Page 9 of Courting the Consequences

She laughed lightly and shrugged. “Every girl has daddy issues if you look hard enough. Some are just bigger than others.”

Derrick nodded. “So dear ole dad is a dick?”

Kara laughed and wiped her eyes again. “Not always,” she shrugged. She didn’t seem to want to get into it, and Derrick respected that.

“Were you close growing up?” he asked, phishing for a way in.

Kara shook her head. “I didn’t know him then. I was raised by my mom. Single mother. I didn’t meet my dad until I was in college,” Kara admitted.

Derrick hung his head, knowing the story all too well. “My mom was alone too. Raised me herself.” He sighed and nudged her shoulder with his. “She was amazing.”

She leaned into him slightly, pressing more of her arm against his. “Bet you were a momma’s boy.” She grinned up at him.

He gave her a shit-eating grin back. “One hundred percent.” He nodded.

“So not always a dick then?” Kara shot back.

Derrick barked a laugh. “Nah, not always, I guess. How am I doing now? Falling for my charm yet?”

Kara rolled her eyes with a smirk. “Keep dreaming, Fabio,” she joked and knocked her shoulder against his. “Thank you, though.”

He nodded. “Anytime, Princess,” he said, purposely using the nickname that Johnny had given her.

Kara rolled her eyes. “What’s with your crew calling me Princess?”

Derrick laughed. “Oh, come on, you don’t see it? Miss CEO up on the top floor of her tower, lording over all the common folk?” He smirked and bumped their shoulders again.

Kara shook her head but didn’t disagree. She pulled out her phone and typed in the code, which Derrick committed to memory, and read her notifications. She sighed and slid off her perch of boxes. “I guess break time is over. I’ve got a meeting in twenty minutes.” He watched her open her camera and turn it on herself to use as a mirror. She swiped under her eyes again. Her makeup was still flawless, though her cheeks were a little splotchy. She frowned regardless.

Derrick watched her sigh and tuck the phone into the pocket of her suit coat. She smoothed out her dress and glanced at him. “Thanks for cheering me up. I appreciate it.”

He nodded wordlessly. He already missed the warmth of her pressed against his arm.

Once she started walking away, Derrick stood up and followed her. “Have a good day, Princess,” Derrick called to her as she opened the door out into the basement hallway.

“Thanks again.” She smiled over her shoulder at him.

Derrick smirked as she almost collided with Johnny and Kevin.

“Easy there, Princess.” Johnny greeted her with a grin.

Derrick could only imagine how bright red Kara’s face grew as she said, “Gentlemen,” and squeezed between Kevin and Johnny.

Once the door closed behind them, Johnny raised an eyebrow. “Secret meeting with the queen herself?”

Derrick grinned brightly and glanced at Kevin. “What can I say? She needed an afternoon pick-me-up.”

Johnny barked out a laugh, but Kevin glowered. It was too easy to rile the guy up sometimes.

Derrick laughed at his buddy’s misfortune.

“Sola!”Kara’sexcitedvoicejolted Kevin out of his daydreaming. He had been standing in line in the cafeteria, zoned out and waiting to pay for his breakfast sandwich. He looked up from the floor tile he had been staring at just in time to see Kara slide into the back of the woman who was standing in line in front of Kevin waiting to pay for her breakfast.

It was the mostunprofessionalhe’d seen her yet: happy and excited but still as put together as usual.

“Morning, beautiful!” Her friend greeted her with a smile. Her hand wrapped around Kara’s shoulders in a side hug.

“How’d it go? Did you close?” Kara’s smile was bright and genuine. She was so tuned into her friend that she hadn’t noticed anyone else in line. Johnny and Derrick stood behind Kevin, also waiting to pay for their food.

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