Flirting With The Boss

“Thank you, I’m fine.” She nodded. “I’ve only been in town a few days, but I wanted to stop by the bank. I’m sure you’ve already heard that I’m going to be staying in Destiny.”

He nodded. “Dennis Bradley explained as much.”

She hesitated. “Good. Do you have a few minutes to talk with me?”

“Of course.”

Still feeling brave, she walked behind the desk and took the seat in her father’s chair as if she belonged. She didn’t miss the surprise on the loan officer’s face. “Where’s your office, Mr. Neal?”

He blinked, then finally said, “It’s two doors down the hall. Since your father’s death, I’ve had to access some files from here. Lyle was hands-on when it came to bank business. I’m his assistant manager.”

“Good. Then you’re who I need to speak with.” She motioned for him to sit down, but she was feeling a little shaky trying to pull this off. This man could be perfectly wonderful at his job, but she needed to trust him. “I take it you handle the mortgage loans.” With his nod, she asked, “What do you know about the Mac Burleson mortgage?”

The man frowned. “Funny you should ask, I was just working on the Burleson file.”

“Could I have a look?”

He hesitated, then relented. “It’s a shame we’re going to have to start foreclosure proceedings in a few days.”

Neal dug through the stack, located the file and handed it to her. She looked over pages of delinquent notices, the huge late fees. And an interest rate that was nearly three points higher than the norm. No wonder the man was six months behind. “Has Mr. Burleson paid anything during all this time?”

“Yes, but it could barely cover the interest.”

“Why didn’t you help him by dropping the interest rate and lowering the payments?”

“It’s not the bank’s policy. Your father—”

“Well, my father is gone now, and he wanted me to take over in his place.”

“I’m sure he did, but with your limited experience …”

“That may be, but I feel that given the state of the economy we need to help people, too. It’s a rough time.” She knew firsthand. “I want to stop the foreclosure, or at least delay it.”

“But Mr. Burleson isn’t even employed.”

“As of an hour ago, he’s gotten a job offer.” She looked at the remaining eight files. “Are these other homes to be foreclosed on, too?”

The loan officer looked reluctant to answer, but nodded. “Would you please halt all proceedings until I have a look at each case? I want to try everything to keep these families in their homes.” She stood. “Maybe if we can set up a meeting next week and see what we can come up with.”

Mr. Neal stood. “This isn’t bank policy. If people aren’t held accountable for their debts, we’d be out of business. I’m sure your father wouldn’t agree with this, either.”

For the first time in days, Lori felt as if she were doing the right thing. “As I said before, my father left me in charge. Do you have a problem with that, Mr. Neal?”

With the shaking of his head, she tossed out one more request. “Good. I also need money transferred into the escrow account for the Mountain Heritage project as soon as possible. Mr. Yeager will have his crew back to work first thing in the morning. And if you have any questions about my position here, talk to Mr. Bradley.”

She walked out to the reception desk and found Jace standing there, talking with Erin. He was smiling at the pretty brunette woman. Why not? He was handsome and single. And why did she even care?

He finally saw her and walked over. “Hi, Lori.”

“What are you doing here? I told you that I’d get the money for the project.”

“I know you did, but that’s not why I’m here—”

“I’m really busy now, Jace. Could we do this later?” She cut him off and turned to the receptionist. “Erin, would you schedule a meeting for all employees for nine o’clock tomorrow in the conference room?”

With Erin’s agreement, Lori walked out of the bank, feeling Jace’s gaze on her. She couldn’t deal with him. She had more pressing things to do, like moving out of the inn and into her father’s house, where she had to face more ghosts.

Jace was angry that he let Lori get to him. He’d wasted his afternoon chasing after a woman who didn’t want to be found. At least not by him.

He hadn’t blamed Lori for walking out on him at lunch. Okay, maybe he had no right to say what he did to her. Damn. He’d let his past dictate his feelings about women. Like it or not, Lori Hutchinson was his partner. More importantly, she had the money to keep the project going. If he wanted any chance of keeping Cassie he had to complete his job.

An apology was due to Lori. And he needed to deliver it in person. If only she’d give him a minute to listen to him. He also needed her to sign some papers that needed her authorization.

