. Progress!
The problems started about an hour into the night when some friendly acquaintances who’d joined them started to head off to other plans they’d made for Friday night and he and Kennedy were left at a long table with Yvette and Darren, and Kat and Bryce.
It wasn’t the company that was the problem, it was the fact that they were couples. Which made it strongly seem as though he and Kennedy were the third couple. A triple date, as it were. Which they most definitely were not. She wasn’t his type, and he was apparently the bane of her existence.
The fact that they were at the end of a long table didn’t help matters any, either. At one point the couples were talking amongst themselves, clearly caught up in their own little idyllic worlds.
Not that Caleb was bitter or anything… though it had struck him on more than one occasion how insanely unfair the world was that his two friends who didn’t want nor believe in an epic love had found it without even trying. Meanwhile, he’d been searching since puberty.
He knew she was out there. He wouldn’t give up. He’d never—
“So,” Kennedy cut into his thoughts, swirling her glass as she studied him. “Thanks for inviting me out tonight. It’s been fun.”
He frowned. That sounded like the start of a bail. It’s been fun, but… I’ve got to get up early in the morning. It’s been fun, but… I have to walk my dog. It’s been fun, but…
Once Upon an Ice Queen (Instalove in the City Book 3) Page 6