Bennett burst out laughing. “Wow. I don’t know about that but he was an asshole and everybody in that class hated him. All that intelligence couldn’t win him any friends. I may not be Mr. Popular but I don’t think I have any enemies either.”
Katie looked shocked. “Mr. Popular. Bennett no matter how you may feel, everybody likes you. All I used to hear before I met you was how the oldest Alexander brother was some kind of super genius and the hottest one of them all.”
Bennett almost choked. “Hot? Who said I was hot?”
“Um, every woman in New Haven with a pulse has probably said that at some point. But besides that, everyone respects you. You should hear the way Jackson used to talk about you. He’s so crazy proud of you. They all are.”
Bennett could feel the flush rising from beneath his collar. Not for the first time, he cursed being the palest one in his family. He was also the only one who’d ever had sunburn. His brothers had loved teasing him about his perpetually red cheeks in the summer. He’d never been able to hide his feelings.
Katie covered her mouth. “Did I embarrass you? Sorry, I just meant that you’re nothing like that guy, Bennett. You have a lot of friends. We’re just working on making it easier for you to talk to them.”
“Right. Talking to them.” Bennett watched absently as Katie patted his arm and then went back to her workstation.
He tried to get some work done but after attempting to read the same lab results multiple times, he gave up and just watched Katie. It was surprisingly relaxing to watch her move around the lab. She was a generally cheerful person and often hummed or sang to herself. He wondered if she was even aware she did it.
She claimed that they were just working to get him comfortable talking to people but he hadn’t had any trouble talking to her today. Something about Katie always made him feel good. Accepted. He really enjoyed talking to her.
He scowled remembering her story about the medical journal. Her asshole ex-husband had clearly done a number on her confidence. He hated to see her doubting herself due to that guy’s put-downs. She was so kind and deserved better than a guy like that.
What, a guy like you?
Bennett sighed. He probably wouldn't do any better. Katie was a social butterfly and made friends easily. Sure, she didn’t mind correcting his social missteps now because he was paying her. But what woman wanted to have a boyfriend that she constantly had to apologize for? At least her asshole ex had probably known how to behave in public.
Their conversation had shed quite a bit of light on things nonetheless. He’d always thought he was an embarrassment to his family. The strange one that they had to explain to others. It was nice to know that they’d been praising him behind his back all this time. But that wasn’t the part of the conversation he most wanted to revisit. He really wanted to backtrack and talk about this “every woman thinks you’re hot” business.
Did every woman include Katie?
?
Katie mentally kicked herself as she made another notation on the tablet in front of her. They’d been having a perfectly great conversation and she’d just had to go and ruin it by telling Bennett that every red-blooded woman with a pulse thought he was hot.
Hot. She’d actually told her boss that he was sexy and women lusted after him. If he hadn’t been watching her so closely she would’ve smacked herself in the forehead. Katie sighed. When was she going to learn to keep her big mouth shut? She just got so worked up sometimes and it had truly taken her off guard that Bennett didn’t seem to know how women viewed him. Really, how could he not know? Did he not notice the way women looked at him? Because Katie was pretty sure that she’d stared at him with her tongue hanging out a time or two.
Or seven.
Finally, after a few minutes of awkward silence, Bennett got up and wandered into his office. Once his door closed behind him, Katie let out the breath she’d been holding. If she was going to work here, she had to learn how to keep her cool. Bennett was easily flustered and she was supposed to be helping him learn to be comfortable with people, not making him feel worse. Besides, there was no point to telling him those sorts of things anyway. What chance did she have with him even if he knew she thought he was attractive? Not that she knew anything about his preferences but she could only assume he was into women who were as smart as he was. Probably some female wunderkind with a million different college degrees who could flirt with him in Latin.
Ugh. Katie pushed the thoughts aside and focused on finishing up her work. That was what she was here for. To do a good job and get paid. That’s it. It was worth taking the time to remind herself of what was at stake here because she couldn’t afford to screw this up. Her bills were already piled so high that she could swim in them. This job was her chance to dig her way out of that hole. With renewed determination, she focused on her work.
After she was done making notations, she straightened up the tabletop. One of the water droppers she’d been using to add moisture to each sample fell off the table. When she bent to pick it up, she noticed something on the floor under the table Bennett usually worked on. She walked over and then stooped low to get it.
It was an invitation. Katie skimmed over it quickly. Bennett had been invited to a gala for a group called Mentor Science.
“That’s an award ceremony that I’ve been invited to.”
At the sound of his voice, Katie almost dropped the invitation. She wasn’t sure why she felt guilty. It wasn’t like she’d been snooping around. The invitation had been on the floor in plain sight.
“You’re a mentor? That’s awesome.”
Bennett shrugged but she could see the compliment pleased him. “I’m receiving an award for mentoring my last assistant. I also did a few sessions where I stood in as a guest teacher for one of his classes.”
Katie could just imagine what it was like for those young college girls to have a teacher like Bennett. If he’d been teaching any of her classes in school, she wouldn’t have learned a damn thing.
“I bet you did a great job. The kids were lucky to have a teacher with as much hands-on experience as you do.”
Bennett smiled. “I’m not sure they were so happy about it. One of the extra credit projects involved them coming out here to the farm. Not all of them were thrilled with stepping in manure.”