and Ella adore him.”
“So does Kai. He talks about his Uncle Liam all the time. You’d think he was a superhero or something. He’s making the Johnston men jealous.”
“Liam has really taken to Kai, too.” A warm smile lit Maya’s eyes like a candle lighting a paper lantern from within.
No matter how many times Kendra saw that smile—and it was often in the weeks since Liam and Maya had gotten engaged—she couldn’t stop her reaction to it. Intense joy for her sister, followed by deep sorrow for herself.
Maya seemed to recognize her pain. Her brows furrowed with concern. “I’m glad you accepted the offer, but I’m a little worried, too. Are you sure you’re going to be okay with this? Six months is a long time.”
“This is my shot to finally build the kind of clientele I’ve always wanted. I’m not going to blow it. Besides, Nate needs my help. I know it won’t make up for how I hurt him, but at least it’s something.”
“When is your first meeting?”
“Tomorrow, so I’d better get it together.”
Maya’s smile was reassuring. “Everything will be fine, and who knows? Maybe you two will make up.”
“Don’t even go there, and please don’t give Kai false hope about me and his dad getting back together. I don’t think he could bear that. He misses him so much when he’s away during the season. Now that the girls have Liam in their lives, Kai is more aware of his father’s absence.”
“I didn’t realize—”
Kendra squeezed her sister’s forearm. “I’m thankful Liam’s in his life. What he’s feeling now...it would’ve come up eventually. We’ll deal with it. He’ll be fine.”
“Either way, I know this is going to work out for the best. You have to believe that.”
“It has to. If Nate ends up with a West Coast team, Kai will see him even less. He’d be heartbroken.” Kendra’s voice wavered. She sipped her coffee, hoping her sister didn’t notice. “If I can prevent that from happening, I have to at least try.”
Kendra avoided Maya’s gaze and the pity she knew she’d see there. They both turned toward the front door in response to the jangling of keys that signaled Liam and the children’s arrival.
Kai practically jumped into her arms. He was a sweet, affectionate boy. She kissed her son’s forehead, dreading the days when he got older and would think it uncool to give her a big hug and a sloppy kiss.
She took in her handsome, smiling child. Wide, round eyes. Nate’s nose—a narrow bridge with slightly flared nostrils. A wide smile stretched his Cupid’s bow mouth—a near duplicate of hers. His thick ringlets were cut into a frohawk. He was only six, but his long arms and legs indicated he would be tall—like his father.
Kai was the perfect mélange of her and Nate’s features, and he’d inherited an ideal mix of their personalities. He was truly the best of them.
Kendra smiled, warmth spreading through her chest as she choked back tears. Maybe she didn’t get their relationship right, but she would always have the best part of Nate.
For that she was grateful.
Nate fluffed the pillows on the sofa in his office for the third time, then readjusted the chain on his neck again.
This isn’t a date. It’s business. Be cool.
He eased onto the sofa and drummed his fingers on his knee. Kendra would arrive shortly for their first official meeting.
She and Marcus had met before the ink dried so she could lay out her ideas and they could come to consensus on a plan. Marcus had thought it was best for him to sit out that meeting.
Fine by him.
He recognized the necessity of jumping through PR hoops. Still, he resented wasting time and money defending himself about truthful comments made in private.
Not that there was any such thing as privacy anymore in the social media age.
A car door slammed. Nate glanced at his watch and smiled. On time, as always. Kendra was right; in many ways, she hadn’t changed. Organized and efficient, she’d never been late for anything.
Nate opened the door before Kendra could ring the bell, startling her. She dropped her leather portfolio, her papers sailing across the porch.
He planned to help her recover them, but froze, mesmerized by the perfectly round shape of her curvy bottom in a narrow black pencil skirt as she bent to retrieve them. Finally shaken from his daze, he stooped to pick up a few sheets that had landed near his feet. He handed them to her, his fingertips grazing her soft skin.
Kendra withdrew her hand, as if she, too, felt the spark of electricity that charged his skin when they touched. She gave him an uneasy smile as she accepted the papers and stuffed them back into the portfolio. “Not the graceful entrance I hoped to make.”
“Also not quite as entertaining as your entrance to the junior prom.” He grinned.
“You did not just go there. You’re never going to forget that, are you?”
He chuckled. “Don’t think anyone in Pleasure Cove ever will. Principal Dansby nearly crapped himself when you came strolling up to the stage in your purple Prince tribute gown with your right butt cheek on display.”
Kendra shuddered, shifting the portfolio to her other arm. Her cheeks glowed red beneath her dark brown skin. “You know the ass-baring feature was completely unintentional. I told my mother wearing panty hose was a bad idea. If I hadn’t been wearing them, my dress couldn’t have gotten tucked into the back of them. I still blame her for the entire fiasco.”
“We managed to have a good time, despite getting tossed out—thanks to your indecent exposure.” He smiled at the warm memory of the two of them strolling on the beach that night, hand in hand.
They’d crashed a sunset wedding on the beach. Kendra had been moved by the ceremony, her eyes brimming with tears. She said it was the most perfect thing she’d ever seen. He wiped the tears from her face and promised to marry her one day in a sunset ceremony right there on that beach.
He’d attempted to keep his promise, but look how that turned out. Nate shook his head, purging the memory from his brain. Jaw stiff, his hands clenched into fists.
Kendra seemed aware of the shift in his mood. She clutched her portfolio. “Is this still a good time?”
“As good as any.” He opened the door wider and stepped aside to allow her to enter.
“This place looks incredible.” Her eyes danced as she glanced around the open space. “I haven’t been here since they first broke ground.”
That had been by design. He’d bought the land and had this place constructed because he expected to build
