Love Is a Breeze (9 page)

Brianna sat beside her and Carly draped an arm around her shoulder giving it a squeeze.

“Truthfully Carly, I’m all mixed up inside. Sometimes I forget he’s my boss. I don’t need any romantic fantasies or complications right now.”

“These things can’t always be planned, Bree. They just happen.”

“Well, nothing’s happening. At least not on his side. He treats me like my brothers do, only nicer.” Brianna smiled, shoved herself off the bed and finished unpacking. “He’s too old for me.”

“You’re twenty-six and he’s probably not even forty yet. That’s not too old.”

“He rescued me. I have a slight case of hero worship. He’s not a knight in shining armor. He’s…” 

Carly snorted. “Just a man, I know.”

“You’re not helping here, Carly. He’s out of my league.”

“This is America, Bree. We don’t have a caste system.”

“You’re supposed to be on my side here.”

“I am on your side. I want you to be happy.” She stood and held out her hand. “Come on. Show me the rest of the place – like that bathtub.” She graced Brianna with her most innocent smile.

Brianna slapped at Carly’s hand. They left the bedroom as John crossed the living room.

“It’s nearly six. Are you ready for dinner?” he asked. Brianna nodded, Carly froze. “I’ll order a variety.”

“Sounds good,” Brianna said. “Is it okay if I show Carly the condo?”

“Sure. Go ahead. It will probably take an hour for the food to get here.” He pulled out his iPhone and looked up the number as he walked back to the den.

Brianna jerked Carly’s hand. “You’ve got Rob. Remember?”

“Did you see the way he looked at you? He’s hungry for more than food.” Carly whispered.

“You have a very vivid imagination.  Twisted, but vivid.”

CHAPTER TEN

Brianna woke early Tuesday morning. It wouldn’t do to keep John waiting. She walked into the kitchen wearing a lime green, hot pink and turquoise splash print skirt and a turquoise shirt. He was dressed in a black suit, light gray shirt and black and gray paisley tie.

“You should do something about your wardrobe,” they said in unison.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” they said.

They stared at each other. “You could add a little variety,” Brianna said, “a little color. It would make you look friendlier, less stuffy.”

“Stuffy? I run a business not a disco club.”

“Okay.” Brianna shrugged her shoulders. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“A little bright. I think I need sunglasses.” John gestured toward the door.

“I like bright. It makes me happy.” She grinned as she preceded him to the elevator.
             

“It’s such a gorgeous day. I wish you had a convertible.” Brianna said as she got into the car.

“They’re not safe.”

“Hmm. Don’t you ever want to feel the wind blowing through your hair, enjoy life?”

“Safety is good.” He made sure she fastened her seatbelt before leaving the curb. “I can ‘enjoy life’ and still be safe.”

“What do you do for fun?” Brianna asked.

“I used to love sailing,” he said. “I was interested in photography as a kid.”

“You do realize you’re using the past tense, don’t you?” Brianna said.

“I play golf occasionally.”

“Yes, I know, but that’s just one thing – occasionally.”

“I’ve been busy building a business and running a company for the last… few years.”

“How many years?” she prodded.

“A few.” It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. “All right, quite a few, but you don’t build a successful business overnight.”

“All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy,” Brianna teased.

“You think I’m dull?” She shrugged her shoulders. “I am not dull!” John stopped for a red light a block from the office.

“I think you’ve got potential, you’ve just forgotten how to play.”

                                                             * * * *

Brianna spent the morning finishing the drawings for the Wildlife project. She was taking them to Mrs. Davis for approval when she ran into John.

“Are those the Wildlife drawings?” he asked. Brianna nodded. “I’ll take them. I want to look them over.”

“They haven’t been approved yet.”

He gave her an amused look. “I believe I have the authority to approve them. As I said before, I’m very impressed with them.”

When she turned to walk back to her desk, several pairs of eyes followed her.
Great!

“What was that about?” Carly asked as they were walking to the lounge for lunch.

“He just wanted the drawings I did for the wildlife account.”

“Yeah, he’s always coming down here to get drawings. Did you see the looks on Emily and Liv’s faces? They’re dying to know what’s going on,” Carly said.

