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“Hi Dan, I’m Kennedy.”
“Kennedy, that’s an unusual name.”
“My mom was a big Jackie O fan,” she explained.
“She didn’t want to go with Jackie?”
“Growing up she had a wiener dog named Jackie. A cat named Jaqueline. A hamster named Onassis. And a bird named Bouvier.”
“Seriously?” Dan asked.
“Yep.”
“So she used all of the other names up,” Dan observed.
“Yep.”
The truth was, she doubted her mom ever thought she was going to have any kids. Even though she had never come right out and admitted it, Kennedy was pretty sure she was only conceived in an attempt to save her parents’ relationship. The first clue was that she was born seven months after her parents were married. There might not have been an actual firearm involved, but she was absolutely certain their union was a shotgun wedding.
Her mom may not have ever said that she had no desire to be a mom, but it was pretty obvious. Darla Dawes was not the most nurturing or maternal of women. Why anyone would have a child they didn’t even want to try to keep a man, Kennedy would never understand.
“Wow, and here I thought I was cool because I’m named after a Blues Brother.” Dan grinned.
“A what?” Kennedy asked as they finally made it out of the banquet hall and into the hallway.
“Blues Brothers,” Dan repeated. “Dan Akroyd and John Belushi. My dad was a huge fan.”
“Oh right.” Nana used to love watching them when Kennedy was a kid.
Dan put his hand on his chest dramatically. “I was scared for a second that you were too young for that reference.”
Kennedy smiled and decided not to tell him that the only reason she was aware of them was because of her grandmother.
“So, Kennedy, I was just wondering if you’d like to go grab a drink.”
“I can’t. I’m meeting a friend for lunch.”
His chin dipped in a resigned nod. It was clear that he thought she was blowing him off.
“But we could grab drinks another time.” She wasn’t sure if he fit every single item on her checklist, but he definitely checked a few boxes.
“Great. Are you in town overnight?”
“No, I’m heading home after I see my friend.”
“And where is home?”
“Whisper Lake,” she said as they walked into the large lobby.
“Oh, okay, I’m about half an hour from there in Rosewood Grove.”
Kennedy knew it well because Rosewood Grove was the town where the closest hospital to Whisper Lake was. She’d spent a lot of time there when she was younger and her mom was sick. And more recently with her grandma’s health issues. She hated hospitals. They represented bad news and death to her.
“Can I get your number?” he asked when they reached the doors at the front of the hotel where the conference was being held.
“Sure.” She pulled out a card from her wallet and handed it to him. It was her business card, but it had her personal cell on it.
“Here’s mine.” He handed her his card as he pushed open the glass door.
