Chloe gave him what she hoped was a mysterious smile, one that didn’t give away any of what she was feeling or remembering.
“In a way,” she said, walking past him and out of the office.
Chapter 2
After Chloe left, Kevin leaned out his office door to speak with Peg. “Call Kyra Dixon at Hollington for me.”
He didn’t wait for his assistant’s response but returned to his office. He walked behind his desk and peered out the window, scanning up and down the street. He caught sight of Chloe as she crossed the street to a parking lot and handed over her ticket to the attendant. While she waited for her car, Kevin took his time studying her from a distance.
She was tall and slender and stylish but in an understated way. As if she didn’t want to be noticed too much, or distract from the business at hand. She had a softly curved body. No part of her rolled, or bounced, or jiggled or swished. She walked with grace, and everything about her said “lady.”
It wasn’t a term he used often for women he knew, Kevin considered dryly, which was too bad. Because he always remembered his Nana Mame telling him to honor his own self-worth, not to settle for less than he wanted or less than he deserved. Kevin always knew his grandmother’s sage advice to him had been in part to remind him that he could be much more than his own father. A self-absorbed man whose ego and libido made him irresponsible, selfish and a ne’er-do-well. He’d deserted his wife, two daughters and baby son when Kevin was barely three years old. He hadn’t seen the man more than a dozen times since.
There was a part of him that always wondered, every time his attention was drawn to any woman, what would Nana Mame think of her? But his beloved grandmother had passed away in April, leaving Kevin with an even stronger determination that he would not disappoint her. He would not let her or his mother’s expectations of him go unjustified.
He took a deep breath as his thoughts shifted back to the lovely lady waiting for her car. Chloe also didn’t fall under the glamorous, hot, booty call or babe headings. As a matter of fact, he would say that her feminine mannerisms seemed cultivated and displayed almost like a defense.
Her shoulder-length hair was combed slightly off center and fell in soft, very loose curls. She wore no makeup that he could tell but he decided that, except for maybe lip gloss or blush, Chloe Jackson didn’t need any. That made her look younger than he knew her to be. And no other women he knew would chance wearing light-colored linen at the height of a Georgia summer when the humidity promoted wrinkles, distortion and stains. Chloe was absolutely eye-catching in her dress, managing to look fresh, pulled together and in charge. If she intended her simple attire not to draw attention to herself, she failed.
She suddenly pulled out a pair of oversize sunglasses that only added to her allure. Why was she hiding? She waited patiently for her car to be brought to her, taking a quick moment to consult her PDA before dropping it back into her purse. When the car pulled up next to her, she smiled demurely at the attendant, passed him a tip and sat behind the steering wheel, swinging her long shapely legs in. The action caused her dress to hike up her thighs, and she took the time to pull it straight before closing her car door. Then she was driving out of the lot, and away.
“Chloe Jackson,” Kevin murmured again under his breath, as if saying her name out loud might conjure up some memory. If she graduated in his class he was sure the details would come to him sooner or later.
One thing he knew for certain. She was not a former girlfriend. No way would he have forgotten her. He was already wondering how he ever could have missed her on campus.
The phone rang on his desk, and he picked it up on the first ring.
“Kyra, hey. It’s Kevin Stayton. Yeah, it’s been a long time. Pretty good, and yourself? Good. Before I forget, congratulations on your appointment at Hollington. Yeah, I want to hear all about it sometime. Chloe Jackson was here. Just left.” He chuckled. “No, I can’t say that I remember her but, yeah, she got what she wanted. I didn’t put up much of a fight. Her plan was good. We’re getting together tomorrow to work out the details of the contract. Listen, I have a favor to ask.” He sat down in his chair again. “Tell me everything you know about Chloe. Who did she run with in school?”
Kevin sat back to listen, draining the rest of the mineral water Chloe had given him.
Chloe read the initialed clauses again and, finding no fault with the language, added hers next to the KS for Kevin Stayton. She signed and dated the contract at the bottom and gathered all the copies.
“That was easy,” Kevin said, sitting casually opposite Chloe at the table in her small meeting room.
“Yes, it did go well,” she sighed, finally offering a smile that indicated her satisfaction. Still she glanced at him with a bit of lingering hesitation. “Are you sure you’re okay with the club being used until 2:00 a.m.?”
“Hey. It was you who convinced me that the folks would want to party hearty till all hours. I really do want everyone to have a good time. These are our classmates,” Kevin added dramatically.
Chloe chuckled quietly. “Thanks. I’ll take the agreement over to the college later and have everything signed in the finance department. I should be able to get you your set tomorrow. Is that okay?”
Kevin pursed his lips and shrugged. “No rush. I understand you need to move forward with other arrangements, so don’t wait until I have my copy in hand. I trust you to honor what we’ve agreed to.”
Chloe glanced at him. “That’s big of you.”
“No, just smart. Neither of us wants to get bogged down in technicalities at this point. If I need to pull off the kid gloves later, I will.”
Chloe put the contracts inside a Lucite binder and stood up. “That wasn’t a threat, was it?” she asked with an expression of feigned shock.
Kevin stood as well. “No, ma’am. But business is business. Even with old college classmates.”
Chloe nodded. “Fair enough. I don’t plan on disappointing you.”
Kevin, whose expression had been one of mild amusement throughout their discussion, an indication that he was enjoying sparring with her, now studied her silently for a moment in calm appraisal.
“No. I don’t believe you will.”
Chloe realized that with their business taken care of, the discussion, their meeting, was over. She neatly organized her papers, trying to avoid looking directly at him as he silently studied her. But from the moment he’d arrived at her office he’d managed to disrupt the routine, the flow of efficiency, the very air, with his presence and friendly demeanor. He’d always been good at being the center of attention. She realized she was no less susceptible to his charm. And if she’d never lost her head when she was a young, naive coed, it certainly wasn’t going to happen now.
It began with the dropped-open-jaw staring of Lynette, the receptionist, when Kevin breezed through the double glass doors of RSVP two hours ago. Chloe had detected the stir when she’d glanced out her office at the excitement he was creating. Then her assistant, Franco, could not contain himself from rhapsodizing over one of Kevin’s cafés, a small unpretentious place called What It Is. Kevin, to his credit, had accepted the greetings with brief smiling patience, but had cut it short by announcing he was there to see her.
Chloe had to admit she’d liked that.
He was dressed comfortably in a pair of stylish Dolce & Gabanna taupe-colored slacks, worn with a black short-sleeved shirt that made him look cool and composed. And, she noticed that he was wearing those same soft leather loafers that had been discarded by his desk the day before when he’d gone out running. He still sported that unshaved, but intriguingly handsome, face from the day before as well, clearly a personal style.
“So,” Kevin said now, rubbing his hands together as he regarded her. “Are we cool?”
“I