Help Wanted by Allison B Hanson (7)

When Kenley got the confirmation that the Oliver boat was ready to be transferred, she knew it was going to be a problem.

The woman who owned the boat was only available on Wednesday. She knew Zane already had a meeting to settle on the Lake Erie property on Wednesday. She walked into his office to find out he’d already heard.

“I can’t be in two places at the same time,” Zane was complaining to someone on the phone. “I understand that, but I have to be in Galveston to purchase a boat I already have a buyer for.”

He waved and smiled at her and then let his head fall back.

“I understand, but can we just move it to the next day?” He let out a sigh. “I know it’s not your fault. Let me think about it and I’ll call you back.”

He hung up and took a sip of his coffee.

“Sounds like you’re starting the day out right,” she said as he rubbed his temples. “Can I do anything?”

“Can you split me in half? I need to get that boat in Texas now that she’s finally ready to sell it, and you saw the settlement for the Ohio place is tomorrow as well.”

“Yeah, but I think splitting you in half would be kind of messy.” She got a smile out of him at least.

“Maybe you can tell me how I’m supposed to be in Galveston signing the papers on a boat and in Ohio settling on the new property.”

She twisted her lips to the one side while she thought over the predicament. Which thing was the priority?

Both.

Which thing did he absolutely need to be there in person to do?

She smiled and held up her index finger to indicate she had an idea.

“You sign over temporary power of attorney to me. Then I can go to Galveston and buy the boat. You can go handle the settlement on the new place.”

“I need to have the boat shipped out immediately.”

“Brady can take care of that while I handle the purchase.”

“You would do that?” he asked.

“Yes. It would be much easier than splitting you in two.”

“Okay. That will work.”

“I’ll call your attorney so we can go have the paper drawn up, then I’ll fly out.”

“Tell her we need this quick.”

She nodded.

“Thank you, Kenley. Really. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” His words held a sincerity that made her break out in goose bumps.

“Well, hopefully you won’t ever have to find out,” she said, before she realized how it sounded. Rather than retract it and make it worse, she turned and left his office as quickly as possible.

* * *

Kenley was in heaven.

Actually she was at JFK, but as she waited to board the plane to go to her first assignment, it was pretty damn close to heaven.

Most people wouldn’t be this happy about flying out for a job, but she was excited to have the opportunity. She was going to do her best to make Zane glad he’d hired her.

* * *

Smoothing her black pants repeatedly during the flight, she hoped she wouldn’t mess this up.

From the airport she took the rental car straight to the notary’s office following the instructions on the GPS. And that was where her heaven abruptly turned to hell.

“I’m sorry. I know I said I wanted to do this, and you’ve come all this way, but I just can’t. It was my husband’s boat. We spent so much time on that boat. Earl and I and our two boys. I know I won’t be able to take it out again, but I just can’t stand to see it pulled out of the water,” the elderly Mrs. Oliver said. Brady, who was standing next to the door, sighed. He had the truck ready to go. It was going to be a long trip home with no boat.

Kenley watched in horror as tears filled the old woman’s eyes. She could feel her own eyes sting. It wouldn’t be good to break out in hysterics when Zane was counting on her.

“Shit,” Brady muttered and walked out of the office. He was probably going to call Zane and tell him they didn’t have the boat.

She needed to do something. Zane couldn’t take more stress on this job. Plus he might back out of the letting her go to the show next week if she was incompetent. She quickly came up with a plan.

“Mrs. Oliver? Can I show you something?” Kenley asked while opening her laptop. She turned it so the woman could see the screen. “These are other boats Zane has restored. Boats that were losing their battle with the sea. Zane was able to save them and make them beautiful again.” The woman looked at the pictures with her lips pulled together in a frown.

“He does wonderful work, but I just don’t think I can part with it.”

Desperation made the next words fly out of her mouth.

“Are your boys interested in fixing it up?”

“Well. No. I did ask them if they wanted to, but neither of them have the time.”

