Chapter 8
Naomi should have known Tanner would move on the same clients she’d cherry-picked to work with. The blasted man had good taste and an eye for expansion.
He looked attractive, as usual. And a little tired, which surprised her. But he still commanded attention. Six foot three. Broad chest, polished looks with that square chin and those killer blue eyes. Not a clear gray like Reid’s, but…God, just what she didn’t need, to be thinking about Reid when dealing with Tanner.
“Wow, Naomi. You look great. I haven’t seen you in forever.”
She’d done her best to make it that way. “Yes.”
When Tanner looked as if he’d lean closer for a kiss or hug hello, she hurried to stick her hand out between them. “Nice to see you again.” She sounded stiff, and she knew it, but she had only seen Tanner once in the year and half since they’d parted. She’d cried the entire night after.
Now, with distance and time between them, she didn’t miss him so much. She’d rather kick him in the balls for being a hypocrite and a bad boss than kiss him and beg him to come back to her.
Squaring her shoulders, she smiled into his eyes and squeezed his hand with appropriate tension, then gave a subtle tug when he held on a moment too long.
She turned to Chris. “Hello, I’m Naomi.”
“I see that.” Chris Jennings held out a hand and shook hers. He was cute, a little nerdy, and clearly intelligent. She could tell just by the way he sized her and everything up around him, and she had that added bonus of knowing all about him through her research. “So how do you and Tanner know each other?”
“We used to work together,” Tanner answered.
“We did,” Naomi said, wanting so badly to tell Chris what a putz her ex had been. But anything she did or said in this first meeting would leave a lasting impression, and she refused to come across as the bitter, unprofessional ditz who’d slept with her boss. Tanner admitting he’d slept with his employee wouldn’t do him any favors either, so she didn’t worry he’d spill the beans.
“Oh?” Chris looked from her to Tanner. “So you’re a marketing whiz too?”
Before Tanner could answer that one, Naomi did. “Yep.” She smiled, giving Chris all the wattage she could manage. “I love it. PR and marketing are so exciting. I worked with Paulson, Pierce & Ryan for a few years, then left to start my own firm. I crave a challenge.”
He smiled back. Tanner’s answering smile looked strained.
“I learned a lot from PP&R. They’re a great company. But now I can focus on my clients more since we’re a smaller firm.” Enough work chat, now she had to act as if she didn’t want to keep them. “I’m sorry. I’m really into my job and can go on and on about it. It was great to meet you, Chris. Tanner.” She nodded at him, the handsome jerk, and saw his lips tighten.
Her mood perked. Great. She’d annoyed Tanner and had come across as polite.
“Naomi, would you like to join us?” Chris asked.
“She probably has things go do,” Tanner tried, keeping that fake smile in place. “She always did work hard.”
“Actually, I’ve gotten better about balancing my life,” she said. “I was just going to sit down to enjoy my latte and relax on this beautiful Saturday.” For once, Seattle had a sunny day, and the temperature remained warm. “I’d love to…if I’m not intruding.” She looked from Chris to Tanner.
“Tanner and I ran into each other on the way in. And I’d rather not talk shop since I’m struggling to find balance between work and a life myself.”
She nodded. “I know that feeling all too well.” She sat with them and did her best to be cool but polite to Tanner.
The discussion turned from the weather to a few upcoming festivals in the city to the growing crime rate.
“I love it here, but the burglaries have been on the rise. Remember last year when they caught some lowlifes in Queen Anne? The guys had been knocking over businesses along the strip, then started on the residential area. An old lady and her boyfriend stopped them.” Chris grinned. “Classic. Imagine being stopped by a woman in her eighties. That old lady made my day.”
Tanner nodded. “It goes in waves. I think they just stopped a group who’d been targeting houses in Fremont last week. I saw something about that in the paper.”
Chris brightened. “Oh yeah. I know those guys! A Marine I used to serve with years ago.”
Naomi couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to segue into the conversation. “That’s so funny. I’m working with them.”
Both Chris’s and Tanner’s eyes widened.
“Vets on the Go! They’re a great group. The owners of the company are veterans who hire veterans. Reid, Cash, and Evan Griffith.”
Chris’s grin grew. “No kidding? Man, small world. I’m renting a house to those guys. So you met Cash, eh? What did you think?”
They shared a laugh and talked about the Griffiths with good-natured fun. Tanner nodded at all the right times, but she saw his frustration and wanted to cheer. Take that, you backstabbing ass.
