He should have. How had he not connected his upcoming birthday with Claudia’s repeated visits to the office with that little notebook in hand?
Kennedy ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. It wouldn’t be the first time a woman’s used Kate to try to get the inside track on us.”
“I never did,” Sabrina protested.
“That’s because it’s your job to know everything about everyone,” Lara said. “I totally did.”
Ian glanced down in surprise. “You did?”
“Try to get the scoop on you, your romantic status, your entire life history from Kate? Hell yeah, I did,” Lara said without repentance.
“Did she spill?”
Lara shrugged. “She told me what I needed to know. Just like she told Claudia what she needed to know.”
“Yes, and look how well Claudia listened,” Matt said cheerfully, pointing at the elaborate display of shellfish.
“It’s not a big deal,” Kennedy said.
And it wasn’t a big deal, truly. Sure, it was a little odd. Crab cakes and shrimp cocktail, he could understand. He didn’t expect people to forgo all seafood just because he was allergic to shellfish. However, he saw his friends’ point. The raw bar was clearly the focus of the evening’s food options.
But he couldn’t really bring himself to care, because . . .
“Where is she?”
Sabrina pointed. “Two o’clock. Talking with the Sams.”
He followed Sabrina’s gesture, then winced, not only because the sight of his newish girlfriend chatting it up with his bosses was a little unnerving but because he hadn’t been talking about Claudia. And he saw from the way Matt and Ian exchanged a look that they knew it.
Kennedy knew it wasn’t fair to be annoyed, and certainly not to feel hurt, that Kate wasn’t here. But when he stepped off that elevator and had been barraged by the shouts of surprise, and happy birthday, and drunken did you see his face? proclamations, he’d scanned the room for the one person who centered him. Instinctively, he’d sought Kate out, because Kate was steady in a world that was so often ridiculous. But she hadn’t been there.
Because she wasn’t here.
Ian glanced down at Lara. “What time did you say Kate was getting here?”
Kennedy’s gaze snapped to Ian, both irritated and relieved his friend had read his mind.
Lara tilted Ian’s watch face toward her. “It should be any minute now. She said she needed to run home to change, but that shouldn’t have taken this long.”
“Change from what?”
“Poor thing was here at, like, ten a.m. setting everything up,” Sabrina chimed in. “She couldn’t very well be overseeing your girlfriend’s oyster feast in cocktail attire, so she had to go home and change. We ladies don’t wake up like this, you know.”
“So true,” Matt said. “You should see this one.” He mimed a cloud around his head and mouthed, Huge.
Sabrina shrugged and pointed to her sleek dark hair. “It’s true. The miracle of heat tools, ladies and gentlemen.”
Sabrina may be one of his good friends, but he didn’t give a crap about her hair. He wanted to know why the hell his assistant had wasted her Saturday setting up his birthday party.
“This isn’t part of Kate’s job,” he said. “It’s not what we pay her for. What the hell was she thinking?”
“Kennedy,” Lara warned quietly, just as Matt said, “Moron,” a little less quietly.
“What? I just mean—”
“Dude.” Ian interrupted Kennedy sharply and jerked his head for Kennedy to turn around.
He stilled, knowing even before he turned who he’d find standing there. Kate. Kennedy turned to face her, ready to explain that he hadn’t meant it like that. That he didn’t expect—didn’t want—her being his girlfriend’s unpaid assistant . . .
The explanation died on his lips.
“Damn, girl,” Sabrina said as she went to hug Kate.
Kennedy couldn’t have said it better himself. Kate looked . . . different. He gave her a once-over, trying to put his finger on what had changed, but it seemed to be a little of everything. Her dress was hardly scandalous. It showed off toned shoulders and was cut diagonally, revealing plenty of her right thigh. She was still short, but the stiletto heels gave her a few inches he wasn’t accustomed to, the silver shoes wrapping around trim ankles that were . . .
Kennedy swallowed and dragged his eyes back up again, careful not to let his gaze linger on her small but definitely there breasts.
Her hair was mostly the same, but it looked extra shiny, and instead of overwhelming her small features, it seemed to accentuate them, calling attention to the glossy, full lips, the pink cheeks, the . . . angry eyes.
There she was. That was still the same.
“Kennedy. Happy birthday.” Her tone was cool, at odds with the fire in her brown eyes.
“Kate. I understand I have you to thank for the party.”
“Oh gosh, no.” She looked vaguely appalled. “I mean, Claudia asked for my help with the organization, because, well, I’m awesome at it. But this was all her.”
Kennedy nodded. Not that he didn’t appreciate Claudia’s good intentions, but he was relieved, somehow, to know that Kate got him. That she understood he’d have much preferred a different type of party—or none at all.
“Can we talk about the dress?” Lara said, twirling her finger, indicating for Kate to spin. “It’s fantastic! Even more fantastic than it was in the dressing room. Ian, doesn’t she look fantastic?”
“Fantastic,” he repeated with a wink at Kate, who blew him a kiss.
Kennedy frowned at this, too busy trying to wrap his head around this new version of Kate. “When—? What—?” He cleared his throat. “You look different.”
“Nice,” Matt muttered.
“She got her hair cut Thursday, remember? She left early?” Ian mimed snipping motions with his fingers.
“Right.” Kennedy had forgotten the strange anomaly of Kate leaving before eight p.m., much less five p.m. And he’d been out of the office most of the day yesterday on the trading floor, and then at a few off-site meetings.
Besides, it was a hell of a lot more than a haircut. Kate was . . . arresting. And he couldn’t look away.
“You guys going to be here for a bit?” Kate asked. “I’m going to go get a cocktail.”
“I’ll get it,” Ian and Matt said at the same time.
Kennedy had the oddest urge to slap them. Or himself. Why did he not offer? He normally would have for any other woman. But with Kate he was never at his best. Even less so, apparently, when he could see her thigh.
“Nope, stay here,” Kate ordered, already moving away. “I want to check on a few of the vendors, make sure they didn’t ignore my demands. Requests,” she amended quickly. “Also, I have a private bet with myself to see exactly how long that stupid ice sculpture will last.”
“Oh, thank God that wasn’t your suggestion,” Sabrina said with relief.
“Offensive,” Kate said, waving her finger at Sabrina. “Very offensive that you’d even consider it could be mine.”