The Future of Love (Bachelor Billionaire #6) (10 page)

He
needed to get her out of his mind and tried to concentrate on his
feet hitting the ground harder and harder as he ran. Sweat began to
drip down his forehead as the heat beat down on him. When he turned a
corner and looked up, he couldn't believe what he saw. She was
running ahead of him. She looked so damn sexy as she moved. Kyle
stayed behind her until she stopped and leaned down with her hands on
her knees. He stopped running and walked up to her. Then he reached
out to touch her shoulder. Jenny let out a yelp and jumped as she
turned.

“
Shit,”
he said. “I'm sorry. I didn't want to scare you.”

Jenny
started to laugh.

“
That
didn't work. I thought you had work to do.”

“
I
couldn't concentrate and needed a run,” he said.

“
Me
too.”

Kyle
thought about asking her if she was talking to the girls about him
kissing her, but he didn't want her to take off or get upset. They
both started walking while they talked about his day of golf and her
day with the girls. After a bit, he looked over with a smile.

“
Come
on,” he said. “Show me those skills of yours.”

Jenny
shook her head and stuck her earbuds in that she'd pulled out when
she stopped to rest. They both turned on their music and ran
together. Kyle was surprised how long she was willing to run for. He
thought for sure she would have been done after twenty or thirty
minutes. She kept a nice pace and moved as if it took no effort at
all.

When
they were in front of a store, he reached over to stop her. Then he
went in to get them each a drink. They sat down on a bench to enjoy
their cold waters. She asked him how long he had been running for.
He'd started while he was in college. It helped him get rid of stress
and he felt he was able to concentrate better on his school work
after he went for a run. He liked the freedom of feeling the sun and
fresh air beat against him. It was relaxing for him.

When
he asked her about running, she seemed a little hesitant about
answering at first. Then she told him it was a way to be by herself
and think while she was married. She'd enjoyed it before, but it had
really helped her during that time. Once she'd left him, she used it
as a type of therapy. She'd use it to get rid of her aggression and
to try and clear her mind.

He
wanted to ask her more about her marriage, but he didn't think they
were close enough for that yet. There was no doubt in his mind that
he wanted to spend more time with her. They'd spent more time
together on that vacation than they had the five years since he'd met
her.

They
ran for another hour before going back toward their houses. He
stopped in front of Gavin's and pulled the earbuds from his ears.

“
You
didn't even lose me,” he joked.

“
You're
not so bad,” she said.

“
I've
got skills too,” he said. “Make sure you tell Becky.”

“
Yes,
you do,” she said. “I'll see you later, Kyle.”

She
walked quickly to the house and disappeared inside. He couldn't help
feeling like he was in high school again.

The
next two days, he worked and hung out on the beach with the kids. He
knew once he went home he wouldn't be able to see them often. With
Ethan finding out Julie was pregnant, he was sure to cut back on his
hours. That would leave Kyle with more work, and he was actually
excited about it. It would give him time to prove to Ethan that he
would be just fine on his own.

He'd
look down the beach and see her playing in the sand or sitting back
reading, and he couldn't help but smile. There were a few moments
that he knew she busted him watching before she'd quickly turn away.

All
of the families got together at Josh and Lisa's the final night for
dinner. They had finally bought a house there, and Lisa was so happy.
She was so proud to be serving them all dinner in their new home away
from home.

Jenny
moved around the table helping the kids get their plates. When she
looked up, her eyes connected with Kyle's, and he thought he saw
sadness in them. He knew he was going to miss seeing her each day,
even if it was from just down the beach. When he smiled, she smiled
back before looking back at the kids she was helping.

The
next morning, Kyle's flight was leaving much earlier than the rest.
Heath and Tara were staying another week, as well as Josh and Lisa.
John, Ethan, and Gavin's families were all flying home together.
Jenny was flying with them. Kyle was up and gone before anyone else
had even gotten out of bed.

He'd
really had a nice vacation and knew it was somewhere he'd want to go
often. The beach was beautiful and there were so many places to run,
walk, picnic, and just enjoy the outdoors. The more he thought about
it, the more he knew how much he was going to miss it. He was on a
plane flying away when he made a decision. As soon as he got home, he
needed to make some calls.

Jenny

Jenny
knew that Gavin and Becky were flying home with John, Sandy, Ethan,
and Julie. For some reason, she had assumed Kyle would be flying with
them. She was looking forward to seeing him one last time before
getting back to real life. When they walked outside to meet their
cars, he wasn't there. She wanted to ask John without trying to be
obvious. When he told her Kyle had flown out earlier in the morning,
she felt her heart sink. She wouldn't be able to see him after all.

The
flight home seemed so long and gave her time to think about her life.
She knew it was time to get back out on her own and start her life
over. She wanted to find a place of her own so she could have some
time to herself and Gavin and Becky could have their house and
privacy back. They had been so good to her and never once suggested
she should leave, but she knew that after six months, it was time.
She thought that maybe it was time to get out there, make some new
friends, and possibly go on a date or two. The guy buying her a drink
in the bar was creepy, but being around Kyle and spending time with
him was nice. He might not be interested in her in that way, but she
was sure she would find someone to spend a little time with. Jenny
didn't want to get into a serious relationship, but the thought of
making friends and hanging out with someone more her age sounded
good.

