Love on the Vine Read online

  Cappy Don leaned forward. No mirth in his hard eyes now. This wasn’t a negotiation. “Look, there’s that fancy crap you do when you got the time, and I admire the hell out of it. But sometimes, you jump off a ledge and hope for the best. There’s no indication whatsoever that Kay Bing has a dirty history, or any opportunity to ingratiate herself with whoever might be behind all this, whether it’s Free Leaf acting of its own accord, or someone at Town Hall getting all fancy with the street drugs. Her association with Neve Harper came by way of Gavin Chambers, sure, but he’s clean. We investigated him months ago.”

  “Just because we didn’t find anything—”

  “Yeah, yeah. I hear you. Don’t mean he’s not buddy-buddy with someone important in this town. But we have to place a bet, kid. I’m willing to bet on Ms. Bing.”

  Oliver ran a hand through his hair. He needed a trim. “I combed her file. Every inch of it. She’s supposed to be exuberantly enthusiastic. Like a squirming puppy. She’s not, though. If her file was correct, I might’ve handled her differently. Maybe it was the soured relationship with the carpenter, or whatever flavor of Wheaties Neve fed her the past year, but we shouldn’t underestimate her. Her youth doesn’t make her malleable.”

  “Listen, I only have so much pull. I can keep you your job. I can keep the investigation afloat while you dig, but if Kay presses the issue, and you hang on like a tick on a dog, it’ll make her suspicious of you. Let’s make her suspicious of the other guys first, huh? Fix it, Pierce, and fix it my way.” Cappy Don polished off his drink and rose to leave. He turned, paused as if he changed his mind, and gave Oliver one last penetrating stare. “Here’s a tip. If you say Kay ain’t the girl we’re seeing in her file, well, then, find that girl.”

  Oliver stayed in his recliner a long time after the captain departed, nursing what remained of his whiskey.

  Fix it, Pierce. He was used to hearing that. Might as well shift some punctuation around, call him Fix-It Pierce. That’s what he did. He maneuvered, discovered, dug, outwitted, and strung folks along for the ride. His right hand put on a puppet show, while his left broke locks and rifled through ghost files no one was ever meant to see.

  Roscoe getting canned hadn’t been part of the plan. Oliver had made himself indispensable to that lazy poof, and he’d been primed for a promotion. Now, Roscoe’s reputation put a sour tang on their association. Oliver wouldn’t be moving up the ranks anytime soon. Nor, apparently, would he be schmoozing the new head designer.

  Which is what had him sucking on a bottle of whiskey. And now Cappy Don’s hair-brained idea. Not that the old man was ever wrong a day in his life, but if Kay were in on the deal, they might as well fly a bannered plane over the building, announcing their investigation.

  Oliver reached for his ghost cell and punched a few keys.

  Molly answered immediately. “You’re slipping, Oli.”

  Did he detect a hint of pleasure in the hacker’s tone? Probably, yes. “Point to the geek squad. Listen, that file on Kay Bing is missing a few key elements. I knew I was going in blind, but if the file info is bad, then I’m really screwed.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Molly sounded genuinely curious. She didn’t like to be wrong any more than Oliver did. Hell, any of their team. Sometimes, being wrong cost lives. There wasn’t room for ego when a mistake had been made. “What have you got?”

  “She’s hard. Forget bubbles and bouncing around like a four-year-old on speed. She’s changed, a recent thing.” The buzz that had passed between him and Kay whirled through his mind again. “That cabin she sold,” he said thoughtfully, “she co-owned it with her boyfriend, Finn Welk. He’s a master carpenter from some speck called Red Hill. That much I dug up for myself, but the rest of the story requires your delicate touch with info gathering. I want to know what went down. Details. That and anything else you can find out about her last year with Harper Designs.”

  “You got it, Oli.”

  “I hate that name. You know I do.”

  “That’s probably in direct correlation with why I love it.”

  He sighed. “Make this priority, okay? I might not have much time.”

  “You got it, Oli.”

  * * * *

  Amos Winston was a diva. No getting around it. A brilliant botanist, but a diva bound to make Kay’s life hell if she didn’t rein him in. She’d spent the last two weeks taking baby steps in her progress, but today she was officially done tiptoeing. Time to crack the whip.

