by Ali Vali
The only thing in her life she’d enjoyed lately other than work was her four-month-old nephew, Grady. Her sister had been tight-lipped about Grady’s father for the first half of her pregnancy, but to her surprise Jim Bob Delacroix had wanted to be involved.
The asshole had actually insisted on it and had purchased a nice house in the Uptown area for Monique, since he’d decreed her apartment to be too small. Neither Monique nor Grady wanted for anything, except having the married asshole around full-time. Asshole was Willow’s nickname for Jim Bob, since divorce was the last thing he ever brought up, and considering he owned Delacroix Oil, she doubted that would ever happen.
“Why in the world would you settle for this pathetic half life?” she asked the picture of Monique and Grady on the corner of her desk.
“The team’s ready, Ms. Vernon,” Margo, her assistant, said from the doorway. “They called down and said they’re just waiting for someone from TPT Construction and Delacroix Oil, but our team is there.”
“Please, Margo, stop with the Ms. Vernon. It’s Willow, remember? Did they say who was coming from Delacroix?”
Delacroix—the asshole’s company. Monique had been careful to keep Jim Bob from crossing her path from the day Grady had been born, when Willow had given the asshole a lecture that made her feel better. From that moment, they’d all called a truce and didn’t talk about it, which meant she didn’t really know anything about Monique’s relationship with the asshole. She’d broken that détente a few times, and it always ended up in a heated argument with her sister, so she’d learned to keep her opinions to herself.
“I’m sure it’s someone from middle management. We aren’t exactly in the big leagues yet even though we do all the work. This isn’t a meeting to finalize anything, just to review your design.”
“Believe me, the big leagues are descending from on high. Jonathan Mann will be here, along with most of his team. Those are the only people I’m worried about impressing right now.” Willow stacked all the files she needed to bring with her before smoothing her skirt down.
“The VP of offshore production?” Margo asked.
“That’s him, and he’s hot to get Delacroix to sign the contract. If they do, Apache Delta will be the largest rig in deep water, and half the crew will be Suntrust employees. Add to that the development technology we’ll gain, as well as forty percent of the oil that will be ours. This will be a big win for Mr. Mann. He gets most of the product while assuming none of the risk.”
“I’m surprised he was willing to share the limelight.”
“Jim Bob Delacroix beat us out of the leases, so this is the next best thing.” She hated herself for doing it since she didn’t care if these guys thought she looked good, but she put lip gloss on. “On the flipside, Delacroix gets a break on expenses, and the contract is only good for six years. If they decide not to renew, they’ll be the big winners in this shell game.”
“Good luck then.” Margo gave her a thumbs-up and pointed to all her files. “Do you want me to carry all that over for you?”
“Thanks, but I can get it.”
The conference room was five floors up, and she wondered if Jim Bob really would show his face. They might’ve only met a couple of times, but he had to know where she worked and what she did. At least he hadn’t used his influence to get her pulled from the project, and she wondered if he even knew she was working on it. Since Monique didn’t tell her anything about Jim Bob when they spent time together, it probably meant Monique didn’t mention her when she was with him, either.
She’d promised Monique she’d never confront him on what a douche she thought he was, but she hated him for how he treated her sister. Today wasn’t the day to break that promise, especially in front of her bosses.
But Monique deserved someone who was going to be there for her and who would commit to her and their son. Monique was a kept woman who’d never celebrate a holiday or a night out with the asshole who paid the bills. All she did was wait for that magical day he’d leave his wife. When the hell had her sister become so brainless?
She’d taken enough deep breaths to calm down by the time the elevator stopped, but she took one more and closed her eyes momentarily as she started to step out. When she opened her eyes, the most perfect ass she’d seen in a while was right in front of her, and the sight made her run into the back of a man standing two feet from the elevator doors.
Of course, the guy was talking to Jonathan Mann, who stood by and watched as paper scattered around them. When Mann’s guest turned around, she realized the broad shoulders and trim waist actually belonged to a woman who was stylishly butch with a great smile.
“I’m sorry.” She immediately bent and started picking up the reports that were now a jumbled mess.
“No need to apologize.”
Whoever this was also had a deep voice that sounded gentle and surprisingly kind. It was a surprise since she hardly ever noticed things like that, but she also didn’t go around admiring asses either, so it was an enlightening day so far.
“Let me get all this.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jonathan Mann said, bending to help.
Willow stood at the woman’s insistence as she and Jonathan started stacking papers. “Thank you, and could you give me a few minutes, Mr. Mann? I’ll call my assistant up to get all this back in order.”
“Lead the way, and I’ll help out,” the woman said. “Jon, go in and bullshit those guys for a minute. Promise them some golf at the club, and they’ll wait around until tomorrow, but I doubt it’ll take us that long.”
“Really, I can handle this,” Willow said. Whoever this woman was, she wasn’t anyone’s secretary from the way she spoke to their VP.
“I promise I won’t make you look bad by putting anything out of order.” There was that great smile again.
“This way, then.” Her savior followed her to the smaller conference room next door and dropped the mess on the table and her briefcase on a chair. The bag looked expensive, as did the jacket and brown alligator cowboy boots.