Jace left the bank to meet up with his foreman to finalize the crew for tomorrow. Then the search for Lori continued as he’d gone around town and ended up at the inn, where he finally got an answer as to her whereabouts.

He had to pick up Cassie from school, but went straight to the Hutchinson house after. He drove through the gates, hoping he could come up with something to say to her. The last thing he wanted was to start off on the wrong foot.

“Wow! Daddy, this is pretty. Does Ms. Lori really live here?”

He parked in the driveway and saw the rental car there. “Yes, she does. It was her father’s, now it’s hers.”

He climbed out and helped Cassie from the backseat. They went up the steps as the front door opened and Maggie appeared. “This is a wonderful day. First, Ms. Lorelei comes home and now, Mr. Yeager and this beautiful child come to visit.”

“Hi, Maggie,” Jace said. “This is my daughter, Cassie. Cassie, this is Maggie.”

They exchanged greetings then the housekeeper opened the door wider.

“I’d like to see Lori if she isn’t too busy.”

“Of course.” Maggie motioned them inside the entry. “She’s in her father’s upstairs office.” The housekeeper looked at Cassie. “Why don’t I take you into the kitchen and see if there are some fresh baked cookies on my cooling rack? They’re so good along with some milk.” The housekeeper looked concerned. “Coming back here is hard for her.”

“I expect it is. Are you sure it’s okay?”

Maggie smiled. “I think that would be good. The office is the first door on the left.”

Still he hesitated.

“You should go up,” the woman said. “She could use a friend right about now.”

Jace glanced up the curved staircase and murmured, “I’m not sure she’d call me ‘friend’ right now.”

Lori had trouble deciding where to put her things. There were six bedrooms and a master suite. One had been turned into an office, and the one next to it was nondescript, with only a queen-size bed covered by a soft floral comforter. It had a connecting bath, so that was where she put her one bag.

She unpacked the few items she had, but went into her father’s office. She couldn’t get into his computer because she didn’t have access.

“Okay, need to make a call to Dennis Bradley first thing tomorrow.”

What she knew for sure was she needed to have someone to work with. Someone she trusted. As far as she knew her father had worked out of his office at the bank and from home. Did Lyle handle everything himself? Had he not trusted anyone? She rubbed her hands over her face. She didn’t know the man. She stood up and walked out.

In the hall curiosity got the best of her and she began to look around. She peeked into the next room, then the next until she came to the master suite. She opened the door but didn’t go inside.

The dark room had a big four-poster bed that dominated the space. The windows were covered with heavy brocade drapes and the bedspread was the same fabric. The furniture was also stained dark. Bits and pieces of childhood memories hit her. She pushed them aside and journeyed on to the next room. She paused at the door, feeling a little shaky, then she turned the knob and pushed it open.

She gasped, seeing the familiar pale pink walls. The double bed with the sheer white canopy and matching sheer curtains. There was a miniature table with stuffed animals seated in the matching chairs as if waiting for a tea party.

Oh, my God.

Nothing had been changed since she’d lived here. Lori crossed the room to the bed where a brown teddy bear was propped against the pillow.

“Buddy?” She picked up the furry toy, feeling a rush of emotions, along with the memory of her father bringing the stuffed animal home one night.

She hugged the bear close and fought tears. No, she didn’t want to feel like this. She didn’t want to care about the man who didn’t want her. Yet, she couldn’t stop the flood of tears. A sob tore from her throat as she sank down onto the mattress and cried.

“Lori?”

She heard Jace’s voice and stiffened. She quickly walked to the window, wiping her eyes. She fought to compose herself before she had to face him.

He followed her, refusing to be ignored.

“It’s okay to be sad,” he said, his voice husky and soft.

She finally swung around. “Don’t talk about what you know nothing about.”

Jace was taken aback by her anger. “It seems that everything I’ve said to you today has been wrong. I won’t bother you again.”

She stopped him. “No, please, don’t go.”

She wiped the last of the tears off her face. “It’s me who should apologize for my rudeness. You caught me at a bad moment. Why are you here?”

“Maggie sent me up to Lyle’s office. I have some papers for you to sign, but they can wait. Believe it or not, Lori, I came to apologize for what I said to you at lunch. I had no right to judge your motivation.”