“Oh man, I have to get going. I promised Teresa I wouldn’t be late tonight,” Chris said, and they all stood. “Great running into you, Tanner. I’ll give you a call later this week about some ideas Jon had for you. See what you think.” To Naomi, he said, “It was great meeting you. And hell, if you’re not too busy, I’d love to talk to you about what you’re doing for Cash and Reid. My company is growing faster than I’d anticipated, and we need some fresh marketing strategies. We’re hoping to put together a tight PR team. Not sure if you’re interested…?”
She forced herself to remain calm. “I know all about fast growth since founding Starr PR.” Tanner’s jaw tightened. She smiled, hoping she didn’t look as excited as she felt. “Whenever you have the time, we’re game. Like I said, I love a challenge.”
“I’ll have Jon contact you. Starr PR, right?” At her nod, he grinned. “You’re right. It’s catchy.”
She waved goodbye and left with a spring in her step, uncaring about anything since she’d gotten her foot in the door—the same door Tanner Ryan would no doubt try to slam in her face. Try it, pretty boy. I dare you.
Now to make sure Reid gave her a good recommendation. One that didn’t include how skillful she was with her hands.
Unfortunately, she was so swamped with other clients that the few times she’d had to contact Reid, she kept missing him. They played phone tag for a few days before she finally managed to reach him.
She let out a relieved breath when he picked up the phone. “Oh my gosh, you’re harder to reach than my father during baseball season.”
He chuckled. “Sorry. We’ve been swamped. We’ve been circling around the decision to add on more personnel and another truck. Evan just bought the truck.”
“Wow. Congrats.”
“Yeah, and that web guy you mentioned was someone I’d considered working with before. I called, and he’s designing a new website as we speak.”
“Using a few key points I mentioned in your packet?”
“Yep. Hold on.” He said something in a low growl to someone else. Cash’s blunt words came through on her end, and she winced. “Sorry if you heard that,” Reid apologized to her. “Just a minor dispute with a demanding employee.”
“Employee?” Cash yelled. “Fuckhead. I’m on a break.”
“Oh yeah, he’s demanding.” Reid sighed. “So, to what do I owe the honor of this call?”
“We had a few items we needed to discuss from last week. I’ve put together an email for you to read before we meet. Do you have time this week? I have a four thirty on Thursday or a nine Friday morning.”
“Shit. I mean, shoot. No can do. We’re still short people, so I’ve been filling in to give some of the guys a break.”
“Who’s managing the desk?”
“Dan Thompson, believe it or not. He’s a retired vet we’re moving in a few weeks.” Reid sounded enthused. “And man, he’s amazing. Guy was artillery back in ’Nam, and he’s hell on wheels in admin. So at least the office is running smoothly.”
“Yeah. I’m one for three this week. I have a terrific, if temporary, admin chief. One of our trucks went down, so we had to scramble to get another, which led me to seeing the need for more in our fleet. Yes, Evan said we now have to call it a fleet.”
“Listen to Evan.”
“I’m trying, but half of what comes out of his mouth are complaints. He bitches and whines like a…ah, he’s tired. I’ll leave it at that.”
She couldn’t help laughing at his tone.
“I know, it sounds ridiculous. A broken-down truck, a bitchy accountant, and my jerk of a brother complains at the drop of a hat. He’s not happy with the new rotation I set down for our movers. We have teams that work well together, and I like the unity of getting everyone on board with everyone else.”
She could well imagine. “So he’s working with Jordan?”
“Yep.” Reid gave a tired laugh. “How’s your week been going?”
“Busy. I had been wanting to sit down and talk with you about your strategy. We really do need to iron out a few points. Oh, and your interview will be live on the Friday night segment at six thirty.”
“Yeah? Great.”
“If you don’t mind, I’ll call your website tech and talk to him about highlighting your recent good press.”
“That works. That way, I don’t have to do it.”
She made a note to do so. “Oh, and I meant to tell you. I met a friend of yours this past weekend.”
“Chris? Yeah, he called. We talked. He’s a great guy.” Reid paused. “He asked how I liked working with you.”
She curled her fists. “And?”
“I told him it was too soon to tell if you were effective, but that you know your stuff and you’re easy to work with. All good marks.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey, I was honest. You screw up our business with crappy advertising, I won’t hesitate to tell him that too.”
“Thanks so much.” She snorted. “It won’t come to that. I know what I’m doing.”
“I believe you or we wouldn’t still be in business. SuzyTeaShine can’t say enough good things about you. And if they can be in business with that stupid name, you gotta be skilled.”
