by Lori Wilde
Hey, he didn’t deserve that. Okay, so he hadn’t mingled. He wasn’t a mingler by nature. But he’d been involved. He’d raised money. And he’d talked to Al. And to those two women, Dottie and Elmira. He hadn’t hidden.
“I stepped out when I arranged for the extra lunches to be brought over,” he pointed out, then felt more than a little childish for doing so.
The glimmer in her eyes faded a tad. “Right. Thanks.”
He’d seldom heard “thank you” said with less sincerity. Hard to imagine that just moments ago, the air in here had crackled with sexual tension. Right now, Casey Richards looked as if she wanted to toss him out on his butt and lock the door behind him.
Which would suit him just fine.
“So, see, I mingled,” he said. At her dubious look, he added, “Okay. Maybe not a lot. I’ll do better.”
He could practically see the gears in her head turning. He knew she wanted to get rid of him. But since she hadn’t yet, he was willing to bet she didn’t have any more choice in his being here than he did. She depended on volunteer organizations for personnel and finances. Chances were, she couldn’t just pick and choose who she wanted.
Just like he couldn’t walk away unless he wanted to risk his job. Whatever other differences separated them, maybe they were tied together in some sort of crazy way.
Lord, he hoped not. Working here felt like being in a maze. Every time he turned a corner, he thought he’d found the way out of this problem. Then he realized he’d simply run into another dead end.
A couple of months. Nathan had said this crazy scheme could be renegotiated after a couple of months. Forty workdays at the most, two hours a day. He could do that. Heck, he’d already made it through yesterday.
He only had thirty-nine days left. A new thought hit him.
“When do you need this money for the modifications?” Maybe, just maybe, luck would be with him, and she wouldn’t hold this fundraiser for a few months. He’d be long gone by then.
“I’ve only got twenty-six days left if we want to get the house. The owners were willing to hold it for us for a month. If we can’t work out the finances, it will go on the market. Someone will snap it up in a second.”
“How much money do you need?”
When she paused, he knew he wasn’t going to like her answer. “Fifty thousand dollars.”
Michael pushed out of his chair. “You’re kidding, right? No way can you pull off a fundraiser that big in such a short amount of time. Why didn’t you start raising this money sooner? Casey, dammit—”
Casey looked furious. He knew he wasn’t helping things, but instinct told him he was better off if Casey Richards kept disliking him. When she silently held out her hand, he groaned.
“I know. One dollar,” he said. Before she could say anything, he pulled his wallet out of his inside jacket pocket, withdrew a five-dollar bill, and placed it in her hand. “I’m sure I’ll owe you more than that before the afternoon is over.”
She rose. “No, you won’t. I told you yesterday to stop cursing here.” Placing both hands on her desk, she ignored the slight wobble and stared at him.
“If it’s any of your business, I didn’t know I needed this money until two days ago,” she continued. “The city originally told me they would cover all the costs. But then they reexamined the budget and found out they didn’t have enough money. One of the councilmen called me at five o’clock the day before last and told me. You showed up yesterday. So, as you can see, I started working on the problem as soon as I could.”
He hated to rock her boat, but as far as he could tell, it was already sinking, so what the hell. “No way can you put together a major event in a few weeks. There are too many details to take care of.”
“I will make this happen.” She spoke slowly, clearly. Although the volume of her voice never changed, the impact of her words did. He didn’t doubt for a moment that she believed what she said. “And I’ll do it without your help.”
“Fine.”
“Good.” She nodded her head in the direction of the door. “Since I’m going to be busy making plans, you can’t work in my office today. Please go join the seniors. Several of the groups are playing pinochle. You can play, too.”
Pinochle? He swallowed past the tense knot in his throat. “I don’t know how to play.”
“They can teach you.”
Then she smiled. Well, sort of smiled. Her lips pulled back, and he could see her teeth. But then again, you could see a mad dog’s teeth right before he attacked. Michael shifted, uncertain how to act in this situation. It had been years since anyone had shoved him around like this. And even then, he’d only put up with it because he wanted to get ahead. Like he wanted to get ahead now. “Pinochle isn’t really my style,” he said.
Her fake smile didn’t waver, but he could read anger in her eyes. He was fairly certain she didn’t like him. Which was a shame because he had to admit, he liked her a lot. Maybe too much. She had grit, even if she had chosen to waste her time working at a dead-end job. Casey also surprised him. Her personality didn’t suit her soft, somewhat romantic looks.
He watched, fascinated, as she leaned forward and said, “Then change your style.”
Casey watched Michael leave her office, wishing a giant anvil would land on his head. She should have expected him to balk at helping. In a way, she didn’t blame him. They really didn’t stand much chance of raising the money in such a short time. But she didn’t want to admit that, even to herself. As long as even a few hours remained, she had to try.
Sighing, she leaned back in her chair, ignoring the woeful creak the worn metal made. Okay, so if she was going to do this, she needed to get moving. This afternoon, she could poll the seniors for ideas. She glanced at her calendar. The fundraiser would have to be the last Saturday of the month. That gave her twenty-four days.
