Between You & I

by Susan Cairns

  “You have a point. I was assuming…”

  “And you know what they say about when you assume?” I paste the most sarcastic grin on my face.

  “Yeah, yeah, smartass, so what time are we leaving?”

  “Now, if you’re ready?”

  “Yeah, I’m good to go. Do you think we need to leave this early?”

  “Have you ever heard of the blue water tower?”

  Reid shakes his head.

  “Didn’t think so,” I say. “Well, the exit we need is right before it. If we’re lucky, we’ll get there a couple of minutes early, but it’s doubtful.”

  “Not that I don’t believe you, but I think you all have a skewed idea of what traffic really is.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, is our traffic not busy enough for you? Because I think taking thirty minutes to go what should take you five is a little ridiculous.”

  “Calm down, killer, I didn’t mean that there wasn’t traffic. I just meant it’s really not that bad. And I can’t believe we’re arguing about this,” Reid points out with his eyebrows lifted nearly to his hairline.

  The look on his face makes me giggle. “Right? It’s kind of stupid. Anyway, let’s get going. Maybe we can sneak in a drink before Mark gets there.”

  “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  Reid beams as he waits for me to go before him, which only makes me think about what Casey said at lunch about how he looks at my ass when I’m walking in front of him. I’m not feeling self-conscious at all right now.

  Reid’s hand at the small of my back has me going ramrod straight, making me feel tense as we walk to the front door. Once we clear the reception area, I move a little faster, leaving Reid a couple of steps behind. I kind of don’t want him touching me, but I also want to get him into my car. God I’m so ridiculous, and of course since Case pointed out how I’ve been different about Reid, less confident, I’ve noticed it. It only makes me wish I hadn’t talked to her about him this afternoon.

  “This is me,” I say, pressing the button on my key fob, making the lights flash at us.

  “Nice car, looks new,” Reid states, running his hand up the side of the hood on his way to the door.

  “It’s a couple of years old, but I take care of it. I put so few miles on my vehicles that I need to pay a little more attention to the bodies so they’ll last as long as the guts.”

  “Guts, huh? Sounds like a technical term.” Reid smirks at me over the roof. Before I can say a word, he pulls the door open and slips inside.

  I do the same and let the comment go, since I don’t know what to call the innards of the car anyway. No matter what, I’m sure he’ll use it as a way to laugh at me. Thankfully I turned down the volume on the stereo before Casey and I got back from lunch, sparing Reid a blast of Taylor Swift.

  But it doesn’t stop him from looking at me with a questioning grin. “Taylor listens to Taylor?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. We have a kindred spirit, plus she’s the shit.” I give him a tight smile as I blink dramatically before backing out of the parking spot. “And don’t you even lie about not liking her. Everyone who listens to a top forty radio station likes Taylor.”

  “I don’t listen to top forty,” he states, and I look over to see that he has a completely straight face.

  “Bullshit, then what do you listen to?” I ask, turning the corner to merge onto the highway.

  “Bluegrass.”

  “You’re lying. No one listens to bluegrass except hillbillies.” I give him a side look.

  “Wow, that was really judgmental of you,” he says with a hint of teasing in his tone.

  “Meh, then I guess I’m judgy. Not like you’re the first person to tell me that,” I say sarcastically.

  “I was just kidding. You’re not judgmental. Not really anyway.”

  “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” I say, taking my eyes off the road to look at Reid.

  His eyes meet mine before he responds. “Well, you did judge me before you met me.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “Are you kidding? You had an opinion of me before you met me.”

  “It wasn’t about you; I was pissed about the job. Although you did surprise me. I thought you were going to be some pompous yuppie asshole and you’re not.”

  “So it was about me?” he asks with humor in his voice.

  I look at Reid from the corner of my eye again. “Okay maybe it was about you, but just a little.” I hold my thumb and forefinger about an inch apart in front of his face.

