Wildfire and Roses

by Hope Malory

  She had so many ideas for expansion, but the lack of adequate staff limited her. I need two more landscapers and am desperate for an assistant. Fingers crossed I’ll have one by the end of the week. Then she would advertise for the landscaping jobs.

  The stack of paperwork on her desk needed attention, and she was behind on updating the website and writing something for the newsletter. She wanted to start a blog, but there had been no time. Oh, please let one of these applicants be the one.

  Her mind wandered. The enormous pine cone she found when she and Will were on a picnic at Donner Lake sat on her desk, reminding her of the times they’d spent together. Although she had some serious regrets about cutting off all contact with him, with her schedule, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to maintain any kind of relationship.

  Why couldn’t she forget about him? Maybe because he had all the qualities she wanted in a man: honesty, integrity, kindness, a sense of humor, intelligence, and passion. Yes, the passion between them was intense. Thoughts of his kisses and being in his arms made her feel warm and gooey inside. When he smiled at her something magical happened deep in her heart.

  That he listened and was romantic, not to mention his hot body, made him unforgettable. Remarkably, they had so many interests in common. And, he was a smokejumper. How cool. She couldn’t believe how much she had come to care about him in three weeks. She cared more for him than anyone. Even Dalton.

  Was she being stubborn by not contacting him? He hasn’t called me, either. What if he’s moved on and forgotten about me?

  Shaking her head, she mumbled, “Impossible relationships.”

  After pouring a glass of water, she settled in to start on the mound of work. It was almost eight-thirty before she flipped the top down on her laptop. Pushing back from her desk, she murmured, “I’m done. The rest can wait.” The wall clock reminded her she had been at the office fourteen hours. She rubbed her bleary eyes and turned the lights off for the night. Exhausted, she collapsed on her bed as soon as she was home. She fell asleep thinking about Will, and the image of him was the first thing that crossed her mind when she woke.

  Her first interview on Tuesday, and the fourth so far, was a winner. Millie Chastain and her two children had moved here a few weeks ago from outside of Greenville, North Carolina. Millie was a single mother in her early thirties and had managed a landscaping operation there. It was similar in size to Beasley’s Gardens, and she had worked all aspects of the business. Personality-wise, they were a perfect fit. If her references checked out, she was certain she would hire Millie.

  The fifth and final interview didn’t go well. The young man came late and bragged the entire time he was there. She cut the interview short. Reaching for Millie’s resume, she punched in the phone number for Millie’s former employer. He gave Millie glowing reviews and assured Beasley she would be lucky to have her as an employee. The second and third references were similar.

  “Woohoo!” She picked up the phone to call Millie and offer her the job. Millie was excited and agreed to start on Monday.

  Beasley spent the rest of the day planning for her meeting with Mr. King. She had scheduled to join him at his property in Maryville at three o’clock the following day. This was her one shot to impress him, and she intended to do her homework. When she arrived home that night, it was even later than the night before. The text from Brenner, asking if she had found out anything more about the Devlins, remained unanswered until then.

  Been too busy. Crazy at work. Will research later. B

  She alternated deep breathing with tensing and relaxing her muscles to shake off the nerves on the drive over to pitch her proposal to Mr. King. By the time she reached the King property, she was confident and as prepared as she would ever be. Mr. King escorted her through the property and shared his ideas. She took copious notes and photographs. His plan was more extensive than she had imagined. Not only did he want an abundant installation of trees, shrubs, and flowers, along with an irrigation system, but he also envisioned stone patios; water features, including the installation of a pond; a vast retaining wall; and a firepit. This would be by far the most comprehensive project she had ever worked on, but they could do it.

  He mentioned several varieties of trees, shrubbery, and flowers he wanted. “My wife wants a rose garden. Because of your reputation for having an extensive knowledge of roses, I called you first.”

  She added suggestions of her own. She brought design sketches and pictures of hardscape projects he might like. He seemed to approve of her suggestions for gardens and walking trails through the property.

  “Mr. King, I’ll draw up a detailed plan of all we’ve talked about and give you an estimate by this time next week. Our company can meet your expectations. I’ll call you when I finish, and we can schedule a time to meet to go over everything.”

  She prepared every possible scenario for the next meeting, knowing it would be crucial. The proposal and presentation must be superior and the budget competitive. While he hadn’t mentioned it, she assumed he would solicit bids from other companies besides hers. The twelve- to fourteen-hour days she had worked earlier this week turned into sixteen- to eighteen-hour days, including Saturday and Sunday.

  On Monday morning, after she introduced Millie to the rest of the employees, they retreated to her office and discussed job duties. When Beasley learned Millie was a computer whiz and had handled media and advertising for her former company, she was ecstatic. Millie agreed to handle the newsletter, the website, and the blog, and she offered several suggestions for advertising in addition to taking on a share of the responsibilities for running the business. If Millie worked out as well as Beasley expected, she could shorten her hours and perhaps someday have a life.

