Kissing Mr. Right Read Online Free Page A

forward with It’s Raining Men ? The dates, the interviews, social media? Plus enthusiasm—at least on camera?
    Kendall pressed her fingers to her temples. She focused on the reaction of people back in her tiny hometown in Kansas if she was on the national news. She imagined the ladies who lunched at the country club, where her father worked, seeing her on TV just like Diane Sawyer. That would cause a few mouths to drop. “The men will be decent, right?”
    “We’ll make sure of it.”
    “If you promise the wildfire story and New York, I’ll do it.”
    Liz held up her hand, her littlest finger wiggling. “Pinkie swear.”
    Kendall laughed. As juvenile as it seemed, Liz took her pinkie swears seriously. She crossed her little finger with Liz’s. Their relationship had been up and down over the years, but Kendall still felt a strange loyalty to the woman who’d given her a break in this top-25 market.
    From the time she was ten years old, Kendall had wanted to be a television news anchor. She watched the national newscasts the way other kids watched reruns of Scooby Doo. The women she saw on TV fascinated her, especially Diane Sawyer.
    Diane had been the epitome of female journalists to Kendall. She was a trailblazer, original and tenacious but always with a sophisticated elegance Kendall had longed to emulate. Growing up in small town on the outskirts of Kansas City, Kendall felt a connection to the woman who’d made it to the top of broadcasting all the way from rural Kentucky.
    What Kendall lacked in pedigree, she made up for in determination. When she was twelve, one of her teachers helped her become the first scholarship student at the elite Graves Academy in Kansas City.
    She’d been tingling with excitement the morning her mother had driven their battered Dodge Duster toward the affluent community that housed Graves. She knew a fancy education could open the right doors for her. But just as her mother pulled away from the curb, Kendall felt something hard hit her square in the back.
    “Pull the car around, sweetie,” a voice behind her taunted. Everyone knew her dad worked at the country club parking cars. Soft laughter followed, but when Kendall turned, cheeks burning, she’d only seen a set of keys lying at her feet.
    She’d never forgotten the shame she felt at that moment. Each morning after, Kendall had kissed her mother good-bye and exited the car three blocks away from the school. Her mom hadn’t mentioned the change or the fact that Kendall never brought home fliers about school activities. She kept her parents far away from Graves.
    It had been a struggle to fit in at the prestigious school. During the six years she attended Graves, she’d written papers and finished homework assignments for other students. She’d allowed them to copy from her tests during exams. In exchange for this, Kendall was given a tenuous position on the fringes of the popular cliques at the school, but it was constant work to keep her so-called friends satisfied.
    She always felt like her presence polluted the rarified air that normally smelled of wealth and privilege. So she’d held her breath, snuffing out her childhood like a candle in a coal mine.
    Ignoring her family became so second nature that the lines between who she was on the inside and who she pretended to be had blurred. Her parents had made plenty of sacrifices so she could succeed. Now she hoped her future success would make up for treating them so badly.
    She could manage her way through anything if it got her closer to her goal of becoming a respected journalist. But there was still something that worried her about dating on camera. “What if they don’t like me?”
    Liz was at the door but turned at Kendall’s question. “What are you talking about? One thing no one can deny is that viewers love you. This is a chance for them to know you better. They’ll take you even further into their homes and hearts.”
    Kendall shook her head. “Not the