Didn’t Matthews and Whitworth know the terms of her contract? It would likely be the same for everyone in her department. So why were they so worried about her leaving? There had to be a reason…and he intended to find out what it was.
“So, how do you like working at Rivers so far?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.
He shrugged. “It’s okay, but I know Theo will be a tough act to follow. I understand he was here with Mr. Rivers from the first. All the employees knew him and he knew them. I’m not as openly friendly as he was. Already I can tell some employees are disappointed.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” she said, finishing off her sandwich. “You are who you are. Rivers is a great place to work and you have a job to do. There is no doubt in my mind you will do it well.”
“Thank you. I’ll ask how well you think I’ve done five years from now, if I’m still around,” he said, taking a sip of his lemonade.
She chuckled. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you’ll still be around. Unfortunately, I won’t.”
He’d deliberately thrown that line out there to see if she would tell him anything. Now was his opportunity to dig deeper — to see if she suspected Whitworth or Matthews of any wrongdoing. “You sound certain of that.”
“I am. I turned in my resignation this morning.”
He raised a brow in a pretended act of surprise. “Why? Earlier you said you thought Rivers was a great place to work.”
“I do. Let’s just say it’s time to move on. My last day is a month from now.”
“I’m disappointed. And just when I was counting on seeing you around the office.”
She smiled, then reached out and touched his hand. “Who knows? Our paths might cross again, even after I’m gone.”
Was she hinting that she was hoping for that possibility? Sounded like it to him, but at the moment, the only thing he was certain about was the intense heat sizzling through him from the inside out.
He knew it was unlikely their paths would ever cross once she’d left the company. Good thing he didn’t intend to wait that long.
“Are you single, Kennedy?” he boldly asked. Although she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, she might be involved in a serious relationship.
“Yes, I am. But I don’t really date much.”
“Why?”
If she thought his inquiry was getting a little too personal, she didn’t show it. She shrugged her beautiful shoulders beneath her jacket. “A number of reasons. The main one is work. I’ve been too busy to date. The second is a little more personal. I was with Charles for almost a year, and we planned to get married. Only, I never expected to walk in on my fiancé in bed with another woman. That stung a bit.”
Haddison couldn’t help but appreciate her honesty. Few women would admit to being betrayed in that way. But then, there might be a reason she was telling him about it. Was she letting him know that she had trust issues? What woman wouldn’t, after catching her fiancé in the act?
“What about you, Haddison? I’m sure you date a lot.”
No, he didn’t. Because of his undercover work, it had been years since he’d gone on what he considered a real date. All those other women had merely been bedpartners to relieve his physical stress of living a life on the edge.
“’No, I don’t. Working as an FBI agent was time consuming. I’m hoping now that I have a regular job, I’ll be able to have a social life.” What he’d just told her was the truth. He’d just failed to mention his undercover work.
“I’m sorry that guy betrayed you like that,” he added. “What an ass. You’re probably a hell of a lot better off without him. At least you found out what kind of guy he was before the wedding, instead of after.”
“That’s what my family tells me.”
“Believe them.” He paused again and then said, “The reason I asked about your status is, well, I’m pretty new to the area and would like to take you out. Since you’ve lived here a while, maybe you can show me around.”
She smiled, and the way it slanted across her lips kicked up his pulse a bit, made him feel edgy. Everything about her reminded him of how long he’d been without a woman. “Sounds like you need a tour guide, Haddison.”
Now it was his time to smile. “No, I need the company of a beautiful woman whom I feel comfortable talking to. A beautiful woman whose company I enjoy. A beautiful woman I want to get to know better.” And that was the truth. She was a beautiful woman, and he desperately wanted to spend time with her.
She didn’t say anything, but held his gaze for a moment. Under her scrutiny, the primal urges of his body kicked in at the thought of them spending any amount of time together. A deep attraction had grown between them, and they both knew it, felt it, and were currently breathing it. He didn’t understand it, and doubted she did, either. But they only had two options. They could ignore it, and hope it went away, or act on it and see where it took them. He wondered which it would be.
“Hand me your phone, Haddison.”
Without asking why she wanted it, he pulled his phone out of the pocket of his jacket and handed it to her. Then he watched as she punched in a number. When he heard her phone ring, he knew what she’d done. “Now you have my phone number,” she said, handing his phone back. “And you, Haddison B. Wolf, are welcome to call me at any time.”
“YOU ACTUALLY TOLD A man he could call you at any time? What gives, Ken? That is so unlike you,” Monica Bennett said, as the four cousins gathered at their favorite Italian restaurant later that evening.
Kennedy wished the waitress would hurry up and deliver the food to their table. Actually, she wished she’d kept her mouth shut. But the truth of the matter was that she’d made the announcement to see what sort of reaction she would get. Just as she figured, her cousins thought she should have her head examined. She agreed with them. Almost. If they ever saw Haddison, they’d understand her temporary lack of sanity.
When she didn’t respond quick enough, Victoria asked, “Why would you give any man that much power over you?”
Power over her? “It’s not that serious, guys.”
“But you gave him carte blanche over your cell phone,” Monica said.
“Come on, guys. We’re here for Victoria’s birthday, not to get into Ken’s business,” Sebrina said. Kennedy appreciated Bree’s distraction, although she knew her cousins wouldn’t be getting into her business had she not put it out there.
“Goody, here comes the food. I’m starving,” Monica said excitedly.
Kennedy was glad the waitress chose that moment to appear with their dinners.
“How are things going at the hospital, Bree?” she asked, trying to change the subject.
The three listened as Bree talked about what was going on at St. Paul General, including which nurses were sleeping with which doctors. At one time, Kennedy had considered going into medicine, but had quickly changed her mind when she’d had to dissect a frog in her biology class. After that, she left her choice of career up in the air, until she had to decide on a major her second year at college.
The rest of the evening was low-key, as everyone kicked back and enjoyed celebrating Victoria’s twenty-eighth birthday. Kennedy, who’d also made the reservations, had called ahead to order an assortment of macarons. Victoria had been stuck on anything French since spending time in Paris during her college years.