Kenley nodded. “I’ve spoken with Mr. Donovan—the man who wants to buy Earl’s boat and have it restored. He was very specific about the year and model he wanted. He used to go out with his grandfather on a boat exactly like Earl’s. He said the times on that boat were his greatest memories. At least until his own children were born. He wants to relive that happiness with his own kids.” The woman continued to look at the screen. “Joel and Alex.”

“This Mr. Donovan has two boys?” Mrs. Oliver asked.

“Yes. They live on Lake Ontario so they spend a lot of time out on the water. The youngest is six and can already water ski.” The woman looked impressed. Mr. Donovan was pretty proud of the little guy. Zane had even posted the video on the company website. “I know you see this as the end of your boat, but it’s not.” She gave the woman a sad smile. “It’s like a rebirth. Earl’s beauty is going to get the care it needs. And a new family is going to enjoy her and make memories on her for years to come.”

Mrs. Oliver nodded and looked at her hands for a long moment before raising her head.

“You’re right. I’m just being sentimental. I’m ready now,” she said surely and reached out with the pen to sign where she was told.

When the papers were pushed in Kenley’s direction, she got a bit of a thrill signing her name on the line above Zane’s name. It was stupid, but she couldn’t help it.

She gave Mrs. Oliver a hug and offered to drive her over to the dock to see it one last time, but the woman declined.

Once outside, she found Brady pacing and talking on the phone.

“…what about that one in Wiscasset? It wasn’t the same, but it was close.” She walked up and tapped him on the shoulder with a smile.

“You can go get Mrs. Oliver’s boat now,” she said.

“What?” Brady looked at her with his brows creased.

Kenley held up the papers and pointed to the signatures.

“The boat is ours. You can load it up.”

“But the lady changed her mind,” he pointed out, still holding his phone.

“I know, and I helped her change it back.”

“Did you beat her up?”

“No!”

“How—Oh, okay. Bye,” Brady said into the phone. “Zane’s calling you.”

At that second her phone began to vibrate.

“Yes?”

“What happened?” he asked immediately.

“She had cold feet and I dealt with it. We’re good to go. It’s ours—I mean yours. You know what I mean.” Apparently the signature thing was still having ramifications.

“I’m sorry it didn’t go as planned,” he told her.

“I used to work in mergers and acquisitions, Zane. Everyone has reservations, but if they’ve gotten to this point, deep down they really do want to sell. You just have to remind them why. How did things go on your end?”

“I have another property in Ohio.”

“Good job.”

“I hope I didn’t make a horrible mistake.”

“You didn’t.”

“Thanks for saving the day.”

“Not a problem.” She pumped her fist and gave a happy “Yes!” when she hung up.

* * *

When Zane got off the phone, a strange sense of calm coursed through him. Kenley wasn’t just an employee showing up for a paycheck. She was a partner. He knew he could trust her to be there for him. He felt even more comfortable with her decisions than he had with his sister’s.

Sidney always handled situations as she wanted to, which may or may not have been how he would have done it. But Kenley was like an extension of him. As if she could read his mind and handle things the way he would have if he’d been there himself. She acted on his behalf instead of with her own agenda. There was a trust there he’d never felt before with anyone.

He paid her well, but he needed to find a way to thank her for her trustworthiness. He wanted to show his appreciation. Pulling out his phone, he bought a ticket as he hopped in his rental to head to the airport.

What seemed like a great plan on the way from Ohio to Texas now seemed like a ridiculous gesture as he stood in the hotel lobby at almost nine o’clock at night.

Would she think it was too much? He fiddled with his key card, second-guessing himself. He paced for a few moments, until the desk clerk looked like she was about to call the cops. Deciding to take a chance he said, “Could you please tell Kenley Carmichael that Zane Jackson is here to see her?”

Hearing their names together in the same sentence gave him a stupid little thrill. Why was he here really? He wouldn’t have come all this way and spent the money on a ticket to thank Paul or Brady for a job well done. He held out his hand to interrupt the clerk, but it was too late.

