Kitabı oku: «Flirting With The Boss», sayfa 8

CHAPTER TEN

OVER the next three days, Lori felt like she was walking around in a fog. After the incredible night with Jace, then his quick, easy dismissal of it, how could she not? It would be so easy to pull the covers over her head and just stay in bed. If she were living alone she might do just that. Instead she’d stayed home and gotten involved in Gina’s redecorating projects. She tried to fill her time with other things, rather than thinking about a tall, dark and handsome contractor.

Then she’d gotten a call from Erin, telling her that Kaley Sims was in town and had agreed to see her. Anxious for the meeting, Lori arrived right at one o’clock and found an attractive woman with short, honey-blond hair and striking gray eyes waiting in her office.

“Ms. Sims. I’m Lori Hutchinson.”

Kaley Sims stood up and they shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you. And please call me Kaley.” The woman studied her and smiled. “I see some resemblance. You have Lyle’s eyes.” The woman sobered. “I am sorry to hear of his passing.”

“Thank you.” Lori motioned for Kaley to sit in the chair across from the desk. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you agreed to meet with me. I see in my files that you worked for my father a few years back.”

Kaley nodded. “I was selling real estate in Destiny before he offered me a job as his property manager. I worked for Lyle about three years.”

“You managed all his properties?

“I did.”

“I’m impressed,” Lori said with a smile. “He has a big operation. I can’t handle it all, nor do I have the experience to deal with the properties.”

Kaley seemed to relax. “I was a single mother, so I needed the money. And the market was different then. Now, property values are a lot lower. You’d lose a fortune selling in this market.”

“See, that’s something I don’t know. You’ve probably heard that my father left me in charge of all this.”

Kaley’s eyes widened, then she smiled. “Lyle would be proud. He talked about you a few times.”

Lori froze. “He did?” Why did she still want Lyle’s approval?

Kaley looked thoughtful. “One day I came in and found him looking at pictures of you. I think you were about eight or nine in the photo. And of course, Destiny being a small town, everyone knew about your parents’ divorce. I mentioned to Lyle how cute you were and he should have you come back for a visit. He said he blew his chance.”

Lori felt her chest tighten as she fought tears. This wasn’t the time to relive the past. She blinked rapidly at the flooding emotions.

Kaley looked panicked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

Lori put on a smile, finding she liked this woman. “You didn’t. I never heard anything from my father since the day I left Destiny.”

Kaley sighed. “That was Lyle. The only family he had was his father. Poor Billy had lived to be ninety-two and ended up in the nursing home outside of town until his death a few years ago.” Kaley studied her. “Do you remember your grandfather?

Lori shook her head. “No, he wasn’t around that I recall.”

“You were probably lucky. Old Billy boy was what my mother called a hell-raiser. He was one of the last of the miners. Spent his gold as fast as he dug it out. Story has it that he loved gambling and women.” Kaley raised an eyebrow. “His exploits were well-known around town. He was nearly broke when he suffered a stroke. It was Lyle who took over running what was left of the family fortune.”

“Looks like he did a pretty good job,” Lori said.

Kaley nodded in agreement. “I worked for the man, so I know how driven he was.” She paused. “I also went with him to visit his father. Old Billy Hutchinson never had a good word to say to his son.”

Lori didn’t want to get her hopes up that there was something redeeming about Lyle Hutchinson.

Nor did she want to know about any personal relationship her father might have had with Kaley.

She quickly brought herself back to the present. “Well, I didn’t ask you to come in to reminisce about my childhood. I was wondering if you’d be interested in coming back here and being my property manager.” When Kaley started to speak, Lori stopped her. “I’ll double whatever my father paid you.”

The woman looked shocked to say the least. “You want me to work for you?”

Lori shook her head. “No, I want you to work with me. You have a good business sense, or my father wouldn’t have trusted you. The one thing my father didn’t offer, I will. There’s a place in this company for advancement. Seems the women employees have been overlooked.”

Kaley laughed. “I’m sure your father is somewhere cursing your words.”

For the first time in two days, Lori laughed. It felt good. “So what do you say, Kaley?”

