Then He Showed Up

by Chris Campillo

  Kate grabbed a Styrofoam cup. “I’d like to think I’m doing my part to support the employees of Harlequin and Duracell.”

  Sue shook her head. “Are you even attracted to men anymore? I mean real men, not fictional characters named Heath.”

  Kate resisted the urge to share her attraction to Jack and poured them coffee.

  “I’m serious.” Sue dumped her usual three packets of sweetener in her cup and stirred. She looked up at Kate, her face softer. “I’m worried about you.”

  She was always touched when Sue showed this gentler side. Perhaps it was the mother in her, but Kate felt the need to reassure her friend. “I’m perfectly fine. In fact, this weekend I met a man who was quite attractive, and he had a great chest. I couldn’t stop staring at it. It was actually quite embarrassing.” She smiled, knowing this would make Sue happy. But her smile disappeared when she saw her friend’s face light up like a marquee.

  “Hot damn!” Sue smacked the counter. “She’s back. Oh honey, this is perfect timing.” Sue’s eyes were actually watering. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “It’s not what you’re—”

  “I want to hear everything, but I’ve got to meet with Russell.” As Sue headed down the hall to their boss’s office, she turned back to yell, “I want details!”

  Kate leaned against the counter, sipping her coffee. She needed to meet some friends from the Sisterhood of the Boring.

  Chapter 6

  After one last review of the Ramirez file, Kate checked the clock and saw she had fifteen minutes before he was to arrive. She headed to the restroom to touch up her makeup. It wasn’t as if she was trying to impress Allen. It was for her, her power face. Her mother used to say, “A little powder, a little paint makes a girly what she ain’t.”

  Kate was competent in her job, but her string of lost projects had shaken her confidence. She needed to be in top form for this one. Over the years, the Ramirez firm had represented some thirty percent of the prospects considering Texas, so it was vital she impress the man with her proficiency. If fresh lipstick gave her a little more self-assurance, bring it on.

  When she returned to her cubicle, three men were standing at the doorway. She recognized Allen. Ted was there, of course, with his sleazy smile, no doubt sharing some off-color joke. Another man had his back to her. She was trying to figure out whom it was when Allen called out her name and stepped toward her. “Kate. Good to see you.”

  She headed to him, eager to get started. As she extended her hand, the third man turned around. She caught Jack’s face and froze. He smiled, and she would swear he winked. Something escaped from her throat—a yelp, a curse, a hairball. She wasn’t sure, but it didn’t sound human.

  The freak sound and her frozen state must have caught Allen’s attention because he took her hand, forcing her to shake. He used a strong grip. Strong enough to serve as a slap in the face.

  “Ouc . . . Hi, Allen. Welcome back to Austin.” What was Jack doing here? Had Peter set up a meeting after all? Were Allen and Jack friends? Would Jack tell Allen she was a clumsy drunk who watched porn and eliminate all her credibility? Kate turned to Jack and extended her hand. “Hello, I’m Kate Livingston. Kate Livingston. It’s nice to meet you . . . for the first time ever.”

  He looked confused but finally shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. Jack Graham.” They continued to shake. Kate wondered if he could see the cogs spinning out of control in her brain.

  Ted broke the world’s longest handshake when he patted Jack’s shoulder. “If there’s anything I can do for you, just let me know.” He turned to Kate. “Remember what I told you—when you need some help, don’t worry about asking. You know I’ve always been there to help you out.”

  She smiled at Ted. Normally, she would’ve shot invisible darts of loathing at the jerk for such an underhanded comment. Now, she could only muster a “Thank you.”

  Kate turned back to Jack. “So, Mr. Graham, do you work with Allen?” Please, please, please, say no.

  He had a look of bemusement in his eyes. “I guess you could say that. And please, call me Jack.”

  Kate couldn’t keep her eyes off his. She was dying from curiosity. What was he doing here, and why was she suddenly worried about unemployment benefits?

  Allen interrupted her thoughts. “Jack’s the Vice President of Development for Gridion. He’s the client I’m representing.”