  Kay and her three team members surrounded one end of her big, shiny white drafting table. Drawn plans were laid out, colors filled in with oil paints done by Guillermo Ibarra, Kay’s assistant designer. He hadn’t been particularly opinionated or troublesome until Jasper made a joke about burritos, and Guillermo went on a five-minute rant in broken English about his family being from Spain, not Mexico, muchas gracias.

  Amos was still going on about the gazanias. “I didn’t go through such meticulous labor for a damn bathroom. I don’t care if it’s in the Ritz Carlton or Alice Cooper’s tour bus, y’all got that?”

  “Can we please focus here?”

  The request from Jasper set Kay’s teeth on edge. Says the guy going out of his way to start trouble. Of her three co-workers, she liked him least. He was a little too together, and when he poked, there was something more than good fun behind his smile.

  “Oh, sí.” Guillermo rolled his eyes. “You want to focus now, after you ask for burritos from a Spaniard. You want a little ass, I can get this for you. But it probably not what you t’ink you getting, okay?”

  Jasper laughed. He had a horribly cocky laugh. He also had thick dark hair, gorgeous blue eyes, and lashes Kay would die for. But because he was such an ass, none of it did a thing for her. “I was joking, Guillermo. You need to loosen up.”

  Neve would’ve never let such unprofessional, unfocused behavior go on this long. Kay stood up straight, put on her best bitch face, and zeroed in. “Jasper, a round of coffee, if you please.”

  Thick, lush brows furrowed as he turned to stare at her. “What? Where’s Oliver?”

  “Not here. And since you’re more interested in loosening up and talking about lunch, I figure I’d set you to a task more your speed.”

  She turned her glare to Amos. She really liked him, but this was a job, not a friendly group chat. “You make the flowers. I decide where they go. If it doesn’t suit you, you should’ve applied for my job. And you.” She pointed at Guillermo, the sensitive Spaniard. “Tell Jasper what kind of coffee you’d like. Then stop getting sidetracked by his antics. I like what you’ve brought me, but it’s heavy on the wrong shade of pink. The walls here are a dusky pale blue.” She pointed to the plans, drawn near exact to the room they were putting the finishing touches on, paint signifying what they’d decided on so far. “It’ll go from a beachy sunset to grandma’s parlor with one wrong step in the color spectrum. Bring me another option.”

  All three men gaped at her. She allowed herself a winning smile. “Amos, for what it’s worth, the gazanias are a bit much for this. If you want me to consider alternatives, make them good ones.”

  He shook his nearly bald head, one hand sassily on his hip, and whistled low, a pleased smile curving his dark, full lips. “We got us a real boss now, y’all. Playtime is officially over.” He held up a pointer finger in a delicate gesture of waiting. “I do have something else, if we’re moving away from the blush pink.”

  “Great. Until then, we’ll use the gazanias for the draft.”

  Guillermo turned to Jasper, who hadn’t moved. “I take mine black.”

  Jasper blinked at him, then at Kay. “You’re serious.”

  Her stomach churned. Her natural reaction leaned toward an explanation of how his behavior was cancer to a well-tuned team. But Neve didn’t suffer fools. And she didn’t take any lip. Kay steeled herself, and did her best to emulate Neve in one of her epic verbal takedowns. “Do I look like I’m joking? As far as I’m concerned,
you’re not necessary on this particular project. Interior liaisons are needed when we’re designing rooms around the plants, not plants around the room. I also happen to know you’ve got a project in the wings, due in six months’ time. I’m not Damian Roscoe. I don’t want your last-minute rough draft tossed on my desk a week before construction starts on Kind Lotus Spa. Chances are, I’m going to turn down your first several attempts, because I don’t settle for anything less than perfect. My guess? You’re putting off the spa plans, because it means working closely with Guillermo. So, you’re going to reconcile yourself with the fact that he wasn’t hired for your personal entertainment. Treat him as your professional equal, or you’re going to lose your job. If you want to be considered a valuable member of this team, show me what you got. I want a sketch on my desk in two days. Wow me.”

