Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 2.2 - Head Shy by Kate Sherwood Read Free Book Online

brunette grins warmly at Dan. "They have to use the caterer for these suites, and it's always great, but, you're right, it's not exactly stadium food. So Bridgette and I… if it's just people from the company here, not if we're entertaining clients… we sometimes sneak down and get a hot dog from the concessions."
"And garlic fries!" Bridgette adds, and then frowns. "Unless there's

Head Shy | Kate Sherwood
clients here. They're delicious, but, damn, I have garlic coming out of my pores for a week after eating them!"
    Dan nods. "These are some excellent tips you guys are giving me." He shifts his plate a little, gets a hand ready for shaking if that's how they want to go. "I'm Dan—this is my first time at one of these, so anything else you can help me with, I'd be happy to hear it."
    The brunette's smile is warm and genuine. "I'm Kristen. And we both come to pretty much every game, so we know all the tricks. Don't worry, we'll take care of you."
    Dan thinks that if he wasn't busy trying to be smooth, he'd probably really like both of these people. And Bathroom Scott had seemed nice enough, too. But Smooth Dan doesn't get caught up in that; this isn't about making friends, it's about making impressions. He pops another couple scallops onto his plate, and checks that Kristen and Bridgette's glasses are topped up before he grabs a beer for himself from an iced cooler. "Great. I'm in your hands."
    They lead him over to the seats, and there are three together that they take. Dan goes over his 'training horses for Tat' story, and it turns out that Kristen used to ride, dressage mostly, so they talk about that for a while, and then they talk about their jobs (Kristen is in Community Relations and Promotions, Bridgette's in the legal department), and then the teams are coming out on the field, and the crowd in the box shifts its attention out there. Kristen just comes to the games because coordinating the tickets is part of her job, but Bridgette's a real fan. The 49ers are playing the Cowboys, and Dan's never really been too interested in football, but he did spend the first seventeen years of his life in Dallas, and that's not easy to forget about. He decides against confessing his roots to Bridgette—what's the point?
Smooth Dan does his thing all through the first half, and he can

Head Shy | Kate Sherwood
    sense himself getting back in the groove as he goes. He can feel his awareness expanding, easing out around him like a fog as he starts reading the currents and personalities in the room. A part of him is chatting with Kristen about her recent vacation in Aruba, but he's also totally aware of Bathroom Scott and his friends across the room, and Chris flirting with a redhead over by the snacks. Evan's mostly watching the game, and talking and joking with people near him, but Dan knows that Evan's watching him, too, trying to make eye contact and check in. And then there's Jeff, who seems to be doing almost the same thing Dan's doing, talking to the guy next to him while monitoring everything else going on. People are circulating, joining one group and then another, and mostly everything's friendly and relaxed, but there's an undercurrent of power, people joking with their bosses but not taking it too far, remembering that it's a work event. Evan gets attention from everyone who comes near him, and he's polite and friendly, but doesn't really engage. Dan had forgotten how tiring it is, to pull out of himself and pay attention to all this crap. And to keep reminding himself to stay smooth, to not let any chinks show in his armor.
    By half time, Kristen has introduced Dan to pretty much everyone, catching them as they go by on the way to the buffet, and he's got his own little circle of people to talk to. He doesn't say much, but he's remembering how to do that thing with his eyes, to focus on the person who's talking and make them feel like they've got his full attention, like he finds them fascinating. He knows that people