“I hear around town that you have to stay a year before you get your inheritance. Will you leave after that?”

Lori thought about her sister and nephew. How easily they had adapted to their new life. How Lori herself had, but could she be around Jace knowing she’d never have a life with the man?

She looked at Kaley. “News does travel fast, but no, I want to stay. I care about the residents of Destiny and I want to see the town prosper. Maybe it’s my Hutchinson blood, but I can’t let the town die away. That’s why I need your help. I want to bring more businesses here and create more jobs.”

The pretty woman studied her. “I’d like that, too, but there’s one thing you need to know about your father and me—”

Lori raised her hand to stop her. “No, I don’t need to know anything about your personal life. Makes no difference to me. I only care that you want to work for Hutchinson Corporation.” Lori mentioned a yearly salary and benefits.

“Looks like you’ve got me on your team.”

Lori smiled. “How soon can you start?”

“Give me a week to get moved back and get my daughter, Heather, settled in school.”

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” The phone began to ring. She said goodbye to Kaley then answered.

“Lori Hutchinson.”

“Hello, Lori. It’s Claire Keenan. I hope I’m not interrupting you.”

“Of course not, Claire. What can I do for you?”

“I need a big favor.”

Tim Keenan eyed his wife of nearly forty years as she hung up the phone. He knew when she was planning something.

“Okay, what’s going on, Claire?”

She turned those gorgeous green eyes toward him. She was also trying to distract him. “Whatever do you mean?”

“I thought you were looking forward to your afternoon volunteering in Ellie’s class.”

“I was,” she admitted. “But I think Lori might need it more. She has to miss teaching. Besides, they’re starting the Christmas pageant practice. She’s volunteered to help.”

Tim arched an eyebrow. “I’d say she has plenty to do taking over for Lyle. What’s the real reason?”

“Did you happen to notice Lori and Jace when they were here the other day?”

“You mean after they’d been stranded at the cabin overnight? It was hard not to.”

She nodded. “There were several looks exchanged between them.” She sighed. “That only proves what I’ve known from the moment I saw them together. They would be so perfect for each other, if only they got the chance.”

He drew his wife into his arms. Besides her big emerald-green eyes, her loving heart was what drew him to her. The feel of her close still stirred him. “Playing matchmaker again?”

“It’s just a little nudge. I’m hoping maybe they’ll catch a glimpse of each other when Jace picks up Cassie.”

“Sounds good in theory, but what about Shelly Yeager?” He raised his eyes toward the ceiling. The suite on the second floor was still occupied by the ex-wife. “She’s been all but shadowing Jace’s every move.”

A mischievous smile appeared on his bride’s lovely face. “I have plans for her.”

About four-thirty that afternoon, Jace pulled up at the school and parked his truck. He was tired. More like exhausted ever since Shelly had arrived in town. And she showed no sign of leaving anytime soon. Something was up with her, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.

He climbed out of his truck and started toward the auditorium. The last thing he wanted to do was anger his ex so much she’d walk away with Cassie. That was the only reason he’d put up with her dogging him everywhere, including several trips to the construction site. She even showed up at his house most evenings.

He hoped that Paige Larkin would get things in order, and fast, so he could finally go to the judge and stop Shelly’s daily threats to take their daughter back to Denver. He liked the fact that Cassie got to spend time with her mother, but only if Shelly didn’t end up hurting her.

No, he didn’t trust Shelly one bit.

He opened the large door and walked into the theater-style room. Up on stage were several kids along with some teachers giving directions. That was when he caught sight of the petite blonde that haunted his dreams.

He froze as he took in Lori. She had on dark slacks and a gray sweater that revealed her curves and small waist. He closed his eyes and could see her lying naked on the big bed, her hair spread out on the pillow, her arms open wide to him.

He released a long breath. As much as he’d tried to forget Lori, she wouldn’t leave his head, or his heart. All right, he’d come to care about her, but that didn’t mean he could do anything about it.

The rehearsal ended and his daughter came running toward him. “Daddy! Daddy!” She ran into his arms and hugged him. “Did you see me practice?”

He loved seeing her enthusiasm. “I sure did.”

