Chapter Two

Kathryn

“Brunch isn’t brunch without a good mimosa!” Dana said as she set down the glasses with a clatter.

Kathryn Wellington looked up with a smile and picked up her glass, sipping on the tiny straw Dana had provided with the drinks. After a sip, she set the glass down with an elegant air and lifted her hand with her palm dramatically facing upward.

“Oh yes, quite exquisite, I must say!” she said, using an exaggerated British accent. Dana chuckled as she took her seat and sipped her own drink. The two women had become good friends, and it wasn’t at all unusual for the pair to be out to brunch late in the morning.

“So tell me, how excited are you?” Kathryn asked, and Dana blushed. The engagement ring sparkled on her finger, and she couldn’t help but glance down at it at the mention of her wedding.

“I can’t tell you how I feel! You know, we always dream of getting married, but nothing compares to how you feel when you actually have that ring on your finger!” Dana beamed, but her smile faded when she saw Kathryn’s face fall.

Seeing Dana’s expression, Kathryn rolled her eyes. She herself was single, and Dana knew it and often tried a little too hard to be sensitive. It was part of what made her such a great friend, but could also get annoying. “I’m okay, Dana. Honestly. You’re allowed to talk about how excited you are.”

Dana smiled and reached forward to put her hand over her friend’s. “You know you’re going to find someone,” she said encouragingly, and Kathryn laughed as she shook her head.

“I would like to think that I played a part in your marriage,” she said with a wink, and Dana laughed.

“I would be lying if I said that your influence didn’t have something to do with it. How are you doing since getting home, by the way?”

Kathryn looked down at her drink, swirling the liquid around with her straw for a few moments before she answered. The two women had recently gone on a cruise—Dana with her now-fiancé, Cole Parker, and Kathryn, having recently aged into her substantial trust fund, tagging along to get some relaxation. She’d felt like a third wheel, mostly because she had actually been a third wheel, but at the time she’d been willing to commit that societal sin because of her father, whom she’d been feuding with for a number of reasons.

The biggest of those reasons was that he was constantly trying to manipulate her love life. Time after time she’d found that the men she was dating had been set up with her by her father in some way, and she couldn’t bring herself to fall in love with any of them. In fact, she hadn’t even slept with any of them—and she was beginning to go crazy.

Kathryn didn’t particularly want to talk about that less than pleasant subject and decided to stay focused on how she was doing while single, and what Dana would be doing next.

“I’m good, I’m really good. I think that cruise was just the break I needed from society, and now I can step back into it single and ready to mingle!” She kicked herself for once again bringing up her relationship status, but Dana didn’t seem to notice. She smiled as she ran her finger around the rim of her glass.

“Lord knows there’s enough to do between now and the wedding, I’m not going to have much time to mingle anymore,” Dana replied.

Kathryn laughed. “The Parker brothers are always going to some social event. You’re going to get your fair share of mingling. Perhaps more than you want, now that you have that rock on your finger. I have to commend you, my dear, you are the first person to convince any of the Parkers that marriage isn’t the doom and gloom they all seem to think it is.” Kathryn raised her glass in a toast to her friend, and a sheepish smile spread across Dana’s face.

“If you had asked me if I was going to end up married to one of them, I would have told you never in a million years, but Cole grew on me. After a while, you start to see that a lot of what they say and do is just a front. They really have no idea what they are doing when it comes to the world of women.” Dana laughed.

“Or business, for that matter!” Kathryn chimed in, and they laughed again.

“I hear that they’re sending Hawk down to Vegas to oversee the construction of that new hotel that’s going up—the Red Emerald.” Dana said absentmindedly, and Kathryn looked at her with a slightly confused expression.

“I never would have thought they would send Hawk to take care of anything, and I didn’t know Parker Industries had anything to do with new construction.”

“Cole says they are trying to expand their horizons, working in some of the new and getting rid of some of the old. He says that it’s some master plan that is going to ultimately save the company and get Berkshire off their backs. I don’t know.”

At that moment, the waitress walked over with their food, and both women thanked her. When they were out and about, they didn’t discuss the details of the company in great detail, not wanting anything they said to end up as the latest gossip on the tabloids, but Kathryn had to admit, she was curious.

It was no secret that the company had been struggling since it had been given into the charge of the three Parker brothers. However, she hadn’t known that things were so far gone that they were needing to take measures to save the business. Not wanting to pry, however, she didn’t pursue it.

“I’m sure he’s going to have some fun down there. We’ll probably hear about him on the news again before the week is out,” Kathryn joked. Dana shook her head as she blew on the bite of omelet she had on her fork.

“I guess both Blake and Cole took him aside and told him he’s going to have to step up in the company if he wants to stick around. They’re getting tired of him making as many appearances as he does on the news and then not showing up to the important things.” Dana rolled her eyes.

