“Pft. Kissed me? You made out with me till I lost my damn mind.”
He laughed. “I knew you remembered.”
“That can’t happen again,” she said. Just as she was about to launch into her rehearsed list of reasons for why not, they pulled into his driveway, and Kate noticed her BMW listing to one side.
“What the heck?” she said.
“Holy shit,” Adam said. “I think someone slashed your tire. And I’d bet a thousand dollars I know who. We need to call the police and get this on record.”
Sure enough, there was a long, obvious gash in Kate’s rear passenger side tire. Kate was speechless.
“We’ll get it taken care of. And I will pay for it.” He pulled out his phone and called the police and then a local tire shop. “Damn it. She did that tire because she knows where my security cameras are, and that that part of the driveway isn’t covered.”
Kate was in shock. She hadn’t known crazy people like Stella actually existed. “What did I do to her?” Kate asked.
“Not a damn thing. It doesn’t have anything to do with you, Kate. This is my fault.”
The police came and took a report but also admitted that with no evidence it was Stella, they couldn’t do much. Adam told them last he knew she drove a black Honda Accord. The police said they’d check with the neighbors to see if they’d seen anything or caught any footage of her car on their security cameras, but no one seemed all that hopeful.
Kate watched Adam replace the damaged tire with the spare. Then he followed her to the auto shop. The tire was beyond repair, so he bought her a new one—well, two, because apparently, the tread had to match? She was glad he was taking care of it.
“I feel bad having you pay for this,” she said. “It’s not your fault. My insurance might cover it. Why don’t I call them?”
“No. Then they might raise your rates or charge you a deductible. It’s easier this way. I’m really sorry about this.”
“Don’t worry about it. As long as she’s not really dangerous, I can handle it,” she said. “Um, she’s not really dangerous, is she?”
He huffed out a laugh. “I don’t think so. Hey, I know this day ended on a sucky note, but until Stella showed up, I had a great day with you. I think you already know this and are avoiding it, but I want to take you out. On a date,” he said.
“Thank you for clarifying,” she said dryly. “I don’t know. There are so many reasons not to.”
“I’m sure you have an alphabetized list,” he said, teasing her. “But I’m not talking about love and marriage. That’s not for me. Certainly, a date or two couldn’t hurt. What are you doing tomorrow night?”
“My dad’s fundraiser is tomorrow. You’re welcome to stop by if you want. That’s the best I can do for now.” There was no way he would show up, but at least she wasn’t turning him down cold.
“Where and when?” he asked. “I’ll be there.”
She told him, but didn’t expect him to show. On the drive home, she rehashed her list of all the things that could go wrong if she went out with him, but then got to thinking, what if she lost the deal because shedidn’tgo out with him? She didn’t think he was that petty, that he’d fire her because she refused a date with him, but the deal was the most important thing in all this. If she had to lead him on a little to keep it, she wasn’t above that. It wasn’t like she was going to sleep with him or anything.
Lizzie had made the fling thing sound so easy, but Kate doubted that was the case. Especially with someone you worked with. Yes, it sounded fun, and yes, she could use some action, but not at the expense of her business.
If she could just hold him off until the deal was done. She’d focus on finishing the transaction and make sure they had no conflict of interest. Then, if he was still interested, she’d reevaluate.Good plan.
CHAPTER TWELVE
The ballroom of the Marriott looked as though Uncle Sam had thrown up a Fourth of July party. Red, white, and blue balloons, streamers, and campaign signs lined the walls. Patriotic centerpieces adorned each red, white, or blue tablecloth.
Over the years, Kate and her family had set up so many of these campaign events, they probably could have done it in their sleep. She and her sisters spent the afternoon decorating, had each taken a turn helping with the check-in table, and were now taking a break from the mingling before the speeches started.
Kate was sneaking little pieces of chicken to Luna, who was in her dog purse on the floor next to Kate’s chair.
“Did you see dad’s friend Burt?” Lizzie whispered. “He looks like he’s lost a lot of weight, but not in a good way, if you know what I mean.”
“I did notice that and asked him about it,” Lucy said. “He said it’s a new diet his wife has him on and that he’s lost about twenty-five pounds. Now that you mention it though, he does look a little worse for the wear. We’ll have to ask Dad about it this weekend.”
“Holy camoly,” Kate said, glancing at the entrance. “I can’t believe he showed.”
All of her sisters’ heads swiveled in unison, following her gaze.