Jace glanced around the bedroom and hated what he was feeling. What Lyle must have felt when his daughter left. Would this happen to him if his ex got Cassie back? “I take it you were about six or seven when you left here?”

She nodded. “It was so long ago, I feel silly for letting it upset me now.”

“You were old enough to have memories. Your childhood affects you all your life. It was your father who chose not to spend time with you.” It seemed odd, he thought, because Lyle had kept her room like a shrine.

Lori suddenly brightened as if all the pain went away. “Well, as you can see, I’ll need to do some painting. My sister, Gina, is coming soon along with my nephew, Zack.” She put on a smile. “I don’t think he’d like a pink bedroom.”

Before Jace could say anything, he heard his daughter calling for him. “I’m in here, Cassie. I picked her up from school, and I wanted to see you before work tomorrow. To make sure everything is okay … between us.”

The expression on his seven-year-old’s face was priceless as she stopped at the door. “Oh, it’s so pretty.” She looked at Lori. “Do you have a little girl, too?”

An hour later, with Cassie busy doing homework at the kitchen table, Jace and Lori went to do their work in Lyle’s office.

“I hate that you have to keep going over everything again and again,” Lori told him.

“It’s not a problem. Better now, when I’m around to answer your questions. There aren’t too many decisions to make right now. If you’d like to put in some input on finishes, like tile and countertops, you’re more than welcome. A woman’s touch.” He held up a hand. “I didn’t mean anything about that. A second opinion would be nice.”

“I’d like that.”

She smiled and he felt a tightening in his gut. Damn. He looked back at the work sheet.

“Well, the crew is showing up tomorrow to start the finish work on the outside. If we’re lucky the weather will hold and we can complete everything before the snow comes.”

“Will it affect the work inside?”

“Only if we can’t get the materials to the site because the roads aren’t passable.”

She nodded, chewing her bottom lip. He found it hard to look away.

“What about Mac Burleson? Do you really have a job for him?”

Jace nodded. “If he can do the work.”

“I wonder if Mac can paint,” Lori said.

Jace looked at her to see a mischievous grin on her pretty face. She wasn’t beautiful as much as striking. Those sparkling brown eyes and full mouth … “That was probably going to be one of his jobs—priming the walls once they’re up. What were you thinking?”

“I doubt my father has done much work on this house in years.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind so much for myself, but Gina and Zack. I want this place …” She glanced around the dark room. “A little more homey. I want to talk to Charlie and see what he has to say about repairs.”

“How soon are you expecting your family?”

“Next week. Gina is packing and putting most of the furniture in storage.” She sighed. “I should go back to help her, but I want to make sure there won’t be any holdup on the project.”

Jace needed to remember that her entire life had been turned upside down by Lyle’s death. “It’s a shame you have to leave everything behind, like your friends. A boyfriend …?”

She looked surprised at his question. Not as much as he was. He stood and went to the window. “I only meant, Lyle had you make a tough choice.”

“No, I don’t have a boyfriend at the moment, and my sister is my best friend. So sometimes a fresh start is good.” She turned the tables on him. “Isn’t that why you came to Destiny?”

He didn’t look at her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t catch her scent, or wasn’t aware of her closeness. He took a step back. “I came here to make a life for my daughter. She’s everything to me.”

Lori smiled at him and again his body took notice. “From what I’ve seen, Cassie feels the same way about you. You’re a good father.”

“Thank you. I’m not perfect. But I do try and want to make the job permanent.”

His gaze went back to her. Darn. What was it about her that drew him? Suddenly he thought about his ex-wife, and the caution flag came out. He needed to stay focused on two things—business and his daughter.

A happy Cassie skipped into the room and rushed to him. “Maggie said to tell you that dinner is ready.”

“Oh, honey. We should head home.” He glanced at his watch. “Maybe another time.”

“No, Daddy. We can’t go. I helped Maggie make the biscuits, so we have to stay and eat them.”

He was caught as he looked down at his daughter, then at Lori.

“I can’t believe you’re passing up a home-cooked meal, Jace Yeager,” Lori said. “Maggie’s biscuits are the best around, and probably even better with Cassie helping.”