“This is the front desk. There is a Zane Jackson in the lobby to see you.”

“The lobby?” Zane could hear Kenley’s voice on the other end of the line and smiled.

“Yes.”

“Of this hotel?” Yes, this was too much. Unfortunately he’d have to ride out the storm of stupidity.

“Yes.”

“Please tell him I’ll be right down.”

“Yes ma’am.”

It was only a few minutes later when she found him in the lobby where he was sitting in one of the fancy chairs, with his ankle resting on his knee. When he spotted her, a broad smile took over his face and he stood.

“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked as if it was completely normal for him to be in Galveston.

“Good. Your boat is on a truck as we speak.”

“Excellent.” He glanced around the lobby. “Do you want to get a drink?” He pointed to the lounge.

She looked at the time on her phone and frowned.

“I’d better not. I have to get up really early tomorrow.”

Zane fought a smile and failed.

“I won’t tell your boss,” he said, making her laugh.

“I have an early flight. I’ll get a soda,” she compromised and followed him to the bar. “So are you checking up on me?”

“No. I wanted to make sure everything went okay with the transport.”

“So you’re checking up on Brady?” She lifted her brow, calling him on the lie. He winced and fessed up.

“Okay. I wanted to double-check the paperwork before we left to make sure there wasn’t an issue later.” This was only partly true, but that meant it was only partly a lie. An improvement from a few weeks ago.

She laughed and nodded.

“You wanted to make sure I did everything right. Are you a control freak?”

“No. Maybe. It’s your first purchase. What kind of boss would I be if I just threw you to the wolves without checking to make sure you were okay?”

“I appreciate your concern.” She rolled her eyes as the waitress brought her soda and his beer.

“By the way, I talked to one of Mrs. Oliver’s sons, and he told me you handled the situation perfectly.”

She shrugged and gave him a smile. “This job is really important to me. I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“That’s not going to happen.” She was actually worried about that possibility? As if she was capable of disappointing him. She was the best employee he’d ever had. She cared about his business. And maybe even about him. “I have complete faith in you. You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” he told her honestly. If he’d had any lingering doubts, they were long gone after today.

“You wouldn’t be here if you trusted me.” She tilted her head.

“Maybe I wanted to see your shining moment. Why should I miss out?” This was more truth than he’d planned to share.

“Really?” she asked, unsure.

“I know it wasn’t easy working with me in the beginning. I was pretty much an ass. I wasn’t really on board with hiring you, but I have to say, it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.” He hadn’t really been involved in the decision at all. Bullied would be the better word. Still, the end result was that she worked for him, which at times—like right now—was a major inconvenience.

He couldn’t date an employee. It was too risky. Especially if it meant something could go wrong and she’d leave him. She was too important to his business.

She smiled at his confession, and her cheeks turned a beautiful pink. Could it be the sexy cheerleader was a bit shy too? He couldn’t let himself think of her as the sexy cheerleader. She was important to keeping his business running smoothly. That was it.

“I should get to bed. I don’t want to miss my flight. I have a lot to do before our trip next week.”

He stood as she did and walked with her to the elevator.

She pushed the three and he pushed the five as an awkward silence fell over them. The elevator was too fast for him to figure out what she could be thinking. He needed more time.

He stepped off on her floor and she looked up at him in surprise. What was he doing? Before he could change his mind, the lightning-fast elevator doors closed.

He watched as she swallowed and stared up at him. God, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Maybe even more beautiful than Courtney.

Not sure what to do, he reached out to push the button to call the elevator back. But in that second her tongue darted out to wet her bottom lip. Christ.

One moment he was reaching for the button, and the next he was reaching for her. His body moved on its own, pulling her against him. His lips crashed down on hers, causing a little moan from her throat. Her breasts smashed up against his chest as his hand moved down her back. When her lips opened slightly, he pounced on the opportunity, sweeping his tongue inside.

He swallowed down her second moan as his erection throbbed painfully in his jeans. It was only then he registered her hands on his back, fisting his shirt.

