Chapter 2

Bethany

She had gone through an array of emotions by the time she reached the campus. Parking the car, she rolled up the windows and sat in stony silence for a minute longer. She had promised Damon that she would give him time and space to work through some of the things that bothered her most about him, and she would. Forcing herself not to react was going to kill her, though. He was a different man at home than he was at the office, which made sense to some extent, but she belonged in both worlds with him. They would have to work through their differences of how they expected those worlds to look.

Grumbling, she got out of the small Honda and slammed the door, the car groaning in protest. Damon was right about one thing, she needed to get a new car, but there were more important things nagging at her, like paying for her graduate program. The car hadn't fallen apart yet, and her plan was to pay Kent back with the money she was making at the firm and then start working to replace her dilapidated possessions.

The campus was busier than she expected. It would seem that freshman orientation was going on that day. She tucked into the business building and took the stairs up to Kendal's office, half-expecting him to be out. The door was open at the end of the hall from what she could tell, which was good and bad. She needed to talk with him a minute about his desires for his week one notes for the students, but she looked like hell - sort of.

"Hey." Bethany stopped just outside of the door in the hall as Kendal turned around in his chair.

He was in jeans and a polo shirt, his hair a mess and glasses making him look more handsome, as if it was possible.

"Hey, Bethany. Forget something yesterday?" He stood and crossed his arms over his chest.

Remembrance at his conversation with Damon a few days earlier brushed across her mind. They were closer than she imagined from her conversations with Damon, Kendal having been in his fraternity and the two being close friends.

"No. I wanted to touch base with you before we fly out tomorrow. I wrapped up the week one notes and e-mailed them to you, but several of your points didn't make sense to me. I figured it was just my lack of retaining the details of cost accounting." She smiled and moved into the hall as he walked toward her.

"I locked my main laptop in my classroom. Let's stop by there, and we can look it over together. I'm sure it's a case of me being scatterbrained, but thank you for making it look like you're the one with the issue." He smirked and held the elevator open for her. "You and Damon looking forward to getting away?"

"We were." She glanced down at her shoes, not wanting to get emotional over something Damon had no control over. It was more the fact that he didn't mention it at all to her than it was that he wasn't going, or was it a combination of both?

"Uh oh." Kendal pressed a button on the panel in front of them and turned to face her. "What happened?"

Bethany slipped on her facade and glanced up, forcing a smile. "Something came up at McKenzie and Bryant. I didn't really get the details of it, but Damon seems to be Mr. Fix-it."

"He always has been. He's what we call a glory-stealer." Kendal chuckled and held the door open for her. "He always has been the first on the ladder to put out the biggest fires."

"Why am I not surprised to hear this?" She walked beside him, her emotions starting to settle thanks to the calm demeanor of the man beside her.

Kendal laughed softly, as if remembering something. "I could tell you story after story of him fixing up, cleaning up and picking up after everyone. For a man that most people think is a playboy billionaire, I can assure you, his work ethic would have gotten him there if Kent hadn't had done it first for him."

Kendal unlocked the door to the large auditorium. Bethany walked in and breathed in deep, the smell of education in the air. Old books and sweaty bodies. She smiled at the thought, moving to take a seat in the front row.

"If you want to pull up the e-mail, you'll see my questions. See if they make sense to you." She pulled her phone out of her jeans and set it on the desk beside her. Texting Damon would only bother him, but damn if she didn't want to. Why did she have to calculate her value to him on whether they communicated regularly and effectively? That was never going to leave her feeling good about herself.

He had worked too long to shut everyone out. He wasn't going to change overnight.

Kendal made a few noises as he worked on the stage in front of her. He popped the laptop closed and smiled.

"Your questions were spot on. Great job on this. I'll work to adjust the notes to explain myself better." He walked to the stairs on the edge of the stage and took a seat a few away from her.

"I can make the adjustments now if you just tell me what you want," she offered.

"No, I've got it. You have a big event coming up." He brushed his fingers by his mouth before pinning her with his stare. "What's going on? You didn't need to come all the way up here for this."

She shrugged, not sure what to say. Kendal was her professor and boss for the next year. They weren't friends. Damon held that spot with him, and yet she knew she could talk and he would listen.

Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back and let out a long, shaky sigh. "I'm sorry. I should go. I just haven't made many friends over the last few years for fear of someone realizing what a fake I was. My two best friends are lost to me right now, both trying to heal, and the one person I want to talk to can't communicate worth shit. I just needed to get away from everyone."

"I get it." Kendal's voice was soft and kind.

Bethany opened her eyes and turned to smile at him; her tears tucked away for the moment. "He told me that he loved me last night. He told the whole family that we're together and if they didn't like it, they could bite his ass."

"He told his dad to bite his ass?" Kendal lifted his fist to his mouth and let out a short laugh.

She smiled, unable to help herself. "Not exactly, but you get the point."

"Then why is there hurt sitting all over you? You look like you haven't slept in a week. Isn't this what you wanted from him?"

"Yeah. He's not going to be able to go on the trip and..." She sucked in a deep breath; the water works turning on. She didn't know Kendal well enough to cry in front of him. Why was she even there?

"He can't help that, Bethany. He's fully invested in that firm. It means the world to him, not for his success, but because his dad's retirement is in it."

"No, it's not that. He called this morning and didn't even say two words to me. He told Kent that he couldn't go. I swear, he has no sensitivity about how I might receive him barking at me like I'm his fucking secretary." She rolled her shoulders and stood. "I need to go. I'm being stupid and showing my age."

Kendal remained seated but chuckled again. "It's okay to be your age. We're all insecure, no matter how old we are. Go by the office and see him. Stop letting your mind tell you things aren't good. They are. Go prove it to yourself. He's probably beyond tense. Offer to grab him a coffee and say, 'I love you' in a small way."

"Yeah. You're right." Bethany bent over and picked up her purse, grateful for the handsome man in front of her. He might be close to Damon, but she could see the two of them becoming good friends over the next year as well.

"I'm usually right. I'm a guy."

She rolled her eyes and pulled her purse onto her shoulder. "Just one more thing."

"Shoot."

"You told me that Damon had yet to have a serious relationship because he wouldn't allow it, but I've seen a pretty blond moving around in the background of our lives for the last few weeks. Am I just making a mountain out of a molehill or is something going on that I should dig into?"

"He's a one woman man as best I know. He's not interested in cheating or lies. His past will show you that quickly if you dig a little." Kendal lifted his hands and stretched. "I think that's probably Bridget. They dated in high school and college off and on. She's a rich bitch and an old family friend. They tried to get serious in college, but he just couldn't seem to truly get into her. I'm glad, to be honest. Bitch was controlling."

"She's still around after seven years of you guys being out of college."

"Six years. Don't age me, please. I'm doing that well enough on my own."

Bethany forced a smile, this new information not leaving her feeling much better than she had on the way to the school. The blond had been at the restaurant when Kent and Damon had taken her to lunch, and coming out of his office not too long ago with her hair a mess. Was she the one below his desk the day she caught him acting rather nefarious?

Sickness rolled over her as the voice of reason sparked up.

He told you that it wasn't what it seemed. He's not done anything to show you distrust.

"Don't make too much of it. She's interested in him. He's interested in you. You've broken the cycle of the two of them getting back together over and over again." Kendal stood and smiled as Bethany turned and walked to the door. "Have fun on your trip and stop worrying. I'll see you when you get back. Give him space. He's worth it."

This had to get easier. Wondering if things were going to fall through the floor before they began was going to get old fast. Much like him not taking her feelings into consideration when he was at the office.

He might be worth her efforts, but was she worth his?