Page 31 of Tempting Promises
“No?”
I shake my head. “Really, it’s not a good time.” I look back at Kimberly, who is definitely listening to my conversation, and we both smile. “I’m sure we’ll see each other around.”
“Is someone here?” he asks.
“Yes, and I really don’t want to be rude.”
“Who is it?”
“Goodbye, Rowan.”
Kimberly clears her throat. “Rowan?”
I turn to her. “Yeah, umm, he’s an old friend . . . kind of . . . and?—”
Kimberly steps closer to me and I have no choice but to open the door. She lets out a laugh when she sees him, and he looks as though he’s been punched in the face.
“Well, this is interesting,” Kimberly says as she looks at us. “You...him? You’re the girl he carried out?”
I feel like I’m missing something.
Then Rowan speaks. “Kimberly, I apologize,” he says her name, and I swear I’m in an alternate reality. Apologize? What the hell did he do? And how does she know he carried me out of the bar?
I gasp. Oh Jesus. I remember, he was talking to a blonde at the bar last night. It’s official, I don’t have bad luck, I have no luck.
“Rowan, nice to see you.”
He smiles with a soft laugh. “You too. Sorry I bailed last night.”
“Seems you found what you were looking for anyway.” Kimberly’s smile never fades as she says it and then looks to me. “If now isn’t a good time . . .”
“No, it’s perfectly fine. Mr. Whitlock was just leaving,” I say pointedly.
“Wait, Whitlock? As in Whitlock Farms?” Kimberly asks, looking at the two of us.
“Yes, the same.” Rowan’s brows furrow.
“Well, this makes things easier. As I said to Ms. Sullivan, my name is Kimberly Knight, with Knight Food Distribution. I’m in town to visit both of your farms since you’re up for the same contract.”
Unreal. And here I thought this day couldn’t get any worse.
eight
ROWAN
This could’ve gone really wrong if I’d ended up fucking Kimberly last night. I guess saving Charlotte wasn’t such a bad move.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Knight,” I say smoothly.
She laughs. “We can dispense with the formalities. I promise this isn’t a formal meeting. I usually come out, look at the property, see your setup, and let my brother Carson know whether I see any red flags. Whatever last night was or wasn’t isn’t my business.”
Charlotte nearly chokes as she quickly corrects her. “Oh, no! We didn’t...we aren’t that way.”
Kimberly raises her hands. “I promise, it doesn’t matter. All I care about is the farm and your product.”
“I understand that, I really do, but I need you to know there is nothing between us. We don’t even like each other.”
“I understand,” Kimberly assures her, but her smile says otherwise.