A second later, he had her pinned against the wall, deepening the kiss. He couldn’t believe this was happening. How many times had he fantasized about this since she’d walked into his office? Pretty much every hour of every day. And now it was real. He was kissing Kenley.

His employee.

Before he had the chance to pull away, she did. Looking up into his eyes she winced and said, “I’m so sorry.”

He almost laughed, except it wasn’t funny at all.

“Why would you say you’re sorry? You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” he explained.

“I kissed you.”

That time he did laugh.

“I’m almost a foot taller than you. If I hadn’t bent down to kiss you, we wouldn’t have kissed. That makes it my fault.” He ran a palm over his hair. Shit. What did they do now? How badly had he messed it up?

“I’m the one who’s sorry, Kenley. I’m the one who crossed the line.”

“Oh.” She blinked a few times and then looked… He wasn’t sure. His best guess was impressed, though that didn’t make any sense.

“Do you think we could chalk this up to being exhausted, and having a stressful day?” He hoped. “I don’t want things to be awkward. I’ll never let anything like that happen again. I promise.

She pressed her lips together and then nodded.

“I’ll still get to go to the show?”

He smiled and nodded as he pushed the button to call the elevator to her floor. “Yes. Let’s just pretend this didn’t happen.”

Kenley’s fingertips trailed along her bottom lip and for a moment she looked sad. Maybe she didn’t want to forget their kiss? But she’d pulled away.

Smiling at him she said, “What happens on the third floor stays on the third floor?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“No problem. I guess I’ll see you back at the office?”

“Yes.”

“And we’re leaving next Friday?”

Hell. How was he supposed to spend two days with her? He’d promised nothing like this would ever happen again, but already he found himself wanting to pull her back into his arms. He nodded as he stepped onto the elevator.

“Eight a.m.,” he said as the doors closed and he was hurtled up two flights to his own floor. As he stepped into his room he had to fight the urge to turn around and go back to her.

It just couldn’t happen.

* * *

He’d asked her to forget about their kiss. The most amazing kiss she’d ever had in her life. That kiss had been going somewhere, and she’d stupidly pulled away.

At the time, she’d thought maybe she should warn him about her predicament. Surely a guy would expect a certain level of proficiency in skills she didn’t have. Fortunately she’d kept her mouth shut. She could only imagine the look on his face if she’d blurted out, “I’m a virgin!”

Forgetting about the kiss was highly unlikely. In fact, as she got off the plane in New York, that kiss still consumed her thoughts. As she dropped her things off at her house and went in to the office, she found the odds of forgetting the kiss were quite impossible.

She wanted to do it again. And not just kiss him. But he’d promised to keep things professional. Maybe her subconscious had caused her to pull away from him. The part of her brain that liked having its own place, and food in the refrigerator. The part that liked having a job, and being an essential part to Zane’s business.

She hoped that part would give the other part—the one that wanted to kiss her boss again—a good shake.

Zane didn’t come in to the office at all that afternoon. She stayed until six and hadn’t heard anything.

She frowned at her phone. Was he really doing this again? Hiding?

Deciding to do something about it, she sent him a text.

She gathered her things, not expecting to get an answer. To her surprise, her phone chimed a few seconds later.

Her smile was huge as she typed a reply.

Before she got the door locked he responded.

Kenley touched her bottom lip, thinking about the kiss. Again.

* * *

Zane was already in the office when she got in the next morning.

“Good morning,” he said with a smile that seemed forced. Something was up.

“Morning.”

“I get three, right?” he asked with a grin as she held out the container.

“You get as many as you want.”

She watched as he took a bite, his lips shiny with cinnamon glaze. How great they would taste right now. The sticky coating smearing between them—She stopped the inappropriate thought before it got out of hand.

“I have something for you,” he said, quickly backing away. She realized she had been staring at his lips the whole time. “I saw it when I left yesterday and I thought of you.” He held out a small velvet box.

Her heart seized, knowing the only thing that came in this type of box was jewelry.