Chapter 2
“Sidney!” Zane called for his sister as he looked around his desk. She’d covered the entire surface with crap. Trays and other matching things, with the sole purpose of organizing his stuff. He hated when she messed up his system. Not that system was really the word for it, but he knew where things were.
“What?” she bellowed rather than get up.
“Where is the bid for the Wheeler job?” he yelled.
“It’s not Wheeler, it’s Weller, and it’s in your In bin,” she yelled back. They sounded like their parents—yelling from room to room instead of actually going to speak to the other person. And he knew it was Wheeler. As organized as she was, Sidney couldn’t remember anyone’s name.
“Which one of these bins in my In bin?” he shouted.
“The one that says in on it.”
“None of them say in.” He held up his hands in confusion as she tromped into his office, looking indignant and huge.
“This one!” She pointed to the side of the bin facing the door, away from him. “Right here.” She pulled out the file and all but threw it at him. “Have you looked at any of the résumés that have come in?”
“Um, not yet. I haven’t had a chance.” He’d not had a chance for the entire month since she’d placed the ad.
“You promised me you would look at them last week. You don’t seem to understand the urgency here, little brother. I am going to have this baby whether you’re in denial of that fact or not. If you don’t stop dragging your worn-out work boots and hire someone, you’re going to be doing everything on your own. Do you understand what I am saying?” She had The Tone. She meant business.
“Yes. I understand. Can’t you just interview the people who seem the most like you and then let me meet them? You know, so I won’t be so overwhelmed.” He wasn’t as worried about being overwhelmed as he was about the impossibility of finding someone who could replace his sister, but he couldn’t tell her that or her head would grow to the size of her enormous belly.
“Right.” Sidney narrowed her eyes at him as if she knew he was playing her. “You’d better like who I pick.”
“I will. If they’re anything like you, I’m sure I’ll love them.” He gave her a grin.
“You should stop talking now.” Her stony look silenced him as she walked out. She’d thought he was joking, but he was actually being honest that time.
“Yes ma’am.” He knew when he was pressing his luck.
* * *
Kenley was almost at the end of her rope when she finally got the phone call on Valentine’s Day. After moving in with Vanessa and her brother—with their exuberant child and vocal mating sessions—she was just about to ask her father if she could wear a disguise and move into their place at the senior community.
Hope was restored when Sidney, from New Haven Custom Boats, called. She had an interview.
It had been a month since she’d sent them her résumé. The woman apologized for the time lapse, blaming her brother who owned the company.
“I have an interview!” she screamed as soon as she found Vanessa in the kitchen.
“Yay. With who?”
“The boat place in New Haven. The one with the occasional travel.”
“Awesome. I knew that would be the one.”
“I don’t have the job. I only have an interview, but it’s a start. Freakin’ Ruth has me job-blocked from every opening in Manhattan.” Kenley was still in contact with her friend and coworker, Alyssa, who’d told her Ruth still had it out for her.
She’d also fired another person for sleeping with her husband. Alyssa’d had the right idea when she’d suggested Ruth fire her husband instead of her employees.
“Maybe this will be better. My last two interviews went well, and then they didn’t call. Hopefully her evil hasn’t spread to the New Haven area. I have my fingers crossed.”
“This is it, Ken, I feel it.”
“It would have been handy if you would have had a feeling that going to that party was going to cause a problem for me.”
“Don’t question the force.” Great. Vanessa was channeling Yoda now. “What are you going to wear?”
“My black skirt and my—”
“No.” Vanessa shook her head.
“What? I look good in that skirt.”
“This is a marina. They’re not going to want someone who looks like a supermodel.”
“I don’t look that good in that skirt.”
“You know what I mean. You need to look professional, yet dependable and efficient and not too stuffy.”
“So… my pajamas with my hair pulled up in a twist and a watch?”
“Black slacks, sturdy shoes, and a tailored shirt. Pull your hair back in a ponytail.”
“Do you have a feeling about this?” Kenley asked.
“No. I just looked it up on my iPad.” She held it up.
