All of Me

She laughed. “No last name and no phone number? That must have been some attraction.”

He cleared his throat. “Um...Mom, I need to get going.”

Still chuckling, she said, “Okay. Keep me posted on any potential daughters-in-law. I need some grandchildren. How long are you going to be gone?”

It was definitely time to hang up. “Close to three weeks. I’ll be home for Thanksgiving, then head west again for another two or three weeks. I’ll call you when I get back.”

“All right. Give my love to Kyle and Troy, and you boys be safe. Love you, baby.”

“Love you, too, Mom.”

Three hours later, he was on his way to California.

* * *

They spent the first half of the week in San Diego conducting workshops on emergency preparedness in the workplace, and the remainder of that week and the following one in LA schools. Last night they had flown to San Jose and were now setting up in the hotel’s conference room for the school training that would begin in two hours. Troy came in as Damian filled a cup with coffee from a table at the back of the room. The hotel had also provided bagels, muffins and fruit.

He took a sip of the hot brew. “Is Delores here yet?” She and Laurie, the other office assistant, alternated taking care of the administrative duties when they traveled. Laurie had done the first half.

Troy was filling his own cup. “Yeah. She stopped at the ladies’ room first.”

Damian powered up his laptop at the front of the room, then lowered the projection screen. He fished his flash drive out of the bag and brought up his presentation. After hooking up the projector, he went through the slides to make sure everything was in order.

“Morning, Damian,” Delores said.

“Morning, Dee. How was the flight?”

“Not bad. Kyle is picking up the handouts from the business center right now. Do you need anything before I start setting up?”

“No. Thanks.” He thoroughly enjoyed his job. Keeping kids safe was a priority for him. Everyone had their roles and performed them to perfection. Troy handled the business side of things—contracts, payments and such—while he and Kyle tag-teamed with the presentation. Damian focused on bullying and communications training, while Kyle handled the security, emergency preparedness and response training.

He was finishing up his coffee when the first participants arrived. Soon the room filled with people talking in small groups and taking advantage of the continental breakfast. Damian glanced down at his watch and caught Kyle’s attention. They believed in starting and ending on time. He picked up one lapel microphone and handed Kyle the other one, before clipping the mic to his suit jacket and the battery to his belt. He tested it and then, satisfied, he turned to the crowd.

“If everyone would take a seat, we can get started. We have a lot of material to cover today.” He waited for them to find seats and settle in before continuing. “My name is Damian Bradshaw, and this is Kyle Jamison. We’re from DKT Safety Consultants and will provide you with the information you need to keep your schools safe from the inside out.” He paused. “How many of you are from high schools?” Hands went up. “Middle schools?” A few more hands were raised. “Elementary schools?” Almost half the people in the room raised their hands.

Damian pushed the button for the first slide. “Let’s talk about bullying. Thirty-three percent of elementary students report being frequently bullied, and twenty percent of kindergartners. It peaks in middle school, which is often the worst period for victims of bullying.” He gave more statistics and launched into a discussion of the seriousness of cyber-bullying.

He scanned the room to let his words sink in. He opened his mouth to speak, and his heart stopped and then started up again. In the middle of the room sat Karen. His Karen.

Damian promptly lost his train of thought, and it took everything in him to stand there, when all he wanted to do was rush back to where she sat, sweep her into his arms and kiss her the way he had been fantasizing about for the past month.

Excitement filled his heart. Their eyes connected, and she gave him an icy stare. But he didn’t care. All he cared about was that he’d found her.

Chapter 10

The moment Damian opened his mouth to speak, Karen’s head snapped up. She’d recognize that sexy drawl anywhere. Thankfully, she was already sitting, because the way her body trembled, she doubted she’d be able to stand. What on earth was he doing here?