  Kate could see his lips moving, but she no longer heard what Allen was saying. She left her body. She thought about her kids and what they’d do after she died from shock. They were with Grace, so she could break it to them gently. It might be a while before word reached Maggie. They’d have to delay the funeral until she got back from the cruise.

  Jack cleared his throat, and she realized death wasn’t coming. That would’ve been too easy. No, she would have the joy of losing this project. When her boss, the newspapers, the Governor asked Jack why he hadn’t selected Austin, he’d tell them he couldn’t trust reports put together by a crazy woman who’d screw Pavarotti. She could probably get a job at T.J. Maxx. She’d get discounts on the kids’ clothes.

  She looked at Jack, waiting for the fat lady to sing, but there was no music. He showed no sign of leaving.

  “Kate.” Allen’s voice was loud, pulling her back to the moment. “Do you want to know the competition?”

  “Of course,” she said, trying to get back in the game.

  “Phoenix and Huntsville, Alabama.”

  “I see.” Banks of data rolled through her brain. She’d have to research the specifics, but she knew they were worthy competition. “Now that we can talk specifics, I’ll put together a side-by-side comparison report. I’m sorry, but I wasn’t expecting to meet the client today.” She stared at Jack. Or see you again.

  “That’s my fault. Allen didn’t know I was going to join him today. It was last minute. The board won’t make a decision for at least four months, but they wanted my input before I left the country.”

  “Where are you going?” Kate wondered if he was headed off on another exotic vacation. Running across the globe sounded very appealing at the moment.

  “Bangalore. I’m working with the project manager of our newest facility.”

  Kate nodded. “That’s right. I read about Gridion’s move into India. Bangalore—India’s Silicon Valley. It’s an R and D facility, right?”

  Jack looked impressed. “Yes.” At least he’d know she read business publications between her blackouts.

  “Jack and I have already had the dog and pony show in Phoenix and Huntsville. Jack’s specifically interested in touring available sites for the manufacturing facility. Can we start today?” Kate thought she saw an apology in Allen’s eyes. No doubt, he knew he was asking for the impossible.

  “No problem. We’ll make it work.” Kate wondered if they could tell she was faking it. Maybe. But she’d bust her butt to make this happen. If she could deliver the goods, she just might have a chance of changing Jack’s first impression and saving this project.

  “Why don’t you wait in the conference room while I gather the rest of the team.” She led them down the hall, grateful they were behind her so they couldn’t see her mouthing her prayers for divine intervention. When she left the two men and closed the conference room door, she could finally show her panic and let the curse words fly. She rounded the corner at full speed and almost ran over Sue.

  “Whoa!” Sue yelled, holding out her coffee cup. “What the hell’s got you running wild?”

  “Oh God, Sue. Allen brought the client! And he’s—”

  “He brought the client? I didn’t think the project was that far along. Who is it?”

  “It’s Jack!”

  “Jack? What? Jack-in-the-Box? I thought you said it was high-tech.”

  “No! It’s Jack Graham. The guy with the chest. The one from this weekend.” She searched Sue’s face, hoping her greatest ally was about to share some plan that would fix everything.

  “Oh, my
God.” Sue’s eyes were as big as Kate’s new ulcer. But just when Kate thought her friend grasped the dire straits of this situation, Sue bent over laughing. “No freakin’ way. That’s hilarious.”

  “Sue!” Kate yelled, but then quickly lowered her voice into a menacing tone. “It is not hilarious. It’s awful. Now I need your help. You’ve got to get the team gathered and into the conference room, like yesterday. He wants to check out sites.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. Nice to get a heads-up, but it doesn’t matter now. We’ve got to make it work. And listen, we haven’t acknowledged that we know one another, so just act as if I’ve never talked about him or met him or . . . you get it. Go get everybody. Now!”

  On her way back to her desk, Kate could still hear Sue’s laughter.