  He laughs and swats my hand just as I jump on the brakes, getting stuck in traffic about two miles away from our exit. He doesn’t say anything as we creep along, but I keep throwing him glances, waiting for him to refute his earlier comment about Buffalo rush hour. When a few minutes pass and it doesn’t come, I decide to take the closest exit and go through the side roads.

  “No patience,” Reid says, shaking his head.

  “Who wants to sit in gridlock? Not this girl.”

  Blowing out a sigh, Reid turns his head to look out the window, giving up on trying to sway my opinion. It only takes another five minutes of maneuvering through side streets before I’m pulling out onto Main Street. The restaurant is only another half mile away, making us fifteen minutes early. Just enough time to get a drink and make it disappear before the clients get there. I have a rule that I don’t drink during client meetings, even if they offer. I like to make sure my head is clear and in the game, which I’m suspecting I’ll need tonight being the only woman in a group of four men.

  “See, we could have stayed on the highway. We’re early,” Reid says as I pull into the parking lot and whip into the first open spot I see.

  “That was the point. I need a drink and I don’t drink in front of clients.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Personal preference,” I answer, opening the door then stepping out, putting an end to the line of questioning.

  “Are we heading to the bar then?” Reid asks, close behind me as we cross the parking lot.

  “Yep, I’ll let them know we’re here but waiting on the rest of the party to be seated. You go order us some drinks.”

  “What’s your poison?”

  “Vodka tonic with a lime, please,” I say with a cheesy smile, passing by Reid as he holds the door open for me.

  Going to the left, I feel Reid’s hand brush along my lower back as he heads toward the bar. I stop at the hostess stand and let the way-too-perky hostess know that we’re here but waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. She advises me that they’ll have the table ready and waiting for us. After I watch her make a note next to my name on the reservation list, I turn and join Reid at the bar.

  “Vodka tonic and a lime,” Reid says, holding my drink out as I slide onto the stool next to him.

  “Thank you, kind sir.” I beam while leaning into him so I can be right in his face, then I sit back, sucking down half my drink in the process.

  Reid shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “So I know the owner is Mark, but you haven’t told me who he’s bringing along with him.”

  “I’m guessing Brian, his son. He’s the manager of the nursery, for the most part, but he also does some landscape design. He actually gave me a quote last summer before he really started,” I add, and Reid nods. “I’m not sure who the other person is. I’m assuming it’s the manager of the new location, or the person taking over for Brian.”

  Reid gives me a questioning look. “Is Brian leaving?”

  “No, I’m assuming he’ll go to the new location to get things started there, since he knows the job already.”

  “Good point.”

  “Don’t worry, you’ll get along with them. They’re not tree huggers or rednecks. They’re really down-to-earth, hardworking guys.” I bring my straw to my lips and take another long sip.

  “I’m not worried. Well, not about them. I just don’t want to come across as stuffy. They work with their hands, and I’m
getting the opinion that blue collar is more respected around here.”

  “Ha! Depends on who you ask, but yes, there are a lot of people who think that’s the way it should be. Which is kind of funny, considering they’re the same people who think that men should hold the higher-ranking positions in companies. It’s political and ridiculous, but don’t get me started on that. I need mass quantities of alcohol when I talk politics.”

  “Sounds like something I’d want to witness.”

  “No, no, you don’t, it’s not pretty.” I finish my drink. “You’d better drink up, they’ll be here any minute.”

  “Sorry, I’m not a lush like you,” Reid jokes, swaying in his seat so his shoulder bumps into mine.

  “Whatever. Chug-a-lug, we have a meeting to get to.”

  “You don’t even know how wrong that sounds when you put it together.” Reid chuckles, making me laugh with him at the ridiculousness of my statement.

  But without hesitation, he brings his pint glass to his lips and tips it back, draining the rest of the beer. We both make a move to stand up at the same time, blocking each other from getting off the bar stools. So Reid, gentleman he is, waits for me to stand and take a few steps before he falls in line next to me. As we approach the hostess stand, I’m shocked to see Adam waiting with Mark and Brian. My eyes go as wide as saucers when he gives me one hell of a sexy smirk.

