It took her only a moment to throw aside her polite facade. “I’d say one of us is right in character.”
What would he say to that? Maybe next time she stood on her balcony for morning coffee, she’d do it in her yoga pants and a T-shirt. How would he react to her without makeup? With her hair in a sloppy bun?
So while his wearing a chambray shirt might be out of character for him, she wasn’t out of character. Tonight, Vin Ferguson was seeing the real Reece Rowe.
A dark shadow passed over his face before he pressed his lips into a firm line. “Noted.” Without another word, he waved to the bartender and turned his well-shaped shoulder on her.
Noted? She heard his dismissive tone, saw his dismissive action, and couldn’t quite reconcile what the hell had just happened. Was he giving her the ice act because he didn’t like her casual outfit? He’d just complimented her on it. But if anything, the chilly change in his attitude showed her that like most men, Vin wanted the Reece Rowe in designer skirts and stilettos. Jeans-wearing Reece didn’t make his radar.
She may not be wearing her classy attire, but she still had class. As she was about to confront him regarding his atrocious manners, a tiny brunette launched herself into his arms, and turned as he was, Reece had a clear view of the girl’s unbridled grin as she closed her eyes and squeezed her arms around his neck. An uncomfortable anger tightened in Reece’s gut. She should’ve known Vin had groupies. One more in the long line. But instead of feeling sorry for the poor girl, Reece kind of wanted to know what it would feel like to wrap her arms around Vin’s neck.
When they finally ended the hug, Vincent said, “Tonia! What are you doing here?”
The girl swatted at his arm. “Don’t sound too happy to see me.”
“I am. I just want to know why. It’s a school night.”
Reece blew out a breath. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Excuse you?” That came from Vin.
She froze, realizing what she’d muttered out loud.
Both Vin and the girl shot her matching shocked expressions. The girl looked like a high schooler, even though she was pretty sure Vin meant college. Still, he had to be at least thirty. What the hell was he doing dating a woman ten years younger?
Twisting the wineglass in her hands, she looked down into the pale liquid. “Nothing.” No amount of etiquette and finishing school sessions would get her out of this mess. And to think, she’d been the one about to lecture him on poor manners. Feeling small, she said, “I didn’t say anything.”
She could tell from the look on his face he didn’t believe her, so when he said, “Sure, Princess, whatever you say,” she shouldn’t have been surprised. But all the insecurities she’d buried over the years rushed back without warning. The Princess comment hit a little too close to home. Princesses had the whole world watching their every move, and as the adopted baby of the family and only girl, she’d grown up paranoid she’d trip on air. But that didn’t stop her from being annoyed at his quick shift in attitude. One minute they’d been conversing like normal adults, flirting even, and in the next moment, he’d given her the cold shoulder and wrapped his groping hands around a groupie…who appeared to be laughing at Reece.
Seriously? The tiny coed found her humorous?
As she lifted her well-practiced snobby armor in place, the girl reached around Vin and stuck out her hand. “I’m Tonia, Vin’s sister.”
Sister.
If the floor could just open up and swallow her, she’d be relieved. But it didn’t. Too bad her life wasn’t some action-drama with special effects. Even worse, her manners fled as she stared at Vin’s sister’s outstretched hand. Vin had a baby sister. That was why he’d followed her home from the fundraiser. She should have believed him when he said he’d wanted to make sure Reece got home safely. But a tiny part of her had thought it was more than that. That he was interested.
How could she forget, for even a moment, that the nightcap wouldn’t mean anything to him? How embarrassing.
Tonia wiggled her fingers and grinned. “Come on. Shake my hand. I don’t have germs. Well, I might. I’m an assistant kindergarten teacher over on the other coast, but”—she wiggled her fingers again—“I swear I wash regularly.”
Vin frowned. “Leave her alone, Tonia.”
Finally, Reece sputtered, “Oh, of course, no, I didn’t think—” She grabbed Tonia’s hand and pumped several times. “Pleasure to meet you. I didn’t know Vin had a sister.”
