Rainer
I woke up with a stiff neck and realized I was still on the couch. My cavernous living room was cold and still, the sunrise starting on the other side of the mansion. I had sat down late last night to watch the moon set beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, and never bothered to head upstairs to the master suite. Now, I heaved myself off the couch and stretched.
"Ridiculous," I said in the echoing room.
My old couch, the decorator-chosen one that had fit my old condo so perfectly, looked like an abandoned piece of junk. My furniture pieces were shabby squatters in my vast, shining mansion.
Not that I blamed Sheila, my ex-interior designer. She had taken my rejection to heart and decided her schedule was just a little too full to accommodate me. I had no choice but to move in what I had and deal with it. I rubbed the sore muscles in my neck as I dragged myself upstairs to the master bathroom.
Sleeping on the couch was a terrible choice, but my bed was too lonely in the upstairs suite. I had avoided it, and all the far-fetched fantasies I knew would keep me awake.
Tasha and I had put in an amazing day of work, and it was still all I could think about.
Without the benefit of an overeager assistant, Tasha had taken our idea and turned it into a full-blown plan. By the end of the day, possible locations had been chosen, and she'd already started negotiations with one city. The GroGreen community garden was already taking shape.
I yanked a towel out of a moving box and dug up my essentials. Once they were dumped on the long counter, I turned on the luxurious rain shower head. The hot water eased the pain in my neck but did nothing to chase away the other nagging ache. I smiled under the deluge, thinking how shocked and disapproving Tasha would be of me falling for a co-worker, but that only heated me more.
I was falling for Tasha Nichols. Her dark, flashing eyes and that smile that always gave me a little jolt. The floral scent I caught every time she brushed back her hair. Those black high-heels and legs. I wondered if she was a runner; they were so sculpted and smooth. I could picture her jogging, her curves caught in a tight tank-top, still bouncing with every step.
I cranked the water to ice-cold.
It would be a snowy day in hell before I caught more than a glimpse of her legs under a conference table. Tasha had loosened up yesterday, but she was still all business. Sure, there were a few times when her laugh was genuine, when her hand brushed my arm, when I caught her watching me. Still, she had deflected every invitation I had offered from happy hour to dinner to a ride home. Tasha was all business, and I was just going to have to get used to it.
Plus, she was friends with Ivy Madison. I knew Ivy's husband, Matthew, and had had an entanglement with not one, but two of his gorgeous cousins. I was certain my reputation was cemented in Tasha's mind, and there was no way I was getting out of it. Tasha thought I was a shameless flirt, a playboy, and nowhere good enough for her.
She was right.
I didn't treat women badly, just casually, and there wasn't a casual bone in Tasha's body. She was serious, and I was certain there was no way she would ever take me seriously.
A hundred plans jumped to mind as I turned off the shower and dried off. Tasha's one disadvantage was that she had to work with me. The board had dictated it, Stan expected it, and she couldn't brush off those facts. Tasha was stuck with me. Now, all I had to do was show her I was more than my reputation.
I smiled at myself in the steamy mirror. There had been that one glorious moment yesterday when Tasha and I were on the same page. She was so shocked that I had hit on an idea similar to the one she had started; the look on her face gave me hope. We spent the rest of the day arguing out the details. It had taken all my best negotiation skills to make sure she divided the work evenly. Tasha was used to doing everything herself, but she also wanted to. She was hell-bent on going it alone.
So, my first plan was to be by her side every step of the way. Sure, she was going to hate it, but I had hope. Even our chief operations officer had noticed.
"You're two sides of the same coin; anyone can see that," Stan had said. "But if you move too fast, if you spook her, if you even think about hurting her, I will end you."
That little exchange was still a roller coaster ride every time I thought of it.
I was wondering about it again when my phone rang. "Evan, surprised to hear from you. Isn't this normally your tee time?"
"Not as surprised as I am that you picked up. I just thought I should check on you, considering all the bad press you and your company is getting. Father's worried you'll be heading out on another one of your benders," Evan said.
"I'm not an alcoholic, Evan, and I'm not hung over. In fact, I have to leave for work in a minute." I put the phone on speaker and set about shaving.
"You're still going to work?" Evan asked.
I gritted my teeth and narrowly avoiding nicking my throat with my razor. "Yes. Not everyone stops working as soon as they think they've made enough money."
"I've got a patient this afternoon," Evan said. I could hear the bitter edge as soon as I mentioned money. "Seems like you have a lot of work ahead of you."
He wanted me to agonize over the bad press my success was getting. Evan wanted me to know I still didn't have our father's approval. Too bad he was going about it all wrong. Thinking about work did nothing but make me happy.
