Chapter Two
His partner strode toward the bus. Eric looked her over, careful not to leer or stare too long, though he was tempted. Shoulder-length hair, trim figure, nervous smile. He did prefer shorter women, and this one was cute. His protective instincts kicked in.
He held out his hand to help the woman, Wanda, up onto the bus. It was a big step for his long legs, and hers were considerably shorter. He nearly dropped his hand when their fingers met. Lightning shot through him, and he jerked backward, yanking her arm and half pulling her into the bus.
“Geez. Take it easy on a gal.” She chided. “Bank that enthusiasm.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to do that.” He studied her carefully, trying to place her within the company. With over a hundred people in the home office alone, he didn’t know everyone, but he sure tried to. She was pretty, though her light brown hair had fallen half out of its low ponytail.
Stepping back, he waved her forward. “Come on, partner. Let’s pick a seat.”
Another woman stepped onto the bus, leaving them no option but to move further inside.
Wanda? Was that her name? He’d suddenly forgotten because he’d only been half listening after they called him; his mind was still in the office. She stepped forward and dropped into the first row of seats.
“Really? That’s where you want to sit? Only the goodie-two-shoes sit up front.
Let’s sit in the back.” Right in the back, away from prying eyes if he had his choice.
He didn’t want to be here to begin with, but more than that, he didn’t want half of his staff parading past him.
Okay, not half. Twenty-five percent. They’d split the head office staff into four groups. Each group going on a unique adventure.
“This is fine.” She turned to look out the window.
“Come on, partner. Let’s sit at the back. Please.”
“I have a name.”
“As do I.”
“Yes, Mr. Varner.” She stood and waved for him to go first. “Pick a seat. Any seat.” Her voice rang with sarcasm that made him grin.
More of her hair tumbled out of her hair-thingy to drape around her face. He fought the urge to push it back behind her ears. The silky-looking strands were impeding his view of her lovely violet eyes. Reluctantly, he turned away and walked down the aisle.
“Come on, partner.” He led the way to the back of the bus. To the very last row. As a kid in private school, he’d rarely taken the bus and had always wanted to be the guy at the back. The rule breaker.
Behind him, she muttered, “Wanda. My name is Wanda.” He didn’t even try to hide his growing smile. Little Wanda had spunk. This could turn out to be fun after all.
“Really? The last row? Are you kidding me?” She curled her nose up at him.
“Why not? Climb in. I’ll take the outside seat.”
“What if I wanted it?” Her brows dipped together, but he thought he detected a brief hint of a smile gracing the curve of her lovely pink lips.
“My legs are longer.” He glanced at her much shorter legs for emphasis, but quickly returned his eyes to her face. “I need the legroom.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine. But don’t think you’re going to win every argument.”
“You gonna sit or what?” someone behind him complained.
Wanda muttered something under her breath and made her way to her seat. She pulled out her phone and studiously ignored him.
Banking a laugh, he sat beside her. “You know that we’re going to spend a lot of time in a canoe, right?”
She turned to him. “What?”
“This venture is a canoe trip. That fancy phone will get wet.”
“First, this phone is six years old. Second, it’s in a watertight case. Third, I brought it along in case of emergency. And fourth, I intend to stay out of the water.”
Suddenly, he wished he hadn’t brought it up. His phone wasn’t in a waterproof case. Of course, his parents hadn’t left him any preparation time.
“Why did you choose a canoe trip?” he asked. “You could have gone hang gliding, camping, hiking in the mountains, or stock car racing.” Come to think of it, he should have chosen stock car racing. It was something he’d always wanted to try.
She snorted. “I wasn’t given a choice. I didn’t realize that I had to attend.
I’m a contractor, not an employee. Needless to say, I was stunned when HR informed me that if I wanted my contract renewed, I was required to attend, and this was the only remaining spot.
Apparently, I was the last holdout.” She gave him a questioning look. “Why did you choose canoeing?”
He laughed sourly. “I didn’t. I had no intention of going. This team building wasn’t my idea. I was not attending. I’m here under coercion.”
“You’re the CEO, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“And who can coerce the boss?” She leaned closer as the bus filled; excited chatter and laughter were inhibiting their ability to carry on a conversation.
“My father. I might be CEO, but he still owns the majority of the voting stock. I thought the idea came down from HR, but I’m guessing that my father was involved.
Though when it comes right down to it, I’m sure Mom put my father up to it.
There’s no way I can ignore my mom.” He snapped his mouth shut.