Willow held her hand out and faced her attractive helper. “I know you said not to apologize, but I’m sorry you’re in here with me instead of trying to schmooze the power players coming today. I’m Willow.”
“Word of advice, Willow.” The woman held her hand as she spoke, and from her expression it wasn’t an oversight. It didn’t make her uncomfortable, but she did notice the roughness of the strong grip. They were the hands of a worker, not some desk jockey. “If it’s a choice between spending time with a pretty girl and the old guys in there, always pick the pretty girl.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She was fairly sure she was being flirted with, but she proceeded cautiously. The last thing she needed was to insult this woman.
“Great to meet you, Willow, and I hope I didn’t overstep there.” The great voice was something she could listen to all night. “I’m Tucker, and we should get this back in there. We don’t want to be too late.”
“Sure, but can I get you a drink later for all your help?” The question was like the warp speed they used on Star Trek, but it was worth the risk.
Tucker smiled and nodded. “That’s a better offer than what we’re getting ready to sit through, but it has to be my treat. I’m the one who made you drop all this stuff, remember.”
“It’s a date.” She started laying out the sheets. Margo and a few others from downstairs showed up five minutes later, which meant Mr. Mann had called down for the cavalry. “We can get the rest, but thanks for offering.”
“See you in there.” Tucker picked up her bag and sauntered out with a smile.
The offer of drinks was a good incentive to get through the aggravating afternoon. The assembly line worked fast and quietly, and she was able to join the meeting without much delay. Whoever Tucker was with, the Suntrust management as well as the construction group were treating her like royalty. Her team member Roxanne joined them to run the PowerPoint presentation, so she
stood to the side while Jonathan jumped through the hoops of kissing everyone’s ass.
“I’m sure we all know each other, but let me introduce you all to Willow Vernon. Willow’s the brilliant engineer who led the team who drew up the plan you’ll find in those files.” Jonathan winked in her direction and gave her a cheesy smile.
Willow stood stunned for a moment, not really believing that not only did Mann know her name, but he’d actually winked at her. That only happened to her when someone was flirting, and she hoped to hell that wasn’t what was happening now. She stepped next to the screen and nodded toward Roxanne. “Let’s begin.”
Her audience allowed her to complete her presentation before their barrage of questions started, but she was prepared for that, and Roxanne flipped through the design slides that responded to the questions. Surprisingly, it was Tucker who asked the most questions.
“Suntrust has had Crazy Horse up and functional for years, but Apache Delta will exceed its capacity by two to three times.” Tucker studied the blueprints in the file like there’d be a test and her future earnings would depend on all the right answers. “Does that sound about right?”
“Yes, we’re sure to double in capacity, but we’re optimistic for three times the output,” she said, feeling as if she was repeating herself. Tucker was good-looking, but was she really trying to impress these guys by questioning her work?
“You go with the support beams you have in the blueprints here”—Tucker took the laser pointer on the table and aimed it at a spot on the slide that was up—“and here”—she pointed to another spot—“you’re going to—”
“Every inch of this structure passes all the computer stress tests we could think of, so there’s no reason to drive cost up on redundancy.”
Tucker smiled when she interrupted her, and she lifted her hand as if to concede, but she still went on. “I also ran your numbers, and they don’t hold up when you run them through a few stressors that are out of the norm, but well within the range of possibility.”
“It’ll withstand hundred mile an hour winds and eighty degrees in temperature variation. It’s not going to get that hot or cold.” No one likes a smarty-pants, she thought as Tucker shook her head.
“Katrina churned in the Gulf with winds higher than that, and when you stack it with all the modules you’ll need to man this thing, it doesn’t hold up. I’d agree to not beefing up the support beams and legs if it was anchored, but it’s not.” Tucker stood and handed her a file. “Run the numbers again with that, and if I’m wrong, I’ll gladly admit it.”
“Anything else you see, Tucker?” Jonathan asked.
“Overall, it’s a design Ms. Vernon can be proud of. She and her team did an outstanding job, but this behemoth will be floating in thirteen thousand feet of water and we need to be sure.” Tucker shook Jonathan’s hand and gave him a file as well. “If the changes we’re suggesting are a problem, we’ll be willing to foot the bill, but it might change the partnership percentages. I don’t want anyone to accuse me of not paying attention in all those safety meetings.”
“Give us a couple of days, and I’m sure we’ll come to an agreement,” Jonathan said, slapping Tucker on the back. “Let me and the boys take you out for some drinks and a steak.”
Willow turned and smirked, and she motioned for Roxanne to start picking up. Tucker would be a fool to pass up the chance to join the boys for dinner. Though, if she were in the same position, she’d have a hard time passing up the opportunity.
“Sorry, Jon, I have other plans tonight, but maybe next time.” Tucker shouldered her bag and smiled.
Good Lord and the Baby Jesus she was good-looking. Willow whipped around to make sure Tucker wasn’t kidding.
“Ms. Vernon, can I walk you out and give you a hand with all that? Maybe we can set a meeting to go over my suggestions.”
