Damian cleared his throat and stepped over to her desk. “I’m sorry, Katherine.”
“It’s Kat.”
He started again. “I’m sorry, Kat. I don’t want to hurt your feelings. I’d just like to order from a coffee shop. Surely there’s one around here.”
Kat pointed toward the door. “If you haven’t noticed, it’s snowing outside.”
He glanced through the glass doors. It didn’t look bad. “Does your town shut down when it snows?”
She scoffed. “No.”
“Is there a problem?” Lydia approached them and folded her arms across her chest.
“I was just asking if there was a coffee shop near here,” Damian said.
Lydia narrowed her eyes at Kat. “Dale’s down the street sells coffee. Take Damian down and show him, Katherine.”
“Right. Yes.” Kat hopped up. “I’ll walk you to Dale’s.” She smiled at him, but it looked like that sweet kind of smile you get right before the wicked witch casts a nasty spell on you.
Kat pulled a long, black coat off the rack and slipped it on. “Okay. Follow me. We’ll get you set up.”
She sounded chipper. Damian nodded and walked outside with her. The wind had picked up a little since he’d come in. It stung his cheeks. Kat walked briskly ahead of him and he rushed to catch up, hoping his limp wasn’t too noticeable. “You always in this much of a hurry?”
“Only before a blizzard,” she said under her breath.
“A blizzard? Wait, how much is it supposed to snow?”
She turned and gave him a funny look. “About twelve inches last I heard.”
He looked up to the sky. It did look a little ominous. Kat entered a corner diner. He pulled his gloves off and slipped them into his pocket.
Kat pointed to the gal behind the counter wearing an apron and chewing on a wad of gum. “This is Harriet. She’ll make your coffee just the way you like it.”
Damian took a step forward. “Great. I’ll have a double-short low-fat no-foam latte.”
Harriet squinted at him. “A what?”
This wasn’t a good sign. “You can’t make a double-short latte?”
“Honey, I can’t even tell if you’re speaking English.”
It was obvious Kat was trying not to smile. “He wants some coffee, Harriot.”
She nodded. “Decaf or regular, sweetie?”
His hopes of getting what he wanted swirled down the drain. “I can’t believe this,” he said under his breath. “Do you at least have iced coffee?”
Kat stepped up. “You can make it special, can’t you? He’s come all the way from New York just to close our newspaper down.”
What? Where did she get that idea? “That’s not true,” Damian said. Well, at least she shouldn’t know that was what he was there for.
Harriet scoffed and looked at him like he was gum someone had stuck under the table.
Damian frowned. “Look, I just want an iced coffee. Can you do that?”
“We can do that for you,” Harriet said.
“Great. Thank you. No milk.”
Harriet punched in something in the cash register. Damian tossed a five-dollar bill on the counter. “Keep the change.”
“Sit wherever you’d like. I’ll bring it out.”
Damian scanned the tables and chairs. The place was empty. Hopefully, that was because of the blizzard and not because they had disgusting coffee. He pulled out a chair and sat on the red vinyl seat. Kat sat opposite him and openly stared at him. “So, you’re here to do what exactly?”
He wasn’t used to people being so direct. “I’m just checking on things.”
“And if we’re not making you enough money, you’ll close us down.”
“I never said that.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You didn’t have to. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
He sighed. He didn’t want to lie to her. For some odd reason, he kind of liked her. She wasn’t like any of the women he’d dated. There was a subtle beauty about her. And she was straightforward. Something told him she was smart as well. If he continued to lie, she wouldn’t believe him anyway. “Something like that,” he finally said.
She frowned and turned to look out the window. “The people in this town wouldn’t like that very much.”
“Look. My father bought this newspaper years ago. I’m just trying to figure out why he’s kept it for so long. It’s not a big money maker.” Damian sat, shocked at the words that came out of his mouth. Why was he telling this stranger these things? Especially since she was an employee? He really needed to keep his mouth shut.