  She kept her face carefully neutral, a wall behind which she suffered an onslaught of conflicting emotions. She felt good. Powerful. In control. But also regretful at the stunned look on Jasper’s face. Two days wasn’t enough time, and they both knew it. But she wanted to see how he handled pressure, and it was too late for her to backtrack now. If she did, her team would think she was flighty.

  “You better hop-to on that coffee,” she said drily, giving him a flat stare before turning her attention back to the drafting table. “I like mine hot. Double cream.” She didn’t look up again until the shuffle of all three pairs of feet exited her office.

  She could work with these guys. They were a talented group, with the exception of the few items of Jasper’s she’d found in Roscoe’s old files from past projects. He gave half-assed, first-try drafts with little to no thought put into the arrangement. But he’d done some good stuff, too, overall showing promise she wouldn’t mind nurturing into real talent if he’d quit being such a jerk. His employment didn’t make a hell of a lot of sense, because Kay could think of three designers better than Jasper off the top of her head. He’d be the easiest team member to replace. Not that they didn’t each one have their quirks. Amos, the diva, protective of his beautiful creations. Guillermo, defensive of his heritage, and Jasper...Well, Jasper Jameson was a damn racist.

  What was she supposed to do with that? What would Neve do with that?

  Precisely what I just did. Kay nodded to herself. She didn’t have Neve’s talent for caustic sarcasm, but she was plenty sassy in her own right. She’d done it: whipped three grown men into shape, without completely maiming anyone, and without having to dig too deep or get too nasty. Neve probably would’ve called Jasper out, or fired him on the spot.

  But Kay had already given one employee the boot. It hadn’t stuck—Oliver had strutted right back into her office the next day, with a somber apology for his gossiping—but she couldn’t go around firing every designer on staff because they had a few flaws. They all had them.

  Even her, evidently, because at the mere wisp of thought, Oliver came to mind. So did his tailored-to-death slacks, and his stylish hair, and those pretty green eyes, and the way they’d slammed into her on that first day, and—

  “You must be having a really great day. People don’t grin like that for no reason.”

  Kay’s eyes popped open. Oliver was in the doorway, a stack of manila folders tucked beneath one arm. He seemed pleased as pie. Had she summoned him subconsciously? “Are those the files I requested? If not, consider yourself fired again, because I asked for them at eight.” She glanced at her watch, her lips carefully puckered in disapproval. “It’s ten to noon.”

  He lowered his head. Today, he wore a baby blue button up with a subtly matching tie. Very clean. Very neat. Very different from her first day, when he’d seemed a little too at ease. He grinned apologetically and shrugged. “I’ll just come right back the next day. It’s not policy, I’m just hard to get rid of. Like a rash.” He indicated one of the chairs surrounding nearby the drafting table.

  She cleared her throat, arranged her expression into one of impatience, and waited for him to sit. It was the sort of stuff that came so naturally to Neve, but Kay had to remember the steps. Taking the reins wasn’t easy, but she’d spent a whole year watching one of the best. She watched Oliver, resisting the urge to blink rapidly or look away, until he fidgeted and started talking.

  “My apology was a little stiff that first day, but sincere. The gossip stuff about Roscoe was stupid. I’d just found out, and you know how easy it can be to get caught up in the mill.”

  “Especially when you’re running it. You don’t strike me as a particularly loyal assistant. Why should I keep you?”

  He gave her a pained look. “Because I’m part of the team. I noticed the exchange you had with the boys.” He glanced at the drafting table, took a deep breath, and looked at her almost regrettably. “Guillermo and Jasper, they’ve been at each other a long time. Two strong personalities that can’t reconcile. Amos, he’s been here since the company opened. Brit, she’s sort of new, but she keeps it super professional and makes the place look good. She actually dresses to match the foyer, even though I don’t think anyone asked her to do that.” His eyebrows drew together quizzically. “Might be overkill. But she makes it work. Of course, there’s the big bosses. Brit says Merit had a family emergency out of town last week, and Mr. Arnell is negotiating with a bigwig client, but any minute, you’ll be called top-side. I could give you some info.” He made the offer with a slight shrug.

  Kay stared. “More gossip.”

