But he’d gone ahead with it because he needed to work out. And he wasn’t exactly opposed to getting some feedback, either. He was in uncharted waters with this woman. His relationship with Remy was complicated.
So were the feelings she spurred in him.
Keith grinned. “Since you’re not going to answer my question…I’m guessing she said no.”
“Maybe I didn’t ask.”
“Why not?”
“She wasn’t ready.” Eager to hold off another batch of unwanted questions, Tyler pushed the weighty bar toward his brother-in-law. “Do another set of reps or stop,” Tyler retorted. “I’m getting tired of holding this damn thing.”
Grimly Keith grabbed the bar and slowly brought it to his chest. After exhaling, he pulled it up again. “These never get easier.”
“Some things never do.”
Such as fending off annoying questions about his personal business. Though, to be fair, Tyler had a feeling any prying he was doing was at the express request of one particularly caring twin sister.
Tyler knew Keith was putty in her hands. At the moment he was searching for information like the most wheedling of girls. It was impressive.
Well, it would have been if it hadn’t been so annoying. “So glad Cindy didn’t have any problem sharing my personal business with you.”
“Did you expect her to?” Keith asked, exhaling as he bench-pressed another three repetitions. “This was a pretty big deal, don’t you think? A late-night call soon after firing your butt? She’s playing with you, Tyler.”
“It wasn’t like that. She’s not like that.”
“Well, she sounds like it. Ramona Greer sounds either desperate or like she’s on a power trip.”
“She’s neither. And don’t talk about her like that.”
Grabbing the bar, Tyler hung it back on the rack, then led the way to the wall of full-length mirrors, where they each pulled out a set of barbells and began doing biceps curls. A few more men joined their ranks, most lifting the weights with either iPods in their ears or looks of grim determination on their faces.
Keith, however, had no problem chatting away. “What about that girl you sat near at Carnegie? Kaitlyn? Cindy said you’ve mentioned her a time or two.”
“I’m not interested in her.”
“You ought to take her out anyway. Take her sailing.”
Sailing only made him think about Remy now. “Can’t we talk about something else?”
“I can’t go home without information, buddy. You know that.”
“I hear you,” Tyler said as he moved over to a group of mats and sat down. “Okay. Here’s the deal. I’m taking Remy out tomorrow night.”
“I have a feeling you’re making a mistake.”
“Then it will be my mistake,” he huffed as he began the first of a hundred sit-ups.
“Where are you going to take her?”
“The Polo Grill.”
Keith whistled quietly as he joined him on the floor. After doing five stomach crunches, he scowled. “I hate these.” After another five, he looked Tyler’s way. “The Polo Grill is expensive. Sure you want to go there?”
“Yep.”
“How about we join you?”
Tyler paused. So far he’d gotten fifty sit-ups done and every muscle in his belly was starting to burn. “What?”
“You heard me.” Keith leaned back against the mirror and watched Tyler continue with his exercise. “How about if we make it a double date? Cindy would love it. And it would neatly stop all the questions.”
“I wouldn’t enjoy the company. I want to be alone with Remy.”
“Come on. It will get us both out of the doghouse.”
“I shouldn’t even be there. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“You moved closer to us. Now everything you do is Cindy’s business. I’ll make the reservations. Seven?”
“No.” Finally finished with his hundred sit-ups, Tyler lay back on the ground and imagined all four of them together. Him trying to hold Remy’s hand while his sister and Keith watched them and shot a million questions their way. “I don’t want you there.”
“How about we’ll meet you for drinks first? We’ll stay with you one hour, tops. Then you two can go eat your romantic meal and Cindy and I will be on our way.”
“I don’t know.”
“Drinks or dinner…or we’re just going to show up.”
Unfortunately he could see that happening. “Drinks. But that’s it.”
“That’s enough.”
“We’ll meet you for cocktails at seven-fifteen at the bar. Then Remy and I will go on our way.” Glaring at Keith, he added, “But Lord help you if you say anything to embarrass her. She’s a nice woman. And she’s a widow.”