Tonia punched Vin in the arm. “Well, he does. Me.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a flashing phone. “Oh! It’s Jodi.” To Vin, she asked, “Are you done for the night? Or is there another set?”
“One more set. In fifteen.”
Tonia slipped the phone back. “’K. Be right back.” To Reece, she said, “Great to finally put a face to a name. Well, face to face, not just whatever I found on the internet.”
She left, leaving Reece to wonder what Tonia meant by that cryptic remark. Face to a name. What had Vin said about her?
As if reading her mind, he said, “I told her you’re the one who helped raise all that money for the”—he made air quotes—“forgotten foster children.”
The air quotes made it seem like he was ridiculing her, so she lifted her chin and countered with, “It’s an important cause. Children entering the foster care system are scared and stressed, and the foster parents need support in providing a loving environment. Money doesn’t fix everything, but the funds raised go a long way in making sure the children have more than just the clothes on their backs.”
If she hadn’t been adopted by the Rowes, she could’ve been raised in the foster system and had a very different life than she currently enjoyed, so excuse her if she didn’t take nicely to someone mocking her choice of charity. Some of the foster children had parents who actually wanted to get on their feet and get their kids back.
His mouth opened and closed. He swallowed, took a swig of beer, and then swallowed again. Finally, he nodded. “Okay, then.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” She hated when men gave her that dismissive tone. What she thought mattered. Her causes weren’t silly. They were important to a lot of people.
“Look, Reece, we seem to be having two entirely different conversations here. So I’m going to finish my beer and get back on stage. Thank you for shaking Tonia’s hand. For whatever reason, my sister admires you.”
She wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she said, “Oh, well, that’s nice.”
“I hope you enjoy the rest of your night.”
He tapped the sound guy on the shoulder before heading back to the front, stopping to speak with people as he passed them. She watched, her wineglass empty, her brain full of questions that apparently he wouldn’t stick around to answer.
Like what the hell just happened?
Chapter Four
Humming as she skipped out the door of her condo, Reece reviewed exactly what she’d say when she confronted Vin in his office. She hadn’t seen him all week, since their weird argument at the café, and she was desperate to figure out a way to follow up the conversation. So when the final numbers from the fundraiser he’d sponsored were confirmed through the independent consultants, she decided to share the news. In person. Assuming he was in his office. At eleven on a Friday morning, the man probably had meetings or a lunch appointment or—
Her heart pounded, and she rubbed her palms on her jeans. Changing out of her suit into jeans and a V-neck T-shirt had been a last-minute decision, but his out-of-character comment insulted her, and she wanted to show him that she wasn’t all Fendi pencil skirts and Stella Luna pumps. But no matter what she wore, she wouldn’t know if he was there or not until she got there and asked. She’d considered calling, but she didn’t want to give up an edge. She needed to see his face, his reaction to seeing her again. Her over-analytical brain said there was some animosity hidden under his smooth charm, but up until Monday night at the café, she’d thought they
were becoming friends as well as neighbors.
Anyway, she told herself she just wanted to be friends with him because they were neighbors and—and it just made good sense to be friends with your neighbors. Right? After all, hadn’t he invited her for a nightcap? A tour of his condo? Maybe now was as good a time as any to initiate a friendship. She didn’t dwell on the obvious fault in her plan. A nightcap didn’t mean Vin wanted to be friends, and as far as she could tell, he didn’t have females of the platonic variety in his life.
If he wasn’t in his office, she’d take it as a sign to leave him alone. She’d email him the consultants’ report and thank him for the opportunity to be part of an important event. Then, she’d go back to…what? It had been a strange year, readjusting to life in South Beach. Most days, she moved through the motions at an even pace. Nothing rash. Nothing exciting.