Harriet bustled over to him and set down a cup of black coffee, several melting ice cubes floating in it. “Here you go, sweetie.”
Damian stared down at the mug as Harriet walked away. “What the…?”
Kat covered her mouth with her hand, but it didn’t help. Her laughter escaped anyway. He stood and pulled his coat tighter around him. “Very funny.”
Kat continued to laugh as she followed him out the door. “The look on your face!”
He turned to her, the snow coming down faster now. “You’re telling me there are no coffee places here at all? Not even a Starbucks?”
“Sorry,” she said, sobering. “No fancy coffee shops. But Harriet’s coffee really is good. Come on, I’ll pay for another cup.”
He ground his teeth together, trying not to say something he’d regret. “Forget it. Let’s just get to work.”
“You’re the boss,” she said, brushing past him.
Damian entered the newspaper behind Kat. Lydia approached him and handed him a thumb drive. “Here are all the files. You’ll see everything is in order. I’ll have to get a key to the building made, though. I can have that to you by Monday.”
“Sounds good.” He pulled out his laptop and shoved the thumb drive in it.
“Let me know if you need anything else.” Lydia walked back to her office and Damian looked around. A couple of reporters, one guy selling ads, and a woman at the front desk. Was that all this operation took?
Damian spent the next three hours going over the books and looking at the advertising revenue coming in, versus the money going out. This place definitely wasn’t a big money maker, and he couldn’t see anything special about it. Questions swirled around in his head.
At noon Lydia sent Kat out to get sandwiches from Dale’s because no one wanted to drive anywhere for lunch. When she came back, she set his food on his desk. He unwrapped the foil and took a bite. At least the diner could make a good ham on rye.
Damian ate his sandwich, then balled up the wrapper and looked for a trash can. He spied one under Kat’s desk. Maybe he could get some information out of her if he got her talking. He stood and crossed the room. “Can I toss this in your trash?”
Kat eyed him. “Sure.” She slid the trash closer to him with her boot.
“Can I ask you something?” He leaned on her desk.
“Okay,” she said tentatively.
“How does a newspaper work when you don’t have any printing presses here?”
“We outsource our printing. The newspaper in New Haven prints ours for us, and then they deliver them to the parking lot where the carriers get them.”
He’d figured it was something like that. Now he knew what the big expenses to New Haven Press were. They could probably make more money if they owned their own printing operation. But there was no room for one here, so they’d need a new building.
Why was he thinking about that? Making this tiny business successful wasn’t his objective. He needed to find out why his father even cared about it. “What do you know about Lydia?”
Kat stiffened. “Why are you asking?”
“Just curious.”
“She runs the newspaper.” Kat gave him a cheesy smile and curled her hair behind her ear.
Nice. Guess he wasn’t going to get much out of Kat. He tried not to scowl. “And?”
“I don’t know. She’s the bo
ss. Presses people to get stuff done on time. She does a good job.”
“Right. But what do you know about her personally? Know any good dirt?” He gave Kat a smile, hoping to bring out the gossip.
Kat leaned closer to him and lowered her voice. It was kind of sexy. He found himself liking her despite her attitude. Her blue eyes were quite stunning. “You know, I never thought it was weird until now, but sometimes I see her coming in the building late at night. Meeting with strange men.”
That wasn’t what he expected to hear. “Really?”
“Yes. And sometimes in the morning, there’s odd stuff lying around.”
Damian could barely hear her now, her whisper was so low and he leaned in closer. “What kinds of things?”
“Empty candy bar wrappers.” Her lips twitched. “I think she’s running a smuggling ring for Snickers. This newspaper is just a front.”
Damian straightened and rolled his eyes while Kat grinned. “Thanks for that,” he said.
“You’re welcome,” she called in a sing-song voice as she spun her chair back to her computer.
He spent the rest of the afternoon looking through the last five years of data, not finding anything special. His head started to hurt. Why had he even come here? He should have taken care of things from New York.
