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That’s when he looked up from his game and caught her gaze. The smile he gave her simultaneously melted her heart, her panties, and every doubt lingering in her mind.
Everything was going to be fine.
As long as she didn’t fuck it up.
“It does my heart good to see him so happy.”
Tenley turned and found Kay Marks at her side, smiling fondly at Knox, who’d gone back to playing his game, ignoring the other guests. “Mine too,” she admitted, not even a little bit surprised that she meant it so wholeheartedly.
Kay was a 50-something, stunning Black woman who looked like the only thing holding her back from a thriving career as a runway model was that she was only five foot five inches tall. Tenley got good vibes from her immediately, which made her a rarity at this gathering.
She glanced back at Tenley over the tops of her stylish, red-framed glasses. “He was always a good kid. A little lost, but it was clear to anyone paying attention that he had a heart of gold. I never believed the charges against him for a minute. In fact, I wrote a character reference letter to the judge before his sentencing, asking for lighter punishment.”
Note to self: make sure Kay isn’t collateral damage when you destroy Thadeus.
“That’s really good to hear,” Tenley said. “I’m glad he wasn’t as alone as he thought he was at that time.”
Kay’s face screwed up into a disgusted scowl. “How else could he feel with Thadeus and Rebecca around? With friends like those, who needs enemies?”
The woman said their names in the same tone most people reserved for talk of festering sores and herpes. It made Tenley like her even more. “I take it your opinion of Thadeus and Rebecca is aligned with mine?”
“If you think that Thadeus is a less than mediocre white man whose only talent is lucking into fortuitous situations and Rebecca is a simple-minded, faithless, gold digger who would starve if she was less attractive, then…yes. I’d say our opinions are aligned.”
Tenley blinked at her. “That was…blunt.”
She smiled ruefully. “I’m not here to win Miss Congeniality.”
“So, why are you here?”
“Knox’s mother, Sara Rose, was my best friend. I could’ve left when she died, and honestly, I considered it because her husband was a bit of a tool. But this company was Sara Rose’s dream, and I never had the heart to let these idiots ruin it.”
Interesting. Tenley cocked her head to one side. “I feel like there’s a reason you’re telling me this.”
Her gaze was so direct it almost made Tenley uncomfortable. Nothing good ever came from anyone studying her that thoughtfully.
“Look,” Kay began, “it takes a strong, smart woman to know one. And let’s face it, no offense to Knox, but no one here is smarter than the two of us. This is a greedy, self-serving group of people, and they’ve done wrong by this company. You and Knox are in a position to change that. I want to help you.”
Tenley returned her gaze with a fierce one of her own. “You’ve been on the board the whole time. If you want things to change, why haven’t you done something about it?”
She shrugged delicately. “I don’t have the votes. Since Patrick died and left his seat open for Knox, the board is only the three of us, and John and Thadeus are always on the same page, and Waylin does whatever John wants because he lacks the capacity to think for himself. I’m always a voice of dissent, and they’d love to get rid of me, but they don’t have cause. They’re also afraid I’ll sue if they try to get rid of me.” Kay smirked. “And I will.”
Tenley nodded. “So, what do you think I should do about it?”
“I can’t tell you exactly what to do.” Kay glanced to where John and Thadeus were still chatting, then back at Tenley. “When an NDA has been signed, there’s not much anyone can tell you outright. But if an…interested party were to do a little digging, they could find out if something big was in the works. Something that would change the entire direction of a company forever.”
Well. That was ominous as fuck, wasn’t it?
Tenley took a sip of her wine and wondered if Ren knew anything about corporate power struggles and bullshit like that. She sure hoped so, because this was way outside her realm of expertise. “Hmmm,” she said. “I suppose I could probably find an interested party if I tried hard enough.”
Kaylen patted her arm and offered her a motherly wink. “I knew I was right about you.”
“Right about me?”
“I knew Knox would need the support of someone with genuine love for him if he had any hope of protecting his mom’s dream. I took one look at you—and the way you look at him—and immediately knew how much you love him.”
It took every bit of acting skill she had not to flinch at the word love. In her experience, love led to pain and not much else. She’d sworn she’d never go down that road again.
Did she…love Knox?
