“But I wasn’t part of the adventures, Trent, or the idea behind GOA. I was just on the fringes of your life.” She gave him a small, sad smile, then put the empty plate in the sink and gathered up her bag and coffee. “There’s no sense in retreading last year or last week or the last decade. Let’s get to work on the story behind this great company.”
He had a feeling she was brushing him off and dismissing the subject. What was it about Kate that kept her in the shadows, instead of out in the open, as she should be? She was talented and smart, and well deserving of every accolade he could imagine. He let the topic go, though, and they settled on the sofas in his office. Kate set up a small tape recorder and powered up her laptop.
For an hour, she asked questions, and he talked. She took him through the genesis of GOA, the early days when Trent was everything from accountant to shipper, and down the path of the first designs. Her questions made him pause and think, delving deeper into the reasons behind his every decision. Her coffee grew cold as her fingers flew across the keyboard, and Trent’s respect for her grew minute by minute.
A little after eleven, Sarah popped her head into his office. “I’m going to leave for the day. Before I go, I wanted to stop in and meet this famous ghostwriter.”
Trent hadn’t even thought about introducing them. Not because he was rude, but because he was so entranced by Kate’s efficiency and intellect that everything else ceased to exist. He’d thought she was crazy-smart in college, but this ability to sift through his blathering and find the one key message amazed him. “Sorry, sorry.” He got to his feet and waved between the two of them. “Kate, this is Sarah, the best PR manager in the world—”
“Stop buttering me up. I already finished the book launch party arrangements.” Sarah chuckled, then stepped forward and shook hands with Kate. “So nice to meet the woman who is going to try to make this character look good on paper.”
Trent shot her a glance. “Hey!”
But Kate was laughing, the sound as light as bells on a breezy day. “That’s a Herculean task, but he’s paying me well enough that I think I can pull it off.”
Sarah grinned. “As he should.”
“I’m right here, you know.” Trent waved a hand in front of Sarah. “It’s not good to talk bad about your boss.”
Sarah stuck out her tongue, then laughed. “That’s what you get for making me work on the weekends.”
“What about the danishes? I thought those were compensation enough.”
“The sugar high has worn off, sadly. I’m back to being grumpy.” Sarah rested a hand on her belly. Her face was drawn, shadows under her eyes, and Trent vowed to give her an extra day off every week until the baby was born. Sometimes, he forgot how hard his employees worked. “Kate, leave me your card, and I’ll be sure you’re invited to the book launch. You’re the author—you should definitely be there.”
Kate shook her head. “That’s all a secret. Trent’s going to be the author. If I go, there’ll be questions, and I don’t think anyone wants those.”
“You’re really not going to go?” Trent said. Her reasoning was sound, but still the refusal came as a surprise.
“Once I’m done writing, my part is done, Trent. Then I’m out of your hair and onto the next project.” She shuffled the pages he’d read and paper-clipped them together before tucking them back in her bag. “Thanks for the invite, Sarah. I’m sure the party will be great.”
“Well, I’ll save you some cake either way.” Sarah turned to Trent. “I’m going to go if there’s nothing else.”
“That’s it. Thanks, Sarah.” He stopped her before she turned away. “Take Monday off, okay?”
Relief washed over her face. “Thanks. I have a million things to do before the baby comes.” She pivoted toward the door, then turned back. “Don’t forget the hike tomorrow. Carissa will meet you at seven at the Moulton Falls parking lot trailhead. You two can decide the best place for the photos and hike up there to do them. I think her engagement shoot is at eight, so yours will probably be afterward.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Sarah.”
“You’re welcome.” She took a step, then stopped. “Oh, and Kate, I have some photos of Trent on his adventures that I can email you. It might prompt some conversations.” She lowered her voice and winked. “I know he can be a bit hard to pry information out of.”
“Still here, Sarah.”
“‘Course you are, workaholic.” She waggled her fingers. “Have a great weekend!”
When Sarah was gone, the office seemed a hundred times more intimate and close, now that it was just Trent and Kate on the entire floor, maybe even in the entire building. A wave of nerves—insane, Trent never got nervous—washed over him, as if he was fifteen and in the same room as his crush. “Do you, uh, want some more coffee?”
“If I have any more, I’ll be talking a million miles a minute.” Kate glanced at her notes on her computer. “We still haven’t covered your childhood and family life, so maybe we can get to that soon? I really want to understand the impact of all that on you and your decisions today.”
“There’s no impact.” He shrugged. “I’m a different business owner from my parents. We have always moved in opposite directions.”
“I think our childhoods impact us more than we think.” She closed the lid of her laptop. “Thanks for the time this morning, and I’d love to stay longer, but I have somewhere to be. This deadline is going to sneak up on us pretty fast, so how about we meet tomorrow?”
He shook his head. “I have that hike tomorrow.”
“I know. I heard Sarah mention it.” Kate fiddled with her pen, avoiding his gaze. “How about I go with you? I mean, not, like, a huge hike, but a little one and we can talk at the same time.”
He stared at her. Had the Kate he knew been switched for someone else? “You. Want to hike. With me.”
“Why is that such a surprise? I’m not a total couch potato, you know. This book and deadline are important, so I’m offering to try hiking with you.” She parked a fist on her hip, which canted her body to one side, making the skirt swing around her gorgeous legs. “Plus, I’ve heard that’s a beautiful trail.”
“It’s also an intermediate-level hike, if we do the entire route.” Was he trying to talk her out of it? There was an easier route, one that would make for great pictures and give them both enough air to talk. “The girl I knew in college thought getting across campus was a hike.”
“Maybe I’ve changed since then.” She raised her chin as if daring him to disagree. “You have to admit, Trent, you haven’t seen me in a really long time. You have no idea how much I’ve changed or haven’t.”