“Stop.” She cleared her throat so as not to laugh. “Hey, it’s Suzy’s company. I just helped her market to the right people in the right venues.”
“Uh-huh.”
Sensing his distraction, she knew to wrap up the call. “I’ll let you go. But you never answered me about our meeting.”
“Hmm. This week is slammed. I can meet you this weekend or Monday. Your choice.”
“Monday at ten?”
“Oh yeah. Nothing earlier than that.” Reid sighed. “I’ll go through what you send me beforehand. How about we meet for coffee and go over this? Sofa’s is pretty decent in Green Lake.”
“Sold.” She loved their bear claws…a little too much. “I’ll see you Monday at ten. Don’t be late.”
He laughed. “Ms. Starr, knowing I’m coming to see you, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Then he hung up.
She didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted. He wouldn’t dream of being late because she was a stickler for punctuality or because he liked being around her?
The phone rang, distracting her, so she answered, “Hello?”
“A call from Mr. Tanner Ryan. Are you available to talk, Ms. Starr?” asked a perky young woman.
He has his secretary calling me? Power move for sure. “I can squeeze him in,” she said, wanting to squeeze him in—by the throat. Better to get the call over with. She’d anticipated him contacting her much sooner. Had Chris given him a contract already? Jon hadn’t called her, though he’d sent her an email requesting a meeting.
The phone clicked, and Tanner came on the line. “Hello, Naomi.”
Familiar tingles lit her from the inside out, and she hated that his voice could still make her shiver. God, she wanted so badly to hate Tanner. “Hello, Tanner. What can I do for you?” Straight and to the point.
He laughed, the smoky sound of his amusement both painful and warming. She preferred painful.
“I always loved the sound of your voice. So soft yet sexy.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“No, wait. Naomi, I’m just teasing. It was great seeing you Saturday.”
She snorted. “I’ll bet.”
“Well, I’ll admit it was a punch to the gut. I’m trying to schmooze Jennings, and there you are, still beautiful, funny, and intelligent. Made me realize I really did make the biggest mistake of my life by breaking up with you.”
And that was why she found it so hard to hate the guy. He could be honest and apologetic and mean it. Tanner, despite having been an utter ass, had a core of decency to him.
He also had a tendency to remember things skewed to his benefit. “I’m sorry. Breaking up with me? You would have demoted me or fired me if I hadn’t quit first.”
“Not true. Well, not about firing you.”
“Demoted me then. And how is that fair considering all the work I did to land you so many accounts?”
He sighed. “Naomi, I didn’t call to rehash old times.”
“I know why you called. You’re threatened that Jennings wants to talk to me, and you want that fat juicy account all to yourself.”
“Jennings Tech is blowing up. Their stock continues to rise, and the marketing they have in place has stagnated. Chris knows it, so does their team. Have you talked to Jon?”
“We’ve communicated.”
“There’s enough room for all of us to work together.”
“Did Jennings tell you that?”
“No. Would you stop talking and listen for a minute?”
Good, he sounded irritated.
“No, I will not shut up. I’m my own boss now, and I don’t take orders from you.” She paused, and when he remained quiet, she reached for the closure she’d been missing for so long. “I’m only going to say this once, and then we won’t talk about it again. What you did hurt me. Deeply. I never did anything to interfere with your business. Everything was for PP&R and to help you. But you were threatened by my success and cut me out of things despite our results. You were both unprofessional and a shitty boyfriend. There. Now what did you want to talk about?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “I’m sorry.”
She pulled her phone away to look at it. “What’s that?”
“I’m sorry. You’re right, about all of it.” He let out a breath. “I was getting pressure from the partners to build more, faster. Everyone kept looking to you, and it got to me. Plus you insisted we keep our relationship quiet, and that bothered me.”
“I insisted? We both agreed it would look bad for the boss to be banging his assistant,” she snapped, despite not planning to discuss the matter. “I loved you, Tanner. And you threw me away like trash.”
“That’s not true,” he shot back. “I was having trouble at work, and you never saw it, basking in your own glory. The pride of the firm. Hell, I was dying, making sure everything stayed afloat while those pricks Pierce and Paulson were out golfing nine holes a day.”
“You wanted a bigger part of the company.”
“And I got it. All of it at once. Paulson’s talking about leaving. So it’ll just be me and Pierce. But depending on how this thing with Jennings goes, we could have room for another partner.”
