Chapter 2
2
BEN
B y the time I’ve inspected three different jobs, I’m on my third cup of coffee. This lack of sleep had better be temporary.
Six months ago, if you had asked me if I was prepared to take over my father’s company, I would have said sure. But that would’ve been based on the assumption that Dad would spend some time training me and hand over the reins gradually. Not grab my mother and a few suitcases and take off to France with forty-eight hours’ notice.
Stress and sleep do not go together. However, at least the sleep I managed to get last night was filled with incredible dreams.
Iris. Iris . I feel haunted by those stunning blue eyes. She’s honestly the most beautiful, intriguing woman I’ve ever met. Plus, she’s smart. Helpful. Even the smallest details were all to my preference – like the way her long, auburn brown hair was pulled simply over one shoulder, and that she was wearing very little makeup beyond a bit of brown eyeliner. And don’t forget her curvy figure, with lush breasts and hips that my hands needed to reach for, right there in the hardware store.
The only thing keeping her from being completely perfect was that she didn’t wait for me to ask for her number.
I noticed she wasn’t wearing any rings when I touched her delicate hand. The thought of my heart racing for an incredible woman just to find out she’s married… That would be too much.
After stopping and paying for gas, I grab my phone to run a search on Palmer’s Potted Plants.
There it is, just a few blocks away. I know I’ve driven by it before, but I’ve never had an opportunity to go in.
As I drive to the shop, it occurs to me that I have no idea what to say. Apparently, I’ve become the type of guy who rarely speaks to anyone outside of work while I wasn’t looking.
There’s no way I would ask out the women who work in the cabinetry department. And my part time receptionist / assistant is my cousin, Dakota.
So far, I’ve managed to lead the company by being logical and working my ass off. Not sure how that’s going to work with asking a woman out.
My truck pulls up in front of the shop just as Iris is stepping out the door. I leap out and approach her, and she looks up in surprise. “Hi, Iris.”
She blinks. God, her eyes are stunning. “Ben, right?”
“Yes. I was in the neighborhood and wondered if you’d like to grab a coffee with me?”
She looks up and down the street, hesitating for only a moment. “Sure. Benji’s is just around the corner. Is that okay?”
“Perfect.”
A few minutes later, we’re sitting in the corner, practically the only people in the café as we clutch our coffees. Iris is so graceful, even in the way her delicate fingers curl around her mug with every sip. I’ve noticed beautiful women before. And sexy women. Never at the same time, though – and she seems very sharp, too.
“Look, I really want to ask you out on a proper date,” I begin. “You’re interesting, gorgeous, and I just feel…” I gesture between us with a finger. “Something magnetic. Do you agree?”
I love the way she blinks quickly when she’s thinking. “Yes. I do. Which is…well, strange, to be honest.”
“Hey, let’s just be super honest, okay? It’ll save a lot of time and trouble.”
Her smile sends a beam of warmth through my chest. “Good idea.”
“So, let’s think of this coffee as a meeting. The next few weeks are going to be pure chaos for me. Assuming I survive them, I’ll find somewhere for a proper date.”
“Assuming you survive? That sounds serious.”
I chuckle. “Well, I’m not being attacked by grizzlies or anything. Just some semi-impossible work stuff.”
Iris pulls that notepad from her purse, together with a pen. “I love puzzles. Shoot.”
I don’t know which is more endearing – that she wants to help me, or that she’s one hundred percent ready for action. Also, there is no question that I trust her completely. There’s a feeling that goes beyond the pull I feel toward her, making me want to wrap my arms around her and kiss those inviting lips. I need to be with Iris. It’s that simple.
“Are you sure you want me to drag you into this?”
Her smile is adorable. “Ben, I’m a problem solver. It’s what I do. Please – give me ten minutes.”
“Okay.” I stretch my shoulders, then lean forward. “The short version is, my uncle doesn’t think I can run Dad’s company, and wants to steal it out from under me.”