“I’ll be good.”
“Tell Cindy, too.”
“I will.” Keith grinned. “Hallelujah. Now I can go home.”
Tyler couldn’t help but chuckle. “She wouldn’t let you come home without plans, huh? You’ve got it bad.”
“It’s called marriage. One day you’ll know what I’m talking about.”
“I hope so,” Tyler murmured before hitting the shower.
Chapter Fourteen
“You didn’t have a choice, you know,” Shawn said on Monday morning when she met Remy for their weekly meeting.
Completely misreading Remy’s agitated state, Shawn started talking about Tyler, obviously trying to make Remy feel better.
Since Remy knew the only thing that would calm her down was seeing Tyler soon, she let Shawn talk. And talk.
“You had to fire Tyler Mann,” her assistant continued. “Actually, I’d say he had little to no patience with our customers—I noticed that the first time I listened to one of his calls. It was just a matter of time before he blew a fuse.”
“I know.” Remy readjusted her reading glasses for about the tenth time that hour. She needed to do anything she could to keep her focus on Tyler at work instead of the Tyler who’d come over and kissed her breathless.
“And he wasn’t suited to this job at all.” Muffin crumbs littered her blouse as Shawn juggled breakfast and file folders on her lap. “And now that I think about it, Tyler might have been too smart for the job, as well.”
Remy pulled off her glasses. “Excuse me?”
“I’m not saying you have to be dumb to work here. But it’s not like we’re actively hiring college graduates. The ability to study for exams is not a required skill to answer call-center phones.”
Remy took exception to Shawn’s explanation. “Over half of our employees have been to college.”
“I know. And plenty of the ones who never went are top-notch. Terrific. But that Tyler Mann, he analyzed things. I heard him once questioning a customer’s airline schedule and its effect on her business’s productivity.” She paused, shaking her head at the memory. “Remy, I don’t think it’s in him to just answer questions without giving his opinion, or trying to make things better. Shoot, a few days ago I heard him speaking with a caller about reevaluating her insurance policies. Remy, he didn’t fit in.”
“I suppose you’re right.” Glancing at the clock over her door, Remy slipped on her heels. In a few moments she had another meeting to attend. “Though he did look surprised that I fired him.” Of course, he had sure looked pleased about being let go just minutes later….
“I’d be surprised if he hadn’t been shocked. I get the feeling that there’s very little Tyler Mann hasn’t gotten that he’s wanted. But look at it this way. If you hadn’t let the guy go, people would’ve questioned you. They would have doubted your leadership abilities. Especially the suits at corporate.”
“I know.” Taking a deep breath, Remy finally gave up her secret. “I called him on Saturday night.”
“To apologize?” Shawn shook her head in wonder. “Remy, you are truly the nicest person I know.”
“No…I didn’t call him to apologize.” Though she was feeling her cheeks heat, Remy continued. She
needed some reassurance that she hadn’t just turned into a creepy old woman.
She needed to tell someone about how amazing it had been to feel alive again. “Shawn, I called Tyler because I wanted to see him.”
“What?”
“I like him.” There. She’d said it.
“I had no idea.” Shawn shook her head. “Actually, that’s not true. I did ask him about sailing, to see if you two went together. But I thought he was pursuing you. Not that it was a mutual thing.”
“Oh, it’s mutual. I like him, and he likes me, too,” Remy added, feeling vaguely like a teenager. “We did have a great time when we went sailing, by the way.”
“I see.” Shawn popped another chunk of banana muffin into her mouth, obviously still struggling.
As if she was hooked up to a lie detector, Remy added, “That’s one of the reasons I hired Tyler, too. I was afraid if I didn’t, I’d never see him again.”
“That’s one way to get acquainted, I guess.”
Remy began straightening her desk, readying herself for her next meeting with two employees who had earned bonuses. In marked contrast, Shawn leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs.
