“I will not.”
“You will,” she singsonged, already strutting away.“Love you!Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, which, honestly, leaves the field wide open!”
Silence dropped like a curtain.
Chloe finally lifted her head.“I’m so sorry.”
Kayne let out a low exhale that was one-third laugh, one-third disbelief, one-third spiritual surrender.“If she weren’t family,cher,I’d say we need to call in a specialist.”
Chloe groaned again.“She’s not always this bad.”
He gave her a look.
“Okay,” she conceded.“She’s always exactly this bad.”
His lips twitched.“One thing’s for sure.”
“What?”
“She’s gonna make this assignment a whole lot more interestin’.”
Chloe shook her head, embarrassed, apologetic, but smiling despite herself.
Lord help him, Kayne felt that smile land square in the center of his chest.
Chapter Seven
By late afternoon,Chloe’s brain felt like mashed cauliflower, if mashed cauliflower could also be mildly panicked and questioning every life choice it had ever made.
She’d reread Robin Day’s résumé three times and finally offered her the manager position.The woman radiated calm competence with a yoga-teacher center of gravity paired with a business-school brain.The unicorn of hires.Relief washed over Chloe to have that finalized.
“Welcome to the team,” she’d told her, sounding, for once, as if she actually had her life together.
It was one big thing off her plate.Plus, Robin could start right away.Another bonus.
Oliver had also been solid, but Chloe trusted her gut.She felt a steadier, more instinctive ease with Robin.She seemed stable.Not the type to bail when things got too hard.
