She sighed. “We don’t have anything to talk about.”
He put a hand on the door when she pushed the button again. “Yes, we do. We have a lot to talk about.” His piercing, silvery blue eyes held her gaze.
“Okay, so maybe,” she conceded. “But I can’t handle it right now. Today has already held enough surprises. And I’m late for a meeting with friends.”
“Will you be here tomorrow?” he asked.
“No.”
“Will you talk to me if I call you?”
She hesitated before she answered. “Yes.”
This time, when she pushed the button, he let the elevator doors slide closed.
* * *
Daniel Foster let his breath rush out in a long sigh as he turned back to the office door. Today had presented one shock after another and his mind reeled. He couldn’t feel more flattened if a truck had rolled over him. Seeing Julie again had been a punch to the gut. Once he’d recovered from the initial astonishment, it had brought all sorts of mixed feelings to the surface, forcing him to think about things he’d buried years ago.
She still looked gorgeous, though her light brown hair had been cut shorter and her cheekbones seemed sharper. The large dark eyes still dominated her face, but her expression showed more maturity, confidence, and self-possession than she’d had back when they were together. Her clothing radiated a sophistication and elegance he didn’t recall.
He returned to the conference room where Charles, Kris, and Tom Wootton waited. “She’ll talk to me tomorrow,” he told them.
“What do we do about this?” Charles asked.
“We can’t have anything to do with her,” Kris insisted. “We cut her off and we should leave it at that.”
“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Dan said. “Jake and I looked over the specs and the piece of code from the app that was the deliverable for the first stage of the contract. It’s not going to be easy to duplicate the work she’s likely done since. Nor do we have anyone currently on staff who is familiar enough with the system to work with it.”
Quigley’s expression turned harsh. “You’re telling me we have to consider working with her?”
“The alternatives are abandoning the app she was working on or hiring someone else to develop it.”
Kris chimed in. “Could we?”
Dan looked at them both. He supposed the level of hostility they showed made sense, given how Julie had betrayed them all, but he still wondered that three years hadn’t moderated the animosity at all. “We could. But it would cost us both time and money.”
“How much?”
“By the time we hired and trained someone else, and they were able to finish it, she likely will have made just enough changes in the system to circumvent intellectual property restrictions, created the app, and her company will have sold it to someone else who could market it before we did—or at best, simultaneously.” He looked around. “And that doesn’t even touch on the problem of supporting the existing apps she created.”
“Are you suggesting we keep her on?” Kris sounded aghast at the thought.
“I’m laying out the facts as I see them,” he answered. “It appears the creative advantage we were trying to acquire in buying out Cummings & Worth is mostly her. We can jettison the projects currently in development, and we’ll still gain some advantage from the apps already finished and marketed. But that advantage won’t last. Especially not when her company offers her products somewhere else.”
Deep silence greeted that summation, a fraught silence that lasted for several moments.
“You are suggesting we work with her,” Kris said. An acid tinge of spite laced her next words. “I don’t suppose your former relationship with her has anything to do with that?”
Anger swirled inside but he kept his voice even. “That relationship has been over for three years. Why would it influence my actions today? And to the point—I wasn’t the one who was charged with evaluating Cummings & Worth’s resources, including the human resources.”
A red flush rose in her cheeks and her eyes shot figurative daggers at him. “I think Worth deliberately hid the information about her involvement in that company she works for. I did look at it when I reviewed the suppliers, but a different name is listed as the agent for the company, and it had no complaints on file anywhere. Worth must’ve known she’d once worked for us and knew it might ruin his chances of pulling off the sale if we learned about her.”
Quigley lifted a hand and waved it in front of everyone. “All that may or may not be so, but it’s not the point now. The question is what do we do about it?”
“Something else to consider,” Dan said. “We don’t know if the company has other developers or if she’s it. Even if they have others, she’s almost certainly the best they have. And she may well be no more happy about working with us than we are with her. She indicated she’ll complete the current contract. Beyond that, who knows? If we want her to do more, it’s likely to cost us a lot. A lot more than this contract. And it’s pricey enough.”
As he watched the others react to that, he realized it gave him a strange satisfaction. Deep down he found a hint of pride that Julie had flourished into the ace developer he’d known she could be. And she’d grown into a fighter. That might not make his job any easier, but it still gave him an unexpected, surprising satisfaction.
“Let’s worry about one thing at a time.” Quigley let out a sighing breath. “Dan, you’ll talk to her tomorrow and feel her out about finishing the contract. That’s all we’re worrying about right now.”
“Then we’d better be sure our security is tight,” Kris Thomas said through clenched teeth, directing the words at him. “It’ll all be on you if anything gets leaked again.”
Want to keep reading? Head to sweetpromisepress.com/NoBrides to grab your copy now!
Six no marriage vows. Six Mr. Rights. Will a group of strong, independent women break their pledge to one another and choose love over a career?
