Until We Touch (Fool's Gold #15)(41)

What he would guess they had never thought about was that he, too, had lost Lucas. And a few months later, he’d also lost his parents. Risking caring about anyone had become impossible. He knew the price of getting involved and he was never going to let that happen again.

He had the fame and the money to take on causes. And he did. From a distance. Larissa was the heart of their odd philanthropic partnership and he was the means. He believed it was a whole lot safer that way. For everyone, but mostly for him.

CHAPTER NINE

LARISSA SET OUT place mats and napkins. It was after five and dinner would be delivered within the half hour. She already had the wine open and breathing. It was a Washington State Cabernet—a favorite of everyone. Soft music played in the background.

Outside the conference rooms she could hear the other employees calling out as they left. Then it would be the five of them for dinner. The four partners and her.

She smiled as she continued to set the table. It had been far too long since they had a “family” dinner at work. Lately everyone was so busy with their personal lives. Taryn was rushing home to be with Angel. Sam was rushing home to be with Dellina. Kenny—well, Larissa wasn’t sure where he rushed off to, but he was gone a lot. That left her and Jack, which was great, but every now and then she wanted the whole band back together.

Kenny strolled into the conference room. He’d taken off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt. The cuffs were already rolled up. He looked happy and relaxed, until he heard the music.

“Come on,” he said, his tone complaining. “How about something good for a change?”

“These are all songs from this century,” she pointed out.

“Not a great time for music.”

“Do you want to know how many albums Taylor Swift has sold?”

He winced. “No, and I don’t want to talk about her.”

“Not every great song is from the 1960s.”

“Want to bet?”

She laughed. Kenny was so predictable with his crazy love of oldies. “You weren’t even born then.”

“That doesn’t mean the music wasn’t great.”

She opened the cabinet containing the dishes and glassware. Kenny joined her and reached for plates.

“Are your hands clean?” she asked, her voice teasing.

“Of course. You think I’d offer to help if they weren’t?”

“You might.”

“Not my style.”

He set out the plates while she followed with the glasses. Kenny walked to the flatware drawer, but instead of opening it, he faced her.

“You doing okay?” he asked.

“Sure. Why?”

“Just checking.”

“On me?”

He nodded.

She paused, wondering what all this was about. Kenny was a good guy. Charming, easygoing. He was genuinely nice and kind. He called his mother regularly, paid his bills on time and rarely experienced the dark moods that Jack sometimes wrestled with.

He was also six feet four inches of pure speed. With his size, he could have played nearly anywhere on the football field, but Kenny loved to catch footballs and when they were around him, footballs loved to be caught.

All in all, the perfect man, she thought as he watched her carefully. Handsome, successful, rich. She was sure women everywhere wondered why he wasn’t married. There must be a simple explanation, but it wasn’t one he’d ever talked about to her.

So why was he worried about her?

“Jack,” she said suddenly, feeling her cheeks heat up. “And my mother.”

“Are they a thing? I didn’t know.”

Her mouth twisted. “Very funny. You know what I mean. He told you what my mom said.”

Kenny nodded. “And about the kiss.”

The heat grew until Larissa was sure she was bright red. This was when wearing makeup would be a good thing, she thought. Something to conceal her body’s reaction to conflicting emotions.

“It didn’t mean anything,” she said.

“That’s what Jack told me and I don’t believe you, either.”

She stared up into Kenny’s blue eyes. “My mother said some stuff and now we’re dealing. It’ll pass.”

“I want to believe that, but I’m not sure I can. Larissa, you’re one of us. We’re family. Jack shouldn’t mess with that. If you two get involved and then it goes badly...”

He didn’t finish the sentence, but then he didn’t have to. Larissa knew what would happen. Jack was an owner, she was an employee. It wasn’t as if he would be the one to leave.

“We’re not involved,” she said firmly. “I promise.”

“You’re not in love with him?”

“What? No. I like Jack a lot. Just like I like you a lot. It’s not more than that.” At least she hoped it wasn’t. Because as much as she adored Kenny, she had no desire to kiss him. Or Sam. In fact, there wasn’t anyone she wanted to kiss except, of course, Jack.

“Kenny, I’m okay. This will get worked out and things will go back to normal.”

He nodded slowly. “If you’re sure. But if that changes and you get in trouble, let me know.”

Because he would be there for her. “Thank you,” she said, stepping forward and hugging him.