Chapter 4
Kenley sang along with the radio for her twenty-five minute commute to work on Monday morning. It was nice to be able to use her car again. She hadn’t been able to keep it in the city, so it had been her parents’ spare car.
She found herself clenching the wheel. Occasionally, she would glance over at the car next to her and smile. No one smiled back.
Apparently they weren’t starting new jobs today. They weren’t beginning careers as Executive Production Coordinators with a growing company. They didn’t have a sweet, sexy boss with a gorgeous smile and kind blue eyes, and muscles, and—
“Knock it the hell off,” she scolded herself for getting dreamy about Zane.
By the time she pulled in—thirteen minutes early—she had already decided she would start looking for an apartment in New Haven as soon as possible. She needed to get out of Vanessa and Eric’s house. While she loved her brother, seeing him every day was too much. Not to mention how she was growing tired of changing doll clothes over and over at the demand of her six-year-old niece.
“Good morning,” Sidney greeted her when she walked in.
“Morning,” Kenley answered as she looked around the transformed office space. It was more office than rainforest now.
“I already had my husband come move my plants to our sunroom.”
“Ah.” Inside Kenley was dancing with glee. She didn’t have any plants and was convinced she would have killed the monstrous foliage in a matter of days.
“They were mine. Zane always hated them, but I just added more when he was away.” She shrugged it off.
“Is he here?” She tried to hide the hope in her voice as she glanced toward the hallway leading to his office. He’d said he wouldn’t be in, but maybe his plans changed.
“Nope. He’s going to be out for the next two weeks. I’ll be training you all on my own. The Friday after next is my last day, so you’ll be going solo after that.”
“Okay.” She hid her disappointment and forced a smile.
They spent the morning going over the hiring forms and taking a more extensive tour of the huge building attached to the smaller office. It was empty of humans except for the two of them and Paul, who was up to his elbows in a greasy engine.
He seemed nice. He mentioned he was getting married, twice. Was he worried she was going to try to seduce him? He gestured at the boats surrounding him. They all had catchy names painted in artistic fonts.
Back inside the warm office, Sidney gave her a list of the other workers along with their cell numbers.
“So basically, if you can’t get Zane on the phone and it’s important, call Paul. Paul has an office in here, but he spends most of his time out on road or in the shop. If you can’t get Paul, then try Brady. If Brady doesn’t answer you’ll just have to wait, because none of these other guys know much about the business end of things.”
“Got it.”
“My guess is Zane will be more likely to take your calls than he was to take mine.” Sidney gave Kenley a knowing smile and Kenley wondered what that meant.
“So do customers come in?” Kenley asked, mostly to change the subject.
“Locals will stop in to schedule service or pay a bill. We have some cash in the box in Zane’s office. We take checks if you get a copy of their license. And you can run a credit card on this little gizmo that snaps in the tablet. Most everyone else will call ahead to make sure Zane is in, and make an appointment. Over the years, people have learned how sporadic his schedule is.”
Surely he had to spend some time here working on boats and running his business. She hoped, as Sid showed her how to fill out a service ticket and where to put them.
“Paul has the emergency line, so those calls go directly to him. If he’s out of the area, he’ll transfer the calls to one of the other guys who stay here. You shouldn’t need to worry about that. If you get a call that someone is dead in the water, transfer the call to Paul.” Kenley nodded.
Lunch was brought in from down the street, and she and Sidney chatted like old friends. When they finished, Sidney started up the computer system to show her payables and receivables.
“You’ll make copies of all the bills, and put the copies in the proper job folder so Zane can review them when he bills out the customer. He takes care of that. He knows what he quoted and won’t send out a bill for more unless there’s a good reason. You’ll apply the customer’s payment to their account when it arrives and take the deposit to the bank when needed. Zane approves the original invoices for supplies and expenses, and then you can enter them for payment.”
“Got it.”
“Here are a few to start.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon in training. They covered how to enter a payment and when to run statements so Zane could review customers who hadn’t paid. At the end of the day she was shown how to lock up and set the alarm.
Her head was swimming as she drove to Vanessa’s. She was mentally exhausted, but it was a great feeling.
By the start of the next week, Kenley was feeling pretty confident with her position. She also had an apartment lined up only a half mile from work, which meant she could walk when the weather warmed up.
Zane called twice to check in with Sidney, but Kenley hadn’t talked to him since he’d hired her. It seemed odd not to see her boss on a daily basis. It might also have been that she wanted to see him. A little. To thank him in person, of course.