“Yeah, I noticed, but that’s all he wanted. I doubt he had an ulterior motive. I can only image what they’ll make out of it. I’m starving. Let’s eat?” Brianna changed the subject.

                                                                 * * * *

At four-thirty Miss Davis stopped by her cubicle. “Mr. Sharp wants to see you, Miss Ryan. He wants to talk to you about the wildlife drawings. Did you give them to him without my approval? Do you think you’ll win points by going over my head? We have procedures here for a reason, Miss Ryan. Nothing is to leave this office without my approval.”

“Yes, Miss Davis.” Brianna could see no point in arguing with her.

She said a quick good-bye to Carly. “I’ll call you later.” She grabbed her bag and headed for his office.

“Go on in, Miss Ryan. He’s expecting you.” Mr. Sharp’s secretary said.

“You got me in trouble with Miss Davis,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to the day that you walk in here without attacking me. Do you think that might be any time soon?” John said, standing as she approached his desk.

“I’m sorry, but she’s not happy with me for going over her head to give you the drawings.”

“But you didn’t go over her head. I asked for them.”

“You and I know that, but she doesn’t. ‘We have procedures here for a reason,’ she said.” Brianna didn’t mention the looks she got from her co-workers.

“I’m sorry. I’ll talk to her. I want to leave in a few minutes. Are you ready to go?”

Brianna nodded.

His phone rang. “Tell her I’ll be out in a minute, Mrs. Wilson.” He hung up the phone and said to her, “I’ll meet you in ten minutes by the elevators downstairs.”

She got up to leave just as Kaitlyn barged in.

“What’s she doing here?” Kaitlyn glared at Brianna.

“She’s just leaving.” He addressed Brianna, “Miss Ryan, I’ll see you later.” He turned his attention back to Kaitlyn. “What did you want, Kaitlyn? I have to leave soon.”

She watched Brianna leave then turned back to him. “You’re leaving early,
again
?”

                                                              * * * *

“You seem a thousand miles away,” Brianna said, joining him on the terrace. “What are you thinking about?”

“I was just counting the boats.” He liked the way the moonlight cast bronze highlights on her red curls and the stars reflected in her jewel-like eyes. He reached out to touch a curl but dropped his hand before it reached its destination.

“How many are there?”

“What?”

“Boats. How many did you count?”

“Oh. I forgot,” he said, still focused on her eyes.

“One of the hazards of getting older, huh?” she grinned at him.

John laughed, “You talk like I’m old enough to be your father.”

“Well, you do treat me like a child sometimes.”

“No I don’t,” he argued.

“Yes, you do. You tell me what to do and how and when.”

“Sometimes you act like a child.”

“No, I don’t,” she disagreed.

“Yes, you do.”

“Then we’re even,” she ended the argument.

His smile flipped her heart. “I have to go in early tomorrow. Can you be ready by 6:30 or do you want to take the L?”

“I’ll ride with you. Why do you have to go early?”

“To see if I can catch another Leprechaun in my shower,” he teased.

“What, one isn’t enough for you?”

“More than enough!” His eyes caressed her. “I have a meeting. I’m going to bed. I suggest you… umm… go whenever you like.”

“Yes, Dad,” Brianna said. John shook his head before heading for his room.

Brianna watched him go, then turned back to the lake view. She definitely did not think of him as a father. Damn! Why did he have to be her boss?  She sighed.
I do not need a man running my life
.

                                                             * * * *

John leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk, running a pencil between his fingers. He fixed his gaze on the lake beyond the window. He’d only known Brianna a short time yet he had a feeling his life was about to change drastically.

He had spent the last twelve years of his life making this company what is but at what cost? Thirty-seven years old and this is all I have to show for it, he thought. This business
.
He missed the early days when he only had a handful of employees and he knew them all by name. He worked side by side with them. Now, nearly a hundred people worked for him and he didn’t know half of their names. He missed writing ad copy, coming up with catchy slogans and sketching ideas. 

He sat up and picked up his phone, “Mrs. Wilson, would you come in here, please.”

Mrs. Wilson came in and sat on the edge of the chair he had indicated.