  “There she is!” Mark booms through the small space. “It’s good to see you in person again.”

  “Hi, Mark.” I walk up to him with my hand extended. “This is Reid Mariano,” I add, motioning to Reid standing on my right after Mark drops my hand.

  “Nice to meet you,” Mark says just as loud as he takes Reid’s hand.

  “Likewise.” Reid gives Mark, from what I can tell, a good hardy shake.

  “Taylor”—Mark turns back to me—“you remember my son, Brian.”

  “I do. Nice to see you, Brian,” I say and extend my hand to him.

  “And this punk over here is my nephew, Adam. He’s going to be taking Brian’s place at the Ridgeway store and Brian is going to West Seneca.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I say, making it seem like it’s my first time meeting Adam. Just like with Mark and Brian, I extend my hand to shake his, but instead of reciprocating, he grips my palm and brings my hand to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the back.

  “Nice to see you again, Taylor,” he says, lowering my hand.

  “You two know each other already?” Mark asks.

  “We’ve met,” I offer blandly, glancing at Mark. I don’t want to bring attention to how well we know each other.

  Directing my attention to Reid, I notice that he looks a little red in the face, as though he’s angry or annoyed. I’m only assuming, since I’ve never seen him anything other than professional and teasing. I thin my lips by biting then, then shrug. He doesn’t need to know about Adam and me, so if he asks, I’ll have to come up with something to deflect the question or tell a blatant lie.

  “Ms. Lewis?” the hostess calls my name, pulling me away from the meet-and-greet session. “Your table is ready, if you and your party would follow me.” She waves a stack of menus to get everyone’s attention.

  We follow the hostess to a round table in the back corner of the room, farthest from the door. Before I have a chance to grab my chair, Adam is there doing it for me. I take it as him being polite, so I accept the offer and sit as he takes the chair to my left while Reid sits to my right. This won’t be awkward at all. Sitting next to the guy I had sex with last week, while the guy I want to have sex with is on my other side. Only me!

  “Your server will be around in a few minutes to take your drink order.”

  “Thank you,” I acknowledge her, then she turns on her foot and heads back to her post.

  “So”—Mark’s too loud voice cuts across the table—“Reid, why don’t you start off by telling us a little about your background. Taylor mentioned that you worked for a marketing firm in Chicago?”

  “That’s right,” Reid answers. “I mostly worked with large-scale corporations, selling their services.”

  “Do you think moving to smaller businesses is going to be challenging?”

  “Not at all. The avenues for marketing are the same, it’s just the audience and reach that are different. I expect that the transition will be seamless and you’ll be happy with the outcome.”

  “Good answer,” Mark says, pointing at Reid before shifting his focus to me. “Sounds like Miranda did good finding this one.”

  “She did. Reid has a lot to offer not only the clients, but the company. I’ve already learned quite a bit about marketing from him.”

  “Good evening, my name is Rich and I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start everyone off with a drink?” the server cuts into our conversation, then goes around the table taking everyone’s orders.

  With the exception of myself and Reid, everyone orders an alcoholic beverage. Should make things a little more interesting where Adam is concerned.

  “I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menus while I get your drinks,” Rich says before heading toward the front of the restaurant.

  The conversation dies as everyone picks up their menus and looks through them. I’m the first to drop mine, knowing I’m getting the gnocchi. I’ve been looking forward to it since I made the reservation. My phone vibrates in the inside pocket of my blazer, and since everyone else is engrossed in selecting their meals, I open my coat a little so I can take a look at the waiting text and giggle.

  Adam leans toward me, his breath tickling my ear when he asks, “Something funny?” He backs away a few inches, scanning my face.

  “Just Casey, nothing important. She always wishes me luck when I have to do these things.”