“Thanks.” Willow turned her back again to hide her smile as she gathered her papers. “Rox, can you handle all this?”
“A laptop and two folders?” Roxanne asked dryly. “I don’t know if my back will hold out. I’d hate to break our streak of three thousand days without a workplace injury.”
“I’ll bring beignets in the morning if that’ll sweeten the deal for you,” she said, spurring Roxanne to pick everything up a little bit quicker.
“I’ll do it even without beignets since you seldom ask for anything.”
“Thank you, and don’t have breakfast tomorrow.” She turned to try and catch her ultimate boss before he left. “Mr. Mann, thank you again for the opportunity, sir.”
“I keep hearing good things about you, Willow, and I’ll be down tomorrow to review all the stuff our buddy handed over. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Tucker, and she’s going to push until we give in. My assistant will call with the time,” he said before going back to talking to the men with him.
“Ms. Vernon.” Tucker held the door for Roxanne as well as all the stuff Roxanne had volunteered to carry down.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” Willow asked as they waited for another elevator, giving Roxanne the first one that arrived, as if by unspoken agreement that they wanted to be alone.
“Am I sure about staying where?” Tucker seemed easy-going, but she didn’t want her to get in trouble with her boss.
“Mr. Mann sounded like he wanted you to join him.” Willow pressed the floor to her office, wanting to get her purse. “I don’t mind a rain check.”
“I’m sure he threw out the invitation to be polite.” Tucker followed her out to the now quiet floor. “Are you new to the area?” The boxes in the corner were what held Tucker’s attention as Willow placed all her stuff on her desk.
“Just new to the office. It was part of my promotion package.” She grabbed her bag and shut down her computer. Margo had left a few messages on her desk, but they could wait.
“Maybe you should treat me, if you got a promotion.” Tucker winked.
What was it with people winking at her today? She certainly didn’t mind it as much coming from Tucker, and she wanted to step out of her routine. Lately it had been all work, and the only play she got was at the park with Grady. Not that she didn’t love the little guy, but he didn’t make for an exciting social life. She nodded and said, “I’ll be happy to buy you a drink since it was my idea.”
“Judging by your work, you’re good at ideas, brilliant even, but I’m kidding. Drinks and everything else tonight is my treat. Is there anyplace you like to go?”
“Whatever you like. Since you somewhat questioned my brilliance and loaded me down with work tomorrow, it’d better be nice.” She shut her lights off, wondering what everything else might include.
“Would you mind dinner, or is that too much of an overstep?” Tucker put her jacket on and helped her with hers. “I was slammed with work today and didn’t get lunch.”
“That’s something we have in common, and I’d love to.” She’d have to tell Monique about this since her sister was constantly harping that she didn’t take any chances.
“Great, then no more work talk tonight.” Tucker pressed the elevator button and smiled.
“Weird time to ask, but are you married?”
Tucker shook her head and put her fingers up in some sort of scout’s oath position. Or at least, that’s what she thought. Their mother had thought Girl Scouts was some sort of cookie selling cult.
“Sorry, bad experience, and I had to ask.”
“I swear I’ve never been married, and I have all my teeth if that counts for anything.” Tucker did something with her phone and walked by her side to the lobby. “Do you mind Uber in case we have those drinks?”
“Good thinking.” She smiled as Tucker held the door for her, thinking about how long it’d been since she’d been out with someone with old-fashioned manners. Hell, it had been forever since she’d been out with anyone at all, much less a woman she met five minutes ago. It was a new but refreshing experience.
“And I thought today wa
s going to be boring.”
Tucker got in next to her and confirmed to the driver that they were indeed going to the Pontchartrain Hotel on St. Charles.
“What the hell?” The only decision now was whether to jump out of a moving car or punch this presumptuous butch in the throat. The nerve, to choose a hotel instead of a restaurant. Just what was Tucker expecting?
“Faith, Ms. Vernon, faith,” Tucker said with a smile.
Chapter Two
“Bubba told me what happened today,” Ivy Delacroix said. “I can’t believe you took your sister’s side over our son’s. If you’re trying to get the kids to hate you, you’re doing a great job.”
Jim Bob stared at his wife and wanted nothing more than to walk out and never come back. It was seven at night and Ivy was still in the nightgown she’d slept in the night before, and since she was sitting on the bed, she probably hadn’t gotten up either. Her hair appeared dirty and unkempt, and he didn’t understand how she’d allowed herself to backslide this much.
He’d tried for years to encourage her to find something to get involved in outside the house, but Ivy had ignored every overture and every invitation. Her response was always that she’d earned the right to do nothing. Since she’d spent a lifetime of doing nothing, he guessed the reward for that was to do even less.
The ever-present glass next to her on the nightstand, though, was her constant companion. That never changed, and he was tired of trying to get her to give up her one true love in life. He sighed and barely glanced at her, disgusted by her and the whole situation.
“The little bastard spent a fortune on his friends this weekend, and he barely shows up for work. Some of us need to remind him that he’s not some privileged prick who uses our money to show his loser friends a good time so they’ll like him. That it’s Tucker who’s reminding Bubba of that and not us is a total shame.”