Chapter Ten
Kennedy
Two weeks had passed since I’d met Reed and Trinity at the grocery store, and I couldn’t believe how quickly they were starting to feel like family to me. It just felt normal to have them around all the time, and I felt comfortable with them. This was unusual for me because it usually took me a lot longer to feel comfortable around someone. I was on my way to meet Camille for dinner, and looking forward to some girl time with her. I hadn’t seen her since I’d started working for Reed.
“Hey, gorgeous,” she said when she saw me.
“Good to see you. Ooh, is this mine?” I said as I pointed to the wine glass on the table.
She chuckled. “Yeah. I hope you don’t mind. I desperately needed a glass myself.”
“Do I mind that you ordered me a glass of wine? Of course not,” I said as I sat down beside her. I took a sip and smiled. “Ah, this is good. So, why do you need a glass so badly? Rough week?”
She nodded. “Remember that big wedding I told you about? Well, it happened today.”
“Today! How did it go?”
“The build up to it was so nerve wracking. For goodness sake, the woman wanted a unicorn ice sculpture as people walked in.”
I laughed. “What? That’s crazy. And kind of cool.”
“You wouldn’t think so when you saw how much that thing cost her. They decided, like a week before might I add, to go for a whole fire and ice theme. So they got married around ice sculptures in this cool room, and everyone was wearing these furry jackets. The décor was all cool blue and white. And then, the reception room was the fire. Fireplaces, red and orange décor. Everyone could wear their skimpy outfits and all that. I’ll be honest; I thought it was going to flop. There were just so many last minute changes, and she kept coming up with new ideas each day. She was driving me absolutely bonkers. But . . . we did it. And it turned out great. I swear, that wedding could’ve easily have ended up as the biggest disaster ever. But thankfully it turned out perfectly. And that, my friend, is why I need this glass of wine now.”
“You need a bottle of wine more like it. Congratulations! You must be so relieved. I hope you’re taking Monday off at least. You deserve a break.”
“Nope. Another wedding is already in the pipeline. A small and intimate affair. So at least this one should be a lot easier. I’m actually looking forward to it. The whole thing is going to seem like a piece of cake after the last one I did. Now, tell me about you. The last time I saw you, we were talking about how you didn’t have a job. Now, two weeks later, you’re all settled in a new one. Are you enjoying it? Or has the little girl turned out to be a brat?”
I chuckled. “She’s an angel. And it’s going so well. I cannot believe how much I’m enjoying it. They’re a great family and so easy to get along with. It’s even better than it was with Mr. Wentworth. Also, the money is great, which doesn’t harm.”
“This guy must be well off then.”
“Reed? He is. But you wouldn’t think so by talking to him. He’s very down to earth, and his daughter doesn’t seem to have any idea that she is rich. She’s so sweet. I’ve completely fallen in love with her.”
“Oh goodness, for a second I thought you were going to say that you had fallen in love with him.”
I laughed and found myself blushing at the thought. “No, not with Reed. With the daughter. You would too. She’s adorable. And she’s taken a liking to me. Apparently she said no to all the other nannies that he had interviewed. So that’s really nice.”
“Wow, you really like her, hey? I hadn’t ever pegged you as someone who enjoyed being around children.”
“Neither did I. So I’m either really good with children and I didn’t know it, or else I just hit the jackpot with her. I’m just so grateful. I probably wouldn’t have lasted very long if I didn’t like the child. Anyway, I think the difference is that this is not just some man who doesn’t want to spend time with his child. This is a man who loves his daughter dearly but who also has a very important and busy job. I can respect that.”
“Are you sure you’re not in love with him?” Camille teased.
“No, I’m not. He’s my boss. But I do thankfully get along pretty well with him. I’ve spent a bit of time with him in the evenings just before I head home and he’s really nice. His job is very interesting too. I have no idea how he’s been doing all this alone for so long.”
“Didn’t have a nanny before too?”
“He did, but still . . . it can’t be easy.”
“Any idea why the mom left?”
“I have no idea. It’s not something I can ask him. Trinity told me that she doesn’t know who her mom is, so I’m assuming she left when Trinity was very young. Breaks my heart.”