* * *
Paul called as Zane was closing up for the day to head back to the hotel. He’d been doing a repair on a hull.
“Hey, did you see the email Kenley sent regarding the bid in Kenosha?” Paul asked. They were both hoping to get the job on the ’69 C&C-Belleville Frigate 36.
“Yeah. And then she left a message to make sure I’d seen it.” Zane didn’t mention how hearing Kenley’s voice made his stomach flip. For as much as she looked like his old crush, her voice was lower where Courtney’s was high and flinty. He’d listened to her message twice to make sure.
“I can get that if you want me to. You said you needed to be back in the office next week.”
Friday was Sidney’s last day, which meant next week it would be just him and Kenley at the office together. Alone. He was actually looking for a way to get out of it. Not that he’d be able to get out of it forever, but he needed another week or so to adjust. The ridiculousness of the situation made him snap in anger.
“I can do it, Paul.”
So what that Kenley was attractive and had a nice smile? He’d dated tons of pretty women. Okay, maybe tons was a stretch, but several at least. None of them inspired this kind of reaction.
It was because she reminded him of Courtney. He needed to find a way to move past it. Maybe once he got to know Kenley he would be able to separate her from the pain of his adolescence. But not yet.
“Sidney told me she wasn’t staying one minute past five on Friday. She’s not going to come in next week,” Paul reminded him.
“Sidney will understand and she’ll cover for me.” She always had his back when it was important.
“Okay.” Paul didn’t even try to cover his laughter. “Good luck with that.” While Zane still had his phone out, he called his sister.
“Why are you calling my cell?” Sidney complained. “You should be calling Kenley since she is going to be handling whatever it is you need.”
“Give me a break—”
“Here, I’ll put her on.”
“What? No. Don’t put her—” Too late.
“Hello, Mr. Jackson,” Kenley said. Hell.
“Please don’t call me Mr. Jackson. We’re the same age.” According to her paperwork, her birthday was two days after his.
“Sure thing. Some people like the formality because it makes them feel important.”
“I know I’m not important. Have you met my sister?” Kenley laughed at his joke, a warm throaty laugh that made him twitch in a good place. Note to self: Don’t ever make her laugh again.
“So what can I do for you today, Zane?” she asked in that sweet, sexy voice. Yep, he was completely hard now. Hearing her say his name, and asking what she could do for him had all kinds of ideas hovering at the tip of his tongue. But he couldn’t say any of those things, and she was waiting for an answer.
“Uh, I know Sidney wanted this Friday to be her last day, but I was hoping she could stay a little longer. I won’t be back in town until next Thursday.”
“Oh. Hold on.” He listened as Kenley relayed the request perfectly.
“What?” There was a shuffling sound before Sidney took over the call. “You said you would be back,” she accused.
“I know, but you also know how many times that plan falls through. I need to take care of that bid in Wisconsin before I can come home.”
“Paul can do the bid.”
“It would be better if I do it.”
“Fine, then do it. You don’t need me here.”
“We can’t expect Kenley to—”
“Kenley is a big girl. She can handle it on her own. To be honest, I really don’t need to be here as it is. I could have turned everything over to her by day three.”
“But Sid—”
“But nothing. She’s going to be here all by herself most of the time anyway. Might as well start next week. Friday is my last day. Five o’clock.” And with that she hung up on him.
“Just great,” Zane complained to the phone. His sister was leaving him to fend for himself with Kenley. God help them.
A little after six his phone rang from a number he didn’t recognize.
“Zane Jackson,” he said officially, expecting a customer.
“Hi, Zane. It’s me, Kenley.” She didn’t need to say her name. His body’s response to her voice was all he needed to identify her.
“Oh. Hi. Are you still working?”
“No. I wanted to talk to you in private.” Oh God. The word private made him twitch again. He was doomed.
“Yes?” His voice sounded funny.
“Well, this Friday is Sidney’s last day, and I wondered if you were planning anything.”
“Planning anything?” He didn’t understand.
“You know, like a party or some gift to show your appreciation for her pivotal role in getting your business off the ground.”
“Did Sidney tell you that last part?”
“Why yes, she did. Many times actually.” They were laughing together.
“It’s true, though. I would have had a difficult time if it weren’t for her. I guess I didn’t really think about a party or anything since I won’t be in town.”
“I can take care of it if you’d like. I just need to know the budget.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Can we keep it under five hundred, will that work?”
“Yes. I can do that. Thanks.”
“Thank you. I can’t imagine what would have happened if we didn’t do anything for her. I’d never hear the end of it.”