At five o’clock Lydia came out of her office. “Just heard from Janett. The major streets are plowed but they’re shutting down for the night since visibility is so low. Be careful out there. It’s not supposed to quit until morning.”
The room grew noisy as everyone packed up and hurried to leave. He slid his laptop into his briefcase and pulled his coat off the hook. Maybe he could study the files tonight in his hotel room. By the time he’d packed up, the place was empty. The employees had left through the back, but since Damian had parked on the street he pushed the handle and walked out the front door.
Damian gasped. The snow plow had come by all right. The wind whipped through his hair as he stared at the huge mound of snow that used to be his rental car. There was no way he’d get it dug out. He was stuck.
Maybe Lydia would give him a ride to his hotel. He turned to go back inside, but the door was locked. The lights were already out. He swore under his breath and knocked on the glass. “Hello?” He put his hands up and peered inside. No movement.
He shoved his hands into his coat pockets. Great. Now what?
Chapter 3
Kat quickly brushed the snow off her windshield and got in her 1992 Volkswagen Jetta. She turned her windshield wipers on high to get rid of the rest she was too lazy to scrape off. They made a terrible noise as the rubber vibrated against the glass and ice. She stuck her hands by the vent, rubbing life back into them. She could almost see well enough to drive. It would just take a second.
The figure of a man came around the side of the building. He carried a briefcase and had a slight limp just like…Boss Man. Ugh. He approached her car. What did he want?
She rolled down her window a crack. “Yes?”
He pointed toward the building. “My car is buried. Can I have a ride to my hotel?”
Kat glanced around, desperate to find someone else who could give him a ride. The parking lot was empty. Crud. She really didn’t want to spend any more time with him than she had to, but she couldn’t leave him alone in a blizzard. She motioned to the passenger seat. “All right. Get in.”
“Thanks.” He walked around the car and tried to get in, but the door was frozen shut. She leaned over and pulled on the handle, then she shoved the door as hard as she could. With a cracking sound the door swung open hitting Boss Man in the gut. He grunted.
“Oops. Sorry.”
Damian slid into the seat. “I appreciate the ride.”
“No problem. Which hotel are you staying at?” She glanced over at him, but couldn’t hold it in and laughed. “Just kidding. We only have one.” She put the car into gear and stepped on the gas. The car lurched forward.
Damian grabbed onto the door as if clutching it for his life.
“Don’t worry, I know how to drive in snow.” She sped out of the parking lot and turned onto Main street.
“Are you sure you do? Because we’re sliding all over the place.”
He looked legitimately scared. She took her foot off the accelerator. “Wimp,” she said under her breath.
He either didn’t hear her or ignored it. “How long have you lived in Pleasant Hollow?”
“All my life.”
“You really like it that much here?” He seemed surprised.
“What’s not to like?”
He opened his mouth, then closed it, like he wasn’t sure what to say. “There’s nothing here.”
Typical big city attitude. Kat held in a scoff. “There are people here. Good people.” Something he wouldn’t care about. He was going to shut them down, cutting off the town’s only source of local news, and putting hard working people in the unemployment line. She pulled into the Microtel Inn’s parking lot. “Here you go,” she said, trying not to grind her teeth.
Damian pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Do you mind if I call you tomorrow for a ride to my car?”
Lydia would kill her if she said no. “That’s fine.” She rattled off her cell number.
He got out and leaned down. “Thank you, Kat.”
“No problem.” She said it but she didn’t mean it. It was a problem. He was the problem.
He shut the door and she drove off. She needed to get her mind off Mr. Boss man. She needed to make some hot chocolate and curl up with a good book. When she pulled into her small driveway and clicked the garage opener, she found her sister’s car sitting in the garage. Nice one, Hilary. Now she’d have to dig her car out in the morning. She clicked the garage door shut and pulled out onto the street in case Hilary needed to leave.
