and textured walls could be found throughout.
Upon reaching the area Max had saved for last, he opened the door with a key and allowed Kelly to precede him. With his fingers already on the light switch, he quickly flipped it. “This is your personal hangout, Dr. Charleston.”
The loud gasp from Kelly pleased Max. His employees were important to him and their happiness was also. He was one of the youngest owners in the NBA, but he was known as having the wisdom and charisma of someone far older than his thirty-eight years.
The red-and-gold welcome banner hanging high above the desk made Kelly smile. “Oh, my goodness! This is so unbelievable. Look at the size of my office. It’s like an apartment inside here. Every piece of office equipment imaginable is installed.”
Kelly had another fit when she discovered the private bathroom. “For me, this is equal to the fabled executive washroom. Does it get any better than this?”
Max’s expression suddenly sobered. “It can always get better, Kelly. That’s what our franchise is about. Making things better is our never-ending goal for all concerned in this business and for the city of Houston and the community at large. In keeping with President Obama’s message, I’m willing to do anything I can to bring about change, change for the better good of our country and her citizens. Adding you to our staff is one of those remarkable changes. Again, welcome! We’re blessed to have you.”
“I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me.” Holding emotions in check was sometimes hard for Kelly.
A warm hug was warranted—and Kelly would have loved to give Max a big one. She thought it was too forward of an action for now, yet she believed it’d happen one day. Max was truly a wonderful individual and he genuinely cared about his players, his staff and all the others he’d mentioned. Kelly was beginning to see his heart of gold.
“I have one more surprise for you. Then I’ll set you free,” Max told Kelly.
The reception Max had planned in Kelly’s honor was another nice surprise for her. As her eyes misted again, she turned to the owner. “This is very special. Thanks, Mr. Sheffield. I appreciate how you’ve gone out of your way to welcome me.”
Max waved a scolding finger. “‘Mr. Sheffield’ only works for me in the boardroom. Even then, most of my associates call me Max. Please, Kelly, if you don’t mind, I prefer Max. You’ll soon find out I’m a staff-friendly boss.”
Kelly reached for Max’s hand and held it briefly. “Max, I’m honored!”
Max smiled broadly. “Glad we have that settled. Now let’s go get a couple of plates and hit the buffet tables. If we don’t hurry, there’ll be nothing left. My guys love to eat. We’ll also pop the corks on a few bottles of celebratory champagne.”
“I’m all for that,” Kelly enthused. “Everything looks so appetizing.”
Kelly felt both tired and rejuvenated as she ran for her car. She had stayed at the reception until the last person had cleared the room. In her opinion, everything had gone extremely well between her and the attendees. Even though her official duties wouldn’t begin until the summer league got under way, she was looking forward to it and the preseason and regular season games. She would be in-house periodically to set up her office and familiarize herself with the team’s training facilities and procedures.
A few of the guys had dubbed her Dr. C. The majority of the players simply called her Dr. Kelly by the time the festive reception was over.
As Kelly buckled her seat belt, a light thump on the driver’s window caused her to look up with a slight start. It surprised the daylights out of her to see Houston’s mesmerizing eyes peering back into hers. Dazed by his sudden appearance, it took her a minute to realize she had to turn on the engine before lowering the window.
“Congratulations and welcome aboard,” he stated, sounding quite genuine.
“Thanks. I’m excited about working with and getting to know the team before the official season.” She paused a moment. “I apologize for not giving you a heads-up on my professional role with the team. I now know that I should have.”
“You aren’t obligated to tell me anything about your personal life. I was there to fulfill my obligation to help Haven House collect the bid you made. That’s done now.”
Kelly looked nonplussed. “What do you mean by that, Houston?”
Houston shrugged. “It was my understanding you might not cough up the funds unless I agreed to the luncheon date in place of my brother.”
“Excuse me!” Kelly felt terribly affronted. “There’s nothing further from the truth. That’s thinking I may be a thief. Who in Hades did you hear that from?”
“Afraid I can’t give up my sources.” Houston was now wondering if Austin had lied to him just to get him on the date. His two brothers would never stop the irritating attempts at matchmaking. “We’ve met the perfect woman for you,” Austin and Dallas had crooned to Houston.
“Then you shouldn’t repeat what you thought was said. It is a bold-faced lie. I rendered the entire bid amount in a check made out to Haven House before I left the event. Have a nice life!” Angrier than she’d been in a long while, she smashed her finger against the button controlling the driver’s-side window.
Houston reacted quickly to the unexpected rising glass in an attempt to avoid decapitation. For several seconds, he just stood there, looking after Kelly’s car, which sped through the parking lot like it was on the track at a NASCAR racing event.
It looked as if he owed the vivacious Dr. Kelly Charleston an apology. If that was the case, Austin was guilty of putting him in an unattractive position. As he thought back on his comments about collecting on the bid, he realized he hadn’t exactly been sensitive in how he’d phrased it. It was so unlike him.
Houston knew he had to see Kelly again, at least one more time. An apology was necessary, no matter who’d misrepresented the reason for the date. Her thinking he was an insensitive jerk didn’t sit well with him, not when he wasn’t like that. As he conjured up the stunned, wounded look on her face, he felt a sharp ache of deep regret.
Why do I act so out of character when I’m around Kelly? Houston wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer, since he probably wouldn’t like it.
By the time Houston made it to his Porsche, which was a different color and model from Kelly’s, he had his mind made up about seeing her again. As he settled onto the driver’s seat, he thought about how to apologize. No one had to tell him he’d hurt her feelings and no one had to advise him to make it right.
Houston turned the key in the ignition and revved the engine for a few seconds. The car shot out across the lot, slowing as it turned out of the parking area and onto the street. He looked ahead to try and spot Kelly’s car. By the way she’d sped off, he wasn’t surprised she was nowhere in sight. Just as he came up on the next exit, he saw her car moving slowly down the ramp. Following the Porsche off the freeway, he kept her in sight until he could signal her to pull over. Then he recalled they’d exchanged cell-phone numbers in case either had to cancel the luncheon date.
With his Bluetooth earpiece in place, Houston used the phone’s voice-command capability to get Kelly on the line. She responded on the first ring, sounding irritated and a bit disgusted. “Hey, Kelly, think you can pull over
