Page 38 of Help Wanted

At that second her phone began to vibrate.

“Yes?”

“What happened?” he asked immediately.

“She had cold feet and I dealt with it. We’re good to go. It’s ours—I mean yours. You know what I mean.” Apparently the signature thing was still having ramifications.

“I’m sorry it didn’t go as planned,” he told her.

“I used to work in mergers and acquisitions, Zane. Everyone has reservations, but if they’ve gotten to this point, deep down they really do want to sell. You just have to remind them why. How did things go on your end?”

“I have another property in Ohio.”

“Good job.”

“I hope I didn’t make a horrible mistake.”

“You didn’t.”

“Thanks for saving the day.”

“Not a problem.” She pumped her fist and gave a happy “Yes!” when she hung up.

* * *

When Zane got off the phone, a strange sense of calm coursed through him. Kenley wasn’t just an employee showing up for a paycheck. She was a partner. He knew he could trust her to be there for him. He felt even more comfortable with her decisions than he had with his sister’s.

Sidney always handled situations as she wanted to, which may or may not have been how he would have done it. But Kenley was like an extension of him. As if she could read his mind and handle things the way he would have if he’d been there himself. She acted on his behalf instead of with her own agenda. There was a trust there he’d never felt before with anyone.

He paid her well, but he needed to find a way to thank her for her trustworthiness. He wanted to show his appreciation. Pulling out his phone, he bought a ticket as he hopped in his rental to head to the airport.

What seemed like a great plan on the way from Ohio to Texas now seemed like a ridiculous gesture as he stood in the hotel lobby at almost nine o’clock at night.

Would she think it was too much? He fiddled with his key card, second-guessing himself. He paced for a few moments, until the desk clerk looked like she was about to call the cops. Deciding to take a chance he said, “Could you please tell Kenley Carmichael that Zane Jackson is here to see her?”

Hearing their names together in the same sentence gave him a stupid little thrill. Why was he here really? He wouldn’t have come all this way and spent the money on a ticket to thank Paul or Brady for a job well done. He held out his hand to interrupt the clerk, but it was too late.

“This is the front desk. There is a Zane Jackson in the lobby to see you.”

“The lobby?” Zane could hear Kenley’s voice on the other end of the line and smiled.

“Yes.”

“Of this hotel?” Yes, this was too much. Unfortunately he’d have to ride out the storm of stupidity.

“Yes.”

“Please tell him I’ll be right down.”

“Yes ma’am.”

It was only a few minutes later when she found him in the lobby where he was sitting in one of the fancy chairs, with his ankle resting on his knee. When he spotted her, a broad smile took over his face and he stood.

“Hey, how’s it going?” he asked as if it was completely normal for him to be in Galveston.

“Good. Your boat is on a truck as we speak.”

“Excellent.” He glanced around the lobby. “Do you want to get a drink?” He pointed to the lounge.