Actually, her assistant looked ready to settle in for a long cozy chat in front of a fireplace. “So, what happened when you called?”
“He came over.”
With unusual restraint, her assistant kept her voice even and steady. “And…how was that?”
“It was fine. No, better than fine.”
“Wow. Things were that good, huh?”
Remy felt her cheeks heat. “I’m not talking about that. We didn’t…we didn’t do much. We ended up talking about my marriage to Mark.”
Something new flickered in Shawn’s eyes. A new understanding. Maybe it was a new respect for the very attractive Tyler Mann. “Well, maybe it is time,” she said, surprising the heck out of Ramona. “You’ve done everything you are supposed to do. You married well, you worked hard. You were the best wife you could be to Mark. But now it’s time to live a little.”
“If things got serious, I don’t know what we’d do.”
“I do. Y’all would figure things out. Believe me, I wish Eddie and I had talked more and worried a whole lot less about pasts and futures last year. That would have saved us a lot of time and worry…never mind all those lawyer fees.”
Ramona started laughing just as a sharp siren rang through the air. “What in the world?”
Shawn scooped up her belongings and hurried to the door. When the siren screamed loudly again, she threw open Remy’s door and stepped out into the reception area. A second later she turned to Remy. “It’s a fire alarm. Did we have a fire drill scheduled I didn’t know about?”
Remy was already on her feet and collecting her purse. “Not at all. Go ahead and get on the loudspeaker and call an evacuation, Shawn. I’ll contact Scott—he’s the custodian on duty today. I’ll dial the fire department, too.”
With a quick nod, Shawn scurried to her desk and picked up the phone.
As soon as Remy heard Shawn’s voice on the intercom, she dialed the fire department and, after introducing herself, asked, “Any idea what’s going on? Could this be a county drill or something?”
“Our indications all say it’s a real fire, ma’am,” the dispatcher replied, his voice crisp and authoritative. “Trucks are already on the way. Please direct everyone there to get out.”
The next twenty minutes were some of the scariest in her life. Although Carnegie had implemented an evacuation procedure in accordance with federal regulations, and they’d already practiced the procedures twice, nothing prepared Remy for the feelings of loss and panic she was experiencing.
She truly cared about—and felt responsible for—every person in the organization. Like a mother duck, she roamed the area, gently shuffling people up and out of cubicles. With the two-way radio Corporate had given them for emergencies, she was in constant communication with Scott and the rest of the custodial staff, who were evacuating their own personnel, and in charge of checking every bathroom to make sure it was empty.
Scott reported that they’d found the fire—it was in the staff kitchen and break room. It looked large enough that he feared they wouldn’t be able to extinguish it without putting workers at risk.
Remy agreed to be cautious, and called the dispatcher back to relay what she’d learned.
The only consolation was that things moved quickly, though it felt like an eternity. People listened and didn’t lag. Shawn reported via her own portable radio that everyone who’d exited was standing at the far end of the parking lot as directed.
Finally Remy joined them.
The crowd of people stood in the exact spots they’d been directed to during previous drills—they were on the grassy areas just east of the main parking area. But whereas before, everyone had been chatting and talking, eating snacks and carrying coffee cups, now totes and purses were tightly clasped and an awkward silence filled the air as Remy finally joined the assembled group and watched two fire trucks arrive.
As soon as they pulled to a stop, she rushed forward. Remy hardly did more than introduce herself and give directions to the staff break room before two firefighters in full uniform entered the building.
Her heart felt as if it was lodged in her throat. Oh, she hoped everyone was out and accounted for. It would be devastating if things were worse than they feared and they’d somehow overlooked an employee.
As they waited, a few workers standing nearby asked for information.
“There was a fire in the break room, but I don’t know more than that,” she admitted. “Let’s just hope and pray that it was only in that room and that no one was hurt.”
Fifteen minutes later the captain appeared. “Ma’am, you were right. The fire was in the staff kitchen.”
