Free Speed Dating by Nancy Warren

blushed. Ashlee must have got to the part about them being crazy in love.
    Kendall crossed to the bed and sat primly on the edge, beside the open suitcase. “Oh, well…” She faltered.
    He jumped up. She’d better not undo all that good work from last night. “Come on, honey,” he said loud enough that Ashlee could hear. “Get off the phone and come back to bed.”
    “Oh, I know,” she said weakly, shooting him a glare that she hadn’t put much effort into. “Yes. Insatiable. You, too. Goodbye.”
    Kendall hung up, then handed back his phone. She looked a little stunned, but at least she had some color back in her face.
    “So, you did a good job last night. She thinks we’re totally in love.”
    “That’s nice.”
    “Nice? It’s fantastic. You saved me. Thanks.”
    She hung her head. “I impersonated someone else, went out on a date in my underwear, gave a speech the actuarial association will never forget. Don’t thank me.”
    He chuckled. “That speech was fantastic. I was proud to know you.”
    He shoved the suitcase out of the way and sat beside her on the bed, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Forget that bunch of dull suits last night. Your acceptance speech was probably the most fun any of them have ever had.”
    She shuddered against him. “Some of those dull suits were my bosses. First thing this morning I was given a ‘sideways promotion,’ which is weasel-speak for I’ve been demoted.”
    “What?”
    She nodded, still looking down.
    “Well, that’s plain stupid. I hope you told them to take their lousy job and shove it.”
    She sighed and fiddled with one of the latches on her case. “We live in very different worlds, you and I. Mine is all about risk assessment. Up until yesterday, I was an asset to my company. Today I’m a liability. I’m risky. If I could embarrass my bosses at an organization function, then maybe I’d do the same at a board meeting. My company is very conservative. They’ve taken steps to minimize damage. They say I’m being moved for my own good and they probably mean it.”
    “They’re messing with one of their best people—or do they give that pencil to anybody?”
    “No. You’re right. It’s a very prestigious award.” Shelooked at him and there was a crease between her brows. “So why didn’t I simply tell you who I was when we first met last night, get my dress, go to the actuarial banquet and give the speech as scheduled?”
    The question seemed a no-brainer to him. “Because you wanted to have some fun, and there was no way fun was going to be had at that corporate dinner. I about went into a coma from entering the room. It wasn’t until you got going that the place livened up.”
    She put a hand to her head. She had dainty hands, he noticed, with long fingers. Her nails were longer than he would have expected, too, and painted pink. “Maybe they’re right and I showed poor judgment.”
    “Maybe your ex should keep it zipped.”
    She glanced up and laughed, giving him a glimpse of the woman he’d had so much fun with last night. Then she sobered. “The two women involved were reassigned. Marvin gets to keep his job. The old double standard is alive and well in corporate America.”
    He didn’t even know how to respond to that, but he felt vaguely guilty simply for being a man. “What are you going to do?”
    “Take the job. At least I’ll have the security of a paycheck while I think about my options.”
    “You don’t sound real thrilled at the idea.”
    “I’m not.”
    “Do you need the job that badly?”
    A tiny smile tilted her lips but not a hint of teeth showed. “I’m an actuary. I calculate risk for a living. The first thing I did after I paid off my student loans was build an emergency fund equal to six months’ salary. But it’s easier to find a job when you already have one.”
    “You started a job by figuring out what the odds were on losing it?”
    She nodded.
    He scratched his jaw. She was still pale, but