“Well done, Sheila.”
Sheila grinned as she shook hands with David. “Thank you. And thanks for clarification on the budget.”
They had enough money that she could do this right—which was a relief. She’d bring the events together on a tighter budget than allotted, and coming in under budget was fine—except that people began to think you could always make that happen, and she preferred to have some wiggle room.
David and the others from his department left the conference room, their heads together as they worked out what needed to be done on their own projects. She was glad they were here, though, so that they were all on the same page when it came to long-term marketing. Working a mascot into merchandise for the next year had sparked some enthusiasm. Designing hats alone would take them weeks.
Ashley rushed out too. There were several things that needed to be done before the end of the day, and that was coming up fast.
Harper waited until the room cleared and it was just the two of them. Her skin looked sallow under the too-bright room lights. “This was kind of brilliant. I’ve been thinking we should have a mascot, but nothing ever seems right. I love the idea of letting the city choose. It will help them feel as if the mascot really is theirs.”
“That’s what I’m hoping for.”
“Your timeline is tight. You’ll be putting in some extra hours.”
“I know. But it will be worth it.”
“Well, keep track. Ashley too. We’ll get you some comp time around the holidays.”
“That’s more than I could ask for.”
Harper laughed. “You didn’t ask; I offered. So take it and don’t argue.”
She spread her cheeks wide. “Yes, ma’am.” Harper said goodbye, and Sheila went about the task of unhooking her computer.
“Oh, hey, Brock,” Harper said.
Sheila’s eyes snapped to the broad shoulders filling the doorway. Her breath caught, and for a moment, the only person in the world was him. But then reality crashed down as she remembered that he’d gone out with Kelly the night before. With a sad shake of her head, she went back to organizing her notes. There were sticky notes everywhere, and the pages wouldn’t line up nicely.
“Is there something I can help you with?” Harper asked just outside the door.
“Actually, I’m here for Sheila.”
“Oh?” That one little word held way too much interest from her matchmaking boss.
Sheila knew all too well what lengths Harper would go to in order to bring a couple together, having been in on her latest scheme. She wasn’t about to give the woman any ideas.
“Brock, it’s good to see you,” Sheila said in her most professional voice. “What can I help you with?”
Harper excused herself, but not before she passed a knowing look to Sheila. Sheila shook it off, hoping Harper got the message.
Brock glanced around the room. She had an image of the electronic ballot on the whiteboard. They’d had to go digital for the voting because of the time constraints. That made it more difficult for the elementary schools to participate, but she’d composed a letter of explanation to deliver. The schools could copy it and distribute it to their teachers, who would, in turn, help the children vote on their in-class Chromebooks.
“I was dying to know what they said.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the executives who had filed out. Lines appeared in his forehead, and her fingers wiggled, wanting to smooth them away. “It was all I could do not to stick my head in here and tell them to just go for it.”
Sheila grinned. “The project is a go. I have a budget and a plan.” A reminder beeped on her phone. “What I don’t have is time.”
“Oh, then I guess I’d better buy you dinner.” Brock’s left cheek lifted in that sultry surfer grin that made her chest warm. He could conjure up all sorts of sultry scenes with that troublemaker smile. Her favorite, as of late, was slow dancing in the surf.
“I—can’t.” Which was so true. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, because a part of her really, really wanted to explore the sizzle that happened every time he touched her. But she couldn’t date him.
“Because you have to work late?” He filled in an excuse for her. And it would have been a great excuse if there wasn’t a more permanent reason to not to fall into his delicious sky-blue eyes for all of eternity.
She huffed, finding the courage to be honest. There was no reason to play games with him. “Because you’re dating my sister.”
The forehead lines deepened. “Dated,not dating.”
“‘Might date again’ is the same as dating.”
