Catia (Starkis Family #6) Read Online Free

but Wendy had been with me since day one, ten years ago, so I gave her a lot of freedom. “Can’t change the past, Wen. I can only move forward, right?”
    “Speaking of moving forward…” She slid a nondescript folder across the desk. “My new hire.”
    I opened the folder and was stunned when I saw Catia’s name at the top of the resume. A distinctly familiar address was listed on the attached forms. “What the hell? You hired Catia Starkis without talking to me? Why would she want a job working for me? She works for her father.”
    Wendy shrugged, obviously trying to look innocent. “All I know is she was the most qualified person for the job, boss.”
    I didn’t believe her for a second. Sure, Catia may have been the most qualified candidate, but I didn’t believe that was the only reason Wendy had hired her. Wendy knew that we’d worked together on the restaurant and I’d been a mess when she left town.
    I tried to process what I was reading. Not only was she working for me, she was now living across the street from me? Since when? I racked my brain, trying to remember if I’d seen a sold sign on the Parkers’ old house when I drove by that morning. I didn’t think so. As far as I knew, it had been vacant since Mr. Parker was transferred to Connecticut last month.
    “I don’t believe this.” The last thing I needed right now was Catia sweeping into my life, creating more drama. I got enough of that from my kids. I swiped a hand over my hair. “What kind of game is she playing?”
    I remembered all too well the night we’d spent together, when I told her I was falling in love with her and she told me good-bye. I still got a pit in my stomach every time I thought about it. And whenever my friends asked me why I wasn’t dating, I recalled that moment, knowing it had changed me more than my divorce.
    “I don’t think she’s playing games,” Wendy said gently, drawing my attention back to the present. “I asked all the right questions just to be sure, and she seems intent on making this her home base for the foreseeable future.”
    “Why?” If she was ready to start over somewhere else, she had a standing offer to join Kara, Darius, and Dustin, so why get hired on by my company when she could have been a partner with them? “Cat isn’t used to taking orders from anyone. She’ll be a lousy employee, you know.”
    Wendy chuckled. “She did seem a little headstrong, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Especially since she’ll be dealing with a bunch of stubborn men all day. In fact, I think it’s practically a prerequisite.”
    She had a point. “I can’t do this today,” I said, closing my eyes. “I don’t think I can see her. Not now.”
    Just the thought of seeing Catia again reopened old wounds that had never really healed. The few times I’d seen her since she abandoned me and the project we’d been working on, I’d shut her down when she tried to talk to me, convinced it was the only way to protect myself. But how the hell was I supposed to protect myself now that she’d infiltrated every part of my life?
    “I’ve never known you to run away from anything,” Wendy said softly. “You’re the one who’s all for tackling a challenge head on.”
    “This is different.” Business problems I could handle, but this was intensely personal.
    “So what do you want me to do?” Wendy folded her arms and looked down her nose at me over her dark-rimmed glasses, shaking her head slightly to let me know she wasn’t impressed. “Tell her she can’t work here after all? The poor girl has bought a house and everything,” she said, sounding even more irritated.
    “Hey, don’t blame this on me,” I said defensively. “If anyone should be pissed, it’s me. She applied for a job here knowing this is the last place I would want her to work, and you hired her knowing I wouldn’t have. As far as I’m concerned, you two can share the blame for this mess.”
    “Fine, if you don’t