Kathryn knew that Dana liked all the brothers but didn’t particularly respect Hawk. She felt he could be trying harder with the company, but she stayed out of it, knowing that it was none of her business.

Kathryn, on the other hand, was uncomfortably interested in what Hawk was doing. They’d had a fling back in the day, one that Kathryn very deliberately chose not to think about at all. It had been hot, hot, hot, and intense enough that the breakup itself had been explosive. In spite of what an ass Hawk had turned out to be, she couldn’t help thinking to herself that Hawk had always been the brother everyone waited to see screw things up. That apparently hadn’t changed.

“How are things going with your father?” Dana asked.

Kathryn felt a sting run through her at the mention of her dad, but she was determined not to let it show. It was no secret that the two of them had never gotten along, and everyone who was close to her knew that she hadn’t been speaking to him since the last time they had gotten into a fight. Kathryn was tired of the man prying into her life, and she wasn’t afraid to say so. But if she was honest with herself, she had to admit, things had been going better lately. Though that could change at any time.

“Oh, I suppose you could say things have been going all right. He’s still the way he is, and I’m still the way I am.”

“Have you been talking to him?” Dana prompted.

Kathryn gave a slight nod, but shrugged shortly after. “I guess you could say that. I mean, he’s asked how I’ve been doing and I’ve told him that I’m alive. That’s more conversation than we’ve had in many years.”

For the second time in five minutes, Dana comfortingly patted Kathryn’s hand. “It’s okay to not get along with your parents, you know. They think they’re doing what’s best, not realizing that there are certain times when what is best is staying out of things altogether.” Dana smiled and Kathryn raised her glass.

“Amen, sister! Although, to be completely honest,” she paused as she took a sip of her drink before deciding to make a full confession, “not having a man in my life is driving me crazy.”

“You don’t need the drama. Beautiful as you are, you can get out there and get some action any time you wish. Why don’t you just do that for a while and worry about something more serious later?” Dana was still focused on her omelet, but this time it was Kathryn who reached forward and put her hand over her friend’s, getting her attention.

“You see, that’s just it. I don’t want to go out and get some of that kind of action. The last thing I want right now is to find someone that my father knows or is connected to in some way, and you have to realize—he knows everyone.” She rolled her eyes as she spoke and Dana nodded. It was true, in the tycoon industries, it wasn’t uncommon for those in positions of power to know everyone else.

“I can’t go out with anyone without thinking that my father has something to do with it in some way. How can I ever let my guard down?” Kathryn sighed as she put her cheek on her fist, looking over at her friend. She let her elbows rest on the table sighed.

Dana was silent for a moment, clearly mulling over her words with care. “So you want to go out and have some fun, but you don’t want anything serious. And you certainly don’t want to go out with someone that your father might have gotten his hands on already, right?” she asked as she looked up.

Kathryn listened and nodded, though she didn’t make eye contact with her friend.

“Well, why don’t you go down to Vegas for a few days?” Dana suggested. “Hawk’s going to be there, and you know your father has nothing to do with him. Not to mention, he’s the furthest thing from husband material that any woman could imagine. He parties, his favorite place in the entire world is the strip club, and he ends up on the cover of tabloids every other week. If you want to let off some steam while avoiding any kind of commitment, I think he’s your guy.” Dana winked at her friend, and Kathryn frowned, turning the idea over in her head.

Her first impulse was to argue, but the more Dana presented her case, the more she had to admit—her friend did have a point. Though all of the Parker brothers had a reputation for being playboys, it was obvious marriage wasn’t beyond any of them – except for Hawk.

He was blatantly happy about the life he was living, and there was no question in her mind that he would never settle down with any one woman. He was too rebellious—too selfish to consider such a thing. He would rather do what felt good in the moment, then forget about it and move on to the next person or thing without another thought.

But Dana was right. She didn’t want to get involved with anyone her father could mingle with; she didn’t want to get into anything serious with anyone at this point; and she did want to have a good time. And if there was anyone on the planet that fit what she wanted, it was Hawk. Not to mention that he was incredibly attractive to boot.

“Earth to Kathryn! Earth to Kathryn!” Kathryn suddenly snapped back into the present and realized Dana was talking to her. Dana laughed. “You were a million miles away for a second—what’re you thinking about?”

“I was just wondering how soon I could get to Vegas,” Kathryn said with a sly smile.

Dana laughed and pulled out her cell phone. “With the right connections, you could be there within a couple of days,” she said with a wink. Kathryn sat back in her chair to let her friend work, and she felt the flutter of excitement building inside her. It was nice getting to do what she wanted when she wanted—first a cruise, now a spur-of-the-moment trip to Vegas.

It didn’t matter what her father said or did, Kathryn was in control of her own life. She would do what she wanted, when she wanted, with whomever she wanted—he could just get over it. And if she had her way, she’d soon be getting under Hawk.