Page 20 of Token

“Breaks never work,” Jonathan interjected.

“Thank you!” Kennedy exclaimed. “Which is exactly what I told Aidan last night. Once there’s a proposal and no engagement, it’s over. He knew it and I knew it, but I wanted to give him time to get used to the idea.”

To be fair, he wasn’t the only one. While she might not necessarily want to marry him—at this time in her extremely busy life—she had enjoyed dating him. She stopped fidgeting and put down the pen.

“Well, you know what they say. You can’t force love,” Jonathan remarked.

“I thought it was you can’t hurry love, which I believe is a song.”

“Force, hurry—” Jonathan shrugged “—means the same thing.” After a beat, he continued lightly, “I’m going to have to start calling you Heartbreaker Kennedy. Most people won’t receive two marriage proposals in a lifetime, and you’ve managed it in twenty-nine years, and turned them both down.”

Heartbreaker.Kennedy winced inwardly. Nate had said something similar the last time she saw him.

The sound of the agency’s main door opening saved her from a discussion she didn’t want to have right now...or really ever.

“It’s about time,” Kennedy called out. “I was getting ready to call 9-1-1 for a welfare check.” Aurora was usually in an hour early and it was already half past eight now. The rest of the office staff usually trickled in right before their nine o’clock opening.

Her greeting was met with silence. Brows furrowed, Jonathan glanced at her before getting up and walking to her office doorway. The smile that blossomed over his face told her they weren’t being robbed.

“Here to see Aurora?” Jonathan asked as he exited her office, posing his question to the person arriving before opening hours.

“Is she in?” a male voice responded.

Kennedy froze. A voice she immediately recognized.

Before she could fully grasp what was happening, Nathaniel Vaughn stood framed in her doorway, his hair looking like a strong wind gust had gone a few rounds with it and won. A day’s worth of bristle covered his square jaw.

Unfortunately, tousled-hair, unshaven Nate looked just as good as the perfectly coiffed, clean-shaven one.

“Nate, you’re here,” she said, staring at him blankly.

No, he’s on the moon, idiot.

“I mean, what are you doing here?” The last she’d heard, he was still in France.

Without waiting for an invitation, he stepped inside. “Here in your office or back stateside?” he asked casually, closing the door behind him.

And just like that, her office was reduced to the size of a broom closet.

“Both.” Aurora always told her when Nate was in town, and she usually invited her to join them for dinner before he flew out. But she hadn’t said a word about him being in town when they’d spoken last night.

“I took a red-eye in this morning.”

Kennedy ran her gaze over him again.And it shows.As casual as the dress code was at his company, jeans, T-shirt,andsneakers were discouraged at headquarters. He looked as if he’d slept in his.

“Don’t mind if I sit,” he murmured and dropped into the chair Jonathan had recently vacated.

“Why, hello, Nate. Nice to see you too. I assume you’re here to see your sister.”

He shot a pointed look at her closed office door. “No, I’m here to see you.”

Kennedy blinked twice at that. “Me? What for?”

“It’s obvious you haven’t heard.”

“Heard what?”

“I’m being sued for job discrimination.”

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