He’d obviously had a day. Perhaps he was the one who needed a big hug, but that look had told her he didn’t want it from her.
The door closed behind him and she turned to Kyle. “Is he mad at me for getting attacked?”
Kyle sat back. “Nah. He’s mad because his dinner date got canceled.”
“He had a date?” Wow. She didn’t like how that felt. He hadn’t had pictures of a girlfriend in his office, but then he hadn’t had framed pictures at all.
“Yep. He had it all planned, and I’m almost certain he tried to figure a way to cut me out. He was eyeing that fast-food place pretty closely earlier,” Kyle replied. “Lucky for me MaeBe picked up the chicken breasts and bought three, or Hutch would have used that as an excuse to shove me out the door.”
She was confused. “He was bringing a date here?”
A brow rose over Kyle’s eyes. They were a brilliant green, the most striking feature on the man. “Come on, smart chick. You can do this.”
She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She wasn’t about to believe that. “He was only making dinner. That wasn’t for me. I bet he took one look at my sad refrigerator and decided I can make nothing but cookies and cinnamon rolls. He realized if he didn’t want frozen lasagna, he had to do it himself.”
Kyle’s eyes were gorgeous, but she preferred Hutch’s. There was a warmth to Hutch’s eyes, a pull to his stare that dragged her in even when he was frowning at her.
“Trust me. Hutch has eaten MREs that would make that sad lasagna look like a four-course meal. Nah, he was trying to show off,” Kyle replied. “And then he realized how late it was, and that was why he ordered the pizza on our way back here. He’s going to have to call Big Tag and tell him he almost lost you, and Big Tag can be a lot to handle. I also think meeting Jessica Layne freaked him out a bit. But mostly it’s about not getting the time he wanted with you, and you should think about that.”
She shook her head. “He’s being nice to make up for being a jerk in the beginning.”
“I don’t think that’s what he’s doing. I think he’s attracted to you, and this is his way of making a play. Again, you should think about whether you want him to do that because he’s got some baggage, and he’s proving that right now. I’m going to take that job whether he wants me to or not, and he’s going to flip his shit. You should stay out of that fight when it comes, by the way.”
“Why?” It made sense to her that if they could get one of them on at Genedyne, they should. “Why will he be angry? I know Jessica has a bad rep, and she’s earned it on some level, but I don’t think she’s going to assault you. She might objectify you.”
Kyle’s lips curled up. “Yeah, I think I can handle that.” He sobered. “Hutch can’t, and you should understand that. He would never play a chick for information, and he wouldn’t do it to make your working relationship easier. Ever. Believe it or not he’s actually trying to protect me by not letting me take the job and I find that…oddly refreshing. I’m not the dude most bosses think they need to protect.”
“What does he think Jessica will do to you?”
Kyle seemed to think about that for a moment, probably deciding how much to tell her. “About ten years ago Hutch went through something pretty awful. I wasn’t around at that time, but I’ve heard the stories and I know what Hutch did for my family. I think he should tell you what he wants you to know, but understand that he doesn’t play around with a woman’s feelings. Ever. And he’s not smooth enough to think feeding you might make the job go easier. He’s apologized and you accepted. For him that’s over and done with, and now he can move on to what he wants next.”
“And what’s that?”
“Again, use that big old brain of yours.”
She huffed. “He does not want me. That’s ridiculous.”
Kyle shrugged. “You can believe me or not, but watch him over the next couple of days. See how he treats you. He could have come back and done his dinner thing, but he was worried it would take too long and you would get