“You sure you don’t like him?”
I shook my head. “No, he’s my boss! Anyway, he definitely doesn’t like me in that way. He went on a date the other night.”
“Oh yeah? So he’s seeing someone?”
I chuckled as I thought about his horrific date. “No, he’s not. The date was disastrous. He came home before he had even ordered food.”
“Oh no. I hope you had some food ready for him?” she teased.
“You mock. But that’s my job. So yes, I did.”
“I think you should sleep with him.”
I’d just taken a sip of my wine, and I almost spat it out. “What? Why is the conversation even going this way?”
“Tell me,” she said as she broke a piece of bread and smothered it in butter. “Do you find him attractive?”
“Well, yes. He’s gorgeous. But I don’t see what this has to do with anything.”
“Actually, it has to do with everything. I have a funny feeling that there is a lot of sexual energy in the air with the two of you. And there is one great way to cure sexual tension. Have sex of course. Ken, why have you gone so red?”
“I haven’t,” I said while fanning my face. “It’s just very hot in here. And you, my friend, are absolutely insane. I cannot believe that you are trying to get me to sleep with my boss.”
At that exact moment, the waiter arrived at our table. I felt my face burn even brighter as he had clearly caught what I had just said. I tried to pretend like it didn’t happen and quickly ordered something off the menu without even looking at it. When he was gone, Camille burst out laughing.
“That was so embarrassing,” I said. “Also, I have no idea what I just ordered. I just wanted him out of here. Great, now he thinks I’m trying to sleep with my boss.”
Camille laughed. “This dinner is panning out to be even better than I expected,” she said.
I threw her a dirty look. “You are so exasperating. You know that?”
“So, does that mean you’ll sleep with him?”
“No, it does not mean that.”
“Come on; you haven’t been with a guy in forever. I think it’s time.”
“I don’t just sleep around with any guy. You know that. I’m not that kind of person. I’d like to wait until I meet the right guy. Or at least be dating the guy. Can you imagine how awkward things would get if I slept with him?”
Camille sighed. “I still think you should do it. But you do make a valid point. It probably would be kind of awkward.”
“Yes, it would be. Now, can we stop talking about my sex life in the middle of a restaurant and move on to other things?”
She chuckled. “That’s a pity. I was so enjoying watching you squirm.”
After a bit too much wine, and a few more embarrassing conversations I was sure the waiter had heard again, I made my way back home. I made myself a cup of coffee and then flopped onto the sofa. I was about to turn the TV on when the phone rang.
“Hello, Kennedy speaking.”
“Hey, Kennedy. It’s Reed.”
I sat up straighter at the sound of his voice and eagerly tried to push away all thoughts of having sex with him. I cursed Camille for even putting those thoughts in my head.
“Oh, hey, Reed, what’s up?” I said trying to sound as casual as possible.”
“I’m sorry to call you so late.”
“No problem at all,” I said. “I just went out for dinner with my best friend. Little bit too much wine, so excuse me if I slur a bit.”
“Ah, I could use a glass myself, actually. But nah, you’re not slurring. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is I wanted to see if you were free tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Do you need me to look after Trinity?”
“Oh no, I’m not working tomorrow. But Trinity is insisting that you come over. I told her it was your day off too, but she begged me to call you. Of course, if you’re busy you totally don’t have to come. I’m not sure what we’re going to do, but we’ll figure out something on the day. Please don’t feel obligated, though. I just promised Trinity that I would ask you.”
I grinned. “That’s nice. Thank you so much. And I would love to spend the day with you both tomorrow. I have absolutely no plans.”
“Really?” he said. He seemed surprised, but I was pleased to note that he seemed happy too. “Great. Oh, she’s going to be delighted. Thanks, Kennedy. Pop over any time in the morning and we can take it from there. Are you sure we’re not interrupting you?”
“Not at all. I’m looking forward to it.”
And as I put the phone down, I realized that I was perhaps looking forward to it a little bit too much. I pushed the thought aside. I’d had too much wine, and Camille’s talk was floating in my head again. I needed to stop thinking about him in that way.