Right. Because today it was back to business and tomorrow back to work. She needed to review her pages of notes and write her report this evening so it was ready for Gavin tomorrow. A report that she knew Jack wouldn’t like, which surely shouldn’t matter-their two-nighter was now officially over. But to her consternation, she realized it did matter. A lot.
She yanked her attention from Jack then purposely set her purse and leather portfolio on a table at the opposite end of the dining room from him, in a corner where she could observe the Java Heaven staff’s interactions. After helping herself to fluffy scrambled eggs, a blueberry muffin still warm from the oven, and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice from the buffet, she sat and opened her portfolio. And studiously kept her gaze on her notes and off Jack.
She was working on her second cup of tea and had just jotted down an observation when a shadow fell across the table. Her heart jumped because even before she looked up, she knew it was Jack.
She raised her head and looked into his compelling blue eyes. He was dressed casually in tan khakis and a yellow polo shirt. His dark hair was slightly rumpled, as if he’d raked his hands through it. Her fingers itched with the sudden overwhelming desire to glide through those thick strands that she knew felt like raw silk.
“May I join you?” he asked.
No. Please go away. I’m terrified that I’m not a good enough actress to pretend nothing’s happened between us. That I feel nothing for you. “Of course,” she replied in her best businesslike, neutral tone. She closed her portfolio and picked up her teacup, more to give her hands something to do than because she wanted a sip.
“Your breakfast was good?” he asked after he’d settled himself in the chair opposite hers.
“Yes. Yours?”
“Very good.” He set his hands on the table and linked his fingers. He had really nice hands. Large and strong. Capable and wickedly clever. There wasn’t a centimeter of her body they hadn’t explored.
“You were gone when I woke up,” he said quietly, his gaze steady on hers.
Oh, God. This was going to be so much harder than she’d ever imagined. Why did something that was supposed to be so uncomplicated-just a simple one-night stand-suddenly feel so complicated? How had it happened? When?
She cleared her throat. “I didn’t want to wake you. Besides, I thought it best since our two-nighter was officially over.”
“No awkward farewells.”
“Exactly.”
His gaze shifted to her portfolio then back to her. “Maddie… I’ve suspected from the moment Gavin hired you that he’s planning to downsize my department and that he wants your recommendations on whom and how many people to cut. I wouldn’t ask you to break a confidence by either confirming or denying it, but I’d like you to listen for just a moment.”
She nodded. “All right.”
“I don’t want my department cut, not by a single person. Gavin knows this and I’ve gone on record with him that I won’t fire or layoff anyone. I’ve seen the same things you have this weekend. I know there are some personality conflicts, but sometimes it just takes certain people longer than others to feel comfortable. Peter Quinn, for instance. I know he can be standoffish, but he’s brilliant. He may not be the most personable guy in the world, but what’s important to me is that he’s loyal. And honest.”
He drew a long breath, then continued, “I’ve resented you from minute one because I viewed you as Gavin’s spy. Please don’t take that personally-I would have resented any consultant Gavin hired. I didn’t like having someone looking over my shoulder, second-guessing me when I was doing my damnedest to pull together a department that was in shambles. I know you have a job to do, but the bottom line is this: At the risk of sounding arrogant, I know what’s best for my department and it’s not a smaller staff. Cutting the department won’t cut the work that needs to be done, it will only dump more responsibilities on the folks who remain. Employees who are forced to work overtime and on weekends just to keep up with their workload are not happy employees. We’ll end up slowly drowning. I’ve seen it happen in other companies and I don’t want it to happen here. I want this department to not only survive but to flourish, but I need time-and my entire staff-to make that happen. We’ve already made great strides and it’s only been two months.
“In the end, any money saved by downsizing won’t be worth it because I’ll have a miserable staff, which, as you know, leads to all sorts of problems. I’ve already told Gavin this and that any cost-cutting measures will need to come about through other channels or out of some other department. But not accounting.”
Maddie pulled in a careful breath, then released it slowly. “I understand your point, but you also need to take into account that cogs in the wheel need to be fixed, or in this case let go, so the entire group doesn’t suffer. And every company needs to minimize costs.”
“I agree, but there aren’t any cogs in this wheel. And the cost cuts won’t come at the expense of my department.”
“You make it sound as if it’s a deal breaker for you.”
“It is.”
She nodded slowly then offered him a small smile. “You make a very compelling case. And your reasoning is sound.”
He smiled in return. “Glad you agree.” He glanced at his watch. “We’re starting in just a few minutes. Thanks for listening.”
“You’re welcome.”
His expression softened. “And thanks for a great weekend.”
Her heart tripped over itself and she had to grip her teacup to keep from giving in to the powerful urge to touch him. “You, too.”
With his gaze locked onto hers, he said quietly, “I know we agreed our… time together wouldn’t go beyond last night, but just so you know, I wouldn’t mind if we changed that rule. Think about it and let me know.”
Without another word, he rose and walked toward the exit. She watched him leave, his last words echoing through her mind. Think about it and let me know.
There were lots of reasons why letting their two-nighter extend further had “bad idea” written all over it. Yup, lots of reasons. And she was going to write them down as soon as she remembered them. Then, thankfully, her brain kicked into gear.
It would make working together impossible.
Wouldn’t it?
There was only sexual attraction between them.
Wasn’t there?
Nothing could come of continuing their affair.
Could it?
Think about it and let me know.
God help her, she didn’t know how she’d be able to think about anything else.
Ten
At one o’clock Monday afternoon, Gavin entered Jack’s office. “Got a minute?” he asked.
“Sure. Have a seat,” Jack said, indicating the chair opposite his desk.
Jack set aside the report he’d been reading and pulled in a bracing breath. His gut was telling him this impromptu meeting was about downsizing his department.
Gavin sat then lifted a manila folder from the top of the pile he carried. “I’ve spent the morning going over this report from Madeline Price. It’s based on her observations of your department and includes detailed notes, most recently from the team building over the weekend.”
Gavin leaned back in his chair. “I’ll cut right to the chase, Jack. You need to downsize the department, from twenty to fifteen. You have two weeks to make the cuts. If you need suggestions as to who is to go”-he tapped the folder containing Maddie’s report-“I’m happy to name names.”
For several long seconds silence swelled between them. Jack’s gaze fell on the folder and a feeling such as he’d never experienced before surged through him. A combination of anger, disgust, frustration, and betrayal all swirled with an overwhelming sense of numbness. He’d thought she’d understood-that he’d made her see reason. That she’d value and respect his opinion. Obviously he’d been mistaken. Very mistaken.