Falling for Fortune

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“I thought you said there was only one more thing?”

She gave him that look again, as if she were saying really?

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I do respect you, Kinsley. But could you please unfurrow your brow for just a moment? Unfurrow your brow and smile. Will you do that for me?”

She stood there for a moment looking at him as if she still wasn’t sure whether or not he was joking. He held his ground, looking at her expectantly. Finally, she forced a smile. It was the most pathetic and amusing attempt at one he’d ever seen.

“I mean a real smile.”

She put her palms in the air, finally uncrossing her arms. “I don’t understand what you want from me. But I’m going to tell you what I expect from you—I’m not your Girl Friday. I don’t mind helping you, but I’m not your secretary. Secretaries make lunch reservations. Outreach coordinators, which is what I was hired to do for the Foundation, will check the email account if it’s something you don’t want to do. But you have to communicate with me, Christopher. I’m the one who had to deal with Mr. Jamison when he called wondering why we had dropped the ball. I told him we were experiencing technical difficulties with the new email account. But I don’t want to lie, and I can’t continue to cover for you.”

Her voice was serious but surprisingly not accusatory. What amazed him even more was his reaction to what she was saying. He simply nodded and said, “You’re right. We do need to communicate better. If you have suggestions on how we could do that, I’m happy to listen to what you have to say.”

“Maybe we could have regular meetings and discuss where we’re going with new venture...er, the Foundation’s community relations and community outreach efforts?”

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea,” he said, trying not to acknowledge the voice inside his head detailing exactly how he would like to communicate with Kinsley.

The woman had asked for respect. He understood that and revered her even more for telling him that was important to her.

“I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. Because you’re a very important part of this team and I don’t want you to ever feel uncomfortable.”

There it was. An almost imperceptible shift in her demeanor, but he saw it. She had re-crossed her arms and was still standing there with her closed-off posture, but her brow was slightly less furrowed and her shoulders were somewhat more relaxed.

“I appreciate that,” she said.

He resisted the urge to tell her that he knew there was a lot more to Kinsley Aaron than a pretty face and a potentially great pair of legs. There was something guarded and a little troubled about her and he wanted to know who or what had made her that way because she was way too young and pretty to be that uptight.

He silently vowed that he was going to find out. He was going to be the one to teach Kinsley Aaron how to loosen up.

Chapter Four

Two days later, Kinsley got a call from Emmett Jamison’s assistant, Valerie, asking her to meet with Mr. Jamison at two o’clock. Apprehension knotted in her stomach.

Christopher had called Judy Davis right after their discussion. Kinsley had followed up and made sure that Christopher had placed the call. Christopher could be all wit and charm, so Kinsley had been certain that he would win the woman over. She hadn’t given it a second thought.

Until now.

Now, Kinsley was nervous that maybe Judy Davis had called back with more complaints and, once again, she would take the fall. Well, she wasn’t going to lie and she wouldn’t go down without a fight. As she made her way to Mr. Jamison’s office, she racked her brain for the words to defend herself if he was calling her in to level the boom.

She loved this job. She was good at it. She’d made great strides with the community outreach program. Really, her work should speak for itself.

When her heartbeat kicked into an irrational staccato, she took a deep breath and reminded herself not to jump to conclusions. Just because Mr. Jamison has never called her to his office before in the year and a half she’d worked there didn’t mean the first visit spelled doom.

Valerie looked up and smiled at Kinsley as she approached.

“Hi, Kinsley,” she said. “Have a seat. I’ll let Mr. Jamison know you’re here.”

Kinsley had no more than settled herself on the edge of the maroon wingback chair when Valerie hung up the phone and said, “He said to come right in. He’s ready to see you.”

Kinsley dug deep to offer her most self-assured smile. “Thank you.”

When she opened the door, Christopher was the first person she saw. What was he doing here?

