Page 13 of Love in the Details

Kassidy turned around and started after her mother, when Dustin made an appearance, walking in their direction. His usually crisp attire looked a little worse for wear, with his tie loosened around his neck and his dress shirt wrinkled in front. Despite the cold weather, he hadn’t buttoned up his coat.

He smiled when he saw her, and Kassidy paused, feeling like her legs might give out from under her. And there she stood in her painted jeans and her hair in a messy bun. At least she’d looked more professional yesterday for the interview.

“Chance for what?” he asked, pausing next to the car where her mother had popped the trunk.

“Um, well, a chance to beat her to the car.” The excuse sounded lame to her own ears.

“Hi, I’m Tonya McBride,” Kassidy’s mom said, reaching out her hand.

Dustin took it and shook, staring at her mother’s face with a slight smile.

“I was good friends with your father back in the day. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

The smile left his face, and his Adam’s apple bobbed a few times. “Thank you. It’s been a long time, but there are still moments when it’s painful.”

The vulnerability in his expression caused Kassidy to study his features too closely. His jawline was strong, and the color of his eyes seemed to be a bit more green at the moment than the turquoise she’d noticed yesterday and at the bank.

“Kassidy tells me you’re in charge of the Wakefield Christmas Gala this year. I’m sure the town will be so excited for whatever you come up with.”

Dustin nodded, avoiding Kassidy’s gaze for several seconds before glancing over at her. “I was going to call earlier, but I’ve had a massive headache and thought I’d venture down for some ibuprofen and cold medicine before it gets worse.”

Kassidy barely breathed, some strange part of her subconscious telling her that if she did anything to distract him, she wouldn’t get the job.

“There were a few applicants with better qualifications,” he said.

Hope withered in her chest. Of course. Why had she even thought this was possible?

“But I wanted to extend you the offer of getting the mansion ready for the holidays. There will be a lot of celebrities and other people coming, so just keep that in mind.” He glanced around the dim parking lot, the last rays of the sun shining over the mountains to the west. “Sorry, I’m usually more formal when extending a job offer, but all the finer details will have to wait until morning. If you accept, that is.”

Kassidy was stunned, not sure what to think of actually landing her dream job.

Her mother nudged her, motioning to Dustin with her head to get Kassidy to talk.

“Oh, um, of course. Thank you so much.” Kassidy’s voice sounded robotic as she tried to comprehend the excitement and the enormity of the task ahead. “When would you like me to start?”

“How about you drop by the house tomorrow morning. I have a conference call starting at ten, but sometime before that would be good. We can get all the papers signed and go over the contract. Will that work?”

Words had never had a problem coming to her before, but at the moment, Kassidy was speechless. She nodded, forcing a smile through the disbelief that she’d gotten the offer.

“Perfect. I’ll see you then.” He nodded to Kassidy and turned to her mother. “It was a pleasure meeting you. Have a good night.” He waved to the two of them and strolled into the drug store.

Was that really the guy who’d interviewed her yesterday? There was something very different about him, but then again, a crushing headache could do that to a person.

Kassidy turned to her mother, the shock finally wearing off, and leaned in for a giant hug. “Thank you for nudging me, like always.”

“What are mothers for?” her mom said with a grin. “I’m so proud of you and excited for this chance. If you need any help, you know I’ll be here.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’m sure I’ll be taking you up on that at some point.”

They got into the SUV, and her mom shifted the car into reverse. “So where will you start? Do you have an idea of what you’ll do?”

“I’ll need to do some measurements and figure out a flow for the party, but I can do that in the morning. Right now, I’ll just have to start clipping things to my boards so I have a better idea when I get there tomorrow.” She paused a moment. “I can’t believe he picked me over the others who had more experience.”

Heat rushed up her cheeks as she thought about what she’d said to him when she arrived the day before. She’d let her hot-headed temper through, and she wondered if it had helped her get the job or if maybe her ideas for what to do for the party had been the right answer.

At least she got it. She breathed out a sigh of relief and sank back against the passenger seat. She’d be able to pay the bills for the next few months.

“You might want to get a website up and going tonight. Maybe find a logo you like for your company,” her mom said, glancing over with a wide smile.

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