"Sorry, bro, gotta run. Early meeting." I hung up the phone and whistled while I finished shaving. In less than an hour, I was meeting Tasha at the garden site.
It felt great to arrive early and catch the shocked look on Tasha's face. She took the cup of coffee I handed her and blinked at it. "What's this?" she asked.
"Your favorite. Americano with a splash of cream. I asked the head of security before I left last night," I said.
"You asked Otto my favorite kind of coffee?" Tasha asked.
"Sure. He's scary as shit, but he likes you. When he knew what I wanted, he almost smiled." I took a sip of my own coffee and enjoyed her dazed expression.
Tasha pulled herself together and nodded. "Thanks. I'm just surprised to see you here."
"I'm a morning person; who knew," I said.
"No, it's just, I, I didn't think we'd decided you needed to be here." Tasha headed towards the community center office.
"I'm here," I said. "What first?"
Tasha's quick stride hitched, but she recovered quickly. "First, we have to decide if this is the right location."
I caught her arm and turned her around. "There's a large park over there, sports fields, a junior high school just up that hill, and the community center right here. The vacant lot is on the opposite side of their parking lot and borders the school grounds. How could it be any more perfect?"
"You could have seen all that from the satellite maps," Tasha pointed out.
"Is that how you would have decided?" I asked. "You're here. I'm here. Get used to it, Ms. Nichols. We're a team."
Tasha pulled her arm from my grasp and slopped some of her coffee on the ground. She scrubbed at the splatter with her new pair of Jimmy Choo heels. The understated cream color turned to a bright golden glitter around the heel, and I swallowed hard. Her long legs stretched from her pale pencil skirt and the satin pink of her blouse only served to make her copper-colored hair gleam.
Strawberries and cream, I thought.
"Besides," I said through a tight throat. "I know you don't like getting in front of the cameras."
Tasha scowled at the news vans that were crowding the small community center parking lot. "Did Stan send them or was that your bright idea?"
"I'd love to blame Stan, but it's your fault for getting me into work mode. We need to be transparent and show the nation that we are here on the ground ourselves," I said.
"Fine, you can do that," Tasha said. "I'm going inside to see if we can actually get the permits."
"Paperwork is definitely your dominion," I said. I opened the office doors for her while I waved at the news reporters. "I'm going with our whole 'lead by example' idea. Sound good?"
Tasha gave me the ghost of a smile. "I'm sure you'll make it sound great. Just don't get too excited."
"Then get inside before I start to think you just gave me a compliment." I shut the glass-plated door in her face.
I swore Tasha was about to stick her tongue out at me when the reporters appeared. I watched her shake hands with the head of Parks and Recreation before I turned to face the dozens of questions.
I held up both hands. "Hyperion Industries is determined to show the United States, and the entire world, that GroGreen is more than just a fun game. The application has excellent tools for hands-on use, so we've decided to put it to use ourselves. Today, we are laying the framework for our first GroGreen community garden."
The reporters were skeptical. One short reporter shoved her recorder in my face. "What does 'laying the framework' entail? Sitting in the community center conference room all day?"
I let the barbed comment bounce off me. "I see you haven't met Tasha Nichols, our GroGreen team leader. Sitting in meetings is not the style of leadership that created such a versatile and innovative application. Thanks to Tasha Nichols’ hands-on involvement, we have two Hyperion executives here, on the ground, and ready to lead by example."
"So, you'll be in the garden yourself?" another reporter asked.
I grinned and nodded. "I'm looking forward to it. GroGreen has the task-list abilities to turn even my thumb green. And you are all welcome to join in."
I left the reporters to put their spin on my claims. It would take a lot more than a quick promise from a slick executive like me to turn things around. Tasha had the real task of convincing the Parks and Recreation Department to allow us this experiment. As I joined her in the conference room, I realized it was going to be more of an uphill battle than we had thought.
"Ms. Nichols, I appreciate the scope of your vision and your generous offer, but we are just not sure this is what we need right now," the department head told her.
"You think it's a publicity stunt. We're moving too fast and you'll be left holding the bag," I said.
Tasha flashed a look at me. "Mr. Reynolds, this is my associate, Rainer Maxwell."
Mr. Reynolds shook my hand. "I appreciate you cutting through the bull, Mr. Maxwell. We are not interested in developing that patch of land without a long-term vision."
Tasha opened her briefcase with an authoritative snap. "Then, please, consider this five-year development plan. I've included a yearly review as well as lines of communication that will offer daily support."
I realized Tasha must have worked on that plan last night while I wandered aimlessly around my empty mansion. I was impressed. More importantly, Mr. Reynolds was impressed.
"Thank you. I'm not saying your project is not worth our consideration. We just need to be cautious for our community's sake." Mr. Reynolds opened the report and started scanning it.
