Kate Takes Care Of Business Read Free Page A

her was enough to prevent any possibility of falling under the charming spell of the handsome young man on the other side of her bedroom door. Seeing her closest friend tonight would take her mind and her father’s off the troubling presence of Reid Griffin.
    Her parents had always loved Sterling like family and it was no secret that Dad would have loved her to marry his business partner’s son. A marriage like that would go a long way to smoothing over the rough piece they were going through now with their current disagreements.
    Sterling had just squeaked by and graduated from Harvard with an undergrad business degree but Kate knew he did that more to please his father than anything else. Still, thanks to his father's influence, Sterling had a choice of good positions waiting for him at the company.
    And eager young woman at the country club.
    Most of the girls in their crowd envied her affair with Sterling. The-way-too-flirty-for-her-own-good Bridget Sutton in particular who assumed Kate would be the lucky one to marry him leaving her stuck with boring Jeffrey Wexler.
    Well, she and Sterling did have their secret promise, didn’t they? And, maybe, if Kate changed her mind they wouldn’t have to wait until they turned forty. Kate emerged from the bedroom with her Carolina blue eyes glinting.
    Her father turned to her. “Just got a message from Sterling. Better not wander too far or stay out too late. He’d be disappointed to arrive and not find you here.” He looked at Reid. “He’s like his father, very concerned about the people he cares about.”
    Kate snickered. “Jealous, you mean.” From beneath her long dark lashes, she shot a glance at Reid. She wondered how he was taking her father’s “look but don’t touch” warning, but she couldn’t tell anything from Reid’s thin smile. She titled her head to the side. “You do realize that no one goes to the Boathouse for the food except tourists.”
    Reid’s appreciative eye traveled from her face to her tight jeans. “But you can’t beat the view can you?”
    Kate felt a warm glow flow through her. “Then I hope there’s a cab waiting for us downstairs. My father and I are on a tight schedule.” She took a step closer to him. “We will be back in time to meet my friend, won’t we, Mr. Griffin?”
    Reid grinned at her. “I won’t keep you any longer than I have too, Ms. Winslow.” His firm mouth curled as if on the edge of laughter.
    Unless you want me to. Reid’s expression answered her unspoken thought. Kate kissed her father on the cheek. “I’ll call when I’m leaving.”

CHAPTER FOUR
     
     
     
    The view from the Boathouse was wonderful. From under their patio umbrella, Kate gazed out at the swans gliding by on the placid water. She was glad Reid had chosen a relaxing retreat from the stress and worry of the hotel filled with demanding stockholders eager to have their meeting.
    The food might be forgettable, the service uneven and there were too many tourists for her liking, but surrounded by water and trees, Kate felt that there were just the two of them in this small, serene corner of her busy world.
    “And that’s why it took me this long to get back to you. I thought you had a terrible time that night and I didn’t want to make you angry and scare you away by being one of those pushy, dumb-ass guys who can’t figure out when a woman is telling him politely to get lost.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I like you too much, Kate, and I’d never do anything to jeopardize our friendship. I only hope you can forgive me . . . and give me another chance.”
    A part of Kate reveled in his open admiration and respect for her. She appreciated Reid’s honesty but it wasn’t the first time she’d heard an explanation like that. Sterling had said something similar and they might never have had the affair she’d desperately desired unless she made the first move.
    Kate looked down at his hand over hers. She knew she