Page 21 of Grump and Grumpier

In preparation for meeting with them, I make a list of the positions that need to be filled, with notes on which might be best staffed by temporary or temp-to-hire employees for quickest results before I focus on the long-term hires.

I also start drafting a list of goals outside of staffing, including formulating some sort of official employee handbook. I don’t mind asking questions and exploring on my own, because I consider myself to be a self-starter, but some people do much better with structured orientation and training programs, and as Community Bean grows, it needs to have things like that in place.

I also make notes on preliminary ideas for making this a place where people enjoy working. Irritable bosses aside, building a sense of camaraderie could help people weather the stresses of a growing company.

As the hours pass by, I’m surprised that I haven’t seen Derek or Jansen all day, though maybe it’s for the best. The less I see of them, the easier it will be to keep my mind on business.

That point is proven when Derek knocks on myopen door just after five-thirty, when I’m gathering my things to go home.

All he says is my name, but you’d have thought I just read a scene from one of my favorite romance books by the way my body responds to him.

I do my best to maintain my composure, but I’m sure he can see my heated cheeks and hear the huskiness in my voice when I greet him.

He closes the door behind him, and every inappropriate thing I’d already been feeling is amplified by a factor of sixty-nine, which is just a completely random number and bears no resemblance to what I’m thinking about right now.

“How was your day?” he asks.

On shaky legs, I stand and move around my desk, as if he’s hard, shiny steel and I’m a giant magnet, physically unable to resist getting closer to him. I do somehow manage to stop a couple of feet away, at a perfectly professional distance. “… Good. I didn’t think I was going to see you before I left.”

“I’ve been here all day.”

“Your door was closed. I didn’t want to bother you.”

He crosses the little safety zone I left between us with one long stride, and his hand goes to my ponytail, where he grasps it and gently tugs, tipping my head back so that I’m looking up at him, my face just inches from his crisp white dress shirt.

His eyes slowly descend from mine, down to my mouth, then my chest. “What color is your lingerie today?”

My heart is doing double time as I catch my breath and find my voice. “That isn’t an appropriate question for you to ask.”

His hand trails down the center of my back, where I’m sure he feels the strap of my bra through my shirt. “Are you going to report me to HR?”

I grin and draw on all my inner resources to take a step back from him. “I wasn’t joking. Wecan’tdo this anymore.”

He stays where he is, and I’m glad, because if he touches me again, I’m not sure I have the strength to back up my words.

“I need to meet with you and Jansen to discuss my hiring plans,” I say, slipping back behind the safety of my desk and steadying my voice. “Are you available tomorrow?”

“Come see us as soon as you get in.” His eyes are full of heat, and I realize I’m holding my breath as I await his next move. When he opens my door and exits as smoothly as he entered, I can’t decide if I’m relieved or disappointed.

CHAPTER 16

ANA

When I enter the building the next morning, the marketing director, Owen, is holding the elevator for me.

“Good morning! You came back. That’s a good sign.”

I smile at his joke—or at least I hope he’s joking. Based on things I read in the files, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if people have quit after their first day.

We make small talk on the ride up, then wish each other a good day and go our separate ways when we reach our floor. I put my bag in my office, set out a little potted plant I brought in, grab my notebook, and head to Derek and Jansen’s offices.

It occurs to me that I could say I’m taking the bull by the horns meeting with them first thing in the morning, but that expression makes me think about grabbing their … ahem, horns, and I almost need to detour to the restroom to splash cold water on my face.Must not think about my bosses’ big horns.

As I cross the space, I’m oddly aware of my underwear. Ever since I first had the money to spend on things beyond necessities, I’ve splurged on lingerie. I feel both sexy and powerful wearing nice fabrics and pretty designs, even when no one else sees them except me.

But my new bosses have seen some of my lingerie, and apparently Derek is still thinking about it. Today, I purposely chose my most basic white set, with the hopes that my hormones get the message that my mind needs to stay on business, not pleasure.

I take a deep breath as I approach their open doors, both in an effort to keep said hormones in check, and to strengthen my nerves. There are a lot of things I need to discuss with them about the company’s concerning turnover rate, and I strongly suspect they won’t like what I have to say. I need to deliver my points with finesse, but that might be hard to do, since my brain seems to go fuzzy whenever I’m with them.

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