It wasn’t until they were relaxing at the spa that Lara began to open up about her life. She spoke frankly and honestly, and her story shocked Kenzie. When Lara talked about the differences in her appearance from just seven months ago, Kenzie called bull. When Lara pulled out her phone and showed her pictures of the past, the transformation between her then and now was almost incomprehensible.
Lara was unlike anyone she’d ever met. She was smart, fun, extremely kind, and generous. When she confided in Kenzie about her life growing up in a dysfunctional home and her long-lasting relationship with Kade, even broaching how she and Reed had gotten started, including the insecurity she’d carried about being with such a man, Kenzie knew then that she had found her soul sister in this woman.
“Ty’s gonna die when he sees you,” Lara said from beside her in the backseat of the Bentley assigned to them for the day.
“Who knew my hair could hold a style like this? I struggle just to keep the ends from falling flat,” Kenzie said and resisted the urge to lift her hands to the soft curls lying over her shoulder.
“You look beautiful. I really like the whole look.”
“I’m not sure about the makeup.” She had voiced the same worry at the salon even though the aesthetician blew off her concern with a flip of the hand. They called the cosmetic look dramatic, making her eyes pop and her lips pout. To her, it just felt like loads of makeup on her face.
“You look great, I promise. I wouldn’t let you leave the salon if you didn’t,” Lara reassured.
The car came to a stop at the end of the line of waiting vehicles close to the entrance of The Adolphus Hotel. Just like everything with this town, the hotel was over-the-top elegant. “I thought we were having dinner?”
“The French Room’s part of the hotel,” Lara explained, and Kenzie followed Lara’s gaze to a group of photographers loitering out front.
“Sometimes Reed gets this, but I bet they learned Ty was here. If not him, someone else he probably knows,” she said, her eyes staying trained out the window at the gathering crowd.
“Would they really do that here in Dallas?” she asked.
“Absolutely, they would. James Franco was in town, and I swear every paparazzo from California descended on Dallas. It was very exciting. Reed managed to get me and Kade on as extras. The movie people got one look at Kade and gave him a one-word speaking part wearing a Dallas police uniform from the sixties. I played his pregnant wife,” Lara said excitedly. She beamed at Kenzie as the driver came around, opening Lara’s side door, but stuck his head inside the car before helping her out.
“Slide out on this side. It’ll keep you out of the traffic, and there’re more photographers over there.”
Kenzie did, and before she ever got on her feet, the cameras began to click. She covered her eyes against all the flash, desperately wanting to see who had gotten them all excited.
“Who came out?”
“They think we’re someone, probably because of the car. Reed would tell you to drop your hand and lift your head. Walk the way I showed you,” Lara whispered close to her ear. Kenzie couldn’t help the smile. They’d worked on this while waiting for the facial masks to dry. She walked as Lara instructed, thrusting her hips forward. It felt so foreign to her body to walk at this angle, but Lara gave her the thumbs up as they went for the front doors. A few feet away, Ty came out through a side door, stalking toward them, a scowl solidly in place across his handsome face as he headed straight for Kenzie. He tucked an arm around her waist as he reached for Lara’s arm, holding her close as they walked up the steps.
“What’s wrong?” Kenzie asked at the anger on his face, but she ducked hers when the flashing kicked up a notch, aimed directly at them. She stumbled on the first step.
“Who is this, Ty?” someone shouted.
“What’re you doing in Dallas?” another voice asked, seeming closer than the last.
“Get lost,” Ty grumbled, wedging Kenzie firmly against his side. He almost carried her up the remaining steps and hurried them inside the building. At this point, Lara managed to get inside before them and was now standing with Reed who looked frustrated as hell. Everyone in eyesight was looking their way.
“You just made it a thousand times worse, Bateman,” Reed hissed in a low menacing voice while ushering them to the entrance of the restaurant and away from the windows.