“Your name is Sandy, right?”

“Yes.”

“Would you mind if I called you that?”

“No, sir.” Mrs. Wilson shook her head, clearly perplexed.

John smiled, “It’s been pointed out to me that it’s a little ‘stuffy’ around here. Would you agree with that?”

“Stuffy? It’s a pleasant working environment, a little formal, perhaps,” she said, hesitantly.

“Formal, certainly sounds better than stuffy,” he mused. “Do you think it is formal to the point of stifling creativity?”

“I wouldn’t say that. A company this size needs a certain amount of formality.”

“It needs structure but I’m not sure about the formality. That’s all, Sandy. Thanks.”

“Yes, sir.”

“One more thing, you can drop the ‘sir.’ It makes me feel old,” he smiled.

“Yes, s… Mr. Sharp.”  She went back to her desk.

That felt good. What else could he do? He picked up the phone again.

“Sandy, would you send for Brianna Ryan in graphics, please?”

While he waited for Brianna, he took off his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair, he thought a second, pulled off his tie, unbuttoned a couple of buttons at the neck and rolled back his sleeves. He was tapping a pencil when she came in.

He stood up, spread his arms and turned around, showing off his casual appearance.

“What do you think?”

Brianna grinned. “It’s a start. Is this what you called me in here for?”

“Yes, and I’ve been thinking about how you said it was ‘stuffy’ here. What do you think we could do to un-stuffy it?”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m completely serious. Work shouldn’t be all grind, there should be some fun elements. I think it would stimulate creativity. I’m sure you have some ideas. Let me have them.”

“Where do I start? I’ve been thinking it would be a good idea to have an employee support group, a couple of employees from each department where we could go to discuss any problems and concerns we have about our jobs. The group could meet once a month and bring concerns to management.”

“That’s a great idea,” he said. “I thought about doing a survey, asking about likes and dislikes, changes they would like to see, that sort of thing.”

“That would be good. Something I think you, personally, could do is visit the departments once in awhile. Just walk around, talk to people, and get to know your employees. It would make you more approachable. It would be good if all the suits did it once in a while,” Brianna said.

“Suits?” John wasn’t up on office slang.

“Executives. The ones that wear suits,” Brianna informed him.

“Oh. I could do that. I’ll mention it to the other ‘suits’ at Monday’s staff meeting. Anything else we could implement immediately?”

“We could put up a notice about a company picnic, ask for volunteers to help plan it. It could be simple, a cookout in a park, a few games and prizes. It would bring people together from different departments and it would be a lot of fun.”

“I like it. I’ll leave the details up to you. Stay and help me work out the survey. I’d like to get that out as soon as possible. I’ll clear it with Miss Davis.”

They had been working on the survey for nearly an hour when Kaitlyn walked in unannounced. Brianna sat at John’s desk, inputting their ideas on the computer. John was leaning over her. Kaitlyn noticed John’s open shirt.

“Well, isn’t this cozy. It seems you’re here every time I come in. What’s going on this time?” Her presence seemed to drop the temperature in the room by at least ten degrees.

“We’re working on a special project, Kaitlyn.” John said.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Okay. What?”

“Alone, if you don’t mind.” Kaitlyn said.

“We can work on this later, Bree. It’s your lunch break, isn’t it?”

Kaitlyn watched Brianna until the door closed behind her.

“Bree?” She raised a brow. “Every time I need to talk to you she’s here,” Kaitlyn said. “You’ve got your jacket and tie off, your shirt unbuttoned. This is not like you.”

“I felt stuffy.” John said.

“Stuffy? Couldn’t you just turn up the air-conditioning? What is this special project you’re working on?”

“I’ll tell you about it when we get more of the details worked out. What did you want to see me about?”

“There’s something different about you and I’m not sure I like it,” Kaitlyn said. “You’re half undressed with that redheaded twit in here, working on projects I know nothing about. This is a place of business not a social club.”

“I am not ‘half undressed’ and Brianna is not a twit. She’s very bright. I’m well aware that this is a place of business. It is, after all,
my
business. Is there a law that says a business has to be drab?” John met her gaze, “What did you want to see me about?”