“Oh, he likes you all right.”

Kate sat back to process this new information. She should be wild about Ashton. He was handsome, successful, funny, and oh, that body of his… But Kate had to admit that it wasn’t Ashton she looked forward to hearing from every few days. No, it was his father she loved talking to.

Reid surprised her the next night by stopping in at Mabel’s during her shift. She was startled to see him talking to Butch at the bar. As she watched him from across the room, her heart lurched when he threw his head back to laugh at something Butch said. Reid wore a dark suit and was so devastatingly handsome that Kate couldn’t look away. When she finally had a lull in the action, she worked up the nerve to go over and say hello.

“Hey,” she said. “What’re you doing out on a school night?”

“I had a meeting in town and decided to come by to check on you.”

“Do you have to file a written report with my dad?”

“Monthly, and he requires at least one face-to-face meeting with each report,” Reid said with a grin.

“What are you drinking?” She wanted to know everything about him.

“One scotch on the rocks for the road.”

When he reached for his drink, a gold cuff link peeked out of his suit coat sleeve. There was something so sexy and classy about the little chunk of gold holding his starched white cuff together that her mouth went dry. She fixated on his finger making a path through the condensation on his glass.

“What kind of meeting did you have?” she asked when she finally tore her eyes off his hand.

“Zoning board. We have several projects pending before them.”

“Sounds interesting.”

He laughed. “Believe me, it’s not. What’ve you been up to?”

“Oh! Get this! I tried out today with a house band called the Rafters. They’re auditioning for a new lead singer.”

“That’s great. How’d it go?”

“Really well, I think. They called me to come back again tomorrow. I’m glad you came by. I was dying to tell you about it.”

His smile lit up his handsome face. “That’s wonderful, Kate. They’re really good. I’ve seen them play several times at parties.”

“You have?”

He nodded.

“I sure hope I get the job.”

“I bet you will. Did you walk to work tonight?”

Crooking her head, she grinned. “Should I lie and say no?”

He pretended to make a note on an invisible pad. “It’s going in my report—walking in the dark and lying. Multiple demerits.”

She laughed. “You’ll get me in big trouble.”

“I’ll walk you home to keep you safe and out of trouble.”

“Don’t be crazy. I have another hour to go, and you have to work tomorrow.”