He said nothing.
“Of course you do,” she said with a laugh. “Okay, well, watch Friends. You’ll like Ross.”
He’d seen Friends once or twice—he was discerning, not completely out of touch with reality. But he had no idea who Ross was. Kennedy made a mental note to look into it and get some insight into who he was in Kate’s eyes.
Kate’s attention was back on the board, as she chewed her lip once more. She shivered, then gave him a brief, knowing look. “You going to lecture me again on not bringing a coat?”
Discomfort rolled down his spine.
That’s who you think I am? That guy? The lecturing, sanctimonious asshole?
But had he given her reason to think otherwise? Kennedy knew he could be stodgy. Hell, he intentionally cultivated the image most of the time. He liked being old-school in an industry chock-full of bros. But there was a difference between being old-school and serious, and being an uptight prick.
Kate, apparently, put him in the latter category.
He stood and shrugged out of his suit jacket just as she moved her knight. She blinked in surprise as he came around to her side of the table and unceremoniously put his jacket around her shoulders, careful not to let his fingers brush against the bare skin there.
“Thank you,” she said as he sat back in his chair.
“You don’t have to sound so puzzled,” he said, shoving his pawn forward.
She lifted a hand and rubbed the fabric of his lapel between her fingers thoughtfully. “Well, you have to admit, while on paper I’d describe you as a gentleman, the chivalry doesn’t typically extend to me.”
“That’s not true,” he said automatically, shifting in the uncomfortable chair.
“It’s a little bit true,” she said, studying the board and then moving her queen. “But it’s fine. I know I drive you crazy.”
“Well, that’s true,” he admitted.
She laughed at that—a genuine, unfiltered laugh—and Kennedy found himself smiling back.
“Why?”
“Why do I drive you crazy?” she asked, looking up.
He stiffened slightly at the question. It felt too direct, somehow, demanding thought in a direction he wasn’t ready to go. “Why do you go out of your way to push my buttons?”
A small smile flirted with her lips, and she didn’t meet his eyes. “I don’t mean to. Or at least, I didn’t, at the beginning . . .”
“And?” he prompted when she fell silent. “What happened?”
Kate let out a little huff and met his gaze once more. “You happened. Whatever this thing between us is, you started it.”
“Real mature, Kate.”
Her eyes narrowed just slightly. “Is that your problem with me? That I’m not worldly like your other women?”
“What?” He blinked, genuinely confused. “First of all, I don’t have a problem with you. Second, I don’t date worldly women. What does that even mean?”
“It’s fine,” she said, her eyes dropping back to the board. “I realize I’m hardly irresistible.”
Kennedy frowned, sensing from her tone he was missing something important, but he had no clue what it was.
Before he could ask, she pointed to the board. “You going to make your move or what?”
It was Kennedy’s turn to narrow his eyes. “Don’t order me around the way you do everyone else.”
“Trust me, I’ve never thought I could order you around,” she snapped back. “You’re more stubborn than Ian and Matt combined.”
“Right, and you’re so easygoing and agreeable,” he muttered, moving a piece forward at random, then wincing when he realized he’d just set up his knight to be taken.
Luckily, their argument seemed to have distracted Kate from the game, too. She was glaring at him, a little line between her dark eyebrows. “Why her?”
“What?” Kennedy resisted the urge to rub his forehead. He didn’t enjoy complicated conversations, and this was turning into one of them. And yet, he didn’t want to walk away, either. It had always been that way with Kate. She demanded so damn much from everyone around her, and as someone who liked everything in order, his way, all of that stubborn energy made him wary. And yet he was never quite able to walk away, either.
“Why Claudia?” she specified.
“Why not Claudia?” he replied automatically.
Kate’s eyebrows lifted. “Wow. Romantic.”
“You know what I mean,” he said, feeling oddly self-conscious, looking down, studying the chessboard for his next move rather than facing her prying gaze.
“No, I don’t really,” Kate said with her usual forthrightness. “When I find The One, he will have a reason better than ‘why not’ for being with me.”
He smiled a little at her unshakable confidence. When she found the guy, he would have a better reason. Then a mental image of Kate and Jack laughing together flashed in his mind, and Kennedy’s smile dropped.
“What’s wrong with Claudia?” he asked. To his surprise, it came out as a genuine question, and he realized he actually did want Kate’s opinion. And God knew she had one. She had an opinion on everything.
“Nothing. She’s a genuinely nice person. But you hardly seem besotted with her.”
He let out a startled laugh. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been besotted with anyone.”
“Well, that’s your problem, then.” She took his knight, though he barely noticed.
“Have you?” he blurted out. It was suddenly vitally important to Kennedy that he know every detail about what sort of man could woo the no-nonsense Kate.
Kate smiled, a smile both secretive and a little sad. “Once.”
Kennedy swallowed the sour taste in his mouth. He moved a pawn, then looked up. “What happened?”
She shrugged indifferently but didn’t meet his eyes. “It wasn’t mutual, so I moved on.”
“To whom?”
“What?” She glanced up.
“You said you moved on. Who’d you move on to? When was this?”
“Oh.” She looked uncharacteristically flustered. “I just meant I moved on from him. Not necessarily to someone else, specifically.”
“But you’ve dated,” he said, not really sure how he’d gotten himself into this conversation but not quite wanting to turn back, either.
“Yes. I’ve dated.” Her tone was clipped and just a bit defensive.
“When was your last relationship? What was your longest?”
“None of your freaking business.”
“Says the woman who helped my girlfriend plan my birthday party.”
“All part of the job,” she said smoothly, moving one of her pawns to counter his last move.
Kennedy felt a stab of something that felt suspiciously like hurt at the fact that she’d helped plan his birthday party only out of duty.
“Maybe Jack will be the next guy?” he said, keeping his voice indifferent as he moved his queen on the board.
“Maybe.” She immediately moved her queen in a hasty move that told him she’d lost her focus on the game. Just as he had.
Kennedy looked at her. “He’s not the right guy for you.”