Little Miss Wanda was way too easy to talk to.
He was sharing as though they were best friends.
“Your mom put your dad up to organizing all this?” Her glance was quizzical.
She was so close that her breath tickled.
He eased away slightly. “That’s my best guess, because my father and my mother showed up in my office demanding I come on this venture.
They brought up the fact that I’m an only child because my father was a workaholic.
I suspect Mom wants me out of the office, in public, and probably dating, so she can have grandkids.
” He sighed. “I am not ready to reproduce.”
She laughed lightly and slapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she mumbled through her fingers.
Her pink cheeks elicited a chuckle. “No problem.” Was she laughing at him not reproducing, or amused that he was a sucker for his mom’s whims?
The bus’s speaker crackled to life with an ear-jarring squeal.
“Welcome to the Varner Industries’ Summer Team-Building Experience.” Everyone clapped, then quieted right down. “We begin our trip by traveling to Lake Wabamun. There, we’ll spend a week camping, learning boat safety, doing fitness challenges, and learning to canoe.”
“A week doesn’t sound too bad,” Eric muttered. “But two days would be better.”
“Then,” the speaker continued, “We’ll travel to Fox Creek, where we will take a canoe trip down the Athabasca River.
This portion of the trip will take between four and five days, depending on the flow.
We will camp beside the river each night.
Your meals will be provided as bagged lunches or cookouts. ”
“Well, at least I don’t have to cook.”
Her grateful comment made him chuckle. “Not much of a cook, then?”
“Actually, when I feel like cooking, I’m darned good at it. I debated applying for one of those chef contests. The trouble is I’m lazy and easily distracted. How about you, Eric? Do you cook?”
The soft purr of his name on her lips sent shivers down his spine, yet it didn’t seem deliberately seductive. “Never. Mom made me learn, but I usually get takeout at work.” Why did he feel so guilty saying that? He spun the questions around by asking, “What distracts you?”
“My business, my plants, my friends, the call of a cozy mystery. Pretty much anything.”
“How’d you learn to cook then?”
“Necessity. I’m a stress-eater. Give me a problem, and I’ll find the solution at the bottom of the cookie jar. When I’m stressed, I bake or cook elaborate meals.”
He gave her a quick side glance. She didn’t look like an overeater. She was trim and seemed fit enough. Under the short sleeves of her top were well-defined arms, which made him think she must work out. He chided himself for paying too much attention.
“Usually, I give the food to Mrs. Johnston next door. She doesn’t have any family or much money. I like to help her out when I can.”
“Very generous.” He couldn’t stop his warm smile.
His mother might think he spent too much time at work, but that didn’t stop him from donating generous portions of his income to charity.
Plus, Varner Industries had a charity program that donated to schools and hospitals.
Ronald McDonald House was a favorite charity.
Slowly, duo by duo, the bus filled, with the noise increasing exponentially with each pairing. The bus’s speaker crackled again with an announcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I will be your leader for this team-building project. My name is Brent Blanc. You can call me Brent. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”
A flurry of voices interrupted him.
“Geez,” Wanda grumbled good-naturedly, “you’d think they’d let him finish his announcements before blasting him with questions.”
Eric chuckled.
“Hold on,” Brent said, waving his hands.
“We’ll get to questions once I’m finished.
Just to refresh everyone’s memories,” he paused dramatically, making everyone chuckle, “we’ll leave Calgary and head to Lake Wabamun, with quick stops in Red Deer and just outside of Edmonton.
And maybe a surprise stop or two along the way.
” He grinned. “It isn’t a long trip. Only three and a half hours if you were to do it in one shot.
But because this is a team builder, we’ll play some games as we go, and each stop will have a set of challenges.
There are prizes for the top teams at the end of our journey. ”
“I’m excited.” Wanda clapped her hands like a giddy schoolgirl.
“I should be working,” Eric grumbled.
She elbowed him in the ribs. “Come on, Mr. Boss Man. This is going to be fun. I didn’t want to come on this, but since I’m here, I’m going to make the best of it and have a blast while doing so. Don’t kill my joy.”
“Fine.” He crossed his arms over his chest. Part of him wanted to enjoy the outing. He hadn’t been on a boondoggle since taking over the company. Heck, he barely took a full day off. This team building retreat had the potential to be as much fun as spring break during university.
He bit back an anticipatory grin. He’d let Miss Wanda stew a bit before they got rolling, because part of him couldn’t resist the urge to tease her.