While he had his eyes on Tasha's practical layout and plan, I jumped on the opportunity. "We would like to give your department staff GroGreen apps free of charge. I'm certain you are all very busy, but we could take a few minutes to go over the planning and scheduling aspects. I think you'll find it is very easy to use."
"Some people already have it," Mr. Reynolds said. "By all means, show them more than the game."
Tasha stood up and joined the end of the conference table who had their phones out and ready. Within minutes, she had the community planning screen projected. All participants could put in their ideas and watch as the program and then their peers rated the ideas. It took ten minutes for a vegetable garden to be complete with task-lists and activity suggestions.
Mr. Reynolds finally looked up from the five-year plan and noticed the hum of excitement in the room. Tasha stepped aside and let his department show him what they had managed to accomplish in the short span of time. No one was sitting down. A few stood, pointing excitedly to the wall screen as they explained everything to their boss. The others took their phones and headed outside to the empty lot.
Tasha watched them stomping down the high weeds and scraping out the possible garden beds with a stick. "I thought this might not work," she said.
"Hope is my department. Paperwork is yours," I said. "Please tell me you know exactly what permits we need to make this happen."
Tasha nodded to the sheaf of papers sticking out of her briefcase. "Already printed and ready to go. If we get the go-ahead."
"Getting autographs, also my department," I said.
Mr. Reynolds saw me coming from across the conference room. "Well, Mr. Maxwell, it is an exciting possibility."
"We're willing to sign the long-term contract today," I said. "I'm sure Ms. Nichols included our commitment to raising community awareness, organizing volunteers, and overseeing the initial work."
He nodded to Tasha. "Yes, yes, and it's all great, but there are other obstacles."
Tasha joined us. "The Parks and Recreation Department is very busy and understandably hesitant to assign the extra work to their already spread-thin staff."
"And hiring a private company is not cost-effective," I realized.
Mr. Reynolds cleared his throat. "It's hard to ignore headlines that include the large bonuses you two must have received from GroGreen. I can tell you are both sincere, but I just don't see a couple of billionaires getting their hands dirty."
I laughed. "There you're wrong, Mr. Reynolds. I've been dying to get out from behind my desk and really sink my hands into something. Don't let the suit fool you; I'm here to work."
Tasha hesitated. "Yes, of course, but I think Mr. Reynolds’ concerns are long term."
"There's a strong community here. Have you seen the roses the community center’s closest neighbor has in her front yard? Plus, I see crowds of junior high kids just up the hill. Once the teachers have access to the lesson plans and activities on GroGreen, I'm sure they will be happy to let their fidgeting kids into the garden."
Mr. Reynolds finally bent. He held up both hands. "All right. All right. I can't really turn you down when my second-in-command is out there laying out space for a pumpkin patch. I'll give you the permits to lay out the framework. Everything will come under review from the city before we go ahead in earnest, but at least show us what you can do."
Tasha was dazed as she laid out the right paperwork for Mr. Reynolds. After it was all signed, she checked her watch and had no idea which way to go. I caught her arm and steered her towards the front doors.
"Thanks so much, Mr. Reynolds. I know it's too early to treat your department to a celebratory lunch, so we'll just go introduce ourselves to your neighbors," I said.
"Start with Mrs. Davis," he said. "She's the one with those knock-out roses. Head of our gardening club. Oh, and Mr. Maxwell?"
I turned back but kept my hold on Tasha. "Yes, sir?"
"You can never go wrong getting this bunch some barbecue," Mr. Reynolds said.
"Done." I opened the door for Tasha and escorted her around the building in the opposite direction of the reporters.
She didn't speak until we passed the white picket fence and entered Mrs. Davis' riot of roses. "Did all of that really just happen?" she asked.
"Great work, partner," I said.
Tasha grabbed my arm before I could ring Mrs. Davis' bell. "Rainer? I have to thank you."
"Is it really so painful?" I asked.
She swatted me and then caught my arm again. "No, really. I get so caught up in the paperwork, in the way it looks on paper, that I never even saw these roses. Without your help, I would have come across as a buttoned-up executive, and they would never have let us get this far. Thank you."
I rang Mrs. Davis' bell. "You're welcome. Now just do me a favor."
"What?" Tasha asked.
"Stop and smell the roses."
Mrs. Davis opened the door to Tasha swatting at me as I laughed. "Well, you two are certainly not what I expected to see. Looking to move into the neighborhood?"
Tasha's eyes widened. "No, ma'am, we're not together. I mean, we work together."
I put an arm around Tasha and held out my other hand to greet the older woman. "Mrs. Davis, I just had to stop by to admire your beautiful roses. We just met with Mr. Reynolds about the possibility of a community garden and everyone agreed we couldn't do anything until we talked to you," I said.
