by P J Gordon
“Good morning,” Manda breathed, again taken off-guard by the effect he had on her.
“I found her downstairs and talked her into having breakfast with us. I have to take a quick shower first, so don’t let her get away,” Josh told Richard and disappeared through a door.
“Were you downstairs annoying the squirrels again?” Richard asked, indicating with his hand that Manda should have a seat on the sofa and then taking the chair across from her.
“No. Josh accosted me when I got off the train,” Manda clarified with a grin. “I never even made it as far as the squirrels.”
“Did you have trouble sleeping again?” Manda didn’t know why she was so surprised by the honest concern in Richard’s question. He had repeatedly shown himself to be unusually thoughtful and considerate.
“I think I just fell asleep too early last night. I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep this morning,” she admitted dismissively. “I was surprised to see Josh so early, though.”
“Well, if having breakfast with you is his reward for getting up with the chickens, I imagine he may just make a habit of it.”
Mikey strolled over with his cup in hand, and leaned on the back of another armchair. “Where shall we go for breakfast? What’s good, Manda?”
Manda named a couple of the nicer restaurants nearby. “The hotel restaurant in the lobby is good too, if you don’t want to go out.”
“What’s your favorite?” Richard asked.
“Well, I like the diner across the street, actually. The one on the corner,” she admitted. “It’s nothing fancy, but the food is great.”
“We’ll go there, then,” Richard declared. “Sound good, Mikey?”
“Sounds good,” Mikey agreed. “Now if Josh would just hurry up. I’m hungry.”
“Me too,” Richard seconded. He leaned forward toward Manda with his elbows on his knees and his arms crossed. “I talked to David about lunch tomorrow. He said he’s available. Would noon be okay?”
“Sure. Except for our meeting, I don’t have anything else scheduled,” Manda replied. Richard’s intent gaze was unsettling her.
“Good,” Richard said with a nod. “I’ll make reservations.”
“Well, let me know if I need to dress for lunch,” Manda said. “This is my usual business attire.” She gestured down at her jeans and sandals.
“What you’re wearing now would be perfect, I promise,” he reassured her. “We also promised we’d do something with Katie soon. Is there an evening that works best for you?”
“That’s very nice of you, but you don’t have to do that. I could just bring her in and we could grab some lunch or something. I know you guys are probably busy.”
“Don’t worry, Manda. We wouldn’t have offered if we didn’t want to do it. Besides, Josh had a lot of fun hanging out with Katie and we always enjoy your company. Plus, we aren’t as busy right now as you might think. We’re actually fairly wide open. So, which night works best?”
“Well, I don’t really know what Katie’s schedule is like, but I know she’s free on Friday, and Robbie has plans with his friends that night, so he won’t be too jealous.”
“That’s perfect. We’ll plan on doing something this Friday. I’ll check with Josh and see what he wants to do.” Richard’s voice was still friendly and warm, but his smile suddenly seemed strained to Manda.
“If Friday isn’t good we can do it another time. Just let me know when and we’ll work it out,” Manda said anxiously. In spite of his assurances, Richard seemed bothered. A worried frown crept across her face.
Richard’s smile softened. “Really. It’s okay. Friday will be perfect, unless you’d rather do it another time when Robbie can come along. He’s more than welcome. The more the merrier, right?”
“Well if you’re sure. We’ll do it this Friday. I wouldn’t invite Robbie anyway. Katie would never forgive me.”
Richard’s look was considering, but he just nodded. “Whatever you think.”
“Any big plans for today?” Manda asked, fidgeting with the button on her shirtsleeve.
“No. Not at all. We have a whole day to fill. I think that’s why Josh went for a run this morning—to burn off some energy while he could still get outside in peace. He’ll be bouncing off the walls by noon anyway,” Richard told her wryly. “I thought I’d do some reading, but Josh will probably get bored. He can’t sit still for that long.”
