that you would be disappointed, Kellen. It just didn’t occur to me just how much you wanted the position, but even if it had—I stand by my decision.”
“Dad, I accepted the position offered to me and I’m grateful to have a job, period. I know that you believe this is the best career path for me, but I don’t agree.”
“You’re right. I do believe this is the best career path for you,” Malcolm responded. “In time, you will feel the same way.”
Kellen smiled. “We’ll see, Dad.”
“Why don’t you stay and have dinner with us? Your mother would love to spend some time with you.”
“What about you?”
“I would like that, as well.”
“I’d like that, too,” Kellen confessed. He was tired of being angry and he hated the distance between them. It was time to accept what he could not change and just move on.
Chapter 4
Kellen shifted in his seat to keep from falling asleep. The person he was shadowing talked in a monotone voice, which was boring him senseless. He rose to his feet. “I’ll be right back.”
He made his way to the break room. Hopefully, moving around a bit could wake him up some. It was nearly the end of August, and he was still taking workshops, working on mock projects and shadowing others. He was ready and anxious to work on real projects.
“Kellen?”
He turned around to find Addison standing in the doorway.
“Taking a break?” she inquired.
“Yes, I needed one.” Despite his frustration with her, Kellen felt an invisible thread pulling them together. When he looked in her dark brown eyes and downward to her perfectly shaped lips, he felt the urge to taste them.
“Are you okay?” she inquired.
Kellen nodded. “I just came in here to get some water, but I’m glad you’re here. Addison, I was thinking about something while observing Josie. That new civic center is a gem of a project. What it needs is a high-profile, progressive design that will enhance its reputation, such as building it on the waterfront.”
“That was the original idea, but it means pier drilling and extensive foundation work. ADDG would have to foot the bills for this until the first payment comes in after the end of stage one. This job’s too big for us, Kellen.”
“Addison, you’re thinking too small.”
“I’m thinking within our means,” she countered. “Thanks to your father, this company has never experienced any cash-flow problems. I definitely don’t intend to accrue any on my watch.”
“We’re on solid financial footing, which means we could expand. If the city wants the center on the beach, then we should give them what they want,” Kellen argued.
“We would need at least fifteen million dollars in reserve in order to do that. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good idea,” she said, “but it wouldn’t be feasible for several reasons. One being that it would be much too expensive, and another is that your father would never give us his approval.”
“I could talk to him,” Kellen offered.
Addison shook her head. “I’m saying no to the idea.”
Her tone was firm and final.
Irked, he stalked out of the break room, heading back to observe his coworker.
She is going to be a problem, Kellen decided. He didn’t fully understand why his father had so much faith in her. Surely, he wasn’t swayed by her beauty.
A thread of shame snaked down his spine. He knew his father would never hire someone who was unqualified. Even so, he included Kellen in the group of unqualified individuals.
He had accepted his fate, but now he had to deal with Addison. He couldn’t help but wonder if she felt threatened by him.
After all, he was an Alexander.
Addison was still heavy on Kellen’s mind by the time he made it home. He put forth a valiant effort to put her out of his thoughts, but it proved harder than he thought.
* * *
After work, Addison met Tia at the La Serenata de Garibaldi located on East First Street for dinner.
“I love this place,” she said, sliding into a booth near the window. “It’s one of my favorite restaurants.”
“The food here is great,” Tia responded. “Especially the Callos de Hacha a la Plancha.”
The grilled scallops topped with mushrooms, peppers and onions were a good choice for appetizer. “I think I’ll have that, too, for starters. For my main entrée, I’ll get the fish enchiladas in green chile sauce,” Addison stated with a smile. “This is the perfect way to end a busy workday.”
“Hey, isn’t that your handsome employee over there?”
Addison stole a peek over her shoulder.
“Yeah,” she responded as casually as she could manage, turning back to face her friend. “That’s Kellen.” He was the last person Addison had expected to run into here of all places. The thought that he had followed her entered her mind, but she quickly chased it away. Why would he do something like that?
“Did you mention that you were coming here for dinner?” Tia asked.
Addison shook her head. She realized her friend had the same idea. “I’m sure this is a coincidence.”
“I recognized him from the magazine articles and pictures on the internet about his family. He looks much better in person.”
“If you like that sort, I guess,” Addison uttered with a shrug of nonchalance. “I personally don’t care for his arrogance.”
Tia gave a short laugh. “I’m sure you can handle him.”
“For sure,” Addison responded with a chuckle.
“So what’s he like?” Tia asked in a whisper that somehow managed to carry over the noisy din of the crowded dining hall.
“I have to be honest. Kellen can be so frustrating at times. He thinks that he can do whatever he wants because his last name is Alexander.”
“I take it that you two are not getting along?”
“We don’t get along at all,” Addison uttered. “He doesn’t respect me, Tia. If I say blue—he wants to make it red.”
Tia frowned. “You just need to set him straight with a quickness.”
Addison nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I do need to have a conversation with him. As much as I don’t want to fire my employer’s son, it might just come to that.”
“Maybe it’s what he needs. You can’t let Kellen Alexander run over you. Make sure he knows that you’re the boss.”
“He’s so talented and smart, Tia. In fact, I’m pretty sure that he wanted my position but didn’t get it, and this is why he has such an attitude.”
“Well, it’s good to see that his family doesn’t hand out titles to the children just because they have Alexander as their last name.”
Addison agreed. “Malcolm has always been fair. He’s a lot like Robert DePaul.”
Her gaze landed on Kellen.
When he laid eyes on her, Addison waved in greeting.
He walked toward their table.
“Good evening, ladies,” Kellen greeted.
“Hello,” they said in unison.
Addison