She knew it was a long shot, but then again, so many things in life were. Even her parents—who hated what she did for a living—would admire her for trying to pull off the impossible. Her father always said that nothing got the adrenaline pumping like accomplishing the impossible. And that’s what she would do. She’d reach down inside herself, find a little magic, and get everything she wanted. All of it.
“You’re either an incredible optimist or an incredible fool,” she muttered to herself. She rose and headed toward the main room to survey the seniors for fundraiser ideas. What was that saying? The only difference between a visionary and a madman was the advertising campaign.
She’d just have to make certain she had a terrific campaign.
“Mind if I join you?” Michael asked Al and another man who were seated at the table farthest from Casey’s office. The pair looked engrossed, so he figured he could sit for a while without them bothering him. Then in a half hour or so, he could go back and talk to Casey again. Maybe apologize.
Al looked up from his cards. “Have a seat.”
Michael introduced himself to the other man, who shook his hand with a surprisingly firm grip.
“I’m Tommy Gilbert,” the man said. “Nice hole you put in the wall.”
Michael nodded. “Yeah. I try my best.”
Both older men turned their attention back to their cards, and Michael pulled up a chair. For several minutes, he just sat quietly. Then he noticed Casey come into the room. He watched her move from person to person, speaking to each one. Her smile now was natural, making her even prettier than usual.
“She’s a heck of a lady.”
Michael turned and met the amused gaze of Tommy Gilbert.
“Yes. She is.”
Tommy’s brown eyes twinkled. “Not bad-looking, either. If I were thirty years younger, I’d—”
“Still be too old for her,” Al interjected. He chuckled for a moment at his own joke, then added, “Besides, even if you were her age, she wouldn’t go out with you.”
He tipped his head down and looked at Michael over the top of his glasses. “She hasn’t agreed to go out w
ith you, has she?”
The question caught Michael off guard. “I haven’t asked her out,” he said.
Tommy snorted. “Coward. Don’t you know that you can’t be shy around women? You need to ask ’em out before some other guy comes along and gets them first.”
“Like you know anything about women,” Al said. “You can’t get Elmira to go out with you.”
“Well, you haven’t had any luck, either. And you’ve asked her a lot more than I have.”
Michael relaxed a little, thinking that maybe the men had forgotten about him. But before long, they had exhausted their critique of each other’s style and turned to study him.
“You do like women, don’t you?”
Michael blinked. “Yes.”
Tommy wagged a finger at him. “Then you need to get moving. I don’t know how Casey’s slipped by this long, but I’m sure sooner or later some lucky fella will come along and nab her. She’ll make a great wife.”
Al made a snorting noise again. “Women aren’t like that anymore. Don’t you watch TV? Women have careers. They don’t need to marry anymore.”
Tommy leaned forward. “I didn’t say she needed to get married. But a lady like Casey will fall in love. Then she’ll want to get married.”
“He’d better be special because she sure is,” Al said.
Michael nodded absently and glanced back at Casey. The men were right—she was special. But too soft. Too involved. She was a broken heart waiting to happen.
Or maybe it had happened already. Maybe that was why she wasn’t married. Or maybe she just spent too much time worrying about this place. He still couldn’t believe she expected to raise all that money in under a month. She could never do it. But he admired her for trying.
“So, you want to play?” Al asked, indicating the cards in his hand.
“No. I don’t play pinochle.”
Tommy and Al laughed. “Well, that’s not exactly what we’re playing.”
Michael pulled his gaze away from Casey and looked at the men. “No?”
“No. It’s just a friendly game of poker,” Al said. Michael was prepared to say yes when the door opened and Drew Charlin, a Honey council member, walked in. Michael knew the man and had attended a meeting where he’d been present. Tall, with blond hair and a polished manner, Drew was a natural politician.
Drew Charlin didn’t notice Michael when he flashed a smile at the crowd. He stopped next to Casey and bent over to say something to her. The sight annoyed Michael, so he forced himself to look away. What did he care if Casey was friends with the council member? They probably dated. It was none of his business.
Still, he had to exert a lot of self-control when he glanced back and saw Casey rise and lead the way to her office. When Drew shut the door behind them, Michael muttered a curse.
“I’ll second that,” Tommy said, tossing a dollar bill on the table. “Can’t stand the man. He’s not right for her.”
Michael couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Do they date?”
“Not as far as I know, but he’s always coming here and asking her out.” Al carefully removed one dollar from his wallet and then proudly denounced Drew Charlin’s parentage. “A man ought to know when to leave a woman alone.”
Michael refrained from pointing out that both Tommy and Al had asked Elmira out several times. Instead, he nodded. The thought of Casey with Drew bothered him way too much to be good for his own well-being.
“What do you mean that the city may withdraw the funding for the new center?” Casey asked, pacing her small office. “You’ve committed that money to us.”
Drew shrugged his elegantly clad shoulders. “I know, but some of the council feel the money could be better spent elsewhere. Believe me, I’m trying everything I can to put in a good word for you, Casey. But let’s face it—no one believes you can raise the money for the modifications. And if you fail, then the center might as well renew the lease here.”
“But this building is falling apart, and it’s too small.”