“Well, if he gets too bored, send him up and I’ll make David entertain him. It’ll be his penance for drinking too much Saturday night.” Manda’s exasperated sigh elicited a chuckle from Richard. “Thanks for making sure they got home okay, by the way.”
“Don’t mention it,” Richard said, and then arched his eyebrows speculatively. “Exactly what sort of entertainment were you planning that could be considered a penance for poor David?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Sock puppets? Reciting poetry while standing on his head? I’m open to suggestions,” Manda responded off-handedly.
“How about reenacting great movie moments while juggling? Josh always liked jugglers when he was a kid,” Richard offered with a wicked glint in his eye.
“Mmmm, I like it!” Manda laughed.
Mikey chuckled quietly and sat down on the arm of the chair he had been leaning against. “That would probably keep him entertained.”
“No, I always liked clowns,” Josh corrected, striding into the room in jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was wet and he was carrying his shoes. “Dad was the one who liked jugglers. Can we dress David up like a clown? I’ve always wanted to see Casablanca performed by a clown.” He sat down on the sofa beside a laughing Manda and put on his shoes.
“I’ll see if I can arrange it,” Manda vowed when she was able to catch her breath. Her mind had conjured an image of Humphrey Bogart with a bulbous red nose, orange hair, and clown shoes.
Josh sprang up from the sofa and rubbed his hands together eagerly. “If you’re waiting on me, you’re wasting time! What’s for breakfast?”
Mikey snorted and looked up at the ceiling as if searching for patience there. “I’m sorry if we’re keeping you waiting. We wouldn’t want you to starve.” He sat his cup down on the coffee table and stood.
“We thought we’d go to the diner on the corner,” Richard explained, standing to go as well. “You can leave your computer here if you want, Manda. We’ll come pick it up after we eat.”
So it happened that, far from maintaining a prudent distance from Richard, Manda found herself enjoying a pleasant and leisurely breakfast with the two brothers and their manager. During their meal Josh, with an occasional aside from Richard, entertained her with stories about touring and amusing encounters with their fans. Manda lost track of time and before she realized it she was late for work.
“Darn it!” she exclaimed when she looked at her watch.
“I’ve got this,” Richard told her as she reached for the check. He ignored her protests, handing the waitress a number of bills with instructions to keep the change.
“Next time I’m buying,” she declared, standing to go. The three men stood with her. “Sorry to run off. Thanks for breakfast. It was fun.”
“Your computer,” Josh reminded her. “You left it in our room.”
“Darn it!” she exclaimed again.
“Why don’t you go on to your office and we’ll bring your computer up to you?” Richard offered.
Manda hesitated uncertainly. “Do you mind? If David gets there before me I’ll never live it down.”
“We can’t let that happen,” Richard chuckled.
Josh took her by the hand and pulled her toward the door. “Well, hurry up. We’re wasting time.”
A few minutes later, Manda was stashing her purse in the bottom drawer of her desk. Josh had dragged her, half running, across the street and into her building, where he delivered her onto an elevator with the promise to bring her computer right up. Much to her relief, David still hadn’t arrived when she got to their office. Manda was always
at least a little early getting to work in the morning, and David teased her regularly. “One day you’ll be late. That’s how I’ll know you’ve finally gotten a life!” He would torment her unmercifully if she were late today—especially after whatever it was he’d said to Stacey to make her stop fawning over Richard. Get him fired indeed!
Luckily, David was running uncharacteristically late. He usually arrived right at eight o’clock, but it was twenty past when someone knocked on the door. When Manda opened it, Richard ducked in carrying her computer bag. He guided her swiftly to her office with a hand on her elbow and sat the bag down on her desk.
“Hurry. Josh was stalling David downstairs but they’ll probably be here any minute.” His eyes sparkled and he sported an amused grin. Manda laughed in delight and quickly unpacked her computer.
“You are a gentleman and a scholar, Richard Raines,” she chuckled, clicking her laptop into the docking station on her desk.