  Her long hours paid off. With Millie taking over some of her responsibilities on Monday, she had the proposal complete by the afternoon. She called Mr. King and scheduled an appointment in her office on Tuesday morning. His voice registered surprise that she had finished this early. Her mantra was to under-promise and over-deliver.

  When she finished her presentation, he didn’t blink at the enormous figure. He said he would study the proposal and contact her when he decided.

  The call she waited for came on Friday morning. She answered and listened to what Mr. King said. She ended the conversation and hurried to Millie’s desk. “Mr. King called.”

  “Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What did he say?”

  Chapter 11

  Beasley broke into a wide grin, held her hand up for a high five, and screamed, “WE GOT IT!”

  Millie reached up from her desk and clapped her hand. “Congratulations, Boss. You worked hard on this, and you deserve it. Shall I assume a heavier workload is in our future?”

  “Yes. We need more landscapers ASAP. I had planned to hire two more to help with the regular load, but with this job, four is more realistic. Can you start on it? Why don’t you interview them and narrow the list, then I’ll make the final decision?”

  She called Brenner to tell her about the new account.

  “What awesome news! Congrats. I’ll stop and pick up a bottle of champagne and cook dinner for us tonight. Let’s party.” Her voice grew quieter. “Mama and Daddy would be so proud of you.”

  Beasley’s eyes misted. “Yes, I think they would be proud of both of us.” Once again, she apologized for having to cancel going with her and Allison to her boyfriend’s gig this past Saturday night. “I wanted to go listen to him play, but this is a huge account.”

  “No need to explain or keep apologizing. I understand. See you tonight.”

  Next, she called Kate. If anyone could comprehend the magnitude of this job, she could. After she finished telling her about the scope of the project and the total budget, Kate squealed. “Congratulations, you killed it. Let me take you out to celebrate.”

&nbs
p; “Brenner is coming over tonight. How about tomorrow night?”

  “Works for me. My sweet husband will babysit Hannah while we’re gone. I’ll make a reservation in Knoxville at a restaurant in Old Town.”

  Beasley wanted to call Will and tell him her news, but she called Casey instead. “You are awesome, girlfriend. Of course, I’m not at all surprised they awarded you the account. Nobody out-prepares and out-works you. He’ll be lucky you are heading up his project.”

  She chose not to mention Will, but Casey broached the subject later in their conversation. “Have you talked to Will?”

  “No, but I have thought about him every day and miss him more than I thought possible.”

  “He misses you too.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I ran into Cameron, and he said Will has been in a funk since you left.”

  Beasley’s heart pounded at the news. “Really? Did he say anything else?”

  “Who knows? Cameron doesn’t share details.”

  “I thought he was angry and may have written me off.”

  “The Will I know is crazy about you. He’s a great catch. I hate to see you let him go.”

  “My head tells me it would never work, but my heart wants him.”

  “You’ve never given up on anything you wanted or believed in. Why are you giving up on Will?”

  “What else can I do?”

  “Call him. Tell him how you feel. What’s the worst that could happen?”

  She paused. “We could fall in love and have our hearts broken.”

  The loud sigh alerted her of Casey’s impatience. “You are impossible.”

  Rather than responding, she changed the subject and asked, “How is your ex?”

  “The same as always, except he and his girlfriend broke up.”

  “Interesting.”

  “What does that mean?” Casey asked.

  “You can’t fool me. It is obvious you still care about him. This is your chance.”

  “You’re out of your mind. There is no way we would ever get back together.”

  That was not convincing. “May be worth a try. You don’t want to miss out on something special.”

  “Don’t throw my words back at me. I meant you and Will. Joking aside, you should call him.”

  “Calling is a bad idea, Case. It was grand while it lasted, but it’s over.”

  “I dare you to call.”

  She laughed. “That worked when we were kids, but it doesn’t work now.”

  The conversation with Casey left her feeling empty. Although she had received thrilling news minutes earlier, sadness enveloped her. Moments later, she lifted her head, thrust her shoulders back, and mumbled, “There’s way too much to do to sit here and wallow in self-pity.” Millie came into her office to start a list of all they needed to do. Beasley admitted she excelled at focusing on a task. Shaking off her thoughts about Will, they worked and didn’t stop until a few minutes before six.

  She closed the folder they were working on and leaned forward, crossing her arms on the desk. “Millie, I can’t thank you enough for all your help. You did an exceptional job this week. Go home and have a fun weekend. I’ll see you on Monday.”

  With her coat draped over one arm, she checked the back door, turned the lights off, and put the closed sign on the front door.

  Brenner was at Beasley’s house baking a chicken and rice casserole. She had prepared green beans almondine as a side, made cheesecake at her house before coming and was cutting up fresh fruit when Beasley stepped through the door. Brenner hugged her before sliding rolls in the oven next to the casserole.

  Tossing her purse on the counter, Beasley reached into the cabinet for two of Nonna’s white plates with blue flowers. “Wish I had your cooking skills. Mmm, everything smells and looks delicious.”

