They grinned at each other and left.
twelve
KENNEDY CROSSED HER legs and watched her date’s gaze snag on the short hemline of her skirt. Good. Her body was back in working order and all systems were ready to go. Tonight, she may decide to have sex.
A reward for skipping carbs all week.
She’d dressed carefully, knowing a fine line lay between elegantly sexy versus cheap and available. The black skirt may be short and snug, but the fire-engine red Donna Karan blouse she paired with it had bell sleeves and a demure neckline. The red heels were all “come and get me if you dare.” The peekaboo game was a classic, and she always won.
Always.
Derek slid her another drink across the bar. A real estate mogul, he’d already taken a few phone calls and clearly knew how to work a room. He wore his hair cropped close to the scalp, sported a three-figure custom suit, and looked at her now with hungry blue eyes. His sharklike instinct and good looks kept her amused, and she was even hopeful a longer conversation would prove they had common ground to work with.
“So, how’s your marriage quota doing?” He sipped his martini and gave her an amused look. “Making money?”
She bared her teeth. Any potshots at the career she adored would never be tolerated. “How’s the housing bubble treating you, babe?”
He laughed. “I like a challenge.” His eyes gleamed. “Don’t you?”
“Always. That’s why I buck the odds every day. Finding love in this era and going head to head with divorce statistics reminds me to be brave.”
“An interesting theory. Still not sure why you wanted to settle in Verily. You’re missing out on the excitement and big bucks of Manhattan.”
She swung her foot in rhythm to the blare of rock music. “I like the small-town atmosphere. And we do better with our niche here.”
“Make sure you call me when you’re ready to upgrade your residence. Your gorgeousness deserves a penthouse on the Upper East Side. Not a rundown cottage on the Hudson.”
She tried to concentrate on his compliment rather than on the slight put-down about her choices. It didn’t work. “You barely got through the door. Who are you to judge?”
Derek leaned in. His nostrils flared slightly. “I intend on seeing a lot more than the front porch. Unless you’d like a tour of my new place? There’s a hot tub you’d love.”
“Presumptuous, are we?”
He took another sip. “No, just grown up. I haven’t met a woman who’s intrigued me this much in a while. We’d make a great team.”
Yes. They matched each other quite well. Derek seemed like a male version of her. Career oriented and direct, he obviously lived in the fast lane and loved beautiful things. He’d told her most of the night how much she pleased him—without making her feel objectified. His charm was potent.
He was very different from Nate.
As if her thoughts conjured him up, Nate walked into Mugs with a large man at his side. What was he doing? Didn’t he have a date with Sue tonight? She watched him slide into a booth and imagined him ordering a Darth Maultini. Then needing to explain exactly how to create the cocktail. Ah, that was definitely his brother. Taller and larger, he wore casual clothes, had longish hair, but his sharp, angular features pegged him as family.
Derek’s laugh jerked back her attention. “Any other woman I know would’ve jumped on my remark. You’re gonna make me work for it, aren’t you, babe?”
She tossed him a smile. “As Thomas Paine said, ‘What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value.’ ”
“I surrender. A rocking body and a brain. I’m yours.”
She waited for the prickle of happiness she always experienced when she was able to enchant a man. The perfect foreplay banter usually got her body lit up and ready to go. Instead, her tummy remained steady and her nipples flat. One of her main issues was always the thrill of ensnaring male attention. She’d done the therapy and knew it came from her past of consistently chasing after approval from the opposite sex. When she lost the weight, it was as if she’d dropped into a candy store, and overindulging was an easy way to forget about her other problems. Beautiful men and physical pleasure. Did anything get better than that?
But tonight she just wasn’t in the mood.
Her gaze flickered back to the booth. The drinks had arrived, and they sat with their heads bent together in conversation. Nate threw back his head and laughed. Connor grinned.
“Kennedy?”
She jumped. “Yeah?”
“I have to take this call, it’ll be a few minutes. Forgive me?”
“Of course. I’ll wait here.”
He walked out of Mugs with the phone held to his ear, already barking instructions to his assistant or partner. Well, it was ridiculous not to go over and say hello. Introduce herself to Connor. It would only take a moment.
She grabbed her drink, slid off the stool, and marched to their table.
“Hey.”
Nate looked up. Pleasure shone in his gaze as he took in her appearance, but it was more than a compliment. He seemed to look to the very inside of who she was, beyond the physical form she was so proud of. “Hey.”
“I thought you had a date with Sue.”
“We did. Are you here with the girls?” he asked.
“No, on a date.”
His lips tightened. “Oh. That’s nice. This is my brother, Connor. Connor, meet Kennedy from Kinnections. My matchmaker.”
Connor reached out and shook her hand. “No kidding. I didn’t know they made matchmakers like firefighters.”
“Firefighters?” she asked.
“Darlin’, you’re so smoking hot you need a fire extinguisher for the job.”
Nate winced.
Kennedy studied his brother and did the only thing she could under the circumstances.
She laughed. “I think that scores as one of the worst pick-up lines of all time. Please don’t tell me you ever got lucky with that one.”
Connor pumped up masculine pride. “Nah, but you’re the first matchmaker I’ve ever met.” He winked. “Had to bring out the big guns for you.”
“Thank God. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Connor. Nate speaks highly of you. Says you’re in construction.”
“Yeah, we just finished a job in Westchester. I may be heading out to Tarrytown next.”
“Was it the government building?”
He lit up. “Yeah, that’s the one we just completed.”