“Does it look like I give a fuck?” he shot back. All that irritation he’d just used on Reed, turned to Kenzie, and his face morphed, magically changing in front of her eyes as a huge smile hit his lips. “You look stunning.”
She couldn’t help how she reacted. The confusion of what had just happened, the anger he’d greeted them with outside all melted away under his approving appraisal. That inner-thigh tingle thing happened as she looked up at those amber eyes skimming across her face, taking in every detail.
“Lara picked this out. What do you think?” she asked, running her nervous palms over her stomach.
“It’s beautiful. You’re gorgeous,” he said, his eyes now scanning the frame of her body before he leaned in to lightly kiss her lips. Ty was so focused on her that he never looked away even when Kenzie included Lara in the conversation.
“I’m afraid Lara likes to spend your money,” Kenzie confessed, and that eased all the tension from everyone. Reed immediately began to chuckle.
“Stop. I did everything he asked,” Lara defended, knocking a hand against Reed’s chest.
“She watches all my pennies, Bateman. I promise you she didn’t spend that much today,” Reed countered. Kenzie watched Reed craning his neck to get the attention of someone in the restaurant. “We’re ready to be seated.”
When Kenzie started to follow, Ty reached out a hand, stopping her in her tracks. Instead, he crowded her, moving them a foot or two away into a darkened corner. He dropped his hands in his slacks pockets and stood directly in front of her. “You seriously look incredible. Did you have fun?”
“Did you get new clothes?” she asked. Her gaze followed his hands then moved up his chest to see that Ty was wearing a suit with the dress shirt collar left open. She didn’t remember him having that in Tennessee.
“I did, but you first. Did you have a good time? Relax some?” he asked, encouraging her to tell him about her day. Her heart warmed at the look on his face. He seemed genuinely interested.
“I did. Lara’s wonderful. I don’t do a lot of these girls’ days. I loved it. Thank you. She did spend a lot of money, though,” Kenzie warned quietly, looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was in earshot. “She wouldn’t listen.”
“I wanted you to have some nice things. I’m happy she did. I can’t stop looking at you.”
Kenzie could only laugh because that was how she felt about seeing him this morning all clean-shaven. Now, he had taken that whole look to the next level. His hair was styled, his brows looked perfectly shaped, and if she guessed right, he might have been a little tanner. She lifted a palm to his face, caressing his cheek.
“You look very handsome. I like the swoosh,” she said and moved her hand to make the upward motion she always did when they talked about his longer on top hairstyle. He laughed at her. Kenzie’s eyes grew big when she remembered the gift. She reached down to her new purse, and produced a box, handing it to him.
“I saw this and thought of you. Do you want it now or later?” she asked. Ty gave her a perplexed look and took the offering. “I paid for it with my money. It took it all, so if you don’t like it, let’s take it back and get you something else.”
“You shouldn’t spend your money on me,” he said, opening the box. She tried to gauge his reaction. It was hard to do. His expression looked a little too intense as he picked up the jewel-toned, amber silk tie she’d found while walking out of the building this evening, which was the key reason they were a few minutes late arriving to their dinner.
She took the tie from his hands and lifted it to his face. “It’s the exact color of your eyes
. I was so surprised to see it.”
“Thank you,” Ty said simply and reached in to lightly kiss her lips as he took the tie back, running a thumb across the silk.
“If you don’t like it or aren’t a tie guy or don’t have anything to wear with it—” She stopped when he lifted a hand.
“I love it. It’s very thoughtful,” he said, placing the tie back inside the box. “Come on, beautiful. Let’s eat and get you back home. I need to see what’s underneath this dress.”
Some mask shuttered the emotions on his face as he changed the line of conversation and started to usher her to the room they’d reserved in the restaurant. She followed, not exactly sure if he truly liked the tie or not. He tucked the box in his front side pocket before taking her hand.
“Stay close. Lara worked with me on the heels, but they hurt, and it’s awkward to walk with my hips this way,” she whispered, looking down at her feet. She was actually balancing on the balls of her feet with how high the backs spiked up.