“I got your back,” she said, and a vision of them in the shower, her rubbing her soapy chest against his back, snapped into his mind.
“Okay, then. Thanks. I kind of have to go.” He had been walking, but now walking seemed impossible with the sudden tightness in his jeans.
“Sure. I’ll see you next week sometime, right?”
“Yep.”
“See you then.” He couldn’t see her. Not when he literally sprang up like a fourteen-year-old at just the sound of her voice. What was he going to do?
The next evening, he received an email from Kenley detailing the going away send-off. Paul, Brady and four other guys would be home to attend. Kenley had ordered a cake. She’d gotten Sidney a simple diamond necklace, and there was a link to a website where he was to record a message saying goodbye.
This woman was scary good.
He clicked the link and straightened his shoulders for the camera.
“Hey, sis. So this is really it, I guess. You helped me get this place off the ground and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all your hard work. I’m so happy for you and Tim, and I’m looking forward to spoiling my little niece when she gets here. I’m going to miss hearing you nag at me about my awesome and beloved work boots. I’ll be sure to wear them over to your house when I visit, which I hope will be often. Take care, and from the bottom of my heart… thank you.” He closed the link before he did something stupid, like cry.
On Friday, he got the call from his sister. He could only tell it was her from the name on his caller ID. She was nearly incoherent with sobs.
“Oh my God, Zane. This is the nicest thing you’ve ever done,” she managed to get out. “I wish you were here so I could hug you.”
“I’m so sorry I’m missing that,” he joked. “As for the party, it wasn’t really—”
“Your idea? No kidding,” she interrupted. “I’ve known you my entire life.” Oh no. She was reminiscing about their past. Reminiscing always led to her telling the vomit story. “You threw up on my favorite doll.” Yep. That was the vomit story.
“Yes. I remember.” Only because she wouldn’t ever let him forget.
“I know you didn’t plan the party. Still, it was sweet that you okayed everything and were a part of it. I’m going to give you points for that.”
“Thanks.”
“This girl is going to change your life if you let her. She has a lot of great ideas. I know you’re not one for change, but you need to embrace it. Don’t be a dick.”
“Don’t be a dick. Got it.” He wasn’t the only person in the world who didn’t embrace change. Not many people actually liked change. Only the freaks.
“I love you, and I’m going to miss talking to you every day.”
“I’m going to miss you too. I’ll stop by to check in next week when I’m in town.”
“I’m eating your piece of cake.”
“Enjoy.”
When he got off the phone he sent a text to Kenley at the number she had used to call him.
“Great job,” he wrote, adding a smiley emoji. Her response was a winky face, which made him twitch again. Surely it wasn’t a good sign to be turned on by a winky face.
* * *
Kenley had plenty to do. It was Wednesday, her third day on her own, and Zane would be coming into the office the next day. She wanted to make a good impression so he wouldn’t regret hiring her.
She stayed a little later than necessary, not looking forward to going home to unpack. Her new apartment was bigger than her old apartment, which meant there were huge voids of space her wallet was yet unable to fill.
Being only twenty-three minutes from her friends and family was nice, except it made her very aware that they all had lives. Even her newly retired parents had classes and trips scheduled. Vanessa was always on her way to ballet for Hannah or helping with some fund-raising event.
Despite the physical closeness, she found herself just as alone as she had been when she lived in the city.
She planned to go out and meet new people. Maybe even find that special guy, but so far she hadn’t explored any farther than the restaurant across the street.
She wanted to blame her lack of social interaction on the weather. But with April just around the corner, she would be out of excuses.
Despite having set her alarm clock early and picking out her outfit the night before, Kenley was running late the next morning. The morning Zane—her sexy boss—would be coming into the office. March had decided to go out like a lion. A rabid, angry lion.
Not wanting to go to work with pink, wind-chilled cheeks, she drove. The sleet covering the roads made the short trip difficult and she stopped mere inches from the building as she slid into the parking lot.
She arrived only six minutes before she heard Zane coming in the back door. The coffeepot was filling as Kenley cheered it on, wishing it to brew faster.
He paused as he passed the door to the lunchroom.
“Good morning,” she called. “Coffee will be ready in a minute.”
“Thanks.”
When the uncooperative appliance finally burbled out its last drop she filled the cup that said World’s Greatest Uncle—a gift from Sidney in anticipation of his new role—and then froze.
She didn’t know how he took his coffee. She should have asked Sidney. Now she was going to need to ask him, and she would seem incompetent.
Zane walked in and looked surprised to see her holding his mug.