“Well, I owe David after his little comment to Stacey Saturday night,” he explained with a wink. Manda fumbled with the computer bag as she reached up to put it into an overhead cabinet and Richard caught it deftly when it slipped from her hands. So Richard had heard David’s little remark. Oh, he was so going to pay! “Just for the record, you don’t have to fire him because of his girlfriend—no matter how much she ‘drools on my shoes’. I’m used to it unfortunately, and it takes a lot more than that before I’m annoyed enough to have someone fired,” he joked.
Manda breathed a silent sigh of relief. Richard had interpreted David’s teasing as a shot at himself. She would still make him pay, but maybe not so painfully.
“Sorry to be a nuisance, but I just wanted to go over those ideas with you first thing,” Richard said abruptly, just as the door opened and David and Josh walked in. Manda had a brief moment of confusion, but Richard winked at her and she had to suppress a smile when she caught on to his misdirection.
“No, I’m glad you came by. I appreciate your input,” Manda countered.
“Morning, M,” David said. He and Josh leaned against the doorframe of Manda’s office. “Sorry I’m late, but I ran into Josh downstairs and he had a few questions.”
“Good morning, Manda,” Josh greeted her. “Did you have a nice weekend?”
“Yes, I did. Thank you. And you?” Manda wasn’t able to keep the laughter out of her voice completely and David smiled at her.
“You’re in a good mood this morning, aren’t you?”
“It’s a beautiful morning. How can you not be in a good mood on a morning like this?” Manda replied, grinning.
David looked from Manda to Richard speculatively. “Okay then.”
“I know you guys have work to do, so we’ll get out of here. We’ll see you for lunch tomorrow. Noon, right?” Richard drifted toward the door, pushing Josh in front of him.
“Noon,” David confirmed.
“Thanks, guys!” Manda called after them as Richard pushed Josh out the door.
“Anytime,” they called back in unison just before the door closed behind them.
“What was that all about?” David asked suspiciously. He crossed his arms across his chest and sat down on the edge of Manda’s desk.
“Oh, Josh promised Katie they’d take her out to do something since I wouldn’t let her go to the party after the concert. Remember? So they’re going to plan something for Friday night,” Manda lied. Okay, technically it wasn’t a lie, since what she said was all true, but it was definitely out of context. She busied herself with her e-mail to avoid looking at him.
“Mmm hmm,” he commented. “And I suppose you’re going too. It will be the four of you?”
“Of course. She’s too young to go alone.”
“Mmm hmm,” he said again. He sat looking down at her for a few more minutes, but when she didn’t look up at him he turned brisk. “I guess I’d better get busy if we’re going to be ready with these designs tomorrow.”
The next morning Manda began the day in a good mood. She’d resigned herself to the fact that she would be thrown into Richard’s company frequently, and trying to avoid it would be an exercise in futility. She instead determined to enjoy the two brothers’ company. She would just have to discipline herself where thoughts of Richard were concerned. With this new game plan in place, Manda arrived at the office in high spirits, eagerly anticipating lunch with Richard and Josh.
The morning passed without incident, and Manda’s good mood held until shortly after eleven, when Curt summoned her to his office.
“Come in and sit down,” Curt commanded when Manda appeared in his open door. She took one of the two chairs that faced Curt’s desk and waited, knowing that her employer would get to the reason behind this summons in his own time. He shuffled a stack of papers on his desk before setting them to one side and shifting his attention to Manda.
“Jerry wants us to handle the Halloween charity auction for them again this year. He wants your team on it. I told him we’d handle it for him.”
Manda stiffened and frowned. Her good mood evaporated.
“I told you last year,” Manda replied warily, “if we’re going to work on this again, I will not work with Andrea.”
“He’s aware of the issues we’ve had in the past, and he assures me he’s taken care of it, but he’s been one of our best clients for a long time. He wants to use Andrea and we’ll just have to work with her.” Curt started out in a reassuring tone, but finished firmly, not inviting argument.
Manda bristled. “I told you after the fiasco last year that my team wouldn’t work with her again, Curt, and I wasn’t kidding. It’s not fair to any of us. Jerry isn’t the one who gets stuck holding the bag when Andrea messes up.” Anger made her bolder than normal and she wasn’t inclined to back down.