  Within thirty minutes, a team of engineers, employment specialists, and site coordinators were gathered around the conference table. Jack sat at the head and outlined the plans for the project. It would, in fact, be a manufacturing plant that produced high-performance microprocessors and microcontrollers. Apparently, Gridion had acquired an industry-changing patent, making a new facility necessary.

  Why didn’t I listen to Maggie?

  Jack stressed the importance of building a green facility that would maximize the use of clean energy and have a minimal impact on the surrounding environs. Gridion Industries wanted to set the bar for industries serving as responsible stewards of the land.

  Kate watched him speak. He looked just as comfortable as he had on the boat. It wasn’t surprising. He was known for his innovative ideas and risk-taking nature. The man was so successful, he probably didn’t know what fear was. What amazed her was his detailed knowledge of the product. He sounded like an engi-nerd.

  But Jack Graham was no nerd.

  The orgasm—okay, five, if you were counting—she’d experienced while fantasizing about him in bed last night were proof of that. So much for professionalism.

  It was bad enough trying to process all the new information that was being thrown at her, but every time Jack looked at her, which seemed like every ten seconds, she lost all focus. What was going through his head? Did one wild day on the lake undo all the work she’d done on this project? Could he tell she was tapping her heel a mile a minute? Did he notice how she was checking out his shoulders?

  When the meeting ended two hours later, Kate thanked God for sending down His legion of angels. She hadn’t seen them, but she knew they’d been there. She’d managed to share her project knowledge and, hopefully, competence, and the team had enough information to start site tours that afternoon.

  “Jack, Allen, would you like to grab lunch before we get started?” What she really wanted was a stiff drink. Then again, that’s how this all started.

  “Sounds great,” Allen said. “I’ve got a conference call scheduled in ten minutes, so why don’t you and Jack head over to The Clay Pit. I’ll finish my call and meet you there. Does Indian work for you, Jack?”

  “Perfect.” Jack smiled at her.

  She did her best to play along, knowing it was time to pay the piper. Character, baby.

  Chapter 7

  Kate buckled her seatbelt and stared at the steering wheel. She hadn’t said a word as they’d walked through the parking garage. Jack wondered what she was thinking, he’d been curious all morning. As soon as he’d turned to face her, she’d turned into a woman from Stepford and had stayed like that the rest of the morning. The woman was on top of her game, no doubt there. Even with the surprise visit, she’d put together a plan that put her industry peers to shame. But she’d walked through it all as an automaton. He wanted to see Kate from the weekend. Maybe some levity would help.

  “So what are the odds?”

  She turned to him. Her forced laugh matched her fake smile, neither could distract him from the apprehension in her eyes.

  “Yeah. Of all the gin joints.” Her voice was so high it almost squeaked.

  “Are you okay, Kate?”

  “Of course.” She started the car, and the stereo blasted rap. They both jumped, and Kate reached for the power button, turning the volume higher in her haste, before she finally pushed it off.

  “You do like your music loud,” he said, holding back a laugh.

  “Yes.” Kate stared into his eyes, and then the mother of all dams broke. “Yes, I like loud music, and I drink too much, and I fall off boats, and I sing way too loud. That’s what you’re thinking, right?”

  Jack saw a touch of insanity dancing in her eyes. “Wait a min—”

  “And you’re sitting there asking yourself, ‘Are we really going to make a multi-million-dollar decision based on this woman’s reports?’”

  Jack laughed. “You’re something, Ms. Livingston.”

  “No, I’m not! I’m not anything like that. That woman you met Saturday, that’s not me. I mean, yes, it’s me, but it’s me . . . it’s me in Vegas. Like a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Vegas.”

  “Why are you so uptight? What’s the big deal?”

  “The big deal?!” She looked at him as if he were clueless. “This is the largest project Austin, make that Texas, has seen in years. And I’m responsible for it. I’m representing the state of Texas, and you had to drive me home Saturday night because I’d had too much to drink. Oh, let’s just call a spade a spade—I was drunk. Not a great first impression of the Governor’s office or my competency, would you agree?”