“Oh my God. Tell me you are not dangling a partnership in front of me, as if I’ll be so happy for the opportunity, I’ll forget everything to reach up and grab it!”
“No. I’m merely stating that we’re always looking for great team players. Naomi, I fucked up. You’re the real deal, and I’m plainly stating I miss you.”
“As an employee or girlfriend?”
“Both.”
That shocked her to silence. “You’re not dating anyone now?” Not what she’d heard.
“I am, but Mandy isn’t you.”
“I bet she’d love to hear that,” she ended with an angry laugh. Of all the conversations she’d imagined having with Tanner, him crawling back to her hadn’t been one of them.
The urge to say yes and forget the past wasn’t strong, thankfully. That the urge existed at all made her feel sick. Naomi didn’t cater to weakness, and the shallow character she’d seen in Tanner still dismayed her.
But she hadn’t been kidding. She’d loved him—once.
An image of Reid swam in her mind’s eye, another man she had no business involving herself with, yet she had.
And speaking of business… “You taught me a valuable lesson, Tanner. I don’t mix business with pleasure.” Don’t think about Reid, don’t think about Reid… “So if you’re thinking about working together, that might be something to consider. You always were good at your job, at least.”
He said nothing.
“But if this is some lame attempt to work your way into my good graces then undercut me with Jennings, forget it. I’ll be talking to Jon again soon, and we’ll see what he has to say about who Jennings Tech wants handling their PR. Until then, don’t call me.” She disconnected, trembling as she put her phone down.
Good Lord. Had that really happened? Tanner Ryan begging her to come back?
Liz popped her head in the door, her hair a wild corona of blond frizz that framed her narrow face. “Whoa. What the heck happened to you?”
“Tanner called.” Naomi reached for her coffee and slugged it back. “I had just hung up with Reid, then my archnemesis had the nerve to suggest we not only get back together in business but in bed as well.”
Liz gaped and took a seat across from Naomi. “No way.”
“Yes way.” She guzzled more caffeine. “It’s like I’m in the Twilight Zone or something. He said his girlfriend, Mandy, ‘isn’t me.’” She ended in air quotes.
“But she is a redhead with blue eyes and a build similar to yours,” Liz said. “I didn’t tell you that before because I didn’t want to freak you out. But she is. What do you make of that?”
“I have no idea.” Naomi fiddled with her pen. “I kind of hate myself for thinking, for even a second, that I miss him.”
Liz shrugged. “You were good together. It took me years to find Mitch. So when I had him, I refused to let him go. Even when that floozy Patsy tried moving in on him. I set her straight, set him straight when he got stupid, and finally have him trained enough that I can’t imagine starting over.”
“With five kids, you really can’t afford to.”
“Seriously.” Liz grinned. “But it’s not the expense, it’s all the time training Mitch not to leave the toilet seat up, to get up early with the kids on Saturdays so I can sleep in, and getting him to do the laundry. That was a friggin’ miracle, and I can’t let that go.”
They both laughed, knowing how much Liz and Mitch doted on each other. Naomi wanted that, a soul-deep connection with a man who would look at her the way Mitch looked at Liz, with love in his eyes.
Not suspicion or envy that she might outshine him at work.
She sighed. “He apologized for everything. Said he’d made a huge mistake.”
“Good. He screwed up. Funny now that he’s bidding for the same job you are, he’s suddenly aware of his failings.”
“Yeah, I noticed that.”
“Keep noticing that,” Liz said and grabbed the coffee cup off Naomi’s desk. “I’m getting you an espresso. You need to focus on work and not on that man. He ruined your business, stole your clients, and started dating again not two weeks after that ‘painful’ breakup.” Liz huffed. “He’s not worth a moment of your busy day. Now Reid Griffith and his fine tush, that man is worth drooling over.”
“Liz.”
“I’m only human. Besides, he reminds me a little of Mitch. It’s the tall, quiet ones you have to watch out for.” Liz left.
Tall, yes. But Reid, quiet? He hadn’t been so quiet when they’d been in her house kissing and…that other stuff. She still remembered his breathy moans. Just his voice turned her tingly in all the wrong places. The memory of his big hands, the scent of his cologne, it bothered her how much she’d fixated on those details.
Why the hell couldn’t she stop thinking about him in that way? It had been all she could do to call and act with a professional detachment.
He was a client first, a man second. She would do well to keep reminding herself of that fact. With that firmly in mind, she returned to work and her espresso—thank you, Liz—and started adding to her folder on Chris Jennings.
Because when she landed that account, she wanted to be ready for anything.