She frowned. “Why?”
“Because, baby cakes, you should be doing it for the joy of it, for the pride, because you’re crazy about it and can’t imagine doing anything else.” He poured them both some more sake.
“That’s why college was so much fun for you,” he said after a quick sip. “And that’s why you’ve enjoyed every job you ever had, because you were crazy about it, at least at the time.” He smiled at her. “It’s what makes you you, don’t you know that?”
“I can be me without loving my job.”
“You can’t be the best you that you can be.”
Kenna laughed. “You sound like a commercial for the armed forces.”
“I’m serious.” He pointed at her with his chopsticks. “A career requires passion. You, Kenna,
She stared at him. “What?”
“It’s true,” he said gently.
“I’m missing my passion?”
“Yes.”
Oh my God, he was right. He was so right. Somehow, somewhere along the way, she’d really lost it. “How do I get it back?”
“Well, as I see it, you can do one of two things.”
“What?”
“Not what. Whom.” A slow grin split his face. “You can do Wes.”
“Ray!”
He laughed. “Kidding. But you do have to do something. Sorry, but you just have to figure it out on your own.”
“Gee, thanks.”
He grinned and toasted her with his sake. “You’re ever so welcome.”
10
MONDAY MORNING came along with a series of meetings. Kenna hit the first one armed with coffee and the realization that Ray had been right.
While this job excited her somewhat, and also challenged her, something
She gulped down some serious caffeine and tried to tell herself she was wildly passionate right this very minute. That today would be the day she left her mark on this corporation.
She sat at the conference table as everyone filed in for the last of the ongoing renovation discussions, and told herself that she was so passionate about this that any minute now she was going to get up and high-five everyone.
“Everything is going smoothly,” Wes said as he sat. “We have only two floors not currently ready for guests, and that’s short-term.”
He wore a dark-gray suit today, big surprise. He looked at her through his glasses as he shrugged out of his jacket-
Exposing bright-yellow suspenders.
She grinned wide, and suddenly felt…a sparkle of passion.
“The decorators and Mr. Mallory have finally agreed on all the issues, and work commences today on both floors, which, as you know, are suites.”
Suites. Kenna knew what was missing from this hotel! “Do we have any themed suites?”
Everyone looked at her, and she smiled. “You know, like a sports theme or a movie theme or…a food suite. You could attract families, reunions…And think what a honeymoon suite would do for honeymooners.” She was so excited. “We could do a virgin decor, or a-” she grinned “-not-so-virgin decor.”
“I’m not sure that would fly,” Wes said.
Kenna looked around and saw a bunch of horrified faces.
“Our clientele-”
“Is not into virgin decor.” She sighed. “Right. I knew that.” Kenna set her pencil down and sat back.
And to think, she’d been bound and determined to make her mark today, one way or another. Or at least to take a solid step forward without running smack into the hard-headed, conservative wall of her father’s will.
Not going to happen, and her passion went from sizzle to fizzle.
THAT EVENING, Wes stopped by Kenna’s office on his way out. She watched him as he dropped a file on her desk. “What’s that?”
“Projected expenses for next quarter. I thought you’d like to look.”
Only more than taking her next breath. But she was tired of banging her head on the ten-foot-high brick Mallory wall. She tapped on the file. “Why should I?”
“What do you mean why?”
“What if something comes to me as I’m reading it? It seems to me that this place is a bit closed off to new ideas.”
“I’m not.”
“Please.” She barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
“I’m not,” he insisted, then let out a long breath. “Okay, I resisted the thought of you working here. I admitted that to you on day one.”
“Because you wanted this job for yourself.”
“Damn right I did. But we’re sharing and I’m fine with that.”
“For now.”
“For now. Look, you’re doing your job, you’re not slacking, and I appreciate anyone who works as hard as you do,” he said.
“Really?”
“Yes.” He started to back out of her office. “And for what it’s worth, I liked your themed suite idea.”
“Until I came to the honeymoon suite, you mean.”
His eyes lit with humor. “I just didn’t think the board would approve of handcuffs and vibrating beds.”
She lifted a brow. “I never said a word about handcuffs or vibrating beds.”
Now his lips curved. “But you were thinking them.”
“And, apparently, so were you.” For some reason, this made her grin, too. “Uptight, regimented, controlled Mr. Weston Roth, sitting in a meeting thinking naughty little thoughts about handcuffs and vibrating beds. You’re a very interesting man, Wes.”
“It’s shocking, the depths to me, isn’t it?”
Standing, she moved around her desk so they were face to face. “Shocking.”
“And by the way…I’m not uptight.” Suddenly his voice didn’t sound board-room and even-keeled, but slightly rough and definitely silky. “The vote might still be out on the regimented and controlled part, but I’m definitely not uptight.”
“Good to know.” She slipped a finger beneath his suspenders and snapped them lightly against his chest, which she could feel was hard and smooth.
“You wore yellow. I’m impressed.”
“My contribution to the splash of color for the day.” He ran a finger over her shoulder and the bright-red suit jacket she wore.
Just that morning, standing in her hotel room in front of a mirror, she’d wondered about her need to wear something so bright, her need to stand out. What did it say about her that she expected every one else to conform and go with what she wanted, and yet she’d never considered conforming to the min any way? “I appreciate it.”