“Last year was unfortunate...,” Curt began.
“And the year before that, and the year before that, and...” Manda interjected.
“But we are going to do this, Manda,” he quickly continued, cutting her off. “If he wants to use Andrea, we use Andrea. I am making this call. If something goes wrong this time I’ll personally tell him that we won’t do it again, and I’ll make it up to you, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“I hope you’re right,” Manda said, skeptically. Short of quitting, there was nothing she could do but accept the assignment. She knew it would come back to haunt her though.
“I’ll set up a meeting in the next week or two so we can go over the project with Jerry and Andrea. I’ll copy you on the message. How are things going with the Raines project?”
“That project is going fine. We have a meeting with them this afternoon to finalize the logo design. They are very professional and easy to work with.” Manda couldn’t help the caustic tone of her remark. Curt’s edict infuriated her. She’d promised David the last time that they wouldn’t have to put up with Andrea again, and now that decision had been countermanded.
“I’ll let you get back to work, then. I’m sure they’re very pleased with what you’ve given them so far,” Curt said in an unsuccessful attempt to placate her.
Manda stormed back into the creative area fuming. She stopped just inside the door, grinding her teeth and trembling in frustration. David left his desk when he noticed her agitation. He stood in the doorway to his office with his arms crossed.
“Uh oh. What happened?” he asked with a resigned frown.
“Fieldings,” she ground out.
“Not the Halloween auction?” he groaned in dismay.
“Exactly,” Manda confirmed in a tight voice. She was still trying to rein in her anger. “Curt didn’t give us any choice. We’re doing it.”
“What about Andrea? She’s not going to be involved this time, is she? It’ll be okay as long as we don’t have to deal with her,” David responded hopefully.
“Yes. Jerry insists we collaborate with her again.” Manda snorted in disgust. “Collaborate! That’s a joke!”
There was a knock at the door as Manda
spoke and she scowled and stalked to her office. It was probably Jen. She’d likely just gotten the news from Curt as well and was coming to smooth things over with Manda. Jen knew very well how much time, effort, and trouble Jerry’s girlfriend had cost them in the past, all because she wrongly fancied herself a graphic designer.
David sighed morosely and went to answer the door. “I can’t believe we’re going to have to deal with her again after last year.”
“Sorry, David. I tried. I told Curt flat out we wouldn’t work with her again, but he insists that we handle it.” Manda growled in frustration and vented her anger by knocking a stack of papers onto the floor. “Jerry Fieldings either needs to get a new girlfriend, or stop inflicting the one he has on other people!”
“Did we come at a bad time?” Richard’s question startled Manda. She spun toward him with wide eyes. “We can come back later if you’d prefer.”
Manda flushed scarlet and quickly knelt to pick up the papers that now littered her office floor.
“No, it’s fine. Sorry about that.”
The three men crossed the room to Manda’s office with Josh leading the way. He knelt to help her pick up her papers while Richard and David leaned on the doorframe.
“Sorry, guys. Curt just told Manda that we have to handle a project again this year that’s been a nightmare for us in the past,” David explained.
“To say the least,” Manda muttered.
“Maybe everything will go smoothly this time,” David suggested, but his words lacked conviction.
Manda cast him a look that clearly named him the king of the foolish optimists but then sighed. “Let’s hope so, but regardless, I won’t bail them out again if Andrea botches the whole thing...again.”
Josh handed Manda the stack of papers he’d collected and they both stood. She laid the papers on her desk and deliberately pushed thoughts of Andrea and the Fieldings project from her mind.
“Enough about that. What have you guys been up to this morning?” she asked the brothers, mustering a smile.
“Meetings with lawyers and accountants and the like, mostly,” Josh informed her. “Very dry stuff. Looking forward to lunch with a beautiful girl is all that got me through the morning.” He grinned charmingly and leaned against Manda’s desk.