“That’s cool.”
“Yeah, I’d love to meet her.”
Standing, I took her hand and said, “Then come on. I’ll introduce you now.”
“Really? She’s here? That would be awesome.”
Placing my hand on her lower back, I tried to ignore the way it made my fingers itch to explore more of her bod
y.
I guided her over to the table where Charlie sat with Terri.
We stopped and they looked up at us. Both of them smiled.
“Terri, Charlie, this is Kaelynn Dotson. She’s a friend of Morgan’s and is helping her get everything set up for her new business.”
Charlie smiled. “You’re the business start-up consultant?”
Kaelynn returned the smile. “Among other things. My company helps individuals and companies with start-up projects like nonprofits, charities, charity functions—things that deal mostly with helping our veterans. I’m really just helping Morgan with getting connections to be able to reach out to veterans as well as giving her some advice on getting her business set up and going. Location, marketing, all that fun stuff.”
“That’s amazing,” Charlie said, motioning for us to sit down. “How did you get into that?”
Drawing in a deep breath, Kaelynn answered. “My brother was in the Marines and something happened when he was overseas. He’s never talked about it, but he lost a few friends because of it. He was never really the same after. He reached out for help a few times while still in the military, yet was turned away. Then he attempted suicide. I was in my freshman year of college at the time. I knew from that moment on I needed to do something more for these people who had served and are still serving our country and don’t have the support they needed. I needed to do more for my brother and for every other member of the military. So I started small within our community while still in college. I focused on coordinating groups of volunteers who would counsel vets and help them when they didn’t feel like they could turn anywhere else. Then I started having small companies reach out to me to start programs for their employees who were vets or to help recruit them for jobs. I planned a few benefits and worked for a nonprofit for a bit. It sort of went gangbuster, all starting from that.”
“That’s amazing, Kaelynn. Your parents must be so proud of you,” I said.
Her smile faded before she gave a small shrug with her shoulder. “They’re supportive, to a point. My father wanted me to go into the family business, but that wasn’t something I ever saw myself doing.”
“Been there, done that,” Charlie mumbled.
“Charlie, I admire . . . well . . . you! What you’ve done for CMI in the short amount of time you took control is amazing. I love to see a woman in the lead make something that was successful even more so.”
Charlie looked from Kaelynn to me, then back to Kaelynn. “Okay, I like you a lot. I think I want to keep you.”
We all laughed.
“So, Kaelynn, how did you and Morgan meet?” Terri asked.
“Mission trip last year. We sort of bonded while building a small school in Africa and really hit it off. We have a lot in common.”
My mind drifted to Mike, and I was positive Terri’s and Charlie’s had as well.
“I admire that you give your time like that. I work for a nonprofit here in Austin,” Terri stated.
“Really? What do you do?” Kaelynn asked.
Terri smiled. “I work for a company that partners with primary care physicians and other physicians. We help with providing care management through all stages of life and illness. Support tools, guidance with decision-making, as well as making sure patients and families are educated and have the support that they will need. I went to school for nursing and loved it, but when I found this job, it felt like where I needed to be.”
Kaelynn smiled warmly and said, “That’s amazing, Terri.”
Then Charlie jumped and gasped. When she held onto her stomach, I panicked.
“You okay?” I asked, standing. “It’s not time. Not yet!”
Charlie rolled her eyes. “Sit down, Nash. I swear, you’re worse than Tucker. The baby kicked me, hard.”
“When are you due?” Kaelynn asked, looking as though she was attempting to hold back the giggle she wanted to let out.