by P J Gordon
“Oh.” Katie echoed Manda’s sigh with disappointment shadowing her features. Manda didn’t blame her. She’d enjoyed the two brothers’ company more than she’d expected. Josh was impulsive and sweet, while Richard was charming and thoughtful. Surprisingly, she’d been as comfortable working with them as she usually was working with David alone. The exchange of ideas between the four of them had been easy and prolific, with each building off of the creativity of the others.
The fact that both Richard and Joshua were movie star handsome had occasionally thrown her off, it was true. At one point she’d been in the middle of an animated exchange with Richard about logo themes, excited about the direction their concept was taking, when she’d looked up into his surreally attractive face, with its startling blue eyes, and her mind had gone blank, erased by the fluttering of her pulse. He’d smiled knowingly at her then, but hadn’t commented. He just restated his last point and pulled her back into the conversation. She supposed he was accustomed to women losing their good sense when he was around, but the idea that she would be one of them made her squirm inwardly with embarrassment.
“Aunt Manda! You aren’t listening to me at all,” Katie complained.
“Sorry,” Manda apologized, “I was thinking about work.” She supposed thinking about their two newest clients could be considered thinking about work.
“That’s okay. I was just saying that I’m done and Kristin is expecting me in 20 minutes. I can’t wait to tell her, and show her this!” Katie clutched the pizza menu to her chest. “She is going to die!”
“Well then, let’s not keep Kristin waiting. I won’t know what to do with myself all day with you at Kristin’s and Robbie at camp though.”
“You’ll work. That’s your favorite thing,” Katie teased.
“So sue me! I like my job,” Manda countered, giving Katie a playful nudge as they got up from the table.
“What’s not to like? You’re working with Rain,” Katie sighed.
Manda dropped a suitable amount of cash on the table and herded Katie to the car. After delivering her niece to Kristin’s house, she returned home, already thinking of Richard and Josh’s project.
Their brainstorming session the night before had been very productive. They’d decided on a name by the time the pizza was polished off. Manda had eaten two slices before declaring herself full. The remainder of the four large pizzas was divided among the three men, with Josh consuming a pizza and a half by himself.
The quick consensus was that they should keep the name simple. Nothing cute or clever. Name recognition was most important, so why start from scratch? The brother’s name was already as recognizable as they could ever want, so “The Raines Foundation” was ideal.
“Such a simple name makes the logo crucial,” Manda explained when that had been decided. “It will have to speak volumes, to convey everything that the name leaves unspoken. The name will be easy to remember. The logo will have to be impossible to forget.”
“And you can do that?” Josh asked between bites of pizza.
Manda nodded confidently. “We can do that.”
Richard studied Manda appraisingly for a long moment, and then glanced at David and back to her. Finally he nodded.
“I believe you can. Let’s see what you can come up with for this unforgettable logo. What do you need from us?”
They immediately immersed themselves into the task of narrowing down Richard and Josh’s preferences. Manda and David showed them examples of the best logos they could find, seeking their opinions on which appealed to them and which didn’t. Josh’s responses were usually broad and unspecific. He did or didn’t like something, but wasn’t precise about why. Richard, in contrast, expressed his opinions very articulately.
Manda found herself agreeing with most of his opinions. There were only a few times when she disagreed with him and pointed out something she felt he’d missed. Most of those times, he came around to her way of thinking, but not always. Occasionally he swayed her toward his view. She was pleased that they were of such similar tastes, and even more pleased that he, like David, was willing to challenge her. It was just that sort of give-and-take that produced the best ideas. By the end of the evening they’d arrived at a definite consensus regarding the general visual style they wanted and what message they wanted the logo to convey, and Manda had several good starting points she wanted to explore further. It was past midnight when the phone rang in the conference room, startling everyone. Manda checked the caller ID and then didn’t pick it up.
“It’s Jen, checking to make sure I didn’t keep you guys here too late.” She gave them a penitent look. “Sorry! I lost track of time.”
“Don’t worry about it. We’re used to keeping late hours, and besides, we got a lot accomplished,” Richard reassured her. “I’ve really enjoyed working with both of you tonight, and if anybody asks, we were out of here at 9:30.”
David handed Richard a business card. “e-Mail or call us when you get a chance and we can set up a meeting to go over what we’ve come up with for first drafts.”
“Sounds good,” Richard agreed, pocketing the card and shaking David’s hand. Then he turned to Manda and extended his hand to her as well. “It’s been a pleasure working with you, Manda. I look forward to our next meeting.” The formality of his words was belied by his warm, friendly smile. She was lost in his stunningly blue eyes for several seconds before she managed to breathe a marginally coherent response. Then he relinquished her hand and Josh was there to claim it.
“Thanks, Manda. It’s been great. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun working with you guys.” He smiled his dazzling, boyish smile then. Katie would faint dead away if he ever smiled at her like that, Manda mused. Josh had always been her favorite.
“Thank you, Joshua. I think it will be fun.” She tried to sound lighthearted, grateful for Richard’s tip-off that his brother was flirting with her. She didn’t want to encourage him if that was the case. He really was too young, and, though he did seem very likable, she wasn’t at all interested in him in that way.
