Chapter 11
HARI
“I’m so giddy.”
That line reminded me of a line from an old movie, but I couldn’t quite place it. But I did click my heels before skipping from the front door into my office, deftly picking up a box of goodies and continuing skipping until I opened the door to the workshop.
I wasn’t sure why I stopped because I shouldn’t give a damn if everyone in the workshop sniggered or stared open-mouthed. My permanent guys knew me, and the temp people working on the hotel project had better things to do than gossip about the boss.
Adrian and Callum grinned, and the other guys barely glanced at me.
I grabbed coffee and said there were donuts for everyone.
That earned me a cheer before I sashayed into the showroom.
But as I strolled past the credenza, I noted one corner had a milky stain.
Damn, that was moisture that had gotten in before it was cured.
It needed a half day’s work, and I asked Callum to take care of it.
Waiting until he and one of the temp guys carried the credenza into the workshop, my thoughts went to Remy.
I traced around my mouth, searching for the memory of his kiss.
My head remembered, but did my lips? I closed my eyes and an image of him in my arms popped into my head.
He was in the middle of a mind map, and the words soft, pliant, and yielding radiated from that central location.
With my feet on the desk—Dad and my grandpa would be horrified that I treated our faithful mahogany beast like that—I sipped my coffee. I had twenty minutes before a recurring client arrived, so I sent Remy a text.
What are you doing?
I clutched the phone, hoping he’d reply straight away.
Answering your message.
Oh, he was a smart ass. I wish you were here.
Shouldn’t you be working?
Very funny. I sent him a screenshot of my calendar.
Busy day.
Mrs. Langford’s driver pulled up outside. She was often early because she insisted the traffic from her place to here would be worse than it was.
Gotta go. Work calls.
It was a productive morning because Mrs. Langford was downsizing and she needed purpose-built furniture to fit the space.
Of course I was pleased, but the business was approaching crunch time where I had to decide whether we could maintain our standards if we expanded and hired yet more staff.
It was a good problem to have, but it was one I had to think on now, rather than in a few months.
After she left with a promise from me that I’d meet her at the new place at eight in the morning, I checked the time. Remy should have stopped for lunch, though when you worked from home, the lines between work and a break blurred.
“Hello. Are you on my doorstep?”
“Sadly no. Did we have plans?” I pulled up the calendar on the laptop.
“Not really, but I was hoping you were going to surprise me with another gift.”
“Not today.” A dick pic wouldn’t be appropriate considering we’d kissed and gone no further.
I filled him in regarding the decisions that were in my future, and he asked pertinent questions about whether I wanted to expand or keep the business small and personal.
“I’m not talking about mass-producing. I would still meet with every new client.” It was more about finding skilled workers and having someone manage them because all of Jackson’s energy was spent on the hotel project.
“You can hire me? I’m a people person, though I know nothing about wood.”
I spat out my coffee and almost dropped the phone. “Are you serious?”
“Nope.”
Damn. I grabbed a tissue and wiped the drops of coffee from my shirt. But they’d left a stain, and I’d have to soak them in my personal bathroom.
“I’ll be back, I need to change my shirt.” I undid the buttons.
“Show me.” The phone dinged, and his face appeared on screen.
Ohhh, this was progress. Should I preen for the camera? Pose like a body builder? I wasn’t one, but I had a decent set of abs and pecs.
Remy didn’t speak. Fuck, was he aghast? His gaping mouth suggested he was surprised, shocked even. I put the phone face down on the desk and slipped the shirt on, though I didn’t bother with the buttons.
“What just happened?” I picked up my device to see Remy shaking his phone. “Why did you do that?”
That was a good question? I’d been telling myself earlier I shouldn’t get embarrassed in front of almost strangers and I did exactly that with the person I cared about.
“I got shy.” That was a partial truth, or it could be classed as a fib.
“Come on, Hari. Be honest.”
Ouch, he was calling me out. “Okay fine. I took one look at your face and thought I didn’t measure up.”
“To what?”
Good question. “Ummm, to your standards?” I was fiddling with the buttons, trying to do them up with one hand. And I refused to look at Remy. My cheeks were burning because I was a fool.
“Look at me.”
I did as he asked, though I was wary of what I’d see in his eyes.
“Firstly I was gobsmacked at how gorgeous you are, but that’s not the point. Who gives a shit about anyone’s standard of beauty. To heck with that.”
He was right. That was something I’d have to work on, but for now, I wanted to change the subject. “I talk to myself out loud, kinda like reciting my to-do list.”
That shut Remy up. He’d been delivering a pep talk on confidence and not giving a damn about people’s impossible expectations, and I blurted out about one of my idiosyncrasies.
“That’s good to know. Do you hire yourself out? I could trash my online calendar and use you.” He pursed his lips, and damn him, he was jerking me around. “How does it work? Do you beep, ding, or buzz with a reminder?”
“Stop.” I giggled, and he bent forward and guffawed.
My belly hurt, and I lay down on the carpet, holding the phone above me.
“Now that’s a view I like.” Remy whipped off his shirt and got on the floor. “Where were we?”
“I was telling you something about myself that others might find odd, but it’s just how my brain works.” I outstretched my hand and got the cushion from the chair and tucked it under my head. The carpet wasn’t soft enough for my delicate head.
“I love that. Who wants to be like everyone else? I’m not interested in anyone who fits a cookie-cutter mold.” He slapped his belly. “We should embrace our quirks.”
“Your turn. Tell me something quirky about you.”
He didn’t frown, scowl, or quiver, but I sensed him pulling away as he did that night at dinner, and I imagined him being yanked by a long rope. But whatever tension he experienced vanished and his face came alive again. There was that familiar smirk I’d grown to love.
“I adore the smell of gum leaves.”
Most people in this country wouldn’t be familiar with those, but as a man whose life’s work revolved around wood, I understood him to be referring to eucalyptus.
“Me too.”
He held up a hand. “But I only like them when they’re attached to a branch.” He flicked his hand dismissively. “Served on a plate? No way.”
In what situation would he be given gum leaves? And where did he find the trees? Did he visit a zoo to sniff them? Because they didn’t really grow on this continent.
“So the artificial smell in cough drops does nothing for you?”
Now the color drained from his face, and I thought he was going to puke.
“Gross. That’s nothing like the real thing.”
We were learning interesting facts about one another, but other than that one kiss, we weren’t advancing toward my goal.
“Just to be clear about earlier when I put my shirt back on, yes, it was silly, but I really like you and I thought you were disappointed in me.”
“Okay.” He rubbed a hand over his stubble. “I like you too.”
The incident with the shirt taught me a useful lesson. “Be who I am and don’t give a damn about other people’s opinions.”
Remy asked if that was my tip of the day, but I told him it was a reminder and I’d pin it in my brain.
We’d been talking for a while and my lunch break was over. Sandy was here and probably wondering why I wasn’t in the workshop.
“I have to go, as much as I’d like to stay on the floor gathering fluff.” This carpet needed vacuuming more often.
“Me too. Work calls.”
I was hoping we’d see one another tonight, but Remy said he was going climbing with friends. Heights weren’t my thing, so I couldn’t pretend to be interested, but we arranged to have lunch on the weekend.
After putting on a clean shirt and deciding I may have ruined the first one by not soaking it immediately, I did a search for gum and eucalyptus leaves. As I suspected, the local zoo was the only place where gum trees grew. Unless Remy was such a fan that he’d planted one in his back yard.
I gave up because gum leaves would hardly have a place in our relationship.