* * *
NO TIME FOR LOVE BY RAINE ENGLISH
Kinsley King loves her lavish lifestyle. As one of Manhattan’s top real estate brokers, she deals with power players, royalty, and the Hollywood elite. But when her favorite aunt bequests her a wildlife sanctuary in the middle of nowhere, she has a tough decision to make. Does she honor her aunt’s last wish and keep the sanctuary or does she put it on the market and maintain the life she adores?
Dylan Reese can’t imagine not working with animals, so when he takes over the running of an Upstate New York wildlife sanctuary, his life seems perfect. Until the owner dies and leaves the place to her spoiled niece. Will Dylan be able to take orders from a city girl who doesn’t know the first thing about animals or will he swallow his pride to keep his job?
Sparks fly in this “Opposites Attract” sweet romance as Kinsley falls for the swoon-worthy sanctuary manager, causing her to rethink the no marriage vow she made with her girlfriends, while Dylan wonders how he’s going to keep from losing his heart to the one woman who’s sure to break it.
Get your copy at SweetPromisePress.com/NoBrides
* * *
NO TIME FOR LULLABIES BY SYDNEY LOGAN
Melody Mitchell has no time for romance or, heaven forbid, marriage. As an award-winning songwriter, she loves her life in Manhattan—far from the family she disgraced and the love she left behind. When Melody’s cousin dies unexpectedly, she's determined to get through the funeral without having to confront her past. But Melody soon learns she has an even bigger problem: she’s been named the guardian of her cousin’s infant daughter.
Dr. Brody Myers spends his days healing the sick kids of his hometown while trying to forget Melody, the girl who broke his heart a lifetime ago. Sparks fly when the childhood sweethearts come face-to-face at her cousin's funeral. Then he learns that Melody is now the mother of one of his tiny patients—and they’re staying in town for the summer.
Will Melody reconsider her vow to never wed in hopes o
f finding her happily ever after? Or is Brody destined to have his heart broken all over again? Fans of second chance romance will savor this sweet tale of unexpected motherhood and everlasting love.
Get your copy at SweetPromisePress.com/NoBrides
* * *
NO TIME FOR PROMISES BY LINDSAY DETWILER
At twenty-nine, Rachel Winters is determined to chase her Broadway dreams. As a member of the chorus in a popular play, she’s willing to do whatever it takes to rise to fame and earn a lead role. Thus, when her director, Michael, asks her to teach a weekend acting workshop, Rachel says yes. When she falls for a charming special education teacher at the workshop, however, she’ll have an important choice to make. Will she take the risk and open herself up to love, or will her dedication to her dreams outweigh what her heart wants?
Zander Riley’s goal of being a professional actor died years ago when the woman of his dreams shattered his heart. At thirty-one, he’s living out a new goal as a special education teacher. He loves his job and his life in Manhattan, but he can’t help but feel like going home alone to his cat isn’t quite fulfilling. When he chaperones a weekend trip to an acting workshop, he meets the woman to reignite his passions in more ways than one. However, he’s been scorned on the road to love in major ways. Has his heart healed enough to trust another woman, or will he forever be marred by past mistakes?
As the passion intensifies in this “Love at First Sight” sweet romance, Rachel will reconsider the no marriage vow she made with her best friends in the No Brides Club, while Zander will struggle to protect his heart from a woman who has the power to break it. As they shine the spotlight on their budding relationship, the question surfaces: Will the two theater lovers set the stage for romance or tragedy, and will they cast each other in their scripts?
Get your copy at SweetPromisePress.com/NoBrides
* * *
NO TIME FOR TEMPTATION BY MONIQUE MCDONELL
Georgie Price spent her teen years as America’s sweetheart - a pop princess and star of a high school-based TV romcom - but now she’s moved to New York to reinvent herself as the producer and star of a successful cooking show and a serious musician. She’s got no time for anything but work as she strives to prove to everyone, including herself, that she’s more than the ditsy blonde she played on TV. When her apartment is flooded her childhood best-friend Liam announces he’s moving to New York and he’ll find the perfect place for them to live together, as roommates. Georgie has spent years keeping her feelings for Liam in check, but will so much proximity make it impossible to resist temptation?
Liam Stone has loved Georgie for as long as he can remember. He took her to the audition that changed her life because he knew at least one of them needed to escape their rundown small rural town. Since that day he’s worked hard to make something of himself, so he can be worthy of Georgie. Now a successful advertising executive he’s moved to New York to finally make his move with Georgie, but she’s vowed to stay single, and as a member of the No Brides Club she takes that commitment very seriously.
Liam is determined to show Georgie he’s not like the other guys, in all the best ways, while she tries to convince him that he’s so much more than the family he was born into. Can Georgie and Liam look beyond the past to build a future together in this sweet friend to lovers romance?