“Call me Josh,” he corrected. “I guess we’ll see you in about a week and a half then.”
Manda and David walked the two brothers to the elevator, and as they waited Richard spoke up.
“Shall we wait and walk you to your car?” he asked, as if it had just occurred to him. “It’s pretty late. Are you parked very far away?”
“I’ll take her home,” David assured him, with a dismissive shake of his head. “Don’t worry.”
Richard nodded, as if coming to a conclusion, and he and Josh said their final goodbyes and stepped onto the elevator that had just arrived. As soon as the doors closed on the two, Manda exhaled and drooped against the wall.
“It’s too late to swoon now. They’re already gone,” David mocked, grabbing her hand and dragging her toward their offices. “Besides, since you missed the last train I have to drive you all the way out to suburbia, and I’d like to get some sleep tonight. Move it!”
“I can just grab a cab downstairs. It’s okay,” Manda protested, letting him pull her along. “You don’t have to drive all that way. Thanks though.”
“It’s okay. You know I don’t mind. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last. I just wish you’d move closer.”
“No way. Too many people.” They’d had that argument before, and the words were just routine. David released her when they arrived at their shared workspace, allowing her to gather her things while he grabbed his computer bag.
“So, what are your big plans for your day off tomorrow?” he asked as they rode the elevator down.
“Robbie is away at camp, and Katie and I are going to have breakfast, then she’s going to spend the day at a friend’s house. After that I don’t really have any plans.”
“Which means you’ll probably work. You need to find some friends over 13, Manda.”
Manda wrinkled her nose at him. “I enjoy spending time with Katie. She’s a lot
of fun. What are your plans for tomorrow? Are you and Stacey going to do anything exciting?”
They spent the rest of the walk to David’s car discussing his plans to go hiking with his girlfriend the next day, while the drive to Manda’s house was occupied with a rehashing of the evening’s meeting. By the time they pulled up into her driveway it was past one o’clock and Manda’s eyes were heavy.
“Thanks for the ride, David,” she told him, stifling a yawn. “I’ll see you Thursday.”
“No problem. Night, M.”
Within fifteen minutes Manda was in bed asleep. A pair of brilliant blue eyes and a heart-stopping smile filled her dreams.
Chapter 3
When Manda got home after dropping Katie at her friend’s house, she sat down with her notebook and a pencil and began brainstorming ideas for the Raines Foundation logo. By the time she went to bed she had a dozen workable concepts to share with David the next day, with rough sketches of each drawn in a sketchbook.
David arrived at work with several ideas of his own, and the two spent the next week narrowing down the choices and refining the drawings of the ones they decided to keep. They also tied up the loose ends on numerous other projects they’d been working on, freeing up more of their time to devote to the Raines project. Five days into the process, on Monday, Richard called to schedule a meeting for the following Friday morning.
“By Friday we’ll be ready to run these by them. That’s perfect,” Manda approved, excited to get Richard’s reaction to their designs. Richard’s and Josh’s reactions, she corrected herself.
Manda and David took the designs to the computer thenat that point, creating more polished, professional looking logos based on their sketches. By Thursday afternoon they had six initial logo designs to show Richard and Josh the next morning.
“Let’s take off early,” Manda suggested when the last design was finished. “I’m tired.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” David agreed. “Stacey’s been complaining about the late hours I’ve been putting in. Maybe I’ll go over to her place and cook her a nice dinner as a surprise.”
“Have you decided what to do for her birthday yet?” Manda asked pointedly. “You’re running out of time you know.”
David frowned and sighed. “No. I want to do something special but I haven’t been able to think of anything really good.”
“Just get Richard and Joshua to autograph something for her,” Manda chuckled. “Katie’s still walking on clouds.”
David rolled his eyes. “Oh please! She’s been harassing me all week to introduce her to them. I’m not sure I want to do it though. I don’t think I’d come out well in the comparison.”
“Oh shut up!” Manda exclaimed, lobbing an eraser in his general direction. “You’re a catch and you know it. And so does Stacey.” Manda had always considered David very attractive. He was handsome in an all-American way, with sandy blonde hair and laughing brown eyes. He was tall and athletic, with an open, friendly smile that women were drawn to. They’d become good friends almost at once. His gregarious, confident personality complemented her more introverted, cautious one. However, while their differences made them a good team and good friends, it had been apparent to both of them from the beginning that these differences precluded a more intimate relationship. They were simply too different. It had been a relief to Manda, actually. There was none of the tension or expectation that would have accompanied the possibility of a romantic involvement. She was comfortable around David, at ease. As clichéd as it sounded, he really was like a brother to her.
“That’s kind of you, M, but I’ve never had a mob of women trying to tear my clothes off!” David lamented melodramatically.
“I’ll see what I can arrange,” Manda shot back with a laugh. “Now go cook for your lady fair.”
“Yes, ma’am!” David said, heading for the door. “See you in the morning.”
