Sweet As You

(35) Cade

Disclaimer
Please be very careful with what comments you leave on my stories. If it's any way hurtful or offensive to me or any of my readers, I won't hesitate to block you. I work hard writing my stories and I refuse to let 'Karens' lambaste my hard work. Be negative somewhere else.

His co-workers – even the staid ones – are smiling. The culprit being the only head-turning woman in the room who's taken his invitation to the office party in a blink.

Kathie had worn a beautiful designer dress in a deep shade of wine. The fabric clung to her in an elegant drape. She had her hair swept to the side exposing the dainty flesh of her neck down to her shoulder blade. It wasn't too much nor too little. But it was enough to tease.

She also put on makeup that accentuated her beautiful brown eyes and made them pop. Like she intended to make them remind him of melted chocolate.

Cade had been watching her the entire night. She was too captivating to avert his eyes away. His mind simply refuses to acknowledge everything else. In his defense, it wasn't only him who was drawn to her.

She is gorgeous. Even more so when she fills the room with the melody of her laugh and brought in sunshine when she smiles.

Every breath she takes naturally reels in another person.

"It's been a while since we enjoyed a party." His assistant/secretary comes up from behind him. Mark followed his gaze and smiled. "I heard she was charming. Nobody warned me she's this charming."

Cade nods.

"I talked to her a while ago. I have no idea how we got to the point where I was showing her the picture of my girlfriend. She suggested I gave her a scarf for her birthday and written me a color I haven't heard of to match her eyes. It was something green. She wrote it on a paper for me."

He hears himself chuckle even when his eyes were trained on her.

Mark sipped on his wine, glancing down to his phone. "Boss, can you tell me now why I've been rescheduling your lunch meetings with Margot Fletcher to dinner?"

"No. Just reschedule them."

"You're not up to something, are you?"

Cade's head snapped toward his assistant. "I'm not up to something."

It was half-true. He wasn't having anymore intentions on those dinners but pure business meetings. He wasn't up to something. The half of that truth though, is those dates were just business meetings. Kathie Jane doesn't have to know that.

It was lame, but had he not been rescheduling, he would be paired up with another one of her friends.

His lips thinned into a disapproving line when one of their clients came up from behind her with a chivalrous grin and shook her hand longer than necessary. There was an uncomfortable stirring in his gut that made his hand roll into a fist.

He hears his teeth gritted when Kathie gave him a polite smile. Why does she have to be nice?

The stirring simmered down when she looks around, her eyes steadying on him. Then she wiggled her fingers at him and says something to the man that made him nod in his direction. Then he moves away.

Good.

Kathie smiles at him. Her eyes sparkled. And he knew then, it was a smile meant just for him.

A teasing nudge on his arm jerk him away from her gaze. "Something tells me you're the luckiest man in the room."

On any other days, he would tell him to shut up, but he makes an exception for tonight. He's in a very good mood to bother. "Shouldn't you be getting drunk?"

"I am." Mark raises his wineglass. "That being said, I'm gonna go get a refill. You want a drink, boss?"

He shakes his head. "I'm driving."

"Okay."

Mark disappears through a swarm of clients. He spotted his dad, shotting up a hand to get his attention. Nicholas Parkinson walks toward him, his posture tall and prominent. "I'm glad you decided to come. Your mother has been bugging me to call you."

"No more matchmakings," he says gruffly.

"That's what I keep telling her. But you know her. She wanted children when I met her, now she wants grandchildren." His father gulped down his whiskey. He rambles on about all things "grandparenting."

Cade already has his mind on someone else.

Kathie continues telling a horde of his co-workers a story that looks funny and adorable from afar because of the dramatic hand gesture she was making.

His father clears his throat as if to snap him out of his thoughts. When it didn't work, he jabbed his arm with his elbow. "How long has this been going on, son?"

"The party? You were here on time," he murmurs.

He gave him an incredulous look. "How long has this been going on between you and Kathie?"

"There's nothing going on."

"Do I look like I've been born yesterday?" He deadpans, his eyes narrowing.

Cade stares back at him impassively. Poker face against poker face.

"No. Absolutely not," he answers.

His eyes sunk into inspecting slits. Then he patted his back, laughing delightfully. "I always knew you'll find a wife on your own."

There was an urge to correct him. Right on the tip of his tongue.

It stayed there.

Hi, guys! I hope you're all doing well. And I really hope you won't ever get tired of reading my stories.

Believe it or not, I wake up sometimes terrified that I won't get notifications anymore from you (votes/comments/messages). Because of you, there's at least one thing I'm good at and that's writing. This is a little corny but you help me by reading what I write. Voting and commenting unfailingly lift my spirits when yoga breaths are just not enough.

I love you, guys! Xoxo