* * *
The next day, after outfitting herself exactly as Vanessa ordered, and spinning in numerous circles so her friend could approve, Kenley parked in front of the building that housed New Haven Custom Boats, also known as her future. She was planning on charming the bejesus out of whomever she needed to in order to get this job.
As she walked to the door she could almost hear the choir of angels singing a harmonic “Ahhhhhh.” And did a beam of sunlight just come down to illuminate the door? Maybe.
She opened the door and stood, stunned, in the room.
The lobby, which also housed the receptionist area, was not tiny, but it seemed so with the amount of large, tropical plants taking up the area, giving the room a rainforest appeal.
“Hello?” someone yelled from the hall—a woman.
“Hi. I’m Kenley Carmichael. I have a one o’clock interview with Sidney. I’m a little early.” Twenty minutes, according to the watch she’d decided to wear.
“I’m Sidney,” the very round woman said as she wiped her lips with a napkin. Kenley assumed she was pregnant, but knew better than to say anything until it was confirmed. It was quite an embarrassing lesson to learn.
“It’s nice to meet you. I didn’t mean to interrupt your lunch. I could just sit and wait until you’re finished.” Sitting was going to be an issue since every square inch of horizontal space was covered in foliage.
“Come on back to my other office. We also call it the lunchroom. Now that I’m eating for two I spend more time there than my desk.” She rubbed her large belly affectionately. Kenley smiled, having guessed correctly. This time.
“Have a seat,” Sidney gestured to a table. There were file folders everywhere and on the edge of the table sat a salad and a giant hamburger. “My husband is an OB-GYN so he insists I eat right. The salad is me keeping up my end of the deal. The burger is none of his concern.”
Kenley laughed and made a gesture of zipping her lips and throwing the key over her shoulder.
“So the job consists mostly of office work. Paying our suppliers and sending out customer statements. My brother handles customer invoicing himself. You may have noticed the large building out back. It’s a covered slip for working on boats here. We service local boats. But our main focus is restoration. Depending on the size of the boat and the location, it’s not always possible to bring the boat here to restore, so the team works on it offsite. Occasionally only the motor is shipped in or other pieces of the craft.”
Kenley nodded.
“We have a small team that stays onsite to handle local calls and repairs. And three other guys make up the restoration team. I keep their schedules straight and make sure everyone gets paid. Sometimes I go out to a job to help with insurance work or quotes if the others are tied up.”
“I wouldn’t mind traveling.”
“Okay, Kendra, tell me a little about yourself.” Oh no. Should she correct her for saying her name wrong? Would it matter? Probably.
“Actually, it’s Kenley. I know it’s a weird name. I was adopted. My parents decided to keep my given name.” She winced, not meaning to use the orphan card to get a job. She was nervous and it made her babble.
Sidney burst into tears, and Kenley cursed herself for correcting her.
“I’m so sorry. You know what? You can call me anything you want. Kendra is fine. I like the name Kendra, love it even. Please don’t cry.”
“I’m sorry. I just can’t imagine a little baby being left alone in the world.”
Kenley had been almost three when she was left alone in the world, but she had the sense to keep quiet.
“I’m not a very emotional person usually, it just comes on me at times.” Sidney worked to gain control of herself while wiping her eyes with another napkin. “Go on, Ken-LEE.” She enunciated the name correctly this time. “I apologize. I have it right here in front of me, but along with the hormones comes pregnancy brain.” She rolled her eyes at her condition.
“Oh, believe me, I understand. My two best friends were pregnant at the same time. I think I should have gotten a medal—a plaque at the very least.”
“You don’t have kids?” Sidney asked, tilting her head to the side in that way that says, You’re old enough to bear children, why have you not produced any yet?
“Uh, no. But I imagine you would want someone without any strings, so they could travel whenever necessary.” Bravo.
“Yes. That would probably be easier for the person taking the position. Though I wouldn’t say it would be a deal breaker.” Of course not, because that would be illegal. Kenley only smiled.
“Okay, so I know you were adopted.” Her lip trembled, but she held it together. “And I know you’re no longer working at your job of six years at Hasher and Bourne.”
“That’s correct.”
“And what happened there?” Sidney asked as if this were the easiest question ever. It wasn’t.
Kenley swallowed and squared her shoulders.
