Page 10 of Landry
“Let's hope the new owners think that way too.” Kady shuffled papers on the desk. “Let's get to work.”
***
“You look like crap.”
“Why, thanks.” Lacking the desire to be offended, Kady kicked off her shoes and wriggled her toes. She felt as if she had been running several marathons all at once. “I can always count on you to keep me from being vain.”
“Don't get me wrong, you're still a looker,” he grinned as she opened one eye to glare at him. “You just look a little frayed around the edges.” He brought her the glass of wine and sat on the footstool she had propped her feet on. When he started massaging her insteps, she could have wept with gratitude.
“This is why I love you,” she told him. “You have your uses.”
“Thanks,” he said dryly, kneading the flesh. “Now tell me what has you looking as if you've lost your favorite purse.”
“It's much worse.” She had spent the last few hours poring over contracts and dossiers that contained evidence of the changes she had made to the airline, trying to figure out what the new owners would be looking for.
“I think I'm going to lose my job.”
Her brother glanced at her sharply. “What nonsense! You're the heart and soul of that airline. I stopped flying Southwest and American when you took over that place. Not only are the planes clean and efficiently run, but the delays are down to a minimum. What makes you think you're losing your job?”
“Someone else bought it.”
“Oh?” He transferred to her other foot. “Who?”
“It's hush-hush.”
“You mean you weren't privy to that information?”
The reminder that she had not been part of the ‘in the know’ circle still burned her. She had been thinking about that for the past few hours and was determined not to let it get her down.
“No,” she bit out, dragging her feet off his lap and tucking them under her. The wine was starting to feel sour on her tongue.
“Honey-”
“It's fine.”
“It's not fine.” Abandoning his place on the footstool, he settled in next to her. “You were hit with devastating news just recently and now this. How the hell do you still continue to say you're fine?”
“Devastating is a pretty strong word.”
He glowered at her. “What would you call it?”
“Disturbing?” She lifted one tapered brow and blew out a breath when he continued to stare at her stonily. “What do you want me to say?”
“I want you to admit to me and to yourself that you're not over that creep.”
She took a gulp of the wine and almost choked.
“Okay, I'm not over that creep. There! Satisfied?”
Kyle felt the anger leaving him immediately. Reaching for her hand, he laced their fingers together. “I want you to be happy.”
“I am.” She smiled at his skeptical expression. “Or I will be, eventually.” She bit her lip. “I just- it pisses me off that after working so damn hard, I have no idea where I stand.”
“You're the best they have, and they would be a fool to let you go.”
“That moron, Phillip, said my job was safe.”
“I agree with the moron.” He smiled when she burst out laughing, relieved to see the tension disappearing from her lovely face.