Everything
was back to normal as soon as the plane landed. Monday morning was
right around the corner, and Gavin was back in work mode. Jenny spent
the rest of the day in her room preparing for the following morning.
She went over Gavin's schedule to make sure she was ready to jump
back in.

Monday
morning was busy. Everyone seemed to have questions for her about
Gavin's week and when he was available. He definitely was good to his
employees. They never felt strange going to him with things. It made
his days twice as busy, but it kept his employees with his company.
There was barely ever turnover, and Jenny was proud to work there as
well.

Things
had calmed down by the afternoon, and she found herself online
looking for apartments. She reached up to rub her neck as a shiver
spread across her shoulders. When she heard a throat clear, she
jumped and looked up to find Ethan and Kyle standing in front of her.
She couldn't help but look Kyle up and down. He was right back to
business in his suit and tie.

“
Sorry,”
she said nervously. “I didn't hear you walk up and didn't know
you were coming. Gavin didn't mention he had a meeting with you
today.”

“
We're
special,” Ethan said with a smirk. “Don't need an
appointment.”

She
didn't have time to think before Gavin walked out of his office and
stood behind her. With Kyle standing in front of her, she'd forgotten
what she had been doing.

“
What
are you doing?” Gavin asked.

Jenny
turned around to look at him. He was looking down at her. She thought
he was talking to Ethan.

“
What?”
she asked.

“
Are
you looking for an apartment?” he asked. “We aren't in a
hurry for you to leave, Jenny. We like having you there. You're
family.”

“
I
know,” she said, quickly closing the browser on her screen. “I
think it's time to give you and Becky back your home. It's also time
for me to go it alone.”

“
Come
on, Gavin,” Ethan said. “What if she goes out or
something? She's not going to bring a guy back to your house.”

“
She
doesn't need to be doing that,” Gavin said. “I'll be
watching the next guy. I should have done it with the last one.”

“
I'm
a grown woman,” she interrupted.

“
You're
family,” he replied.

“
You
should have seen his ass when he found out I was with his sister,”
Ethan said with a laugh. “I thought his head was going to
explode. I'm glad he has you to worry about now.”

“
I'm
still watching your ass,” Gavin snapped at Ethan.

Gavin
looked down at Jenny.

“
You
should have said something. I could have found you something awesome
and gotten you a good deal.”

“
I
need to do this on my own,” she said with a smile.

“
Why?”
he asked.

“
I
just do,” she said.

Gavin
grumbled something, but Ethan pulled him away to the conference room
to talk with him and Kyle.

After
a few minutes, Jenny got up and walked to the conference room. She
opened the door quietly and leaned in a bit.

“
Did
any of you need something to drink?” she asked.

“
Water,”
Ethan said.

“
Coffee,”
Gavin said.

“
I'm
good,” Kyle answered.

She
walked away to get there drinks. When she walked back into the room,
she set a water down in front of Ethan, a coffee down in front of
Gavin, and a water down in front of Kyle.

“
Just
in case,” she said with a smile.

“
See,
you need an assistant, Kyle. He doesn't want one. I tell him how much
easier she would make his life. Tell him, Jenny. You help Gavin a
ton. Without you, he'd be lost. He treats you good, right?”

“
It's
great,” she answered sarcastically. “All he has to do is
go where I tell him. Maybe after nine years, you can put your nose
into her love life too.”

“
Jenny,”
Gavin snapped.

“
I'm
kidding, a little. You've been there for me when I had nobody. I
could never thank you and Becky enough for all you've done to help
me. I'll let you guys get back to work. Isn't Ethan supposed to be
home with his pregnant wife?”

“
Get
back to work,” Ethan said with a laugh.

She
saw Kyle look at Ethan out of the corner of his eye.

“
I'll
be back,” Kyle said, as he stood up and walked right by her and
out of the room.

Jenny
joked around with Gavin and Ethan for a minute before walking out and
down the hall. Kyle walked by her. She reached out and touched his
arm to stop him. He was so close. She wanted to grab him by the tie
and pull his lips to hers, but she knew she couldn't.

“
You
okay?” she asked.

“
Perfect,”
he said with what she knew was a forced smile.

What
was his problem, she wondered? She walked back to her desk and
flopped down into her chair. When she reached down to open her
browser so she could continue looking for a place, she felt a piece
of paper on her keyboard. It was folded in half. She opened it and
couldn't believe what it was. It was Kyle's phone number. The words
above it said “Let me know when you're available to come check
out my house.” She looked at that paper over and over, shocked
that he had left it on her desk. Without a moment of hesitation, she
programmed his name and number into her phone. He had just been cold
in the hallway, but he had left her that note. She was more confused
than ever.