“I’ve wanted to move back to New Haven for some time, actually. And I finally had the opportunity to explore that option recently.”
“Were you fired?” Sidney asked.
“Yes. I was.” Kenley’s shoulders slumped as she let out a sigh. “I’m never going to get a job, am I?”
“Let’s not jump to any conclusions just yet. I like that you didn’t lie. You twisted it pretty well, but it wasn’t a lie.” Sidney smirked.
Kenley felt her lips pull up on one side. “I would prefer to call it spin. It’s a marketing technique.”
“You’re pretty damn good at it.”
“I didn’t get past you.”
“Well, I have my mommy powers kicking in, so not much gets by me these days.” Sidney patted her stomach as Kenley nodded. “So since I know you won’t lie. Did you steal from the company?”
“No.” Kenley shook her head adamantly.
“Did you do something unethical?”
“No.” She really hadn’t.
“You can jump in here with the story at any time. I’m pregnant for crying out loud.”
“Ah, yes. I remember this stage of the pregnancy from my friends. The guilting-everyone-into-anything stage.”
“It’s turning out to be one of my favorites.” They laughed together.
“I was accused of sleeping with my boss’s husband during a party at their home.”
“And you didn’t?”
“No. Even if I was a homewrecker, which I swear to you I’m not, I’d at least have enough respect not to wreck the home while in the actual home.”
“And your employer didn’t believe you when you told her it wasn’t true?”
“I might not have handled the situation well. Instead of stating my case, and explaining I hadn’t had an affair with her husband, I may have looked appalled and said something to the effect of ‘There is no way in hell I would ever sleep with someone who looked like him.’ Afterward, I realized she might have taken that as an insult, having in fact slept with him herself many times.”
Sidney was laughing so hard she needed the napkin to wipe the tears away again. “Not your type?”
“He had these hideously hairy knuckles.” Kenley shivered.
“Okay, so you didn’t sleep with King Kong. What did you do for Hasher and Bourne for the last six years?”
And with that, Sidney moved on to the important part of the interview. The part where Kenley could prove herself a worthy employee. Which was exactly what she hoped to have the chance to be.
* * *
Sidney waddled into his office with a file and a smile.
“Yes?” Zane waited.
“I want you to meet an applicant while I take the next appointment. Not that it matters. I want this one, so you’re going to hire her no matter what.”
“You know forcing me just makes me dislike the person already,” he warned.
“I know, but you’ll change your mind when you meet her. She’s perfect. She’s an extremely organized multitasker with no responsibilities, which would make it easy for her to jump on a plane when you have an emergency. You’re going to love her, I promise.”
“Can you just send her in so I can get it over with?” He held out his hand for the employment file sent straight from heaven. He would hire the perfect person and be done with it. After all, why would he need to waste his time on anyone else if she was so perfect?
“Her name is Kelsey Carpenter. I’ll send her right in.” Sidney pressed her palms together and looked up at the ceiling as if thanking God himself for sending this angel to work for him.
“Thanks.” He plopped the folder down on the schematics he’d been wrestling with since the night before.
He opened the file as the woman walked in. Sidney hadn’t even given him a chance to read a single word, or develop his own questions. He raised his head to see her standing there with a bright smile on her face just like the one that had haunted his dreams for years.
He choked and looked down at the paper.
“You’re not Kelsey Carpenter,” he said stupidly. This wasn’t happening. Courtney Bishop had just walked into his office. He’d had a huge crush on her all through high school. And now she was here. But when he scanned the application for her name to see if she was married, he didn’t see the words he expected.
“No. It’s Kenley Carmichael. Sorry. Sidney kept getting it wrong and after she cried when I corrected her, I just thought it was easier to let it go.”
No. This wasn’t Courtney. Her voice was different. It was her hair and that billion-watt smile that made him think of Courtney. This girl was taller and didn’t have a beauty mark on her chin.
“Yes. She’s been getting a lot of things mixed up lately,” Zane tapped the pages together and tried to focus on the print.
“It goes with pregnancy.” She laughed.
“You have kids?”
“No. But I have friends who do.” She winced as if her answer wasn’t acceptable.