Jace glanced up to see Lori coming toward them. His heart thudded in his chest as his gaze ate her up. Those dark eyes, her bright smile. His attention went to her mouth as he recalled how sweet she tasted. He quickly pulled himself back to the present, realizing the direction of his thoughts.

“Hello, Lori.”

Her gaze avoided his. “Hi, Jace.”

“Looks like you’ve got your hands full here.”

“I don’t mind at all. I love working with the kids. I gladly volunteered.”

Why couldn’t he have met this woman years ago?

Cassie drew his attention back to her. “Daddy, did you know that our play is called Destiny’s First Christmas? It’s about Lori’s great-great grandfather Raymond Hutchinson. On Christmas Eve, he was working in his mine, ‘The Lucky Strike,’ and found gold. That night he made a promise to his wife to build a town.”

Jace looked at Lori. “Not exactly the traditional Christmas story.”

She shrugged. “Not my choice, but the kids voted to do this one. Probably because of my father’s passing.”

“No, I’d say because of you. You’ve made a lot of positive changes in the last month.”

She shook her head. “Just trying to bring Lyle Hutchinson’s business practices into the new century.”

Jace found he didn’t want to leave, but he couldn’t keep staring at her and remembering how it was to hold her in his arms and make love to her.

Cassie tugged on his coat sleeve. “Daddy, I forgot to tell you, Miss Lori invited us to her house for Thanksgiving.”

That surprised Jace.

“She’s invited a whole bunch of people. It’s going to be a big party. Can we go?”

The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his daughter. “We’ll talk about it. Why don’t you go get your books.” After he sent Cassie off, he turned back to Lori. “Please, don’t feel you have to invite us.”

“I don’t. I wanted to invite you and Cassie, Jace. Besides, practically everyone else in town is coming. The Keenans and Erin and her family. A lot of the bank employees.” She glanced away, not meeting his eyes. “And I plan to extend the invitation to Toby and the construction crew. There’s going to be a lot of people at the house. I did it mainly for Gina and Zack so they could meet everyone. So you and Cassie are welcome.”

Jace wanted so badly to reach out and touch her. He told himself that would be enough, but that was a lie. He wanted her like he’d never wanted a woman ever. “If you’re sure.”

She frowned. “Of course. We’re business partners.”

And that was all they could be, he thought. “Speaking of that, you need to come by the site. We’re down to doing the finish trim work and adding fixtures. I’d like your opinion on how things are turning out.”

She nodded. “How soon to completion?”

“Toby estimates two weeks.”

“That’s great. Then we can concentrate on getting the spaces rented. I can help with that since I’ve hired a property manager, Kaley Sims. If it’s okay with you, I’d like her to come by and talk with you about listing the loft apartments.”

Jace smiled. “So she’s handling the rest of your properties?”

Lori nodded. “Yes, she worked for my father years ago, so she knows what she’s doing. I convinced her to come back to work with me.”

“Good, I’m ready to get this done.”

She stiffened. “And you don’t have to deal with a rookie partner.”

He cursed. “Ah, Lori, I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just with all the delays we’ve had, I’m ready to be finished. You’re a great partner. I’d work with you again.”

She looked surprised. “You would?”

“In a heartbeat.” He took a step toward her. There was so much he wanted to say, but he had no right to make promises when he wasn’t sure what was in store for him and Cassie. He was in the middle of a messy custody battle. “Just come by the site tomorrow.”

Lori started to speak when he heard his name called. He turned around to find Shelly coming toward him. Great. He didn’t need this.

He turned back around but Lori had walked off. He wanted to go after her, but he couldn’t, not until he got things settled. He’d better do it quickly, or he might lose one of the best things that ever happened to him.

The next week, Lori did what Jace asked and came by the site. She’d purposely stayed away from the project to avoid the man, so she was amazed at the difference.

The chain-link fence had been removed. They’d already started to do some stone landscape. Planters and retaining walls had been built, and a parking area.

“I’m impressed,” Kaley said as she got out of the car and looked at the two-story wood-and-stone structure.

So was Lori. “Wait until you see the inside.”

They headed up the path to the double-door entry. The door swung open and Toby greeted them with a big smile.