  “So I probably should admit this now…”

  I nod for him to continue.

  “I remember you saying something about consulting, so when my uncle mentioned he was meeting with his business consultant, Taylor, I jumped at the chance to come. Practically begged, just because I wanted to see you again.”

  “You could have called,” I point out the obvious.

  “I could have, but I got the impression that you might not have answered.”

  “So you thought a business meeting was the right place to see me again? Because this complicates things. I don’t mix business with pleasure.”

  “You’re thinking about pleasure right now?” he asks with a seductive tone.

  “No, I’m thinking about presenting the mock marketing plan Reid and I came up with to your uncle.”

  Thankfully Rich then shows up to take our orders. When I turn to face him, I see Reid’s puzzled expression out the corner of my eye, so I turn a little farther and give him a tight-lipped smile. He doesn’t ask what’s going on, though I can see he more than wants to know, but I’m saved again when it’s his turn to order.

  After handing my menu over to Rich, I decide to jump back into the conversation. “So, Mark, how’s the new location coming along?”

  “Great! Just another week and we’ll be up and running. I’m planning on taking both of you there tomorrow, so you can see what’s around the area,” he responds.

  “That’s a good idea. It’ll help when we go to market the location,” Reid jumps in.

  “That’s what I was thinking. As for the original store, I was wondering what you’ve come up with as far as marketing?”

  “We’ve come up with a few ideas—well, Reid has—that revolve around social media since it’s such a hot way to market right now,” I offer. “But I’ll let Reid tell you about that.”

  “Great, let’s hear them.”

  When I glance at Reid, I see a big smile on his face. I’m hoping he’s grateful I’ve allowed him to take the lead, since he’s the one who will be working with Mark from here on out. Although I will be going on the tour with him tomorrow. From the way things are going, I think that after tonight I could just step to the side, but who would give up
the opportunity to get out of the office for a few hours? Not me, that’s for sure!

  As Reid goes into his ideas, I sit back and observe. I’ve heard them already, but paying close attention to the way he presents will help me in the long run. As Miranda said, I’m really going to learn a lot from him. And watching him talk isn’t bad either. The confidence he exudes when delivering his message is kind of hot. I mean, I paid attention when he was addressing our group at work, but I was kind of pissed, so I didn’t notice how his eyes crinkle around the corners when he’s smiling about an idea, or the way he rubs his chiseled jaw as he thinks. Add in the way his shirts pull against his muscled arms and chest, and good god, I’m getting hot. So much I have to fan myself, which draws attention back to me.

  “You okay, Taylor?” Reid asks, breaking through my “Reid haze.”

  “What? Oh yeah, I’m fine, just a little warm,” I answer, feeling my face go even more red.

  “Why don’t you take off your coat?” comes from my left in that too-close breathy voice.

  Without turning my head, I reply to Adam, “I’m good, but thanks.” I’m starting to sound annoyed.

  Reid gives me a questioning look with his eyebrows drawn together, and I shake my head.

  Adam must notice our exchange, taking it as something it isn’t, because he says sarcastically, “So, Reid, moving to another city must’ve been hard. How’s your wife taking it?”

  “Um, I’m not married…”

  “Oh no? Then you must have moved to be closer to your girlfriend?”

  Giving all my attention to Reid, I watch him closely to see his reaction to Adam’s far-too-personal question. It’s something I’ve already asked Reid twice, only after he asked me, but neither of us have been able to answer. I wonder if he’s going to blow Adam off or actually put it out there in the open.

  “I wouldn’t have moved without this job opportunity,” Reid says, which is a non-answer.

  “Well, then I’ll have to suggest some bars for you to go meet people your age.”

  “Whoa, Adam, don’t be rude,” I jump in because that was way out of line.

  “No, it’s okay, Taylor. Actually, Adam”—Reid practically snaps his name—“I went to a bar that had a pretty decent crowd. It’s called Fran’s, you heard of it?”