Focus, buddy, and not on those.
He gulped water from his glass, then cleared his throat. “I don’t doubt your ability, Kendra, but given our history, working together is ill-advised. Am I the only one who gets that?”
“It’s an awkward situation,” Kendra acknowledged with a soft sigh, “but you’re Kai’s father. We’ll always have a connection. Whether you believe it or not, Nate, I want what’s best for you. That hasn’t changed.”
Nate swallowed the lump in his throat. “Let’s not pretend this is a charitable arrangement. It’s your chance to make a name for yourself.”
Kendra pursed her lips painted a rich, velvety red reminiscent of a full-bodied glass of vintage port. As proud and stubborn as her mother, the woman was allergic to accepting help. It had taken him nearly a year to convince her to accept child support for Kai.
“This is an opportunity for me, which means I’m invested in your success. When we worked together, informally, you were a media darling.”
Nate tapped his finger on the table. Kendra wasn’t wrong. She’d been a huge help back then. He’d even asked her to help a couple of his college buddies who’d run into trouble.
He sucked in a deep breath. “You’re good, but that isn’t the point.”
“Then what is the point?” She leaned forward, her arms folded, elbows on the table, providing an excellent view of her cleavage.
Nate was beginning to think she was doing it on purpose. Distracting him and trying to get him off his game. He swallowed hard, ignoring the blood emptying from his brain and rushing below his belt.
He glanced over at his smirking brother, who seemed to enjoy watching Kendra take him to task.
“You’re going to make me say it? Fine.” Nate leaned forward, palms pressed to the table. “I prefer to work with someone I know has my back. Someone who’ll ride this out instead of hitting the door the second the road gets hard. I want to work with someone who’ll stand their ground and fight for me.”
Kendra grimaced, as if he’d knocked the wind out of her.
Part of him relished the pain evident in her eyes. It didn’t begin to rival the pain she’d inflicted on him. Yet another part of him couldn’t bear to see the hurt in her chocolate-brown eyes.
“Your feelings are valid.” Marcus spoke after what felt like a full minute of silence. His tone was apologetic, though Nate wasn’t sure if the apology was meant for him or Kendra. “That’s why you two need to hash things out.”
“You’re not hearing me, Marcus. There is nothing for us to hash out.”
Marcus placed a firm hand on his shoulder. “You’re my brother. I’d take a bullet for you. But as your agent, I have to be the voice of reason. Tell you what you need to hear. You screwed up. Royally. At the worst possible time. This is mission-critical. We need Dray. She knows you better than anyone, and she’s a master at crisis management. Besides, she has a vested interest in seeing you succeed. All of our futures are on the line here, Nate. I wouldn’t bring Dray in if I didn’t trust her implicitly.”
Kendra gave Marcus a grateful smile. She sat taller and returned her attention to Nate. “I can do this, Nate. I won’t let you down.”
Nate ignored her plea. He turned to Marcus. “I think we’re pushing the panic button here.”
“Cards on the table, bro?” Marcus motioned for the server to come over. “It was Bat-Signal time the second that video hit the airwaves. The building is on fire. Don’t be too proud to accept the help of a friendly face wearing a cape and toting a fire hose.”
Nate gritted his teeth as Kendra held back a grin, her eyes gleaming. He sat stewing as Marcus explained to the server that he’d be leaving, so she should deliver his meal and the bill to Nate.
He loved his family, but it was a universal truth that older brothers could be asses.
Marcus stood and slipped on his wool coat. He gripped Nate’s shoulder. “You said you’d do whatever it took to make this right. I’m playing that card now. You’re two adults with a common goal. Figure it out.” He shifted his gaze to Kendra. “Walk me out?”
She grabbed her wrap and followed him out.
Damn.
Next time he’d be careful with the promises he made his brother. His only hope was to convince Kendra to walk away.
Again.
“You seem pleased.” Kendra pulled the wrap tightly around her shoulders to combat the biting winter wind rushing into the lobby as patrons entered and exited. It was an unusual cold spell for North Carolina. “I’m not sure we were in the same room, because Nate isn’t buying this.”
“Not yet, but then you were prepared to turn me down when you arrived. What changed your mind?”
Her cheeks warmed. She agreed to dinner because she’d been intrigued by Marcus’s proposal. It was her chance to finally establish a boutique PR and media coaching firm that catered to high-end talent. But she’d decided to take Nate on as a client the moment she laid eyes on him. Six feet three inches of brown-skin Adonis. Handsome and fit as ever. There was no way she’d admit that to his brother or to anyone.
“Despite what Nate thinks, he needs my help. Besides, I owe him.” She couldn’t erase the pain she’d caused when she’d walked away seven years ago, but she could make things right for him. Allow him to end his career on his terms.
Marcus squeezed her arm. “You don’t owe either of us anything, but I’m glad you’re on board.”
“This isn’t a done deal. I meant what I said. I’m willing to work through Nate resenting my help, but I won’t do this if he’s resistant. If he won’t listen to me, this doesn’t work.”
“Then you’ve got some convincing to do.” Marcus winked, tipped the valet and drove off.
Great. Kendra drew in a deep breath, then strutted back into the restaurant, spine straight and tall. You’ve got this, girl.
Nate didn’t bother standing when she returned. He stared as if he couldn’t believe she had the nerve to sashay her tail back into the private dining room. As if he’d expected her to turn and run.
“You need convincing, so let’s talk. Ask me anything you want. We can discuss the ideas I have so far or the crisis management work I’ve done for high-profile corporate clients.”
The server set their meals on the table. When she left, Nate took a swig of his beer, then set the glass on the table with a thud. “Fine. Let’s talk about what happened between us.”
“Nate...” Her voice wavered for a moment. She cleared her throat and lengthened her spine, holding his gaze. “We’ve talked about this.”
“‘I’m so sorry, Nate, I just can’t do this’ isn’t a discussion, Kendra.” The veins in his neck corded as he repeated her words that night verbatim. “You’ve shut me down anytime I’ve tried to have a real conversation about that night. If you want me to trust you, start by being honest about what happened between us.”
“This isn’t productive.” She shivered beneath his cold stare. “Discussing my proposed PR plan is.”
“If Marcus says you can do the job, I trust his judgment. What I need is to know I can trust you. So for once, be honest with me about why you walked out. Why you waited until I asked you to marry me and you were pregnant with my son to decide I wasn’t the right man