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Her mother would voice text and then listen to messages sent to her. Technology sure did make their lives easier.
“Sounds like fun. I never cooked with my mother. She burned too many things,” Ella said.
“I’d never cook if I had Aiden in my house growing up.”
“We were lucky back then. And here too. It’s nice to grab food to take home if I’m running late or don’t feel like cooking.”
She’d done that a time or two herself but tried not to take advantage of it. She got a discount, but she knew there was a limit to using it.
Even with the discount, it was more expensive than making it themselves and she was always going to be a penny pincher in life. It was so much in her blood that no amount of cuts were going to drain it out.
She liked being that way and didn’t take offense to it either. She joked about it more than anything at this point.
“It’s always a great option.” And though she liked chatting with Ella, she never went overboard with it either. Her boss was a very busy and important person and was being nice, but she knew her place in the business no matter how much they made her feel like she was part of it. “I should get back to work now.”
Ella squinted one eye at her. “You know, you always run out of here so fast I wonder if you think I’m like my mother.”
“Never,” she said. “I know you’re busy and you pay me to work, not chat.”
Ella shook her head. “God, I hate to admit my mother might be right and you are perfect for Ivan, but you didn’t hear it from me.”
Kendra went back to her office to let that conversation process.
She’d noticed Ivan a long time ago and thought he was cute.
He was tall; all the men in the family were. He wasn’t as tall or as big as the Fierce men, but he was six foot she was guessing. On the thin side but not skinny. For a guy that sat behind a desk all day long, he didn’t seem weak by any means. If she wondered if he had more muscles on him under his clothing she’d never voice that thought out loud to anyone.
They’d talked a few times and been cordial but nothing more. A working relationship. That was what they had. That was what she’d remember.
Or so she was trying to tell herself, knowing that pretty soon she’d be working more closely with him.
3
Run And Hide
“There is my boy,” Ivan’s mother said when he walked in the door hours later. “Why the frown? What’s wrong?”
“Did you tell Aunt Jolene I was at the office today?”
He heard his father laugh. “Of course not,” his mother said. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“Shay,” his father said. “You talked to her this morning. What did you say? You know Jolene. She can figure anything out.”
“I didn’t say anything,” his mother argued. “She called to say that Carolyn had told her that Jade should be having the baby soon. That she dropped and they were hoping for any day now. Nothing more than that. She asked how Devin and you were doing and I said I saw Devin over the weekend and you were coming to dinner tonight.”
“That’s it,” he said. “She knows I never come to dinner unless I’m off. I end up working late too often.”
“Good Lord,” Shay said. “I’m not going to watch every single word out of my mouth around my sister in fear she is going to take a guess and be right. You guys are all asking too much of me.” His mother had her hands on her hips.
“It’s your sister,” Ivan said. “You should be used to this. You know what she is like.”
“I do,” his mother said. “And so do you. You can handle your aunt just like your brother did. Why were you there today?”
He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer, then nodded to his father and passed it off to get another one. This would hit the spot for more than one reason.
“Ella had things she wanted to meet with me about. There is no reason to make her do it after hours.”
“And we know heaven forbid you take a day off and actually relax,” his mother said.
