Page 18 of Token

How did she answer that? “It’s not you, Aidan. I don’t want to marry anyone right now.” She’d get married when the time was right for her and not a minute before.

“Is there someone else?”

Kennedy’s eyes went wide. “No. Of course not. No.” She gave her head an emphatic shake. Why was it so hard for some men to accept that refusing a proposal of marriage didn’t necessarily mean there was someone else? Unless this was just Aidan covering all the bases. She hoped it was the latter.

“I’m not sure where we go from here,” he finally said.

She didn’t either because she didn’t want to break up with him. But while she was happy with their current relationship, clearly he was not.

“It would probably be a good idea if we took a break,” he said when she failed to offer up a solution of her own.

Kennedy swallowed hard. “If that’s what you want.”

“It’s not what I want, Ken, but then, it seems I’m not going to get what I want, am I?” The slight bite in his tone conveyed a great deal more than his words.

At that point it became untenable to hold his gaze. She discreetly directed hers over his right shoulder and replied softly, “You’re right. Sometimes we can’t get what we want. It happens to all of us.”

5

Three weeks later

“We got another one,” Jonathan Hanson, Token’s office manager of two years, called out as Kennedy passed his office on the way to hers.

“Another what?” she asked absently, her mind preoccupied with the conversation she’d had with Aidan last night when she’d ended things once and for all. After too many sleepless, guilt-filled nights, she’d known the only way forward was a clean break. Yesterday, she’d made it official, and for all its brevity, it had been every bit as excruciating as she’d dreaded.

Aidan had tried to convince her to give things more time, but she knew she’d only be delaying the inevitable. In his heart of hearts, he knew it too. They were done. Both free to go on with their lives the way the relationship gods intended. Very much apart.

And the two women closest to her agreed she’d done the right thing.Marriage isn’t something you enter into lightly, her happily married sister, Cheryl, had wisely advised, and Aurora agreed that she needed to beall in or not at allbefore even committing to taking the plunge.

When there wasn’t so much as a pause in her stride, Jonathan sprang from his desk and followed her into her office, which was sparse in its decor with its pale gray walls and economical furniture.

“Another request for a Brit. Ideally biracial or Black.” He shook his head, tsking. “They’ve got Regé on the brain.”

Kennedy sat down at her desk, booted up her computer, and took her time putting away her handbag. “Too bad Trevor doesn’t have a twin,” she stated dryly.

“And was British,” Jonathan added. “Or could at least fake the accent.”

Last year, Token had worked with Goldberg & Johnson, a law firm with a history of defending large corporations against gender-and race-based discrimination class-action lawsuits. They’d racked up some pretty impressive wins, like the one defending the largest retailer in the country. But with the shifting tides of public opinion, they’d wanted to expand their specialization and for the makeup of their legal teams to be more representative of the country at large. With the legal profession being one of the least diverse in the country, that was no small feat.

Trevor Markham, a reputable young Black civil rights attorney, whom she’d briefly dated, had more than fit the bill. He’d been perfect. That he was alsowaytoo easy on the eyes was providence if one believed looks mattered to the public at large. It shouldn’t but it did. Too bad there’d been no chemistry between them. She genuinely liked him.

Kennedy clicked the mouse to open the calendar app on her desktop. “Did you tell them we’re not central casting and this is the United States?” In no way, shape, or form could posh British accents or good looks be considered necessary components for diversity or inclusivity.

“She said it wasn’t mandatory, just nice to have.”

Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Of course, it was a she, andsheprobably just binge-watchedBridgerton.”

It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it was amazing how specific a company’s requests could get.

Kennedy stared at her schedule and sighed. Three conference calls in the morning and one meeting downtown. She grew exhausted just looking at it. Next, she pulled up her email and was overcome with the sheer number that remained unread. Honestly, she needed to talk to Keith, their IT guy, about employing a better spam filter.

Jonathan cleared his throat, jerking her attention up to where he stood, legs spread and arms crossed over his chest, leveling her with a knowing stare. “Okay, what happened?”

Damn. He must have been a psychic or mind reader in his former life.

“Don’t give me that look,” he lightly scolded. “It’s obvious something’s wrong. You look like you’re in mourning. And since when did you start wearing burgundy and hunter green in the middle of the summer?”

At his candid critique, Kennedy’s gaze immediately dropped to her houndstooth sheath dress. “But it’s sleeveless and rayon.”

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