Page 13 of Her Devoted HERO

“No such thing. You win or lose based on your performance,” she said as she rounded the corner into his room where he was pawing through his sock drawer.

“Found ‘em,” he grinned up at her as he waved them up in triumph, before shoving them into his gym bag. Kenna shook her head. As he passed her in the doorway, Austin brushed the charm bracelet on her wrist. The one that had the gold four leaf clover charm her dad had given her on her sixteenth birthday. She wore it every day and even tucked it into her pants pocket when she was working.

“So, Mom, I wonder where I got my superstitious nature from?” He smirked.

“What a smartass.”

“Yeah, but I’m your smartass.”

That he was. What was she going to do with him?

“Come on, get the lead out. I’m going to be late for school,” he yelled from the hallway. She stifled a laugh. Was it normal for a mother to get such a kick out of their kid? Kenna shook her head and headed down the stairs where Austin was waiting for her with a grin on his face. He even knew he was entertaining. They grinned at one another and headed out to the car.

She swung by Denny’s house and picked him up, and then dropped the two teenagers off at the high school. Kenna couldn’t believe that she actually had a son in high school. How in the hell had that happened? She was only thirty-two. Oh yeah, she’d gotten knocked up when she was in high school. She looked at her son’s broad shoulders and wondered if she needed to have another talk with him about safe sex, or if last week’s talk was enough.

She had just enough time to drive through Starbucks for a skinny latte before her shift started. Kenna mentally geared up for the day. She knew some of the people she would be seeing. Mr. Renfew, Laurie, and Harold would be in for their chemo treatments today. She winced when she thought about Harold. It was Thursday so his son would be bringing him in. That man couldn’t catch a clue even if Colonel Mustard was helping him. How in the hell could she convince him she just wasn’t interested in going out? Just because he drove a Maserati and had more money than a small nation, he thought he was God’s gift to women. Well, he wasn’t. He was a jerk. He treated his dad like crap.

After she parked her Honda in the staff parking lot, Kenna hit the lobby of the hospital and made her way to the elevators.

“Hey, Kenna! Wait up.”

She held the elevator for her friend.

“Did you get the e-mail I forwarded you? I think he sounded pretty nice, don’t you?”

Kenna stopped herself from rolling her eyes.

“I know what you’re thinking, but seriously, this guy is different,” Jean said as she pressed the up button. “I’ve been e-mailing him on and off for over a month. I think it’s time to meet him. I wanted your opinion of the last e-mail. Didn’t you read it?”

“Last night I was at Rosalie’s house.”

“You’re still doing that gig?”

This time Kenna did roll her eyes. “Yes, I’m still doing that gig. I work as Rosalie Randall’s personal assistant twice a week and have been doing it for three years. You know that, Jean.”

“I thought after your last raise you could quit.”

For a doctor, Jean sure wasn’t very circumspect. “Lower your voice,” Kenna admonished as they exited the elevator.

Jean grimaced. “Sorry. But seriously. Why can’t you quit?”

“Two and a half more years and Austin is going to graduate. College costs money.”

“Yeah, it does.” Jean sighed. “Well okay, read the e-mail tonight. Okay?”

“I will,” Kenna promised.

***

This was stupid. Why should her palms be sweaty? Kenna stood behind her desk chair, staring at her computer. Austin was asleep. She’d watched his wrestling match. He’d pinned his opponent. He credited his lucky socks.

She should have gone through her personal e-mail yesterday, but she hadn’t, she was too busy handling Rosalie’s. The woman was a mess and a half. So here she was, almost done with her own.

Almost.

She’d read the one that Jean had forwarded her. She understood why Jean liked him. He said he was an attorney. Jean wanted a guy who was her professional equal, and this guy said he was a partner in a law firm. That would appeal to her. But still, something didn’t ring true. Maybe it was the way he mentioned what kind of car he drove. It reminded Kenna too much of Harold’s son.

Then there were the four new e-mails responding to her profile. Well, two were new, two were repeats, and one was from SailorBoy69. Jean had questioned why Kenna had even had put herself on CaliSingles, and this was it. Knowing that out there in the cosmos some men found her attractive used to boost her self-esteem. She would read the e-mails, and they would make her smile. SailorBoy69’s was the only one she’d ever responded to, and look at the mess she was in.