Huge Deal - Lauren Layne Page 0,7
planner than a guest,” she said, then hid a wince, hoping Jack wouldn’t notice the slight snip in her voice.
No luck there. His eyebrows lifted, and he rested a hip on her desk. “Whaaaat? You mean Claudia wasn’t able to plan a party for a hundred people while also juggling four charities? Well, color me shocked.”
“So you’ve met her,” Kate said with a knowing smile.
“No.” He stood again. “Haven’t had the pleasure. But we spoke on the phone a couple times, and it was . . . illuminating.”
“She’s very nice,” Kate said, because it was true. Claudia was nice, which was more than she could say about some of Kennedy’s past girlfriends. They all had the type of pedigree he seemed to find irresistible—old-money bloodlines, family ties to the mayor and governor—but Claudia was neither cool nor snobby.
Jack tsked. “Now, Kate. Just when I was starting to like you.”
“Jack!”
Kate and Jack both turned to see a grinning Matt come toward them. “What the hell, man? I didn’t know you were in town.”
The two men man-hugged, and Jack caught Matt up on his new status as a New York resident.
“That’s great. Kennedy know?”
“Does Kennedy know what?”
“And there he is,” Jack said, turning to Kennedy, who’d emerged from his office. “I was just about to start banging down doors.”
“Is that your usual way of doing business?” Despite the brotherly jab, Kennedy was smiling as he hugged Jack. “What are you doing here?” Kennedy asked, pulling back.
“Mostly chatting up your girl, Kate Winslet, here,” Jack said, gesturing back at her.
Kennedy’s smile slipped as he looked at Kate, his dimples disappearing. Because yes, by some weird twist of fate, an irritable grump of a man had been blessed with deep, matching dimples in each cheek when he smiled. Which was seldom, which meant said dimples rarely saw the light of day.
Kate gave Kennedy a finger-waggle wave to irritate him, and his jaw tensed. Success.
“Actually, I’m sort of . . . moving here,” Jack said.
“Here?” Kennedy’s gaze swung back to his brother.
“Well, not this neighborhood. I’m thinking something in the Village.”
“I live in the Village!” Kate said.
“Yeah?” Jack turned back to her. “Which part?”
“Sort of the border between Greenwich and West; it depends who you ask.”
“I’m asking you, and be very specific,” Jack said. “The closer our places, the more times we can have Titanic movie parties.”
“Still with the Titanic thing? Didn’t that quit working in high school?” Kennedy said.
“I don’t know. Kate, did it stop working in high school?”
“Seeing as I’m feeling quite fluttery, obviously not.”
Jack turned to Kennedy and shrugged as though to say, See?
Kennedy scowled. Not at Jack but at her.
Kate scowled back as her phone started ringing. She picked it up and proceeded to listen as Ian’s sweet, longtime, and very chatty client immediately began giving Kate a traffic report on the FDR.
Kennedy nodded for Jack to follow him toward his office, and Matt followed as well.
Jack turned back to Kate at the last moment and made an awkward charades gesture, as though clinging to something while his teeth chattered.
Kate covered the mouthpiece with her hand and mouthed, I’ll never let go, Jack.
Kennedy looked between the two of them and then shoved his brother into his office.
And even as she was barraged by yet another unending string of phone calls, Kate found she couldn’t stop smiling.
4
Thursday, March 28
“So,” Jack said, placing the pad of his finger on Kennedy’s globe and giving it an idle spin.
Kennedy made a sound of irritation. “It’s not a basketball, man.”
“Oh, spoiler alert,” Matt said, snapping his fingers as though just remembering something to tell Jack. “Kennedy doesn’t like when people touch his stuff.”
“He never did,” Jack said, dropping into a chair and putting his hands behind his head. “Which one of you wants to tell me what the deal is with Kate?”
Kennedy tensed slightly, because he knew his brother. He knew that tone. “What about her?”
Jack shrugged. “She’s cute. Like a little tiger cub.”
“Don’t be an ass,” Kennedy said.
“Actually,” Matt said, “I think Kate would sort of love the comparison. A predatory cat? She’d be all over that. Or not,” he muttered when Kennedy gave him a shut the fuck up look.
“She’s my assistant. Leave her alone.”
“She’s our assistant,” Matt corrected. “And she’s single.”
Kennedy gave his friend a look of irritation. “Jesus, Cannon, don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“Not really. And I’m just saying, I saw them talking. They had chemistry.”
Kennedy stared hard first at Matt, then at Jack. “It’s Kate. She’s off-limits.”
“But she’s not married.