Tasha resisted my embrace but that only made the older woman's smile grow. "Maybe your colleague there would soften up a bit if you offered her a rose. I'll let you pick one while us girls talk."
I left a blushing Tasha on the front step while I headed back to the gate. The deep red, glistening roses there had caught my eye right away. When I rejoined them, I caught the end of their quick chat.
"I know he seems a bit slick and showy, but I think he's really committed to this project," Tasha said.
The older woman nodded and winked at me. "The red rose represents passion; guess we'll all just have to wait and see about the commitment."
"My colleague is the one with the five-year plan, Mrs. Davis. She's got it all laid out, the full commitment, if you'd like to see," I said. I handed Tasha the red rose and was rewarded with a brighter blush on her cheeks.
"Sounds like you two make a good team. I'll give my garden club a call and set up a meeting," Mrs. Davis said.
As we walked back towards the community center, Tasha sniffed at her rose. "I'll follow up with Mrs. Davis tomorrow. Anyone who can grow a rose that smells this heavenly can certainly help us make this whole thing something special."
"It's already feeling pretty special to me," I said.
Tasha rolled her eyes to deflect her disbelief. I wasn't to be believed, but it didn't bother me. I was out of the office, away from all the posturing and posing, and it was a beautiful day. And then there was the beauty of Tasha sniffing that single red rose.
My phone rang and sliced through the moment. "It's James, from the office," I said.
Tasha nodded with a stiff expression and walked ahead of me.
"Hello, James. Missing me so soon?" I asked.
"And here I thought it would be the other way around," James said. "From what I heard, you've been exiled to the East Bay with the Ice Queen. You frozen solid yet?"
"Things are going great, thanks for asking," I said.
James snickered. "Sure. Now, how about you escape and come back to civilization? We've got a group heading to the Cliff House. Drinks with a view; can't beat that, can you?"
"Sorry, old man, I'm still working," I said. Ahead of me, Tasha stepped aside to let a bright parade of preschoolers walk by. The line piled up as they noticed her red rose and surrounded her with bubbly chatter.
"I knew she'd turn you cold," James said.
I watched as Tasha knelt down to let the preschoolers smell her rose. They smiled up at her as she explained why she was at their community center. The teacher pulled out her phone and handed it to Tasha. Within seconds, Tasha had the app up and running and the whole class was clustered around her. The teacher smiled, relieved her students were engaged, and watched how to make GroGreen work. Tiny students clamored with excitement and more than a dozen gave Tasha impromptu hugs.
I sighed. "You only wish you knew what she was doing to me," I told James and then hung up the phone.
Tasha glanced up as I approached and flashed me a bright smile. I stopped on the sidewalk, feeling my pulse skip a beat. Rumors would be flying because of my off-handed comment on the phone, but it was true. Tasha did something to me every time I got near her, and all I knew was I wanted more.
"We have popsicle sticks and markers," the teacher told Tasha when I finally joined them.
"What should we use for the guidelines?" Tasha asked the cluster of preschoolers in front of her.
One popped a thumb out of her mouth and said, "We have fuzzy yarn. It's yellow."
Tasha grinned. "That will work perfectly! I'll let the Parks and Recreation staff know they have helpers, and we'll see you in the garden."
"Thanks, we needed a new activity after the whole Playdough experiment went south," their teacher said. The woman gave me a big smile. "See you in the garden."
"Making friends?" I asked Tasha.
She watched the teacher's walk change to a suggestive sway and frowned at me. "Not as quick as you do."
"It's a talent, I know," I said.
Tasha turned and gave me a rueful smile. "Or a curse, depending on how you look at it. Are you ready for this?"
My voice fled so I nodded before I could speak. "Wait, ready for what?"
"You're going to roll up your sleeves and get into that garden," Tasha said.
I blocked her from heading to her car. "And what are you going to do?"
Tasha smiled. "Get this group some barbecue. I know a great place nearby. Go show them what GroGreen can do, and I'll be back with lunch. Unless you've had a better offer?"
I glanced at my phone. A row of messages had arrived from the other junior executives. Most were about joining them for lunch, but a few here and there wanted to know how I was faring with the Ice Queen. I dropped my phone in my pocket and peeled off my suit coat.
"Let's see, hanging out in the sunshine and getting a barbecue lunch or heading back to the office? No question, this is the best offer I've had all year," I said.
Tasha raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you bring a change of clothes?"
"Must have lost my overalls in the move," I said.
"That's an expensive suit, Rainer. Don't go too crazy," Tasha said.
"Too late," I said to myself as I watched her head for her car.