  “No, no. Not like that. You made your feelings pretty clear.” He laughed softly. It was almost a purr and sent a shiver down her back. Why couldn’t he be ugly? Or so tall, that the two of them together would be unseemly? “I mean I can offer you helpful information that might make navigating a little easier. For example, I can tell you Mr. Arnell is a bit of a mystery. He’s a genius by all accounts, but reclusive.”

  Kay grunted. Seeing as he hadn’t bothered to introduce himself to the new head designer, Oliver’s input was hardly a revelation.

  “Merit Hollis is prickly. I heard you used to work with Neve Harper, so she shouldn’t be a challenge for you, except that she’s detail-orientated to the extreme. It drove Roscoe crazy, but I never minded. He just swept the extra stuff my way. Merit’s assistant is Brendan Berkley. He’s an all right guy. Kind of in my boat. We get coffee for the brains and try to stay out of the way.”

  So calculated, that charming smile of pure, sweet humility Oliver offered up. And yet, Kay saw something genuine beneath it that made her want to do a little digging. “I appreciate you trying to fix what you did wrong. And I think you’re right, you probably should get a second shot. To be fair, I needed to make an example of someone, and you fit the bill perfectly.”

  “You’re welcome to use me anytime.”

  She paused and closed her eyes briefly, before the pressure between them could catch and build, like gathering smoke. It was a disease with her. “Just know, I’ll let you go if you’re not what I need. What this team needs,” she clarified, licking her lips.

  He leaned forward, and the look he gave her this time was earnest—probably the most genuine thing he’d given her so far. “I do know a lot about what goes on around here. I’m practically invisible. The lowly assistant. And I know that Jasper isn’t going to take what you did today on the chin. He’ll go to Merit if he hasn’t already. I’d, uh, suggest a lighter touch until you get to know everyone.”

  Like hell. She’d fight tooth and nail for respect, and they’d damn well give it to her, or...or...she’d raze the place, shake it till they all fell. “I don’t really do the ‘light touch’ thing,” she said icily.

  Oliver leaned back, the files held up like a shield. “I’m just saying, you have to do a little catering sometimes. Amos, he’s in love with his own expertise. He’s hoping to really impress you with his work. If he fails to wow you with his suggestion for the bathroom project, he’ll sour like bad wine. He’ll be grumpy and difficult to work with for weeks. I’ve seen it happen. He’s a geni
us, and as his boss, your approval is what keeps his fires stoked.”

  Kay bit her lip. She wasn’t sure what to do with that. What if the flowers sucked or didn’t fit right? “That’s dumb.”

  “Maybe,” Oliver agreed readily. “I’m only telling you, I’ve been on the sidelines long enough to see the different approaches, and what works best. The best, most creative projects come from a head designer who’s a cheerleader as often as they’re a taskmaster. Sure, the guys need a stern what-for occasionally, but if you’re enthused, they’re enthused. They’ll feed off whatever energy you put out. Get everyone pumped and excited. It doesn’t feel like work when we’re all amped about the job, ya know? They’re eager to excel, but more than that, they’re eager to please you. You were a little brutal just now. Jasper deserved it, but you have to manage everyone a little differently. Salt and pepper to taste.”

  Memories floated to mind. Kay recalled Neve, back when they’d remodeled Gavin’s cabin. She’d spit wads to impress the general contractor, waxed poetic on history to get a rancher’s cooperation, and whipped a mouthy electrician into shape with a few well-aimed jabs at what his lack of professionalism could cost him. To the plumber who’d had no issues, she’d been as pleasant and charming as a cup of earl gray tea served in fine china.

  Kay deflated. She hadn’t prepared for a light touch. She’d spent the last two weeks scrubbing every enthusiastic, bubbly, spastic, unrehearsed line from her tongue before it could fly through her lips.

  She studied Oliver under her lashes. This time, her pursed lips were the real thing. “It’s a wonder you don’t have my job.”

  He grinned. “I’m not after yours. Actually, I’m hoping to have Brendan’s one day. Being under Merit’s thumb is as far as I can go with Free Leaf Concepts until I further my education. Once I’m raking in Brendan’s salary, I’ll do exactly that.”

  Kay already had a thing for Oliver’s pants. She couldn’t get caught up in his dreams, too. “And Guillermo? You diagnosed everyone else.”