“On the interstate headed toward Somerset.”
“Going to your parents house?” he asked, knowing that Kate had grown up in Somerset, a wealthy suburb of Houston. He had a house there now.
“I guess so. I just got in the car and kind of drove on autopilot. I didn’t realize where I was headed.”
“Katie-girl—”
“Don’t call me that, Lance. It makes me feel like we have a relationship beyond boss-secretary and I know that’s not true.”
He cursed under his breath. “We do have one. We’re friends, Kate. And we have been all these long years.”
“Are we really friends?”
“Of course we are. We are more than friends…you’re like part of the family to Mitch and me, and to be honest, Kate, I don’t think either of us will know what to do without you.”
She was quiet for a few seconds.
“Kate?”
“I just can’t talk about this anymore, Lance. I know to you it probably seems…how does it seem?”
“Like I’ve done something to upset you. Listen, whatever it is, I can fix it. You know that, right?”
“You can’t.”
“Kate, when have we ever encountered a problem or obstacle that I couldn’t figure a way out of?”
“Lance…”
She was weakening as he’d known she would. His other line was ringing and he ignored it.
“Tell me, Kate.”
“I’m not sure I can. I feel silly that you are making such a big deal out of it now,” she said.
One of the first things he’d liked about Kate was her voice. It was soft and sweet and even when she got mad, which wasn’t often, she kept it pleasant.
“Why don’t you come back to the office and we can talk,” Lance said.
“We can talk tomorrow when I come in. I think I need the night to get my mind together.”
Lance knew it was important to get Kate back and convince her to stay on before too much time had passed. He knew that she could find other jobs that would pay her as much as he did. But he needed her.
The other line started ringing again and his cell phone beeped with a text message from Frank Japlin, the head of operations at their main refinery.
“Kate, can you hold on a minute?”
“What?”
“I’ve got to take a call from the refinery,” he said.
“Sure,” she said.
He put her on hold and answered the call. “It’s Brody.”
“Frank here. We have a fire at the refinery. I think you need to get down here right away.”
“Have you called the fire department?”
“First thing. But this blaze is burning to beat the band.”
“I’m in the middle of another emergency.”
“There is a lot of damage. And I heard one of the investigators say they thought the cause of the fire wasn’t accidental.”
Great. Just what he needed today. “See what else you can find out. I’ll give you a call in fifteen minutes or so.”
“Okay, boss,” Frank said, hanging up.
Lance rubbed the back of his neck, thinking that damage was the last thing they needed at the refineries. The hurricane they’d had last fall had already done enough damage to them.
He needed Kate back in her chair, taking care of this mess. He’d have to call the press, the families and the insurance company. He glanced down at his phone and noticed that the line where she’d been holding was now off. She’d hung up.
Just what he needed, he thought.
Kate realized, as she was hanging on the phone waiting for Lance, that she’d spent too much of her time in that static role. Lance had gotten engaged. There was nothing he could say or do that was going to make staying on at Brody Oil and Gas okay.
She hung up the call and kept on driving. Going home to her folks’ place wasn’t the smartest idea. Her mom would just tell her that if she wore makeup and dressed nicer, she wouldn’t still be single. And honestly, who could deal with that?
But she didn’t want to go to her town house and spend the night alone. She needed some good advice. She needed to be with her best friend, Becca Huntington. Becca would commiserate with her and tell her not to go back, not to listen to Lance…wouldn’t she?
She called Becca at Sweet Nothings, the lingerie shop she owned in Somerset.
“Sweet Nothings.”
“Becca, it’s Kate.”
“Hey, there. How’s things in the big city?” Becca asked.
“Horrible.”
“What? Why?”
“Lance is engaged.”
Becca didn’t say anything for a moment and Kate realized she probably seemed like a loser to her friend. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize he was dating anyone.”
“He wasn’t.”
“Are you sure he’s engaged? Lance doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’d do something that spontaneous.”
He wasn’t spontaneous and he was careful not to be tied down by any of the women he got involved with. “Yes, he told me the news himself.”
“Who is she?”
“Lexi Cavanaugh.”
“Senator Cavanaugh’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Is it politically motivated?” Becca asked.
“I don’t know. And I don’t care. I quit my job.”
“You did what?”
“Was that crazy? I’m so confused, I don’t know what to do,” Kate admitted. She’d hoped that Lance would realize she was waiting there and fall for her.
“It may have been a little crazy. I know you’ve had a bit of a crush on him,” Becca said.
Kate took a deep breath. “It’s more than a crush. I’m in love with him.”
It was the first time she’d said the words out loud, and she had to admit they felt good. Or they would have if Lance wasn’t engaged to another woman.”
“Oh, Kate.”
“He doesn’t even know I’m a woman.
“Let’s fix that,” Becca said.
“How?”
“Come to the shop and we’ll give you a makeover.”
“A makeover? I don’t think so. Remember the last time we tried.”
Kate had felt so uncomfortable in the makeup and clothing that Becca had suggested, she’d ended up going straight home and taking it all off. She needed the comfort of her old clothing…or did she?
“I just don’t know what to do,” she repeated.
“Only you can figure that out. But if it were me, I’d change my hair and my clothes. Just start over and find a new love.”
“I