He wasn’t her boss. Yet he was her superior if you went strictly by job title. When he had started at the Foundation, his place in the chain of command hadn’t been officially defined.

But here he was, sitting on the sofa in Emmett Jamison’s office. Mr. Jamison occupied the chair across from Christopher. Notes of their laughter still hung in the air. They stood up and smiled at Kinsley as she walked in.

She hoped the convivial air was a good sign. Usually, people didn’t sit and joke when they were planning on letting an employee go. She was eager to know what this was all about.

“Hello, Kinsley,” said Mr. Jamison. “Thanks for taking time out of your day to meet with us.”

That was a good sign.

“No problem at all,” she said.

He gestured to the empty space on the couch next to Christopher. For a moment Kinsley silently debated whether she should sit in the chair next to her boss, but she walked over and took the seat he’d indicated.

After their talk the other day, Kinsley had forgiven the flirtation. Maybe it was because despite how incredibly maddening—and flirty—the guy could be, he seemed to have taken seriously her requests to be treated professionally. She couldn’t ask for more than that.

She felt him watching her as she settled herself next to him. Okay, so maybe the old dog hadn’t completely changed his ways. Or maybe she just needed to relax and own up to the fact that maybe she was the one with the problem. That maybe she found Christopher just a little bit more attractive than she would like to admit. There. She’d said it. And immediately blinked away the thought, wondering where it had come from.

“I want to thank both of you for the way you handled Judy Davis,” said Emmett. “She called back to say she was delighted with the response she received. I think you charmed her, Christopher.”

No doubt.

“But, Kinsley,” said Emmett, “Christopher tells me you’re the one who alerted him to the fact that there was a problem, allowing him to correct the situation. That’s great teamwork. It started me thinking that the two of you should collaborate on another community relations project.”

Christopher had admitted that there had been a problem?

Kinsley checked herself to ensure that her expression didn’t expose her surprise.

So he’d fessed up... Hmm... Maybe I need to give him more credit.

“Do you have something in mind?” Christopher asked.

“As a matter of fact I do,” said Emmett. “Jed Cramer, principal over at Red Rock High School, told me that you, Kinsley, had lunch with his Cornerstone Club president the other day. He was telling me that there has been an increase in bullying among the students, and he’s very concerned. He believes the Foundation can help since we’ve been successful in reaching teens through our community outreach program. Kinsley, you’re really doing a wonderful job with that. I think this is a project that the two of you could really sink your teeth into. Together you could do some real good and put a stop to this bullying problem.”

Emmett’s eyes darted back and forth between Christopher and Kinsley. “Does this sound like something you would like to handle?”

Kinsley and Christopher both looked at each other and started to speak at the same time. Then they stopped talking and started again at the exact same time.

Finally, Christopher smiled and gestured to Kinsley. “You go first.”

She felt her stomach flutter a little, but she ignored it and simply said, “Thank you. Meg was telling me this is an unfortunate reality that’s happening more and more these days. The challenge is getting the kids to speak up—not only the ones who are being bullied, but the ones who witness the bullying. A lot is going on here—self-esteem issues, cliques and a general feeling of wanting—no, needing—to be accepted.”

Christopher was nodding his head. Kinsley paused to let him put in his two cents, but he remained quiet. So she continued.

“To reach the kids, we have to not only go where they are, but we also have to reach them on a more personal level. What would you think about the Foundation having a booth at the annual Red Rock Spring Fling?”

“I think it’s a wonderful idea,” said Emmett.

“I agree,” said Christopher. “But we will have to move fast because it’s happening toward the end of the month. How about if I check into the logistics of securing the booth?”

“That sounds like a plan,” said Emmett. “The two of you can work together to plan the approach you’ll take and the material you’ll use. Here’s more good news. We have about $20,000 in the unspecified reserve account. We had a board meeting yesterday and the board of directors approved your using some of that money to implement an anti-bullying program. How about if we make the Spring Fling our target launch date? Does that sound doable?”