“Please, Daddy. I’ll go to bed right on time. I won’t argue or anything.”

Jace looked back at Lori. It was her first night here, and would probably be a rough one.

Lori smiled. “Now that’s a hard offer to turn down.”

“You’re no help,” he told Lori.

“Sorry, us girls have to stick together.”

That was what he was afraid of. He was losing more than just this round. He hated that he didn’t mind one bit.

“Okay, but we can’t stay long. We have a bedtime schedule.”

“I promise, I’ll go to bed right on time,” Cassie said, then took off toward the kitchen.

He looked at a smiling Lori. “Okay, I’m a pushover.”

“Buck up, Dad. It’s only going to get worse before it gets better.”

Suddenly their eyes locked and the amused look disappeared. Lori was the first to speak. “Please, I want you to stay for dinner. I think we both agree that eating alone isn’t fun.”

“Yes, we can agree on that.”

He followed Lori into the kitchen, knowing this woman could easily fill those lonely times. He just couldn’t let that happen. No more women for a while, at least not over the age of seven.

CHAPTER FIVE

AT EIGHT-THIRTY the next morning, Lori was up and dressed, and grabbed a travel mug of coffee from Maggie, then she was out the door to the construction site. Not that she didn’t think Jace could do his job, but she wanted to meet the crew and assure them that there wouldn’t be any more delays with the project.

When she pulled through the gate and saw the buzz of activity, she was suddenly concerned about disturbing everyone.

She had every right to be here, she thought as she climbed out of her car and watched the men working on the trim work of the two-story structure. Jace hadn’t wasted any time.

She walked carefully on the soggy ground. Okay, she needed more protection than her loafers. A good pair of sturdy boots was on her list. She headed up the plywood-covered path when a young man dressed in jeans, a denim work shirt and lace-up steel-toed boots came toward her.

He gave her a big smile and tipped back his hard hat. “Can I help you, ma’am?”

“I’m looking for Jace Yeager.”

The man’s smile grew bigger. “Aren’t they all? I’m Mike Parker, maybe I can help you.”

All? Lori couldn’t help but wonder what that meant. She started to speak when she heard a familiar voice call out. They both turned to see Jace. He was dressed pretty much like the others, but he had on a leather vest over a black Henley shirt even though the temperature was in the low fifties.

Lori froze as he gave her a once-over. He didn’t look happy to see her as he made his way toward them.

Jace ignored her as he looked at Mike. “Don’t you have anything to do?”

“I was headed to my truck for some tools.” He nodded to her. “And I ran across this nice lady. Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Lori Hutchinson.”

Mike let out a low whistle. “So you’re the big boss? I can’t tell you how good it is to meet you, Ms. Hutchinson.”

She tried not to cringe at the description. “It’s Lori. I’m not anyone’s boss. Jace is in charge of this project.”

That was when Jace spoke up. “Mike, they’ve finished spraying the insulation up in the lofts, so I need you to get started hanging drywall.”

“Right, I’ll get on it.” He tipped his hat to Lori. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Mike.”

She watched him hurry off, then turned back to Jace. “Good morning. Seems you’ve been busy. What time did you start?”

“I had a partial crew in at five.”

“What about Cassie?”

He seemed surprised at her question. “I wasn’t here, but my foreman was. My daughter comes first, Lori. She always will.”

“I didn’t mean … I apologize.”

That didn’t ease the scowl on his face. “Were we supposed to meet this morning?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“Did you come to work?” He looked over her attire. “You’re not exactly dressed for a construction site.”

She glanced down at her dark trousers and soft blue sweater under her coat. “I have an appointment at the bank later this morning. I wanted to stop here first to see if everything got off okay. Do you need anything?”

“No, it’s fine. I know it looks a little chaotic, but things are running pretty smoothly for the first day back to work. It’s most of the same crew so they know what I expect from them.”

Lori had no doubt that Jace Yeager was good at his job. “So everything is on schedule?”

“If the weather holds.” The wind picked up and brushed her hair back. “Come inside where it’s a little warmer,” he said. “I’ll introduce you to the foreman.”

“I don’t want to disturb him.”

