Warm gratitude slipped through her. “That would be wonderful.”
The red-haired nurse came up just then, cast a quick glance at Reese, but spoke to Kenzie. “I’ll take you to see your son now.”
Kenzie smiled at Reese. “Thank you again.” He just nodded. As she turned to follow the nurse, she could feel his eyes on her until she disappeared into Griff’s curtained cubicle.
FOUR
Aside from arriving at the office the next morning in the back of a limo to avoid dealing with the protesters milling around out front, Reese’s day started like any other.
Except that Kenzie wasn’t there. Since she had never taken a sick day in the months since he’d hired her, she had been at her desk every morning before he arrived. Been there for their morning briefing and the list of what he needed her to do.
What he needed from Kenzie was a thought that led in a direction he couldn’t allow. In six short months, she had become a necessity, as essential to his job as his laptop or his cell phone.
Which meant he had to ignore the kick he felt every time he looked at her. Kenzie Haines was by far the best executive assistant he had ever worked with. And with the heavy mahogany hair curling softly around her shoulders, perfect curves, and a peaches-and-cream complexion, she was also by far the most beautiful.
Kenzie was the kind of woman who drew a man’s attention without even trying, and there was a kindness about her that shined through her careful reserve. Unfortunately, any physical attraction he felt for her had to be ruthlessly suppressed. Except for riding next to her in the back of a limo, he had never made any sort of physical contact.
As CEO of a billion-dollar corporation, Reese was in an extremely vulnerable position. He had to be careful of every word he spoke, every untethered glance, every thought.
He amended that. So far no one had been able to police the thoughts running through a person’s head, but who knew when that could change.
Until today, he had managed to quash any notion of Kenzie as anything but a highly valued employee, and though her fear for her son had touched him in a way he hadn’t expected, he intended to keep his distance, just as he had before.
Reese sighed as he leaned back in the black leather chair behind his desk. The office was done in a modern motif with dark wood paneling and chairs upholstered in rich pearl gray.
There was a separate conversation area, a fully stocked wet bar behind the paneling of one wall, and the most advanced high-tech equipment available. Everything from a top-of-the-line iMac Pro to a seventy-inch flat screen with a wireless HDMI transmitter and receiver kit.
Reese checked his schedule for what seemed the fiftieth time. He was used to Kenzie keeping track for him. Without her there, he had run poor Louise ragged. He almost smiled. Kenzie’s assistant would be even more grateful to have her back than he would.
He thought about her ex-husband. Since Kenzie rarely spoke about herself, Reese had never made the connection to the wealthy Haines family until he had seen Lee Haines, who looked a great deal like his father.
Reese had never met Lee before, but he knew Arthur. Old Dallas oil money, an empire built by Arthur’s father. Along with Troy Graves, his late partner’s son, Arthur owned half of Black Sand Oil and Gas, one of Garrett Resources’ fiercest competitors.
He wondered how much Kenzie had collected in the divorce settlement. Surely enough to fight Haines’s suit and maintain custody of her son.
Or maybe not. He remembered hearing something about the senior Haines’s divorce. Rumor had it that Arthur had managed to leave his wife next to penniless. Her depression had eventually led to suicide. He wondered if Lee had managed to leave Kenzie with little or nothing, just as Arthur had done.
Thinking of his assistant and her ex-husband’s foul attitude toward her, Reese felt an unexpected surge of protectiveness. If Kenzie needed help, he would find a way to help her—whether or not she was too proud to accept it.
Rising from his desk, he wandered over to the window and looked down on the street. About the same number of sign-carrying protesters today as yesterday. He’d been surprised this morning to find them still there.
In Texas, drilling was a way of life. At least for now, fossil fuels were a necessity, though the company was heavily invested in sustainable energy, including geothermal, solar, and tidal. Reese sincerely hoped there would be enough alternate energy to run the world someday, but in the meantime, there was very little choice.
The intercom buzzed. The unfamiliar sound of Louise’s voice still surprised him.
“You have a call from Mr. Stiles, sir. He says it’s urgent.”
Derek Stiles was his VP in charge of mergers and acquisitions, working out of the Houston office. He was a good-looking guy, thirty-four, same age as Reese, and one of his top executives. “Go ahead and put him through, Louise.” Reese picked up the phone and leaned back in his chair. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you until tomorrow.”
“I know, but unfortunately, another problem came up—more trouble with the rig.”
The deal to purchase the rig was being dragged down by unforeseen problems. For months, they’d been trying to close the deal with Sea Titan without success. The platform was only ninety miles off the coast, but the purchase couldn’t be finalized until a series of tests and safety drills had been performed and successfully completed.
“What’s going on?” Reese asked. He rarely involved himself in the day-to-day business of actual oil production, but this deal was important.
“There’s a situation with the lifeboats. They keep getting hung up once the men are aboard. The rig can’t pass inspection until the boats launch properly, and the problem needs to be fixed before drilling can resume. That definitely has to happen before we close the deal.”
“So get it fixed,” Reese said.