  “Thanks. After you finish setting the table, you can get the champagne out of the refrigerator. Dinner should be ready in about five minutes.”

  After they filled their plates, Brenner popped the cork and poured two glasses of champagne. “A toast to my sister, the successful executive. Cheers.”

  They clinked glasses and sat to enjoy a relaxed meal.

  After clearing the dishes, they moved into the living room with their cheesecake and put the champagne on the coffee table. As the night wore on, they emptied the bottle and giggled like they were twelve again.

  “Stay here tonight since you can’t walk straight, much less drive,” Beasley suggested.

  Brenner stood to show her she could walk and almost tripped over a chair. They broke into fits of laughter.

  When was the last time she had laughed this much? Then, she realized it was with Will.

  The sisters slept late on Saturday morning. After yogurt mixed with granola, Brenner went home. “Four hours on the job today,” Beasley promised herself. Today’s goal was to complete the seven items on the list before having dinner with Kate. As a reminder to stop working, she set the alarm on her cell. She often became so absorbed in a project that she worked longer than intended. After being late and making a few friends angry, she had adopted the habit of setting her phone alarm.

  The ring startled her. Four hours already? She punched the phone, stood, and stretched. A pile of accumulated mail stared at her. Several bills needed attention, but the post office was closed. This can wait until tomorrow.

  At the computer, she keyed in ‘Grainger Devlin III’ and ‘Asheville.’ An article dated September 22, 1979, about his wedding popped up. The picture of the wedding party was too small to discern any of the faces, but it was a huge society wedding. Further in, the story revealed his father, Grainger Devlin II, had amassed a fortune buying and renovating older hotels. He had later ventured into building luxury high-rise hotels. When she scanned the column for any clues, she almost missed the last line: ‘The youngest Devlin and his bride honeymooned in Italy before moving to Manhattan.’ That’s why a New York address was on those bills.

  After reading three more articles and not finding anything useful, she found a paragraph mentioning the senior Mr. Devlin and his wife planned to move their base of operations to New York. Further research revealed Grainger III had worked for his father in the corporation.

  Learning more about the Devlins still didn’t account for the connection. She shut her laptop and dressed for dinner with Kate.

  At the restaurant, Kate held a tall vase of yellow roses and handed them to her. “Congratulations again.”

  “Oh, thank you, Kate. You remembered yellow roses are my favorite.”

  “How could I forget?”

  “Dinner, roses, remembering my favorites? If you weren’t married to Tom, I would marry you myself.”

  “Sorry, you’re too short; I like them tall.” They laughed.

  Both ordered the chef’s selection and a glass of cabernet.

  “One is my limit since I’m driving. Brenner and I emptied a bottle of champagne last night. I consumed more alcohol in the last twenty-four hours than in the past six months.”

  “I can count on one hand the number of drinks I’ve had since Hannah was born.”

  “How is Hannah?”

  “Oh, she’s a sweetheart. We joined a Mommy and Me fitness class. Come watch her sometime.”

  “By all means. Sounds like fun.”

  “Tell me all about your design plan.”

  She briefed Kate about her pitch to Mr. King, and Kate offered a few suggestions of her own.

  “Brilliant ideas. I’ll incorporate them into the plan. Won’t you reconsider coming to work for me?”

  “Funny you should mention it. Tom and I talked this afternoon about your new account. Hannah can go to Mother’s Day Out on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Tom’s day off is Monday. If you ne
ed me any of those three days to help during this project, you can call me.”

  Beasley clapped her hands, and her eyes crinkled as she flashed a huge grin. “Are you kidding? Work all three days if you are willing, and you can start as soon as you are ready.”

  “Well, then, I’ll start Monday. Until I filled in for you those three weeks you were in California, I’d forgotten how much I missed working. Tom encouraged me to do this part-time if I wanted to.”

  “I can’t believe my luck. In the last week, I hired a new assistant, scored the account of a lifetime, and now you’re returning to the office. Even with the new employee, it will be difficult to complete everything.”

  She smiled at the thought of all the positive changes in the past weeks. After losing her parents and then Nonna, Beasley welcomed positives in her life.

  How sweet life was now. “I have everything I’ve dreamed of.” Will’s face popped into her mind. “Except Will.”

  Chapter 12

  Two weeks had passed since Cameron encouraged him to call Beasley. Will procrastinated, but he decided Cameron was right. Today’s the day.

  He sat at the kitchen table, phone in hand, and stared out the window at the fluttering leaves on the oak and the limbs swaying in the wind. Spotting the mud on his vehicle from the puddle he had driven through yesterday, he put his cell down and went outside to wash his car. He would think about what to say while he worked. After he finished, he mowed the yard and then organized the garage. All the chores and excuses exhausted, he plopped down in the chair and put his hands behind his head, contemplating what her reaction to his call might be. Moments later, he stepped to the table beside the front door to retrieve his phone. After pacing the floor and raking his fingers through his hair, he punched her number in his cell.