8. Chemistry
Chemistry
Noah plopped into the nearest visitor's chair facing Larry's desk.
Larry looked up from his laptop. "You're looking pretty sure of yourself. What's up?"
"Nothing. Just saying hello to some favorite people before getting bogged down with work. What's new with you?"
"Poker game tomorrow night at my place."
"Not our usual Wednesday?" he asked.
"No, Dan Vickerman is in town and taking the VIG team out to dinner." Before Noah could speculate, Larry continued, "You met the new girl yet?"
"Nope. I'm assuming I'll meet her soon enough."
He narrowed his eyes when Larry smirked. The man was clearly up to something. Noah just didn't know what. What was up with everyone and their hidden agendas today? Before he could ask, Larry's gaze shifted up and behind him. Noah twisted in his seat to see what captured Larry's interest.
He smelled her first. A sudden memory surfaced as he tried to identify the scent. Him, happily messing up his grandmother's kitchen, making cookies with his younger brothers as they fought over who got to lick the spoon. Vanilla? Cinnamon? What was it?
"Hey, Larry." Her voice was quiet, as if she were unsure of her welcome.
"Hey, Claire. Come on in and meet Noah. In person, that is."
Noah stood and looked at her. His first impression was tiny, red, and soft.
As his gaze swept back up, he cataloged the flowing skirt long enough to cover the tops of her cowboy boots, the pale tank top underneath a see-through blouse that matched the burnt-orange color in her skirt, and the tumble of red curls that crowned it all and flowed past the middle of her back.
She hesitated for a beat, then stepped forward, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her blouse. Her eyes met his—wide, warm, and just a little startled.
He cleared his throat and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you finally."
She blinked up at him, her milk chocolate-colored eyes taking him in before moving forward to shake his hand. "You're taller than I imagined," she said, then immediately looked away, her cheeks blooming pink.
His mind registered the blush, but all thoughts disappeared as her hand slid into his, sending an electric shock through the length of his arm straight to his core.
Oh, no. Shit. The last thing he needed right now was a physical attraction to a coworker, with whom he was going to be spending copious amounts of time.
She pulled her hand back a little too quickly, then tucked a loose curl behind her ear.
Get it together, Noah .
"You're smaller than I imagined," he said, adding a smile out of habit.
She grinned up at him and he his breath caught.
He forced himself to step back, then pulled out Larry's second guest chair for her, before taking his own seat.
They exchanged pleasantries about Noah's flight, how long he would be in the states, and other inane chit chat until the phone rang and Larry answered it.
Larry's conversation drifted into the background while Noah sat still, fighting the urge to study the woman sitting within arm's reach beside him.
When Larry hung up, he said, "I'll be back…
gotta go check on something right quick.
" He pointed to the left wall covered in sticky notes and addressed Claire.
"That's our original scrap board and the basis for our project deliverables, if you're interested.
" Then he walked out and left them alone.
Noah sat there, panicking. What now? He watched Claire rise and wander along the wall, reading the sticky notes. Perhaps she had questions. He rose and stood beside her when she came to a stop.
Claire glanced at him, then locked her hands behind her back before focusing on the wall again. "Not deliverables," she said. "More like a work breakdown structure, right?"
Noah nodded. His voice croaked when he tried to speak, so he cleared his throat and tried again. "Yes, that's what Alex called it. Larry gets lots of terms wrong. You'll discover this the more you work with him."
"Alex Tanner? The PMO director?"
"Yes. Have you met her?"
Claire half-turned to face him, her face lit up with enthusiasm. "Not officially, but I watched her give a pep talk in a video call. She's awesome. A little intimidating."
Noah nodded again. He frantically searched for something to say, but his brain had apparently seized, leaving him staring like an idiot at the wall. He pretended to read the sticky notes, but watched her from the corner of his eye.
Claire shifted her weight, then smoothed her hands down the front of her blouse—twice. "Okay," she said, but her voice caught slightly on the word. She glanced toward the door, then back at him, her eyes wide and uncertain.
"I should—uh, I just remembered something… I have a meeting." She winced. "Anyway. Nice to meet you."
Before he could respond, she turned and hustled out, like she was missing the last train home.
Noah let out a breath and murmured, "Okay, then."
He was so screwed.
Claire strode briskly to the end of the hall, then practically ran once she turned the corner. When she reached her office, she closed the door and leaned against it, breathing heavily.
"Good gravy! What in the world was that?" she asked aloud.
She'd been looking forward to meeting Noah in person.
So far, even with time zone differences and the difficulties of communicating via email, he'd been the best source in helping her get up to speed.
His knowledge of how each plant worked and how their processes differed from one another was invaluable in understanding how flexible the system needed to be.
With him being local for the next two months, she figured her integration into the company would go faster.
What she hadn't expected was that intense reaction.
She'd only meant to double-check her notes against the diagram they'd sketched on the whiteboard in the war room—the nickname for the MADS project's conference room—before her next meeting.
But when she heard Noah's voice coming from Larry's office, she'd stepped in.
He'd stood up and turned. One look and Claire's mind vacated the building.
Tall, dark, and handsome popped into her head—the cliché calling to mind Lucinda's favorite rom-com movie. She'd blinked a few times to get her thoughts back in line.
They'd exchanged pleasantries, but for the life of her, Claire couldn't recall a single thing they'd said.
When Larry left them alone, she'd frozen.
Not knowing what to say, she'd gone to examine the sticky notes on the wall, acutely aware of Noah sitting behind her.
Her senses screamed into overdrive and flared a warning when he stood and walked over.
She'd felt her body temperature rise when he stopped beside her, as if he were a portable radiator giving off heat.
There'd been a brief discussion on the notes, then an awkward silence.
Still focused on her bizarre sensitivity to his presence, Claire had clenched her hands together, fighting some undefinable urge to…
touch him? Feel the muscles under his designer shirt?
She'd fled before she did anything stupid.
And now, she stood here wondering what in the Sam Hill had just happened. It was like an out-of-body experience.
Was she afraid of him? Did he remind her of The Jerkwad from NanoTechwise? No, the man had been abrupt and short with her, but never aggressive or mean.
Was she intimidated by him? Maybe a little.
Seeing someone on a video screen didn't give a true sense of their physicality in real life.
The man stood almost a foot taller and was built like an athlete.
Noah was slender, with broad shoulders that tapered to a slim waist. His face wasn't model-pretty, but rugged and interesting.
And he was certainly confident. He moved like someone who knew who he was.
She could picture those long legs eating up distances as he strode down a hallway in determination.
Claire shook herself. How did she pick up on all that when she could barely look him in the eye? Okay, putting a checkmark by the "intimidated by him" point. But they had to work together, so she needed to get over herself.
The clock on the wall caught her attention, and she squeaked.
She was going to be late to her meeting.
She gathered her laptop, notepad, and pen, then stopped and went through her "I am woman" routine to settle her nerves.
This was a trick she'd picked up in college.
She stood still, inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, then threw her shoulders back and stated, "I am woman. Hear me roar."
Feeling better, she grabbed her things and walked calmly to her next meeting.