Page 68 of Save Me

I lift my gaze to Blackmon and give him a curt nod.

As I exit the private dining room, I pull out my phone. I send a few texts to Taehyun and Jersey, updating them on the situation. Then, I check my tracker app to see where Kennedy is.

She isn’t home. She’s at a bar not far from her office.

Kennedy ignored my calls and messages for two days, and now she’s at a bar. My little warrior must want me to show up to see her in person.

CHAPTER 20

Kennedy

“Aren’t you glad you came?” Kelsey slings an arm over my shoulder.

We’re at the bar close to the office, attending one of the happy hours that Kelsey routinely organizes.

It’s not too bad, but a piece of me can’t help but wonder what Dae is doing right now. Is he at the club? Has he called me? I’ve refused to look at my phone for the past few hours.

“Yes,” I answer Kelsey.

Her smile grows. Kelsey is the social butterfly type. The kind who’s never met a stranger. She thrives in this kind of environment.

“I knew you would. You’ve only come to a handful of happy hours since you started working at The Regal.”

“Four,” I reply. They were all within the first couple of months of beginning my position at the media outlet.

“It’s about time you came out with all of us.” Her eyes widen, and shine enters them as she looks over my shoulder.

I peer back and immediately understand the reason for her change of expression. Mick Rogers walks in our direction, his attention fixed on his wife.

“Hey, baby,” he croons, pulling Kelsey in for a hug and kiss once he reaches her. “Ken,” he greets me, smiling, his arm wrapped around Kelsey’s shoulder.

“Hey, Mick,” I respond, ignoring the envy tightening my chest. It must be indigestion.

“How’d your meeting go?” Kelsey asks her husband.

Mick tells us about a meeting with the agent of one of the city’s football players.

A few minutes later, a clanging sound draws our attention. It’s the head of the entire sports division. Immediately, everyone settles down.

“I’m glad to see everyone’s having a great time. Let’s give it up to Kelsey Rogers for her work in organizing these happy hours.” He holds his arm out in Kelsey’s direction.

Applause erupts around the bar accompanied by a few cheers. Kelsey, never one to be shy, takes a playful bow, making us laugh.

Her boss also thanks her for always being a team player. “I don’t want to take much of your time, but I wanted to be the first to publicly say to all of you that Kelsey here has been promoted to on-air correspondent.

“Starting next week, you’ll all see her lovely face twice a week on our premiere channel.”

More applause erupts, even more thunderous this time. I wrap my arms around Kels’ shoulders.

“Congratulations!” I say while laughing and hugging her. “You’re going to be a star.”

“That’s exactly what I keep telling her,” Mick adds, a proud smile on his handsome face.

“Thank you.” Kels wipes a tear away. Before she can say more, other colleagues of ours pull her away and want to congratulate her.

Moving away to give them space, I head to the bar to order a beer. I might as well have at least one drink while I’m here.

“She deserves that promotion,” a male voice that slightly grates on my nerves says from my side.

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