Get your copy at SweetPromisePress.com/NoBrides
* * *
NO TIME FOR APOLOGIES BY JEAN C. GORDON
Kate Lewis left the family dairy farm in Western New York for NYU and fell in love with living in New York City. Now a senior analyst for a mutual fund, she’s put everything but her career on hold until she’s grabbed the golden ring of portfolio manager. She’s been passed over twice already, so she’s not letting anything get in her way—not the pang of jealousy she feels when her much younger sister announces her engagement, nor the lingering feelings of inadequacy fostered by her brother’s childhood taunts of “you’re just a girl.” And certainly not any feelings stirred by her new assistant Jon— blast from her past, high school math nerd turned confident competitor for her dream job.
Growing up, Jon Smith felt like a square peg in a round hole. Coming from a family of physicians, he was expected to be a doctor, too. Shy, pudgy, and awkward, he rebelled and majored in mathematics in college, which he paid for himself. He also discovered competitive swimming, shed his extra weight, and grew into his features, but he still remembers being the ugly duckling Jon recently jumped off the career hamster wheel to help his grandfather manage a small beef cattle operation Upstate and teach financial planning at the local community college. He takes a job with the mutual fund company just for the summer for some extra cash to help out his grandfather. But working for Kate, his high school crush, is an added benefit.
Attraction ignites on both sides as the demands of work throw them together. A true No-Bride Club member would never fall for the man who may be here to steal her hard-earned promotion. Despite the long-buried feelings for Kate, Jon fears she may, like his parents, love her work more than she loves him. Is Kate willing to believe Jon and break her no-bride vow for the true joy their love could bring? Is Jon ready to trust his heart and embrace the love an ugly duckling never believed he’d find?
Get your copy at SweetPromisePress.com/NoBrides
* * *
NO TIME FOR SURPRISES BY KAREN MCCULLOUGH
Three years ago rising star programmer Julie Harrison was forced to leave her job in disgrace when code from a project she was working on leaked to a rival company and all signs pointed to her as the guilty party. Worse yet, her fiancée and co-worker, Daniel Foster, believed in her guilt, and their relationship imploded as a result. Heartbroken and devastated, Julie found support in a group of friends who all decided to swear off romance and throw themselves into their careers. Through hard work, taking some chances, and a bit of luck she has become a successful freelance software developer whose work commands high prices.
Dan Foster has wondered for some time if he made a mistake when he chose to trust the evidence that Julie had leaked code to a rival, instead of believing her denials. His own ambition to become chief operating of the company made him quick to take the company’s side, but reaching that goal didn’t bring the fulfillment he hoped. He fears he may have made the wrong choice and paid too high a price for his success.
Julie is shocked to learn that Dan’s company has bought out the group that represented her software. She isn’t happy that they’ll be forced to work together again. Dan recognizes that he has a second chance with her. Though the attraction is still there, Julie won’t risk her heart by trusting Dan. When disaster threatens to strike again, can Dan convince her he believes in her and she can trust him to have her back this time? Can these one-time enemies recapture the love they let slip away once before?
Get your copy at SweetPromisePress.com/NoBrides
More from Sweet Promise Press
What's our Sweet Promise? It's to deliver the heartwarming, entertaining, clean, and wholesome reads you love with every single book.
From contemporary to historical romances to suspense and even cozy mysteries, all of our books are guaranteed to put a song in your heart and a smile on your face. That's our promise to you, and we can't wait to deliver upon it...
We release one new book per week, which means the flow of sweet, relatable reads coming your way never ends. Make sure to save some space on your eReader!
* * *
Check out our books in Kindle Unlimited at sweetpromisepress.com/Unlimited
* * *
Pre-order upcoming series bundles to save at sweetpromisepress.com/Shop
* * *
Join our reader discussion group, meet our authors, and make new friends at sweetpromisepress.com/Group
* * *
Sign up for our weekly newsletter at sweetpromisepress.com/Subscribe
* * *
And don’t forget to like us on Facebook at sweetpromisepress.com/FB
&nb
sp; More from Jean C. Gordon
Team Macachek
Fall in love with the strong women and fearless men of the motocross circuit
(Each book is a standalone story)
Mending the Motocross Champion
(Meet teenage Jesse and Lauren)
A Team Macachek Christmas Anthology
(Three Heartwarming Stories in One)
Holiday Escape
A Team Macachek Christmas (Jesse and Lauren’s Happy for Now)
Christmas Pizza to the Rescue
(Also in the Sweet Christmas Kisses 5 Bundle)
Sweet Entanglement—An Indigo Bay Sweet Romance
(Jesse and Lauren’s Happy Ever After)
* * *
Upstate NY . . . where love is a little sweeter
Bachelor Father
Love Undercover
Mandy and the Mayor
Candy Kisses
Mara’s Move
* * *
Love Inspired
Bridges
Reuniting His Family
A Mom for His Daughter
* * *
No Time for Apologies: No Brides Club, Book 5 Page 18