He passed in front of her as he walked out the door. She kept her gaze on a spot past his head, and when he stepped into the street, she slammed the door. For a good ten minutes, she stood where she was, and then, on autopilot, she shut down the rest of the lights and gathered her coat and purse to head home.
Chapter Eleven
Easton leaned back in his chair and drummed fingers on the conference room table. Several of his employees turned their heads to glance at him, and his brother Ethan glared. He found it hard to endure the droning on of one of their VPs, and the longer he sat still, the thinner his patience stretched.
At last he sat forward and interrupted. “You’re saying your incompetence is what delayed us getting the shipment on time?”
Gasps rose from several around the room, and Ethan shoved his chair back and stood. “Can I have a word with you, Easton, in my office? Kate, carry on with the meeting.”
Easton didn’t move. “I asked a simple question. The delay cost us a week and several million.”
“My office,” Ethan repeated and strode from the conference room.
Easton blew out a breath and followed his brother. When he entered the office, Ethan stood at the window overlooking downtown Boston with his back to Easton. He had tucked his hands into his pockets, and his stance was that of someone with nothing more pressing on his mind than what he would have for lunch that day.
“What?” Easton growled.
His brother took his time turning around, a brow raised in inquiry. “Want to tell me why you’re being an ass, bro?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Easton dropped onto the couch farthest from his sibling and crossed his legs. He considered making himself a drink, but that might be pushing Ethan too far at the moment.
“Come on, Easton,” Ethan coaxed. “We’re twins. I know you better than anyone else, maybe better than you know yourself. Aside from that, you’re not a complete dick despite the way you’ve been going on this morning. So, I want to know what the problem is. We agreed we would make the changes we’re instituting, so…” He shrugged, and Easton ran a hand over his temple.
“Kenzie—she’s pregnant.”
“Damn.” His brother whistled. “That’s a good thing, isn’t? You can marry her and fulfill the terms of Grandfather’s will.”
“There’s only one problem. I love her.”
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“Still not seeing the issue, bro, but wow, you in love. Never thought I’d see the day.”
Easton flipped him off. “The thing is I accused her of trying to trick me into marriage. I was stupid, and I don’t know why I was so angry when I found out except that realizing how I feel about her scared the shit out of me. I love the very woman Grandfather sent me to. I felt manipulated, but I guess it wasn’t her who pulled my strings.”
“Maybe it was fate.”
Easton glared.
His brother strode over to him and slapped a hand on his shoulder. “Go cry on her shoulder, and stop being a dick. Now, we done here? Can we get back to the meeting?”
Easton stood up, laughing. “You take care of it. I have a more important meeting.”
He left the office to the sound of his brother chuckling and used his cell to call James on the way down to the lobby. A short while later, he stepped from the car in front of Kenzie’s restaurant, his stomach tied into knots, a sensation he was not used to. He needed to play it cool. She always accused him of being arrogant. This time, he would have to come humble and apologize to win her over.
“Whatever it takes,” he said under his breath. He would have to make her see what she meant to him, and even while a sense of panic and an urge to escape rolled across his consciousness, he moved toward the entrance and opened the door.
Inside, as usual, a patron occupied each table, and Kenzie flitted about delivering meals. Her hair, tied up at the back of her head, sat messy with several tendrils escaping the loose bun, but it was her infectious smile that made him pause. She hadn’t seen him yet, so he took the opportunity to enjoy watching her, the way she joked and laughed with her customers, or grew serious to commiserate some private news. As she stooped to the level of a young girl and chatted, he directed his gaze to her belly. In a few months, she would give birth to his child. Emotions he did not appreciate stabbed at him, and he hitched his shoulders.
Kenzie left her current conversation and fell into another. He frowned at the man who was foolish enough to try to get her attention. Anyone could see his intentions.
Easton left the stairs and approached them. He laid a hand on Kenzie’s waist but directed his threatening gaze at the man. “She doesn’t need your number.”