“I’m not suggesting you need to be rescued.” Cassidy got up to walk her sister to the door. “I know you’re tough. You can do this or anything else you set your mind to on your own, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to have someone to enjoy the ride with.” Cassidy squeezed Katie’s hand. “You deserve your happy ending too, Kat. I’m sorry Lee wasn’t the guy to make that happen, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t out there waiting for you.”
Katie leaned in and kissed Cassidy’s cheek. “Some things will never change. You’re still a hopeless romantic.”
“And look where it’s gotten me,” Cassidy said. “Happily married with baby number two on the way.”
“You’re…?” Katie squealed and threw her arms around Cassidy. “Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re pregnant! I’m so happy for you.” Holding her at arm’s length, Katie tried to look stern. “And you gave me hell for holding out on you? Hypocrite.”
Cassidy laughed. “I was just waiting for the right moment to tell you.”
“Drake must be so excited.” Her brother-in-law was already a doting father. Katie knew they’d been trying to get pregnant for a few months. “I wish I could’ve seen the look on his face when you told him.”
“He was happy, to say the least. But don’t mention anything to Lee just yet. I think Drake wanted to tell him himself.”
“My lips are sealed.” She kissed Cassidy once more. “Thanks for watching Hannah for me. Tell mom I’ll see her when I get back, okay?”
“You got it. Have fun with Chris,” Cassidy said in a sing-song voice as Katie made her way down the hall.
“It’s just a business meeting.” Katie rolled her eyes.
Cassidy giggled. “You keep telling yourself that, sis. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Chapter Eight
Chris was sitting at his round conference table reviewing spreadsheets on his laptop when Katie tapped on the door. Looking up, he had to struggle to appear unaffected. She was wearing a blue and green dress that fell in soft waves around her ankles. The dress had thin straps and a cowl neck, and she wasn’t wearing a bra. It was perfectly appropriate for a warm day, but he’d been expecting to see her wearing casual clothes. Knowing she’d once again taken the time to dress for their meeting stimulated a surge of hope that was probably totally unreasonable under the circumstances.
“Hi there,” he said, hoping she couldn’t tell he was struggling to get a handle on his emotions. “I’m glad you could make it.”
“Not a problem.” She stepped into the office and closed the door. “My mom and Cassidy were happy to spend some time with Hannah.”
“Who wouldn’t be?” he asked, grinning. Aside from Bianca, Hannah was just about his favorite kid in the whole world. “I keep telling Lee he’s gonna need a shotgun just to keep the boys away from her in another ten years.”
Katie laughed and sat next to Chris. “Please don’t give him any ideas.”
“Speaking of Lee, he seems to be okay with the separation. How are you holding up?” They hadn’t talked much about her separation. They’d had too many other things to discuss.
“Okay, I guess,” she said, considering her answer. “I’d known for a long time this was a possibility. I mean, it’s not like it was a secret we weren’t exactly connecting. I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to go it alone, but I really am doing okay.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Chris hated to think of her home alone, crying as she drifted off to sleep.
“Are you working on our business plan?” Katie asked, peering over his shoulder.
She was wearing a light flowery fragrance. He’d never known her to wear perfume, and he couldn’t help but wonder whether she’d worn it for him. Get a grip, Rozen. She’s not exactly begging you to take her to bed.
Katie looked amused when he brought his attention back to her face. “What were thinking about, Chris?”
Was he man enough to tell her the truth? “I was thinking you smell amazing and look even better.”
She blushed, tucking a lock of long blond hair behind her ear before staring at the computer screen. “That’s sweet.”
“It’s the truth.” He was already in too deep to backpedal. “You’re just about the sexiest woman I’ve met.”
Katie looked up, her eyes widening when she realized they were only a fraction of an inch apart. If either one of them moved closer, their lips would touch. Before Chris could consider doing just that, Katie straightened with a nervous laugh. “You’re too much. Hey, guess what? I just found out I’m going to be an auntie again. How cool is that?”
Her face practically lit up, and he kicked himself for not kissing her when he had the chance. “That’s great. When did you find out?”
“Just before I came over here.” She touched his forearm. “Oh, but you can’t tell Lee. Drake wants to tell him.”
“No worries.” He sat back, turning his swivel chair toward her. “A baby, huh? Lucky them.”
“Yeah, lucky them,” Katie whispered, looking at her hands in her lap. “I’m so happy for them. They’ve been trying for a while, and I know how much they wanted this.”
“You and Lee never tried to get pregnant again?” Chris had never asked his friend why they’d stopped after only one child. Knowing how much Katie loved babies, he thought it was Lee’s idea, not Katie’s.
“No. To tell you the truth, Hannah was a surprise. The best kind, of course.”
“Of course.” He and his wife had tried for months to get pregnant. He’d always envied couples who could conceive without even trying. “Would you like more children?” He hoped her answer would be one he could live with. He chastised himself for even thinking about a future with Katie when she was still reeling from her breakup with the father of her child.