  “This is exactly why I didn’t bring up the project yesterday. You would’ve wasted your Sunday wor—”

  “You knew?!” Her face transitioned from horror to irritation. “How long have you known?”

  This wasn’t going to be pretty. “Saturday night, Peter told me where you worked. I considered the possibility. Yesterday, after I found your purse and checked the license, I knew for a fact.”

  Kate threw her head down on the steering wheel, rolling it back and forth. Eventually she turned to him. “You thought I might be working on your project, and you let me sing like a fool?” She gasped. “Oh my God. You saw me in my pajamas.”

  “Relax. Believe it or not, I don’t make major business decisions based on the antics of one person during their off hours. And your pajamas covered more than your swimsuit.” But they still showed off her body nicely.

  She didn’t seem convinced. Just pale.

  “Look, did you prepare the reports Allen sent me?”

  Kate rose up, appearing insulted. “Yes, of course.”

  “Then we don’t have a problem. Just because I’ve seen a little bit of your private life doesn’t change my opinion of your abilities or Texas.” My need to get out of Austin has nothing to do with you. “This miracle tour you put together at the drop of a hat is the most impressive thing I’ve seen in years.”

  She looked as though she were studying him, measuring his honesty. Finally, she took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat. “I appreciate your vote of confidence. It’s just that . . . I normally have a professional relationship with my clients. So, can we please just forget about the weekend and start over as two business associates?”

  “That’s not possible, and it isn’t necessary. Besides, I don’t want that. You wouldn’t believe the zombie I worked with in Phoenix.”

  Her smile was the first real one of the day. “Thanks.” She put the car in gear and pulled out of her parking spot.

  “Besides,” Jack added, putting on his seatbelt, “how could I ever forget that you’d do Pavarotti?”

  “Oh dear God!” Kate slammed on the brakes. She looked over at him, and he couldn’t help but laugh. A smile started, and then she, too, joined in. And she didn’t stop. It was as if her nerves had found a release. By the time the laughter subsided, they were both relaxed.

  “Are we okay then?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “I do have a suggestion.”

  “What’s that?” she asked, heading out of the garage.

  “You need to do Vegas more often.”
/>   Chapter 8

  After two days of site tours, Kate was beginning to wonder if Jack would ever find a place for the Gridion project. They were headed back to the office after touring four new sites—four more that Jack had rejected.

  “Pull over.” Jack pointed to an old windmill in the middle of a pasture.

  Kate obliged, stopping on the shoulder of the road.

  “I can’t believe the windmill’s still there,” Jack said, staring out the window.

  “It’s been there as long as I can remember. Brush fires, tornadoes, nothing’s brought it down.”

  Jack remained silent as he looked out the window. The metal structure was surrounded by undisturbed land covered with cacti and huge live oaks. Deer grazed on the scrub in between. A rusty barbed wire fence tried to protect the rustic spread from the adjacent highway.

  He finally spoke. “This place hasn’t changed.”

  “Beautiful, isn’t it? One of the few ranches that’s remained intact. It’s been in one family for over a hundred years. You wouldn’t believe the number of developers who’ve tried to get their hands on it, but the owner has no interest in selling.”

  Jack turned to her with a curious look in his eyes. “Maybe they’ve never had the right offer.” He left the car and walked through tall grass until he was at the fence line.

  “Great,” Kate said under her breath. “Why can’t there ever be a simple project?” She waited for a break in traffic, then got out of the car and headed toward Jack. Unfortunately, it wasn’t an easy trek in her three-inch heels. After sinking into the dirt several times, she gave up and pulled off her shoes, finishing the trek barefoot while scanning the ground for small cacti, rocks, or anything moving that could kill, hurt, or scare her. When was the last time I had a tetanus shot?

  When she reached Jack, he looked at her, barefoot, with heels in one hand. “I didn’t mean for you to trudge out here.”

  Kate shrugged her shoulders, and smiled. “Hey, the state of Texas is here at your service, Mr. Graham.”