“Oh, gosh, I’m sorry.” Her fingers flutter to her lips. “Did your father pass away?”
“No – Mom had a serious crunch of their numbers and realized they had more than enough in savings to retire, like, yesterday. So she packed them up and Dad gave me two days’ notice that they were relocating to the south of France for the next six months while she plans out their next decade of travel.”
“Wow.” The tip of her pen taps rhythmically on the notebook. “The company was dropped on your shoulders?”
I can’t help noticing that her gaze drifts across the line of my shoulders when she says that. “Yes. But Dad always listens to his little brother Wayne, who is a lazy, sloppy, volatile idiot who’s already run two of his own business ventures into the ground and now wants to have a crack at this one.”
“Really?”
“Really. He’s always going on about how I don’t understand the business side of things. My buddy Steve heard him bragging down at the pub the other night. Wayne thinks all he has to do is stroll into my office, take some photos and find proof that it’s a disaster, then call Dad and tell him that since he’s older and supposedly wiser than I am, he should be taking over.”
“I mean, no offense…” Iris studies my eyes carefully. “But why does he assume the offices are guaranteed to look like a disaster?”
I sigh toward my coffee. “Dad… Well, he ran everything by the seat of his pants. We specialize in kitchen cabinetry, but do all kinds of built-in shelving, and minor home renovations too. Dad never paid much attention to the presentation side of our offices, and with his hasty departure it looks even more chaotic – tons of blueprints, sketches, and paper files everywhere. Wayne will say there’s no hope for me, that I’m unprofessional, and that he needs to step in to save the proverbial day. And I know he’ll photograph everything to make it look much worse.”
Iris is taking notes in small, tidy printing. “Okay, what you need is a super-fast company makeover so that everything looks clean, efficient, and polished.” Her pen taps again. “You also need to appear calm. Like you’re on top of everything and haven’t had any stress in weeks.”
“So…lie?”
She laughs lightly. “You could put it that way. Or you could say that we are ‘projecting success’. Manifesting the inevitable outcome of how everything will be once you catch up.”
We. She said we . As in, she and I . Oh wow.
“So…what? I should go into the office and throw everything into storage bins so that everything looks tidy?”
She holds up a hand. “Hey now. Yes, this needs to be done fast, but we should stop and plan first. That’s always more efficient in the long run.”
Iris looks at me very carefully for a few seconds, and I use the opportunity to study her lovely face. Her elegant cheekbones and long lashes. Her plush bottom lip, just begging for a kiss.
“Now, I’m not just saying this because I work at a plant shop,” she says slowly. “But having an open space with plenty of greenery makes any area look…”
I’m already nodding eagerly. “Successful? Like it belongs in a decorating magazine?”
“Yes! So if we clear every surface, make sure the window treatments are sleek and modern, and add some large plant arrangements, it will instantly look better, right?”
“Right. It’ll look a lot better than the last time Wayne saw it a month or two ago, that’s for sure.”
My phone beeps, and I look down in dismay at the texts piling up. “Unfortunately, I have to go help a client decide the last details of her kitchen layout. Most people want to walk through it with the contractor personally.”
“Is there anyone at your office now?”
“My cousin Dakota, probably. She does the paperwork in the mornings before school, unless she has a big assignment due.”
“When is Wayne dropping by?”
“Not sure. Next week, I think.”
“Could you please text Dakota and tell her I’m on my way to take photos and get ideas?”
“Really? Why?”
Her eyes light up as she leans forward. My hand automatically goes to hers, which sends a glimmer of pink to the high points of her cheeks. “Because I’m going to help you organize your entire space. In return, how would you like to be my first corporate plant account?”
I have no idea what she means by that, but I love how fired up Iris is. And I already know I would give this lovely woman anything she wants.
“Yes.” I pick up her hands, and lightly kiss the back of each one, making her eyes sparkle. “I’m putting myself entirely in these capable hands.”