“Well, it’s about time you showed up again.”

Lori returned the smile. “Well, I knew you were in charge so I didn’t worry about things getting done. Hello, Toby.”

After a greeting, the foreman turned to Kaley and grinned. “Well, well, who’s your friend, Lori?”

Lori made the introductions. “Kaley Sims, Hutchinson Corp’s property manager, Toby Edwards.”

“So you’re not just a pretty face,” Toby said.

“And you’d be wise to remember that, Mr. Edwards.” She took a step toward him, grinning. “Now, let’s go see if this place looks as good as Lori says it does.”

“Well, damn. You’re making my day brighter and brighter.”

Lori was surprised to see these two throw off sparks. “Go on ahead and don’t mind me,” she called as the two took off, not paying any attention to her.

She stepped through the entry and gasped as she looked around. The dark hardwood floors had been laid and the massive fireplace completed. She eyed the golden tones of the stacked stones that ran all the way from the hearth to the open-beam ceiling.

Then her attention went to the main attraction of the huge room. The arching staircase. The new design was an improvement from the old as the natural wood banister wrapped around the edge of the first floor, showing off the mezzanine. A front desk had been built for a receptionist for the tenants.

“So how do you like it so far?”

Lori swung around to see Jace. “It looks wonderful.”

Then she took in the man. In his usual uniform of faded jeans and a dark Henley shirt, Jace also wore a carpenter’s tool belt around his waist. Somehow that even looked sexy.

“Am I disturbing your work?”

He grinned. “Darlin’, you’ve been disturbing a lot more than my work since the minute I met you.”

Jace was in a good mood today. Although Shelly had no plans to leave town, he had talked to Paige first thing that morning. He now had a court date and also a preliminary injunction so Shelly couldn’t run off with Cassie. At least not until after the custody hearing back in Denver.

“We butted heads a lot, too,” she said.

He leaned forward and breathed, “And there were times when we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.” Before she could do more than gasp, he took her hand. “Come on, I want to show you around.”

“I need to go with Toby and Kaley.”

He led her up the staircase. “I think Toby can handle the job.” He took her into the first loft apartment, showing off ebony-colored hardwood floors. The open kitchen had dark-colored cabinets, but the counters weren’t installed yet. “Here are some granite samples for the countertops and tile for the backsplash.”

He watched her study the light-colored granite, with the earth-toned contrasting tile. The other was a glossy black, with white subway tile. “I like the earth tone,” she told him.

He smiled. “My choice, too. The next stop is the bathroom.” He led her across the main living space, where the floor-to-ceiling windows stopped her.

“Oh, Jace. This is a wonderful view.”

He stood behind her, careful not to touch her as they glanced out the window at the San Juan Mountains. He worked hard to concentrate on the snow-filled creases in the rock formations and evergreen trees dotting the landscape. “It’s almost as beautiful as the view from the cabin.”

She glanced up at him and he saw the longing in her dark eyes. “It was lovely there, wasn’t it?”

“You were even more beautiful, Lori.”

She shook her head. “Don’t, Jace. We decided that we shouldn’t be involved.”

“What if I can’t stay away from you?”

Lori closed her eyes. She didn’t want to hope and be hurt in the end. Then his mouth closed over hers and she lost all reasonable thoughts. With a whimper of need she moved her hands up his chest and around his neck and gave in to the feelings.

He broke off the kiss. “I’ve missed you, Lori. I missed holding you, touching you, kissing you.”

“Jace …”

His mouth found hers again and again.

Finally the sound of voices broke them apart. His gaze searched her face. “Lucky for you we’re not alone. I’m pretty close to losing control.” He sighed. “And with you, Lorelei Hutchinson, that happens every time I get close.” He pulled her against him so there was no doubt. “Please, say you’ll come by the house tonight. There are so many things I want to tell you.”

Lori wanted to hope that everything would work out with Jace. Yet, still Shelly Yeager lingered in town. The last thing Lori wanted was to jeopardize Jace getting custody of his daughter.

Yet, she wanted them both—Jace and Cassie—in her life. Question was, was she ready to fight for what she wanted? Yes. “What time?”