“I would never admit to that. But even if you were, you’re railroading way ahead. I barely got Tessa to agree to see me a second time. She doesn’t want anything to do with a relationship. And when she finds out who I really am . . . I don’t know how she’s going to react to that.”
Gib gave him a come-on-now look. “Dude, you’re Kade-fucking-Vandergriff now, not that kid she used to know. Women at The Ranch fall over themselves trying to get you to look their way. Change her mind. Woo her.”
“Did you seriously just advise me to woo? Is that your professional PR opinion or your brotherly one?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Kade groaned and ran a hand over his face. “I can’t do that. I don’t want to hurt her, man. She’s been through enough. I know I’m interested in her right now, but I can’t give any guarantees. You know how I am.”
Gibson shrugged. “She let you fall in love with her all those years ago and bailed. Turnabout’s fair play as far as I see it. And unless she never plans to date again, it’s not like she’s going to be safe from heartbreak. It’s part of the deal. You’re going in with good intentions. That’s all anyone can ask.”
“Look, I appreciate your concern, but I’m not looking for relationship or legal advice. All I came here for was to ask you to treat Tessa well as an employee and not to bring the past into it.”
Gibson lifted his hands palms out, determination still hovering at the edges of his expression. “You know I’m here for whatever you need. And of course I’ll treat her professionally. Well, unless at any point you ask me not to.”
Kade bristled. His brother knew he had a penchant for threesomes, and he could imagine Tessa going out of her mind under the overwhelming attention of two determined men. But he’d promised Tess the personal stuff wouldn’t muddy the work stuff. She needed to know her boss was only her boss. His protective instincts rose up like a beast inside him. “Don’t go there. Don’t even flirt.”
Gibson grinned wide, making him look like the incorrigible teenager he used to be. “Oh, you’ve got it bad. Fine. I’ll look and not touch. You’re the worst boss ever, by the way. But don’t shoot down my idea about the public relationship yet. Give it some thought. If you’re going to try to be with her anyway, what’s the harm?”
Kade let out a frustrated breath. His brother could annoy the shit out of him and this idea wa
s nutso, but he knew Gib was well-intentioned. He knew how heartbreaking it was for Kade to be reduced to cameo appearances in his daughter’s life. He grabbed his keys. “Fine, I’ll think about it, but right now I need to go. You gonna be in the office on Monday?”
“Yep, I’ll be there with bells on. Apparently, I’ve got a new employee to train.”
Training. Yes, that was on Kade’s agenda, too. Just not quite the same kind.
Hopefully, Tessa would be open to both of their lessons.
Because Kade was definitely ready to teach.
But first he was going to have to come clean and tell her who he was and hope to hell she didn’t run in the opposite direction.
Kaden Fowler, come on down.
TEN
Tessa had no idea what to wear on her date when she had no idea what said date involved. What if she wore jeans and he showed up in a suit or she wore a dress and he wanted to go hiking or something? But before she could deliberate much more, her cell buzzed. She grabbed it from her dresser and read the text message.
Will be there in half an hour. Wear a casual dress or skirt and bring a sweater or jacket. See you soon. -K
The message was simple and to the point, but her skin tingled with heat as if he’d told her to show up naked. God, it wasn’t even fair how easily he affected her. It was as if all her teenage hormones were reappearing after a decade-long nap. She wasn’t the type to get swoony and fluttery over guys. Tessa had never had that sensation around Doug. She’d cared for him and had enjoyed the attention he’d given her, but he hadn’t made her stomach twist and dip.
But Kade could inspire that with one stupid text message. What had gotten into her? She used to hate when Doug told her what to wear. Why was this any different? Maybe her silly reaction was just the result of a lethal combination of Kade’s good looks and a practiced charm that could melt the panties off any woman in a ten-mile radius. He was that guy. The guy who could get any woman in his bed, but who never really showed anyone what lay beneath all that flash and urbanity.
Normally, it’d be the guy she’d steer farthest away from, the heartbreaker. But in this case, that type of man may be exactly what she needed. The perfect one-night stand—or two-night stand as the case may be. She needed fun in her life, an adventure. Like she’d told him that night at the restaurant. She wanted to use him and be used. Maybe it wasn’t ladylike or proper to want that, but she was nothing if not intensely practical. They both had needs the other could fill tonight.
As long as she kept that in perspective, she needn’t worry about the rest of it. She slipped into a casual flowered dress and tossed a white cardigan over it, then went into the bathroom to finish her makeup. After she was done, she locked up her little rental house and sat on the porch swing to wait. The evening had a touch of coolness to it but the breeze soothed her still feverish skin. Maybe by the time Kade arrived she wouldn’t look like some blushing virgin waiting to go to the sock hop.
Her phone rang, lighting up the inner pocket of her purse. She pulled it out and groaned when she saw the name blinking on the screen. The last thing she wanted to do was answer, but she knew if she didn’t, he’d call all night and interrupt her date. She lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello.”
“Where did you store my grandfather’s gold watch?” Doug barked, not bothering with a greeting. “You didn’t take it, did you?”
She took a breath, forcing her teeth to unclench. “Hello, Doug, how are you? Yes, this is a bad time actually. Thanks for asking.”
“Don’t be smart, Tessa. Just tell me where it is.”
“I have no idea. You never gave it to me. You showed it to me and then I didn’t see it again.” She stood, the swing squeaking from her hasty dismount, and started to pace the length of the porch. How had she tolerated this man for all those years? How had she not seen how cruel and hateful he’d become? She didn’t want to think about what that said about her.