Snow crunched under her boots as she walked up to her house. The house she’d grown up in. At least the neighbor boy would shovel her driveway and sidewalk for $20. The best money she ever spent. She opened her front door and stomped off the snow before entering.
“Good. You’re home.” Her sister came around the corner with a steaming pot in her hand. She stuck a spoon out to Kat. “Try this.”
Being used to it, Kat allowed her sister to shove the spoon in her mouth. She swallowed the warm liquid. A savory flavor filled her mouth. “That’s delicious.” She took off her coat. “What is it?”
“A new soup I’m trying out. It’s got beans, chicken, and sausage.”
“I love it.” Kat grabbed her laptop and plopped down on the couch. “So, what’re you doing here? Your roommate getting on your nerves again?”
Her sister made a face then went into the kitchen. “She’s having a party. You know how I can’t stand her friends.”
“Who has a party during a blizzard?”
“Right? She’s crazy.”
“Well, stay as long as you like. It’s not like anyone else moved into your old bedroom.” Kat didn’t mind, especially because Hilary cooked when she was bored.
“They updated to say we’d get fourteen inches tonight. I’m not going anywhere this weekend.”
Kat whistled. “That’s insane.”
“Isn’t it? We should totally have a girl’s movie night.”
“Good idea.” Kat opened up her email and grinned. She had an answer from Doctor Yong.
Dear Miss Philipina,
I am having much happy you are writing. I can assure you I am no scammer. Please see attached photo. I am getting the inheritance money ready for when you send the thousand dollars.
Doctor Yong
He’d sent her all the details for the Western Union transaction. Kat looked at the attached photo of an African man wearing a suit. It was missing the box of Ho Hos. She grinned. She didn’t mind a challenge.
Dear Doctor Yong,
I am also having much happy. I can’t wait to spend my millions of dollars. However, there is something wrong with the photo you sent. It has a serious lac
k of Ho Hos. I do apologize, but I must insist on this. I cannot send you money unless you first send me a photo of you with a box of Ho Hos. Please send it right away, as I have been contacted by Prince Twinky and he also has an inheritance for me.
Yours truly,
Katalina
“Dinner’s ready,” Hilary called from the other room.
Kat walked into the dining room and inhaled. “You made bread, too?”
Hilary leaned over the table and set the silverware down. “It’s just the frozen kind.”
“Good enough for me. I would have heated up a microwave dinner. Thanks for all this.”
Hilary nodded. She was the polar opposite of Kat. Hilary had pretty blonde hair, where Kat’s was just plain brown. Her sister was the cheerleader type, while Kat had spent high school in the journalism room. Hilary was good at everything domestic. Kat was lucky to not accidentally burn the house down. They ate for a while in silence. The soup was so delicious Kat finished it in a few minutes.
Hilary stared down at the tablecloth. “I went to see Mom today.”
The familiar pang of pain erupted in Kat’s chest. “How’s she doing?”
“About the same. You should go see her.”
Kat knew Hilary was right, even though the visits were always painful. “I’ll go on Sunday.” She bit into her roll.
“Good.” Hilary folded her napkin and laid it on the table.
“You’ll never believe what happened at work today,” Kat said after swallowing the bite.
Hilary raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Some rich guy from New York came in. Turns out he owns the place and is here to see if he wants to shut it down.”
“Are you kidding me? Shut down the newspaper?”
“I know, right? He was super rude to me. Guess he’s some hot shot that owns a ton of businesses. Damian Warren, or something.”
Hilary dropped her spoon which clattered to the table. “Get out. Damian Warren? Are you sure?”
“Why, you know the guy?”
“He’s a billionaire. Owns half the world. I was just stalking his profile on PrivilegedSingles.com.”
Kat held in a snort. “A privileged single? You?”
Hilary stuck out her tongue. “Hey, I was just messing around. And yes, I could be a privileged single. You can be whoever you want to be online.”
Her Big Fat Hunky Billionaire Boss (Billionaire Series Book 3) Page 2