“I’d love to.” She smiled as though she were recalling what it felt like to hold a tiny baby. “If I ever meet someone who’s right for me and Hannah, who wants to be a part of our little family.”
It took all of his restraint not to raise his hand and volunteer for the job. The thought of going home and finding Katie waiting for him with Hannah’s toys scattered across the family room gave him a warm and fuzzy feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long, long time. “You’re an incredible woman, and your little girl is an angel. Any man would be lucky to have you, both of you.”
Her eyes softened as a smile teased her lips. “That may be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
He saw she was battling her emotions, and he longed to ask why his casual comment had affected her so deeply. Didn’t she know how amazing she was? Did she fear a single guy may not be interested in a woman with a kid? “It’s the truth. I’m not just saying that to make you feel better about the divorce. I hope you know that.”
“I know you’d never say anything you don’t mean.”
She trusted him to be honest with her. That was a start. “I’m sure you’re anxious to get back to Hannah…” Not that he was anxious for her to leave. Despite the pile of work facing him, he’d happily spend the day just talking with her. “Why don’t we have a look at this business plan I’ve put together?” He clicked the file open. “It’s just a rough draft, so we can tweak anything you’re not happy with.”
She gaped at the fourteen-page document. “Wow, you’ve put a lot of thought into this.”
After getting a master’s degree in business, he was confident he could prepare a business plan in his sleep. “It’s no big deal. I did a bit of research into comparable facilities in the area. I found out what their enrollment was, how long they’d been in business, the number of people on staff, their learning philosophy, ratio of students to teachers—” He stopped talking when he realized she was staring at him. “I’m sorry, is there a problem? Would you have rather done the legwork yourself?” He got nervous when she didn’t respond. “If I’ve overstepped—”
“No.” She leaned in to kiss his cheek. “I wouldn’t have had any idea where to begin. Thank you so mu
ch for doing this.”
She lingered in his space a moment too long, and he brushed his lips against her cheek. It wasn’t a friendly peck on the cheek. The touch felt like the intimate caress lovers shared. His eyes drifted closed as he slipped his hand into her hair and wrapped his hand around her neck in case she tried to pull away. “Katie, I want you.” He knew that may be the stupidest thing he could have said, but he’d been hiding his feelings for her too long.
She planted her hands on his shoulders. “This would be a mistake.”
But she wasn’t even trying to pull away. That had to be a good sign, didn’t it? “I don’t think so. I’ve had feelings for you for a long time. I kept them in check out of respect for Lee, but it’s obvious he never loved you the way you deserved. I don’t think you loved him either, not really.” He knew he would likely go straight to hell for that, but it was too late to back out.
“You don’t know…”
He used the hand coiled in her hair to tip her head up until she had no choice but to meet his steady gaze. “Look me in the eye and tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you loved him, that you still love him, and I swear I’ll back off.” Her eyes drifted closed. He could tell she was waging a war between right and wrong. He understood that; he felt the same way. “I’m not trying to get in the way. Lee’s a great guy. If he’s the man for you, I can respect that.”
“He’s not,” she said so quietly he had to strain to hear her. “Lee wasn’t the love of my life, but he is the father of my child. I owe him some respect. We both do.”
He leaned his head against her forehead, brushing his lips against hers. It was enough to make him want more. “Let me talk to Lee tonight, see where his head’s at. If he’s okay with it, will you consider going on a real date with me?”
“Chris …” She sighed softly. “I adore you, but this seems risky. You’re my friend and possibly my business partner. What if we started dating and things didn’t work out?”
“What if they did work out?” He had little doubt they would. Katie was the woman he’d been waiting his whole life for. He would make her see that too.
“I’m scared.”
“It’s okay to be scared, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking risks.”
“It feels like it’s too soon.”
Chris chuckled. “Really? ‘Cause I feel like I’ve been waiting for you forever.”
“You know what I mean. Lee just moved out. Shouldn’t I wait a few months or maybe even a year before I start dating? What will the neighbors say if they see us going out?”
Chris released her and slid his chair back so he could see her face. “Do you care what other people think, or do you care about being happy? Do you want a man who’ll love you and your little girl, or do you want to be alone?”
Reaching for his hand, she said, “Let’s see what Lee has to say about us.”
Us. He really liked the sound of that.
***
Katie was trying to focus on Chris’s projections, but she knew her fear must show on her face. He said, “Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“It’s just that I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve never run a business. Hell, I’ve never even worked in a daycare center.” Talking herself down to a potential investor was stupid, but she couldn’t lie to him. Chris deserved better.
“I’ve been thinking about your lack of experience,” he said, eyeing her up and down. “It’s not that I question whether you can pull this off; I know you can. But if we put the right team in place, you could take the time to get comfortable in your new role and figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, reaching for the bottle of water she’d ordered when his receptionist offered to do a deli run so they could work through lunch.