“Happily.” He did one better, offering her an arm instead. As they walked through the restaurant, passing tables by, she watched every eye in the place turn Ty’s way. It was crazy how much attention he drew. He kept his pace casual, giving her time to navigate in the shoes. “They’re staring at you, Kenzie. You make me proud.”
“Right!” She smiled brightly, turning a corner into a private dining room. Ty held out her seat, and seconds later, excused himself to the restroom as menus and glasses of water were placed in front of her from every angle.
~~~
Ty stood in front of the bathroom mirror quickly working the knot in his new tie. Honestly, he wasn’t accustomed to the generosity of gift-giving. He quickly made a loop, tucking the end through, and decided to amend that previous thought. He got gifts all the time, but they were never thoughtful presents given to him just because he was on someone’s mind, making this one of the best he’d ever received.
Once done, Ty surveyed his work, wiggled the knot to tighten, and then looked down to make sure everything lay just right before lifting his hands to lower his collar. She’d picked an amazing color, and it did match his eyes pretty perfectly. He liked the idea of Kenzie knowing the color so well that she’d been able to pinpoint it, even when he wasn’t around.
“Excuse me, sir. Can you take a picture with me?” a nervous younger voice asked.
Ty looked over to see a teenage guy standing to the side, his eyes focused on Ty. “Sure. But can we do it in the hall so the urinals aren’t in the shot?” he asked, fighting the smile.
“Sure. That’s great!”
Ty gave himself one last look and followed the kid out. He quickly struck the pose, leaning in and smiling with the kid beside him as he snapped the shot. “Thanks!”
“No problem, just keep that to yourself until I get out of here,” Ty said, extending a hand to shake the kid’s.
“I will. We watch you every week on Titan’s Fall. My mom’s gonna shit… Wait. Whoa. I mean die…” The kid tripped over his own words while he took several steps down the hall with his face turning red from embarrassment.
“Thank you.” Ty grinned. Clearly the kid had manners. Ty paused, letting the guy get out of the hall before he started to follow. As he stood there a second or two as his thoughts centered back on Kenzie like they always seemed to do nowadays. He shouldn’t have gone out to the car tonight. His only defense was there had just been too much happening all at once. Rumors circulated about someone big being in town. He was inside, hidden in a secure location in this building, watching as her and Lara pulled up. When she stood, he couldn’t believe his eyes. His beautiful country angel had turned glamorous. She was gorgeous, standing there in a wraparound dress, her hair curled and styled, her feet covered in those dainty high heel shoes. She stole his breath like she’d stolen his heart.
When those cameras turned to her and got straight up in her face, he kind of lost his mind. That intense resentment he harbored toward anything media surfaced instantly, clouding his judgement. Reed had tried to stop him, but he’d shrugged the guy off and immediately stepped outside. Bad call because the flashing went nuts. Then he did something even worse, he touched Kenzie in front of them. Hell, he hadn’t just touched her, he’d claimed her with that possessive hold, pulling her against his body.
Ty looked up at the ceiling, and his steps faltered right before he rounded the corner toward their table. Too late to consider any of that now. But one thing was for certain, he couldn’t keep making rash decisions where she was concerned. If he was going to truly protect her against his world, he’d have to start using his head.
“You put the tie on,” Kenzie said, beaming up at him as he came toward the table. His steps took him straight to her side. He bent to kiss her happy upturned lips before answering.
“I love it. Of course I’d wear it,” Ty said, grinning at her as he took his seat.
“We were just discussing the position,” Reed announced, and for the first time, Ty looked down to see a folder lying in front of Kenzie. He wanted to believe the excitement on her face was due to him, but clearly that wasn’t the case.
“I’m not sure I even have the words to thank you for everything you’ve done,” Kenzie said to Reed and Lara, her pretty eyes now brimming with unshed tears.