But if he was there, she’d take the time to review the report with him. They could form a strategy for delivering thank-you notes to the major donors, and she could ask him whether he preferred to have his communication team or hers write the after-event press release. Then, she could ask him what he meant on Monday about shaking his sister’s hand, among other things. Like why he seemed to like her one moment and dislike her the next.
It shouldn’t bother her. She knew better than to get sucked into the self-esteem game, but she liked when people liked her, and for some reason, her sexy neighbor threw mixed signals. She tried so hard to be a good person, to prove she was deserving of all she’d won in the lottery of life, but watching Vin all season showed her what she was missing out on in life, and maybe that was why she wanted to be his friend. He always looked like he was having a good time.
Refueled with good intentions to stick to her plan, she slid into her car and turned up the radio. The familiar country song lightened her mood, and she sang along off-key. At the light, she checked her hair, and at the stop sign, she reapplied her lip gloss. No sense second-guessing her jeans and T-shirt, so she took a few deep breaths that did nothing to slow down her racing heart. Twice, she bypassed the main roads, convinced this was a bad idea, but then she turned back onto the touristy street until she landed at the Ferguson Building.
This is not a big deal. She had a legitimate reason to visit Vin. But the fluttering in her stomach told the truth. She was fascinated by the man, and this was a flimsy excuse to see him again.
The woman on the ground floor took her license, scanned it, and then returned it to her.
“Good morning, Miss Rowe. I see you’re on the visitor list. Mr. Ferguson is on the fourteenth floor.” The receptionist motioned toward the elevator.
She’d never been to his office before, but he must have added her when they’d been paired for the fundraiser. With a polite smile, she said, “Thank you,” and headed toward the elevators.
On the fourteenth floor, she faced another receptionist, who smiled and said, “Hi, Miss Rowe. Please, go on in.”
The nameplate read, “Vin Ferguson.”
She took one hesitant step, ready to apologize for busting into his office, when he caught her by surprise, saying, “Hello, Reece. What an unexpected surprise.” He stood from behind a glass desk and moved toward her.
The wariness in his eyes gave her pause, and she avoided his gaze by scanning the rectangular office. The door had opened at one end, revealing a sizable length from the entrance to the back wall. Between here and there was an ornamental table and a sitting area comprised of a two-cushioned sofa and two armchairs in a U-shape around a coffee table. Along the right side, a high-backed chair was positioned next to a fancy bookshelf.
No doubt about it, Vin had an impressive office.
Now that she was in his office, without an appointment, it seemed almost rude the way she’d ambushed him. No one would be allowed to get this far in her brother’s office. Yet, here she was, and his receptionists—both of them—had allowed her to just walk right in. She might as well act as if she burst into executive offices without appointments all the time.
“Yes, well, I was in the neighborhood…” She inwardly cringed at the cliché. Come on, Reece. Pull it together.
He gestured toward the sitting area. “Shall we?” He waited for her to choose a place and sat next to her. “Was there a reason for your impromptu visit?”
A whole new wave of embarrassed heat tingled over her neck and face. “Um…” She hated when she couldn’t find the right words. The money. Tell him about the money. “I have the report from the consultants on last Friday’s event. I think you’ll be very pleased at the final numbers.” She reached into her bag and pulled out the file.
“Numbers, huh?” His deep chuckle surprised her. “That does sound like you.”
Was he laughing at her? Events boiled down to profits, especially when fundraising was involved. “What’s that supposed to mean?” she snapped.
He leaned back and unbuttoned his cuffs. Gone was the chambray shirt, replaced by the crisp white button-down and charcoal tie. As he rolled his shirt sleeves, she stared at the band around his wrist, the dark hair on his forearms, the flex of the muscles…and she almost missed his next words.
His warm brown eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled at her, and he sounded almost caring when he said, “I’ve researched you, Reece Rowe.”
Her stomach clenched. She knew what the standard search engine returned from Google, but he hadn’t specified what kind of research. And why would he take the time? “Researched me? Come up with anything interesting?”