“See ya, Davie,” she called, as the door swung shut behind him. Then, she gathered her things and headed down to meet the early train.
The train station in her neighborhood was just a few short blocks from her house and she enjoyed the walk through the sunny afternoon. She was excited about the next morning’s meeting. The ideas she and David had come up with were good and she was eager to share them. Oh, who are you kidding? she scolded herself. You just can’t wait to see Richard again! She smiled as she let herself into her front door. She really was looking forward to seeing him. He’d crowded her thoughts since their first meeting. She didn’t harbor any illusions that he’d given her a second thought, though. He could have his pick of beautiful, glamorous women, after all. Why would he be interested in her? But still, they had hit it off well enough.
Reality check, please! Manda chided herself. They had a working relationship. That was all. After this project was completed she’d never see either one of the Raines brothers again. She couldn’t let herself get all starry-eyed and silly. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t look nice for their meeting tomorrow, she decided. She spent the following hour sorting through her closet trying to decide what to wear.
The next morning Manda woke early and her nervously racing thoughts kept her from going back to sleep. The designs that had seemed so promising the afternoon before suddenly seemed inadequate. What if they didn’t like them? Manda pushed those thoughts down firmly, and then jumped up and down on them for good measure. They were good designs. They would need some fine-tuning, but they were good. This was one insecurity Manda refused to indulge.
She growled in frustration, threw back the comforter, and got out of bed. She knew it was pointless to just lie there now—she’d never get back to sleep. She may as well get up and get going. She showered and washed her hair, then dried it until it fell in a thick, soft, golden-brown curtain that framed her eyes and hung to the bottom of her shoulder blades. She brushed her teeth and then put on a little mascara and some lip gloss before dressing in the slate blue skirt and blouse she’d picked out the day before. She preferred jeans but Curt demanded a certain level of professionalism when meeting with clients, particularly new ones. Satisfied that she looked her best, Manda collected her purse and her bag and headed out to catch the train.
She arrived downtown very early. The streets were quiet and she decided to enjoy the calm for a little while before going up to her office. She stopped at a shop and picked up a bagel and a cup of tea and then found a secluded corner among the trees and flowers that filled the plaza in front of her building. She perched on a low wall to watch the morning antics of the squirrels while she ate her breakfast. This was her favorite time of day downtown—before the crowds arrived, when it was cool and quiet. The hustle and bustle during the day drained her and made her edgy. She much preferred the company of the squirrels. She smiled when one chastised her from the branch of a nearby tree, vociferously chattering his displeasure.
“I think you’re in his spot,” an amused voice informed her. Startled, she jumped, spilling tea on her leg.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, blotting her leg with a napkin. She turned to find Richard looking down at her.
“I’m sorry, Manda. I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you scalded?”
“No, it wasn’t that hot,” she assured him, much too pleased to see him to be concerned about her leg anyway. He looked even more disconcertingly handsome than she remembered. His thick, dark brown hair was still damp from his morning shower. It curled up slightly at his collar, with one unruly lock falling across his eye and brushing his cheekbone “You’re certainly here early.”
“We’re staying in the hotel there,” Richard informed her, gesturing to the building that contained the Aronson offices. The bottom floors housed a luxury hotel, while the upper floors were devoted to office space. “This is the only time of day I can enjoy some fresh air and peace downtown. What’s your excuse?” He sat down on the wall beside Manda, sipping from the paper cup he carried. Manda detected the aroma of fresh coffee.
“I co
uldn’t sleep, so I just came on in. It’s nice to beat the rush hour crowds. It’ll be convenient for you guys, staying just downstairs from the office. You won’t even have to come outside and brave the crazed fans,” Manda teased.
“Exactly,” he agreed, grinning. “It’s always such a shame to have to break out the tear gas just to get to a meeting.”
“Yeah, the squirrels really hate that,” she confided. “So, are you guys in town for a while this time?”
“Yes, actually. We’re going to make Denver our home-base for the foreseeable future. We’ll have to be in and out a little, but we’re pretty much going to be calling this home for the time being.”
Manda was inordinately pleased by this news but she suppressed the thrilled smile that threatened to make her look like a giddy girl with a crush. “That’ll be nice. Better than flying in and out all the time.”
“Definitely,” Richard agreed. “Commuting can get old. You said you liked missing the rush hour crowds. Do you commute far or do you live nearby?”
“Well, that’s a matter of opinion. David lives nearby and according to him, I live in the southern annex of Wyoming. But it’s not that bad. I live in the northern suburbs. It takes me about half an hour by train. I like it though. It’s nice and quiet. Not so many people.”
“Not a big fan of the crowds then?” Richard asked, amused.
Manda’s lips quirked into a lopsided grin. “I prefer the humans in small doses.”
Richard’s answering grin quickly turned into a frown. “Well, I suggest we go inside then, because here comes a whole pack of humans, and I for one don’t want to deal with them this early in the morning.” Richard sighed. As he spoke, the first wave of early commuters descended on the plaza from the train station across the street. Manda wrinkled her nose in disappointment. She’d been enjoying their impromptu conversation.