“Remember, no crying. First rule they told us today. Destroys the makeup,” Lara said, teasing while patting Kenzie’s arm.
Kenzie’s gaze shifted to him. “Thank you for all this, Ty.”
“You need to stop thanking us. What happened to you was wrong,” he said firmly, and he meant those words. She stared at him for several long moments, her face showing an array of expressions before she spoke. Her voice stronger now.
“My concern is that I don’t have a charity background, but apparently Lara doesn’t either. They’re willing to work around that. The goal is to help represent a softer image,” she started, but turned to Lara, not Reed, and asked her next question. “What about the criminal element to my background? That can’t help in softening Press, Inc.’s image.”
“We’ll craft a statement you’re comfortable with, then you’ll always repeat those words any time you’re asked, in order to drive the non-issue home. It’s actually very simple and should not only help in your employment, but also in that mess that I’m certain Ty got started tonight,” Reed said, pointing a glare in his direction. “We’ll also post your background on the website to show the volunteer hours you’ve put in to help better the community. I promise, soon enough, no one will care about that.”
Kenzie nodded, the look on her face was clear that she didn’t necessarily agree with the thought but would go with it for now.
“The start date is flexible. I don’t have to be in Texas. I can work from home and the salary’s very good,” she said, now looking back at him. She didn’t act like she wanted his opinion so he didn’t give one, just nodded like he understood.
“Look, it’s a lot to spring on you. Say you’ll consider this, and we’ll talk more tomorrow after you’ve had time to review the information,” Reed suggested.
Kenzie nodded, moving the file to the side of the table as a salad plate was placed in front of her. She looked like a kid in a candy store staring down at the greens on her plate. Somehow she managed to make his salad look more appealing with just her excitement. Lifting a bite to his mouth, he changed his thought. The lettuce tasted the same as always; he was just so in love it didn’t seem to matter it was void of flavor.
Chapter 29
The next morning, Kenzie sat in the conference room, waiting for Margaret to finalize the details of her new employment. The magnitude of her emotions was off the charts, and overwhelmed topped the list. A week ago, she had been in her parents’ house, getting ready for a dancing date with Ty where she wore a couple-years-old Target skirt and some cowboy boots she’d bought as a teenager. Now she was wearing a brand new, sleek, and very tight-fitting sheath-style Prada dress and spikey high-heeled black bo
ots while waiting for one of the richest men in the world to sign off on her new-hire paperwork.
This was a serious WTF moment if there ever was one.
“You have to go through the back doors like that all the time?” Lara asked Ty who just moments ago stuck his head in the conference room door to make sure he wasn’t interrupting, then joined them while they waited. He’d let her have a couple of hours already this morning to wrap up this job offer, but per his own words when he arrived, he’d been too antsy. He couldn’t take it any longer and barged his way in to see what was taking so long.
“It’s usually how I do things. It’s why I love my mountaintop so much. I can move around freely,” Ty answered easily, going for the coffee pot on the side credenza.
“It’s a hard life?” Lara had already asked all these questions of Kenzie this morning. She’d been fascinated by the duck-and-run and sneaking out the back door they’d all had to perform in leaving the restaurant last night. By the time they’d finished dinner, word had spread like wildfire that Ty Bateman was in Dallas and the place had gone nuts. From overeager fans to every media source around, they were all crowded at the front doors, clogging the roads, and bringing traffic to a standstill just to get a look at the popular loner.
“It’s lonely. There’s a depression that comes when you’re forced inside your house, away from any windows, in order to have privacy,” he said while pouring his cup of coffee.
“I can see how that might be the case,” Lara said, chewing on the end of her pen until her gaze lifted to Kenzie’s. Without question, they’d hit it off really well, but she wasn’t at a point that they could read each other’s minds. After a second more, Lara rose, walking to the door. “Let me get him off the phone and get his signature. I’ll be right back.”
Acting Happy (Texas Desires #2) Page 26
