“Fuck, I really like you,” I groaned, tipping my head back. “This is going to make everything worse. Why do you have to be so fucking decent?”
I opened my laptop, frustrated.
Jace’s grin spread. “You complain about really weird things, Kayd.”
I fought a smile at the nickname he’d adopted already. The only person who had ever called me Kayd was my mother, and I hadn’t thought I’d like hearing it again. I liked it on his lips. It filled me with warmth and a sense of familiarity, as if our one night together had felt as important to him as it had to me. I’d only wanted more after a one-night stand one other time in my life. Jace was going to needle right under my skin in no time and for once the idea didn’t fill me with dread. Maybe letting myself connect with someone could be a good thing.
Especially since I still regret letting the last person I connected with get away so easily.
“Woo me,” Jace said with a grin. “Professionally, of course.”
I laughed and set my laptop on the edge of his desk and scooted my chair closer. He followed suit. “I intend to show them the digital rendering of the external design, basic schematics for a layout with a list of features, and a second option sourced with all sustainable materials. I also drafted a rough budget to provide an idea of ballpark figures so you can decide what’s worth the extra expense. I had an additional idea that I didn’t see requested in the proposal that I added as well.”
“Will there be a spreadsheet?”
“Of course.”
“Sexy.” Jace wiggled his eyebrows seductively.
I glared at him.
“Sorry, I can’t keep track. Are we keeping it professional or not?” he asked.
I smiled at him and pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. “In this office, yes.”
He rubbed his hands together and leaned forward, gesturing to the laptop screen. “Alright, show me what you’ve got.”
Having Jace in theaudience during my presentation to the board had reduced my anxiety in a way I hadn’t anticipated. It was always good to have someone in the audience who was a champion of the design. I’d learned that the hard way during my first solo presentation at my old firm in Phoenix. But with Jace it was more than that. There was subtle pride on his face the whole time, and those fucking eyes of his were going to be my complete undoing. After spending the better part of this afternoon with him, it was beyond clear to me I was going to call him after I left his office.
The board had asked a number of questions about some of the less-traditional amenities I’d included in my design. They thought an indoor pool was an unnecessary expense, but I talked them through several statistics on the benefits of aqua therapy. They hadn’t batted an eye at Jace’s request for private rooms or separate wings for those suffering from alcohol abuse and narcotic abuse, but I’d still rattled off stats to support his request. The origins of their addictions were often different, even if some struggled with both in the end and the board seemed to understand Jace’s intention.
What I’d presented wasn’t even close to the final design, but they were happy with it as the launching-off point. Before the board meeting, Jace and I had noticed a few gaps that we’d need to work through. He thought he’d included all-gender bathrooms on his proposal request. He hadn’t. I was certain. So certain I’d insisted he pull up a copy of the proposal and show it to me. He’d pulled it up on his laptop, cursed, and then told me we’d have to make some changes.
It was going to require a decent change to the layout, given I now had to account for additional plumbing, but it could be done, and ifwe were doing that, I’d suggested we create private visitation rooms for families. All treatment centers handled visitation differently, but a lot of people in recovery didn’t want their families seeing much of the facility. It was easier to show them to a cozy visitation room, so they didn’t have to see too much of the harsh reality of the center.
After the meeting, each member of the board shook my hand as they exited the room but Sutton Harrison stopped in front of me on her way out.
“That was a great presentation,” she said, shaking my hand.
I glanced at Jace who’d remained in his seat, his posture stiffer than it had been at the start.Shit, he hates something, doesn’t he?
“Thank you,” I said, trying to focus on Sutton. “I’m really looking forward to our partnership.”
She gestured to Jace. “Jace can take it from here. Everyone is happy with the vision and initial design. Jace can approve any other changes and details. You won’t see me again, I’m sure, but I’m glad we’ve got you working on this.”
“Thank you, it was nice to meet you,” I said. She said goodbye to Jace who gave her a strained smile before turning toward me as she left the room.
“Aren’t you going to get up?” I asked.
“No,” he said curtly.
“Is something wrong? Did you hate it?”
“No, I loved it. You’re brilliant, aren’t you?”
I shrugged. “Brilliant is a relative term. If you liked it, then what’s the problem? Why are you still sitting there?”
Jace smiled tightly. “I’m just waiting. You can go ahead. Rita will see you out.”