“Sorry. I don’t know how you take it.”
“I take it myself, thanks. It’s not nineteen seventy, where I expect you to bring me coffee.” He smiled.
“Fair enough.” She smiled back. Her stomach fluttered with nervous energy. “So what do you want to do first?” she asked.
“I’m guessing we have quite a list.”
“A bit.”
“Sidney always just told me what I was doing.”
“Do you want me to do that? Maybe we could have multiple choice?” she suggested. “Would you like to start with incoming bids, payables, or marketing?”
“I would like to do payables first, because I hate them. Then incoming bids. I’ll let you deal with the marketing because I hate that even more than payables.”
“Good call. I actually like the marketing. I’ll need a budget.”
“I can do that. After I see how much money I have left when we’re done paying everyone.”
She smiled and gestured toward his office.
He picked up the pile and flipped through it. Then he pulled a file folder from his drawer to double check the copy was where it should be.
It was time for her to shine.
“What is this number?” He held up the bill for lumber and pointed to the number on the corner.
“Yes. I wanted to go over that with you. I made a change I think might streamline customer billing.”
“I handle customer billing,” he said immediately.
“I know. But this is a step that can make it easier for you. May I?” She pointed to his laptop.
He moved away so she could sit at his desk.
“So let’s say you were ready to bill out the Murray job. You would pull it up in the system, and enter the line items manually. But your software already has the ability to integrate the two. When I enter the invoice to be paid, I simply code it to the corresponding job and it enters the line for you there.” She pointed, feeling a little like Vanna.
“It enters the actual cost on the line. Then when you adjust it, it calculates the markup directly to the side. So you can easily see your profit on the job.” She tapped the keys, showing him what happened if he made it lower or higher. “Also, once you’ve finished, all you need to do is click this button that says post, and it will be sent to my computer where I can print it out and mail it. This means you would be able to do it from another location, not to mention the time you’ll save not having to keep track of copies in a folder.” If she had a tail it would have been wagging.
“Don’t you think you should be here a little longer before you start changing everything?”
The harsh tone in his voice caught her off guard. She expected him to be excited, maybe even pick her up and carry her around the room, cheering her name. But he was clearly not happy about the new efficiencies.
“I’m sorry. I was trying to make things easier.”
“Meaning my sister was too stupid to find ways to make things easier?”
“God no. Of course not.” How had he come up with that?
“But yet, here you are only a couple of weeks in, and you’re already improving on everything.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t intend—forget it.” She was flustered and upset, almost to the point of tears. She’d wanted to impress him, instead she’d offended him.
Rather than break down in front of him, she squared her shoulders and pointed to the stack of invoices. “If you just want to okay those and give them back to me, I’ll enter them for payment using the old method.”
When he didn’t say anything she turned to escape.
“What is this?” he asked, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to see the invoice for the new freight company she’d hired. She thought going with a less expensive company was a no-brainer, and had made the change on her own. No doubt he wouldn’t be happy about this either.
“Um. I found a smaller independent freight company that specializes in boats. They’re actually cheaper, and don’t need as much lead time.”
“Don’t you think you should have discussed this with me?”
“I should have. I’m sorry.” Her cellphone rang from her pocket. She tried to ignore it, but he narrowed his eyes on her. So much for her thinking he was sweet under the tough exterior.
“If you could keep personal calls to a minimum while you’re at work that would be great.”
“Yes. Sorry.” She fled to the front office and answered the call.
“How’s it going with the big guy there?” Sidney asked.
“Um. Well. I think I messed up.” Her voice cracked, and she bit her lip to keep from crying.
“That son of a bitch,” Sidney said. “I knew he wasn’t going to be able to handle this. What did he do?”
“Nothing. I made some changes without discussing them with him, and he was perfectly within his right to call me out on it.”
“It is your job to make decisions that make the company more efficient, Kenley. If it were up to Zane, he’d still have a pager instead of a tablet and a smartphone.”
“Still, it’s his company.”
“What changes did you make?” she asked. For the next few minutes she briefly explained. Sidney seemed impressed, not that it helped her situation at all.
“Chin up. He’s not great with change or admitting when he’s wrong.”
“Who is?” Kenley joked.
“He’ll come around. I’m sure of it.” Something in Sidney’s voice sounded a bit ominous.
She hoped Sidney was right though. Having just spent the last six years dealing with a horrible boss, she hated to think of how awful this job would be if she couldn’t get along with Zane even for the first day he was in the office.
She’d have to find a way to win him over. It was the only option.