AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then why wouldn’t you think you are good enough? Is Ivan cocky?”
“No. Not at all. He’s pretty laid back from what I’ve seen. He’s basic like me. Nothing flashy or fancy. Not like Cade. Not even like Brody or Aiden. I want to say he’s quiet, but I don’t think he is. He says what he wants when he wants, but he doesn’t stand out.”
“Like you,” her mother pointed out. “So far it sounds like you are both a lot alike.”
“His family picks on him for being cheap,” she said, laughing. “I mean right to his face.”
“Then we know you two would get along well,” her mother said.
She looked over to see the grin on her mother’s face, her eyes on Kendra. She knew her mother only could see her shape and not her face. Not the frown she was sending back either.
Her mother gauged people by their movements, their tone, and their presence. Karen Key often said there would be an air about people in her presence and she could tell what was going on that way.
Kendra supposed it was true that when you lost one sense your other senses were more heightened.
“I guess you’re right,” she said. “But he’s never shown any signs of wanting to get to know me better. And if there is one thing I’ve learned from the Fierce family, it’s that if they find out Jolene wants something, they do the opposite. That means nothing is likely to happen.”
Her mother laughed. “You said Jolene has a good track record. That every match has turned out well, right?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Then don’t write it off. Put it from your mind. If you like this guy, then I say you need to make a move yourself. You’ve always been honest and upfront. Tell him you’re interested but concerned that Jolene might be pulling the strings and want to be clear about it. What’s the worst that can happen?”
She snorted. “That it will be uncomfortable to work with him.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time you’ve worked in an environment that was uncomfortable for you, Kendra.”
“You’re right. I’ll think about it. He has my email and knows how to reach me. It’s in his hands.”
“If you want to tell yourself that, sure, it is.”
5
Agrees With Me
Three weeks later, Ivan made his way to the offices above the pub at nine. Bright and early, the pub not open, the restaurant having staff there only preparing breads and desserts at the moment.
He was on vacation this week because he refused to give back the time to his employers. He needed to plan it better so he wasn’t taking so much time off at the end of the year.
He’d worked yesterday and would be off until next Monday, then work two days and be off until the rest of the year.
There were a lot of other staff doing the same thing as him so the offices were quiet enough that he was able to get a lot accomplished while he was there.
He’d done some work in the past three weeks for Ella and had been talking and emailing Kendra a few times with questions, but it was time for the two of them to meet to go over some things. He’d talk with Ella tomorrow to give her some of what he’d come up with.
He knew where Kendra’s office was next to Ella’s but didn’t get that far before Cade stopped him. “What are you doing here at this hour?” he asked his cousin. “I thought you didn’t come in this early most days.”
“I’ve got to get a few things done and then I’m going to go relieve Alex. The twins have the sniffles and we didn’t want to send them to daycare.”
“They okay?” he asked of Cade’s eighteen-month-old son and daughter.
“Yeah. No fever. Just snotty noses that are making me gag. Alex should know better than leaving me with them. She might come home and find more she has to clean up than booger-covered tissues.”
Cade always had a weak stomach. Even to this day. “Did you change their diapers?”
“Of course I did. Thankfully that is a thing of the past. Those kids were out of them fast.”
“Because Alex said she got sick of having to change all the blowouts,” Ella said. “This was faster and easier on her if you just had to go in and wipe a butt over the toilet rather than clean off the diaper smear.”