“I’m sorry. The city just doesn’t have enough money. If you can’t come up with your share, then there’s nothing we can do to help you.”
Casey sucked in a tight breath. There was no sense arguing with Drew. If the city had the money, she knew he would help her. But the money didn’t exist unless she raised it.
“Drew, tell the council to wait until the end of the month. I will have the money. I promise you.”
Drew rose and smoothed his jacket into place. “You need to face facts—you can’t do this. You’re just one person. You can’t raise all that money without any help. And as much as I’d like to help, at the moment—”
“I have help.”
His look was dubious. “What help?”
“The seniors.”
“I don’t think so,” Drew said, standing and laughing softly. When she frowned at him, he choked back the sound. “Sorry. Anyway, I wish you luck. But I did have another reason for stopping by. I also was wondering if you’d go to dinner with me on Friday.” He opened the office door.
She’d rather dip herself in honey and sit on an anthill, but the council wavering wasn’t Drew’s fault. He was nice enough, but he didn’t get her pulse racing. “I can’t.”
Without meaning to, she glanced out her office and studied a group of men playing cards at a corner table, her gaze landing on Michael Parker. When she felt her heart rate increase, she silently groaned. Now, why couldn’t Drew have that same effect on her? Why did she have to be attracted to a shark?
Sheesh. She was a sad and sorry case.
Thoroughly exhausted by the time he left his office at eight, Michael unlocked his Mercedes and opened the door. He couldn’t believe he still had to meet with a potential merger candidate tonight. The company owner had insisted they meet for dinner, and by the time they finished, he’d be too tired to move.
No way could he keep this pace up. He couldn’t spend a large part of each day at the center, then work a full day at the office. And today, all he’d done at the center—well, besides make the hole in the wall—was play cards. After Drew left, Casey had remained shut up in her office.
She’d invited several of the seniors in to talk to her, but she hadn’t invited him. He’d left without saying another word to her.
Fine. Let her ignore him. Life would be a lot simpler if he could get Casey out of his life and out of his mind. Several times this afternoon, he’d found himself thinking about her while in a meeting. The extra demand on his time was turning him loony.
Shrugging off his jacket, he went to set it on the passenger seat Oddly, it felt lighter than usual. He patted the pockets, searching for his cell phone and came up empty-handed.
“Ah, hell,” he said when he remembered he’d left it at the center. He’d had his jacket off all afternoon and hadn’t noticed it missing. Slipping behind the wheel of his car, he considered his options. The smart thing to do was to forget the phone and head on to the restaurant. The center would be closed by now.
But he wanted his phone. Crazy as it seemed, he felt naked without it. One of his girlfriends had once said he was a control freak and would probably cut off his own arm before he’d give up his cell phone. She hadn’t been too far off. He didn’t like being out of the loop. With his phone, he could stay on top of the million fires he had to deal with on a daily basis.
Funny how he hadn’t noticed the phone missing before now. But that was what the center did to him. What Casey did to him. She drove him nuts. He never forgot things. He kept a running list of important tasks in his head at all times. And he’d never forgotten his phone.
Until Casey had thrown him into a tailspin. Without stopping to analyze his motives, he turned right out of the Barret Software parking lot and headed toward the center. Even if it was a long shot, he wanted to try to get his phone. Maybe then, he could get some control back in his life.
When he pulled up in front of the center, the outside lights were on, but it looked fairl
y dark inside. Michael glanced around. A compact car sat in the far corner of the parking lot, but it could have been left overnight. Michael walked to the front door and knocked, not really expecting an answer. But seconds later, the door flew open, and Casey stood on the other side. Except she didn’t look like the Casey he knew. Her hair was a mess; she had smears of dirt on her face, and the front of her T-shirt was wet.
“What the hell happened to you?” Michael asked. Before she could answer, he moved past her.
Casey shut and locked the door behind him. “Look, I don’t know why you’re here, but I’m busy. So when you finish cursing, leave the money on my desk.”
She turned and headed in the direction of the kitchen, with Michael right on her heels. “Seriously, what’s wrong?”
Casey entered the kitchen and then moved aside so he could see.
“The pipe under the sink broke tonight. Thank goodness I was here to turn off the water. As you can see, it made quite a mess.”
Michael scanned the situation. “A mess” was an understatement. Water was everywhere.
“Have you called a plumber?”
Casey tipped her head and regarded him through narrowed eyes. “Yes. He’ll stop by tomorrow to fix the pipe.” She knelt and mopped up water with a sponge. “Why are you here?”
“I forgot my cell phone,” he muttered.
“It’s in the top drawer of my desk. I found it this afternoon.”
He nodded absently. “Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”
Casey shook her head. She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail, no doubt to keep it from dragging in the water. “No. I need to mop this water up tonight before it damages the floor.”
He glanced toward the door. He really had to go meet his colleague. But an unnerving thought hit him—only a lazy bum like his dad would leave Casey stranded with this mess. His decision made, Michael headed out the door. When he reached his car, he got his workout clothes from the trunk. If he was going to spend the next couple of hours crawling on the floor, he wasn’t going to do it in an Armani suit.