“If we go with the smaller space, it would be you, twenty kids, and an assistant.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing, but think about this.” He pulled up the spreadsheet he’d compiled for the larger space. “If we go with this building, we’d have ten classrooms, so at least a hundred and fifty students.”
The thought of being responsible for that many kids made Katie break out in a cold sweat. Even twenty seemed overwhelming. “I don’t know if—”
“Just hear me out,” Chris said, raising his hand. “We could hire an administrator, someone with a lot of experience in private schools. Not to mention an administrative assistant and nine other teachers. You could take one classroom, and you’d only have about fifteen students in each class.”
That sounded perfect. It was almost eerie how Chris seemed to know what she needed even before she did. “Go on.”
“You would be the school’s director, in addition to being a teacher. The other staff would answer to you and be responsible for initiatives to make the school better. How does that sound so far?”
“Expensive,” she said, thinking about how much it would cost Chris to pull that off.
He laughed. “Fortunately, my pockets are pretty deep. I see this as a sound investment, especially after researching the market. There are several of these schools in Nashville, but none in our neighborhood. Since a lot of parents are already paying for daycare for kids in this age group, it wouldn’t be a stretch to ask them to pay a little more for a program that would give their children a solid foundation when they’re ready to move on.”
“Speaking of programs,” Katie said, feeling her uncertainty growing, “my courses gave me a good understanding of how to implement pre-school programs, but building one from the ground up? I’m not sure I could do that.” She felt foolish. She should have done more research before talking to Chris or anyone else about her idea.
“I’ve thought about that too.” Chris scrolled down his spreadsheet. “I’ve built into the budget a salary for a senior teacher/consultant. I’d like someone who could help us build these programs. The administrator would have been a pre-school teacher herself before she was promoted to that role, and she could help as well.” Everything he said made sense, so why was Katie still so afraid? “Let’s talk salaries. I’ve done some research into salary expectations for these various roles, and here’s what I’ve come up with.” He scrolled across his screen so she could see the salary projections for the staff members.
Katie had never earned that much money in her life. As a new pre-school teacher, she knew she would be making one-third of that. “Chris, that’s too much. I couldn’t draw that kind of salary from the business in the beginning. Maybe in a few years.” When she felt she’d earned it.
“That’s open for negotiation, but I think that salary is in line with the amount of work you would have to do to get this business to the point necessary to meet our five-year projection.”
“Our five-year projection?”
He scrolled across the screen. “I spoke to Cynthia this morning, and her boss owns the lot behind the building. He’d like to hold on to it until he gets the right offer. If we buy the building, he’s agreed to give us first right of refusal when he’s ready to sell the lot. That would give us the opportunity to expand, which I think we should be open to considering.” Katie couldn’t help but feel excited. What he was proposing was so much more than she ever could have hoped to achieve. “Based on these projections, here’s what our dividends would look like.” He moved his cursor over a number that made Katie’s eye bulge.
“Surely you don’t mean I’d make that much money in addition to my salary?” She’d never thought it possible to earn that much money in her lifetime, never mind in a few years.
Chris smiled at her surprise. “That’s how it works. As a partner you’d be entitled to—”
“You deserve to own the majority of the business.” She felt guilty even drawing a salary like that when she hadn’t put up any of the money to get the business off the ground. “It’s your money.”
“But it was your idea. I wouldn’t even be considering this if not for you.”
She couldn’t argue with that, but she refused to agree to a majority interest. He was the one with the money and the business knowledge. “How about a seventy-thirty split, with you owning the majority? I couldn’t agree to more than that. It wouldn’t feel right.”
“Honey, you have a lot to learn about business negotiations,” he said, smiling. “You’re supposed to negotiate for a larger percentage, not a smaller one.”
Extending her hand, she smiled. “Those are my terms, Mr. Rozen. Do we have a deal?”
His lips twitched as he slipped his hand in hers. “Fine, we have a deal.”
“What’s the next step?” Katie hoped he intended to act quickly before she had time to change her mind.
“We check the zoning, licensing, and insurance requirements. In the meantime, we make a conditional offer on the property. I’ll need to look at some comparable properties before I decide what to go in at. I’ll email you the links to the listings and get your feedback.”
She knew nothing about commercial real estate, but she appreciated that he was trying to keep her in the loop. “Sounds good.” She stood and made her way to the door. Before she could reach for the knob, Chris’s hand closed over hers. Her heart hammered when she saw the predatory look in his eyes.
“Now that we’ve got business out of the way...” He stepped closer, flattening her back against the door. “I just wanted to remind you that I’ll be having a little chat with your soon-to-be ex tonight, and when I do, you’re the first person I intend to call.”
“Okay.” Her voice sounded breathless, but she tried valiantly to keep from trembling.
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