“As you can see, it’s a little late for that.” He nodded toward the men who were watching.

She could feel a blush rising over her face as she followed Jace inside the building to a worktable that had blueprints spread out on top. A middle-aged man was talking with another workman.

“Hey, Toby,” Jace called as he reached into a bin and pulled out a hard hat. He came to her and placed it on her head. “You need to wear this if you come here. Safety rules.”

Their eyes met. “Thank you.”

Toby walked up to them. “What, Jace?”

“This is Lori Hutchinson. Lori, this is my foreman, Toby Edwards.”

The man smiled at her and tiny lines crinkled around his eyes. “So you’re the one who saved this guy’s as … sets.”

Lori felt Jace tense. “I’d say I was just lucky to inherit some money,” she told Toby. “Speaking of money …” She turned to Jace. “Were the funds transferred into the Mountain Heritage account?”

He nodded. “Yes. We’re expecting materials to be delivered later today.”

“Good.” She glanced around, feeling a little excited about being a part of this. “It’s nice to see all the work going on.” It was a little noisy with the saws and nail guns.

Jace watched Lori. He wasn’t expecting her here. Not that she didn’t have a right, but she was a big distraction. He caught the guys watching her, too. Okay, they were curious about their attractive new boss. He hoped that was all it was. There could be a problem if she stopped by every day. And not only for his men, either. He eyed her pretty face and those big brown eyes that a man could get lost in.

No way. One woman had already cost him his career and future, and maybe his daughter. He wasn’t going to get involved with another, especially in his workplace. Or any other place. He thought about the cozy dinner last night in the Hutchinson kitchen.

It was a little too cozy.

Enough reminiscing, he thought, and stuck his fingers in his mouth, letting go with a piercing whistle. “Let’s get this over with so we can all get on with our day.” All work stopped and the men came to the center of the main room.

“Everyone, this is Lorelei Hutchinson. Since Lyle Hutchinson’s death, Lori will be taking over in her father’s place. It’s thanks to her we’re all back to work on this project.” The men let go with cheers and whistles. Jace forced a smile, knowing this was a means to get this project completed. But damn, being beholden to a woman stuck in his craw. “Okay, now back to work.”

“Thank you,” Lori said. “So many people in town have been looking at me like I have two heads.”

“Has someone said anything to you?” he asked.

“No, but they’re wondering what I’m going to do.” She shrugged. “Maybe I should just make a big announcement in the town square. ‘Hey, everyone, I’m not here to cause trouble.’”

A strange protective feeling came over him. “Now that the project has started up again, maybe they’ll stop worrying.”

“I hope so. I’m bringing my sister and nephew here to live. I want to be part of this community.”

“What you did for Mac Burleson yesterday was a pretty good start.”

“Oh, Mac. Is he here?”

Jace nodded. “Yeah, he was here waiting when Toby opened the gates.”

She glanced around the area. “How is he doing?”

“Good so far.”

She looked up at Jace. “There he is. Would you mind if I talked to him for a moment?”

“No, not a problem.”

She walked across the large entry to the wall. Jace watched her acknowledge a lot of the workers before she got to Mac. She smiled and the man returned it. In fact he was smiling the whole time Lori was talking. Then he shook her hand and Lori walked back. “I just hired Mac to paint a couple of bedrooms at the house.”

“Hey, are you stealing my help?”

“No. He’s agreed to come over this weekend with his brother and paint the upstairs. I don’t think my nephew wants to sleep in a pink room.”

Jace nodded, knowing she would be erasing the last of her own memories of her childhood. “There are other bedrooms for him to sleep in.”

“I know, but it should have been changed years ago.”

“Maybe there was a reason why it hadn’t been.”

She looked at him. He saw pain, but also hope. “Lyle Hutchinson knew where I was since I left here twenty-two years ago. My father could have invited me back anytime. He chose not to.”

Lori turned to walk out and he hurried to catch up with her. “Look, Lori. I don’t know the situation.”

She stopped abruptly. “That’s right, you don’t.” She closed her eyes. “Look, it was a long time ago. My father is gone, and I’ll never know why he never came to see me. And now, why in heaven’s name does he want me to run his company?”