A casual shrug prefaced his response. “You like statistics. Measurable results. Fourteen fundraisers, forty million dollars raised.”
Sounded cold. As if all she cared about was the bottom line. That wasn’t her. That was her brother. Brothers. All Landon and Christopher cared about was business. She craved something beyond the bottom line—she sought purpose. She only wanted to make a difference. To contribute to society. But Google wouldn’t know that, and sometime in the last week, Vin’s opinion of her had begun to matter. “I hardly think that describes me.”
“I’m giving you a compliment. These are impressive numbers.”
His secretary entered and set down a tray with two water bottles and two cups of coffee. After thanking the woman, he offered a cup to Reece and picked up the other.
Reece took a sip and asked, “Well, what about you?”
One of his dark eyebrows arched. “What about me?”
“I’ve researched you, too.” See how he liked it when she turned the tables.
“Come up with anything interesting?” He parroted her early comeback, his eyes scanning her outfit and landing back on her heated face.
“‘Sprint toward your dreams like you’re flammable and time is the match,’” she quoted the saying on his website. “Interesting and curious.”
He laughed, loosening his tie just a bit. “I had to come up with a tagline for when people said I had too many train tracks for only one train. I didn’t know any other way to express my actions, to explain why I burned the proverbial candle at both ends and any other place the wick was exposed.”
True enough. He did seem to stick his fingers in anything and everything that interested him. One article mentioned greenhouses, the next, dog walking applications. His donations also held no specific pattern. A check here, a check there. Not to mention she’d witnessed him staying up way past her bedtime. “Do you ever slow down?”
“Right now.” He unbuttoned the top button, opened his collar, and sipped his coffee. “Right now I’m completely still.”
So was she. Her mind quieted, and she breathed in and out and looked at the man seated adjacent to her. It had been too long since she’d sat in silence, her brain not rattling off random lists of things she needed to accomplish. Usually she had a dozen different objectives, all aimed at showing the world what a good, productive person she could be. Overthinking everything. Weird, actually, the silence that followed her encounter with Vin.
How did he calm t
he chaos constantly swirling around her?
The pages she’d been holding fluttered to the floor, breaking whatever calming spell he’d woven. As they both bent to pick up the file, she said, “It seems like you’re stretched too thin. According to your website, Ferguson Holdings doesn’t have even one coordinated effort toward one specific project. You just dabble in whatever catches your interest.”
He chuckled, handing her the folder. “Not the first time someone has said that, but we only have this one life, and now that I’m in a position to help, it’s so easy to say yes.”
She understood him perfectly. That’s why she agreed to chair so many events. She wanted to be a good person, and if someone asked for her time, how could she say no and still seem nice? Were they really so alike? The idea Vin and she were similar had her excited. “I know what you mean.”
“It sucks that so many causes exist in the world. That so many nonprofits formed needing funds to save the world. When had so much rotten luck happened to so many good people? That’s why I don’t say no. Not because I can’t, but because I don’t want to.”
Her autopilot kicked in, and she spewed her usual spiel. “Think of how much more you could do if you focused on one organization. For example, at Rowe, we’re committed to promoting our community’s children through literacy and foster care support. That’s what we’re known for. Building families in our community.”
“Think of all the people who wouldn’t be helped if I only focused on one organization. Like puppies. Or horses. Our veterans? What about all those children with cancer? I’d rather help a lot of people a little bit than only help a few a lot.”
He had a solid point. But when her mother created the foundation, she’d had a certain vision for it, and so far, her father’s fifth wife had stayed true to that vision. “I’m sorry I don’t fit your measurement of effort.”
“I just think you’re limiting yourself with one focus at Rowe. I get it. You have this image that has to be maintained. A facade that prevents you from saying yes to all the possibilities. I’m not criticizing, and anyway”—he ran a hand through his hair, scruffing it back and forth, then peeking up at her with an adorable but regretful expression—“I can’t date you.”
Reforming the CEO (South Beach) Page 4