“Was anyone there? Do you think everyone’s okay?”
“All we found was some building damage, Ms. Greer.”
As her heart started beating again, she focused on what they knew. “Any idea what happened?”
“Right now I’d guess the toaster or the oven caused all the damage. Both were pretty charred up. We put it out, and sprayed it good. Currently we’re double-checking the walls for sparks and such and making a thorough walk-through to make sure there’s not an electrical problem.”
“You all arrived so quickly. Thank you.”
“No problem. Your security system worked like a charm, by the way. It clicked in and called us. We were on our way when you called it in.”
When the captain walked away, Remy forwarded the message to Shawn and Scott, and to the people who’d gathered around.
Twenty minutes later they were given the okay to go back in.
As Scott directed the employees where to go—one of the back hallways was damaged—and Shawn answered questions, Remy met again with the captain. She listened in a daze as he explained a few more things. Now that everyone was safe and the danger had abated, the ramifications began to settle in.
“A toaster did all that damage? That’s hard to believe.”
The fire captain shrugged. “Stuff happens, you know?”
After placing Shawn in charge of making sure their computer systems were back up and running, Ramona followed the inspector to the break room where, indeed, a real mess awaited her.
The toaster had made enough of a mess that dark sooty stains rose above it and the counter was ruined. She looked at everything in dismay.
Accidents did happen.
After saying goodbye to the men in uniform, Remy allowed herself some time to take a deep breath and refocus. Scott stood by her side, his expression grim. “Ms. Greer, I’m afraid this whole room will have to be gutted and remodeled.”
“I think you’re right, but that’s okay. That’s what insurance is for, right?”
“Right.”
“What’s important is that no one was hurt.” Holding out her hands, she reached for Scott’s hand. “Thank you so much for your q
uick thinking and steady, calm demeanor. If people had panicked, we could have been mourning a whole lot more than just a set of kitchen appliances.”
“You’re welcome. But I have to say we should spread some of the credit around. A bunch of people are talking about Kaitlyn Sinclair. She kept her cool and helped shuffle a whole lot of people out of their cubicles in record time.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know who Kaitlyn is,” Remy admitted. Now that she had Shawn, she focused only on a few employees at a time. If there were no problems with an employee…or if he or she hadn’t been marked for a bonus for exceptional performance, she wasn’t familiar with them. Especially if they’d been hired over the past year.
“I bet you’ll recognize Kaitlyn if you see her.” Scanning the people filing back to their cubicles, he pointed her out. “There she is, ma’am. She’s the one with all that long blond hair, almost to her waist.”
Remy spotted her in an instant. She had noticed her before; she was a beautiful girl. “I see her.”
“She’s a favorite of mine,” Scott said with a smile. “Always has a kind word for everyone. I tried to fix her up with my nephew, but she wasn’t having any of it. Said she had her eye on the new guy from Texas.”
“Tyler? Tyler Mann?”
“Yeah. He’s the guy who just got fired, right?”
“Yes.”
“They ate lunch a few times together. I haven’t had a chance to ask if they ever went out. I imagine they did, though. I mean, who would turn her down?”
Before she could even attempt to answer that, her chatty custodian continued. “Hey, maybe now she’ll give my nephew another look.”
“Maybe so.” Swallowing, she tried her best to sound professional. “Thanks, Scott. I’ll make sure I speak with Kaitlyn and convey my thanks.”
“It’s just good no one was hurt.” Scott smiled. “And our evacuation procedure worked like a charm!”
“That is something to celebrate,” Remy agreed as she wandered back to her office.
She patted shoulders and nodded and smiled at all the employees she passed. No one was answering calls. For once, Remy didn’t feel compelled to point out that they had a slew of blinking lights flashing on phones. She knew it was important for everyone to take a deep breath, call their family members and let them know they were okay. Most of the people in the company were professional enough to get back to their jobs after a few moments.
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