She tilted her head as he scanned her paperwork, not seeing anything. This woman had completely unnerved him. The way she’d walked in his office exuding confidence and flipping her blond hair over her shoulder. This woman might not be Courtney Bishop, but she was the type.
The kind of woman who thought she was too good for him. The type who wouldn’t even remember his name or give him the time of day.
Back in high school it had been the classic tale of the dorky comic-book nerd in awe of the princess cheerleader. She had broken his heart every time she went out with one of the football players and she hadn’t even known it.
Not that he’d ever had the courage to ask her out. Or spoken to Courtney like she was a real human woman.
Eventually, he grew into himself. In college he had the good fortune to attract a bossy girl who’d told him what to wear, how to cut his hair, and had forced him to wear contacts. Once he’d been transformed into the sexy guy she wanted, she grew bored and moved on to another struggling project.
He was able to relax into a middle ground and came out of college confident and ready to take on the world. Which he was doing just fine on his own, despite his sister’s constant disapproval with his lack of a love life.
His sister’s words from a few seconds ago echoed in his head. You’re going to love her.
Sidney didn’t know he’d already loved a girl like this a long time ago and she’d crushed him thoroughly. Not that he was blaming Kenley personally, but he was sure she had left some shy boy’s heart in rubble too.
He picked up the paper in front of him and stared at it, trying to form the letters into words.
“Were you a cheerleader in high school?”
She looked surprised by the odd question, and rightfully so. But after a second, she nodded. “Yes.”
He couldn’t hire her. He couldn’t go back to the Zane who felt helpless and insignificant in the presence of a pretty, unattainable girl. He would have to come up with an excuse to reject Sidney’s request.
He nodded, more about his decision than about what was on the page. Then, realizing he should actually read it first, he focused on the words.
She had been at her previous job in Manhattan for a long time, with more responsibilities than the pay afforded. He glanced up at her, seeing her bite her lip nervously.
It was at that moment it hit him. Something he should have known all along, but somehow had overlooked.
Kenley Carmichael, as beautiful and amazing as she was, was still just a regular person. A normal person who now needed a job.
He let the anger and hurt wash away, and reassessed the situation. He would consider her as he would any other candidate. She would not be punished for the past, of which she was not an active participant. Nor would he favor her for being pretty. He would base his decision to hire her solely on her merits and ability to do the job.
Which, granted, should have been the objective in the first place.
As he read through her application and résumé, it became increasingly evident there was nothing he could use to keep him from hiring her.
Then, there it was. The kink in her armor.
“It says you left your last job for personal reasons.”
“Yes.” She continued to bite her lip, but made no attempt to explain.
He let out a sigh.
“In my line of work, when someone puts down personal reasons, it either means he stole something, came to the job shit-faced, or he forgot to come to work at all. Either way, it usually means fired, not left for actual personal reasons. Is that what it means in this instance?” he asked, pointing at the paper on his desk.
He was almost giddy with the opportunity to send her off with her tail between her legs. Despite his decision to look at her fairly, he still had wounds that had been torn open at the sight of her.
She looked down at the floor and twisted her hands together.
“I did get fired from my last job. But not because I didn’t come to work or because I had been drinking. I didn’t steal anything either.” She let out a determined sigh. “It was a misunderstanding.”
“Do you care to elaborate?” he pushed for details he didn’t deserve.
“Not really.”
“I need to be able to trust the person I hire for this position completely. All cards on the table.”
She looked stunned.
“Sidney said meeting with you was a formality. She told me she was the one who made the final decision.”
“She thinks she is, but she isn’t. You would be working with me. She won’t be working here at all.”
“Fine.” She shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. “My former boss accused me of sleeping with her husband. I didn’t do it, but what does that matter? She fired me and now no one will hire me because I’m wearing a big old scarlet A on my chest. Who cares about the truth, right? It’s not nearly as exciting as a scandal, or having someone to blame for her crappy marriage.” She stood up and headed for the door. “I’m sorry I wasted your time, Zane. It was nice meeting you.”
He should have been happy the interview was over so he could finally breathe, but all he could think about was the way her voice had sounded when she’d said his name.