But just to be sure…
Yanking the door open, he barked out, “And tell them that we specifically want Leanna Baker to deliver it!”
Feeling satisfied, he stalked back over to his desk and sat down.
“There,” he murmured. “Now she’ll have to be here.” Knowing the client was ordering more so soon after this delivery and personally requesting her presence would almost guarantee that she’d come in person to thank him.
Only…she wouldn’t know it was him until she got there and he walked out to greet her.
It was the perfect plan.
Practically foolproof.
And he was feeling completely confident until the next day.
The delivery was scheduled for three o’clock and as he stood by his office window and looked down at the parking lot, he began to wonder if she was really going to show. Then he started playing out potential conversations and scenarios in his head.
“I’m losing my damn mind.” With a huff of disgust, he was about to turn away from the window when he spotted the van and it was ridiculous how relieved he felt.
And nervous.
God, when was the last time he’d felt nervous over seeing anyone? Even the biggest business negotiations didn’t rattle him. If anything, they invigorated him. He loved the challenge of walking into a meeting well-prepared and ready to prove his point. But right now, he felt wildly unprepared and hated how the ball was in Leanna’s court.
This time, he did move away from the window and forced himself to sit down and at least pretend to work. It would take several minutes for her to get everything inside and set up and he didn’t want to approach her until she was done. So he checked his emails, made a few notes on his calendar, and ultimately ended up playing a couple of hands of solitaire on his phone. When Margaret knocked on his door, Brody practically tripped trying to get out of his chair.
“Ms. Baker is almost done setting up,” she told him. “Should I send her in when everything is completed or will you be coming out to greet her?”
He had to hand it to her, she didn’t ask a lot of questions. She simply knew his goal was to talk to Leanna.
“Send her in please,” he replied. Originally he had thought he’d go out and surprise her in the conference room, but once Margaret mentioned sending Leanna into his office, it suddenly became a much more appealing option.
When Margaret walked away and closed the door, Brody quickly went back to his desk and sat down and did his best to look busy.
No need to appear too anxious when Leanna came in.
If she ever came in.
One minute turned to two. Then five. Glancing down at his watch, he saw almost ten minutes had passed and began to wonder if–somehow–his assistant hadn’t been able to get her to come in here.
“This is ridiculous,” he murmured, slamming his hands down on his desk. And just as he was about to stand, there was a soft knock at his door. Letting out a long breath, he said, “Come in!”
And there she was.
Her hair was in its usual messy bun and she was wearing a simple-yet-professional outfit consisting of black pants and a white blouse. It shouldn’t have made her look sexy and yet it did. She was thanking Margaret and still hadn’t noticed him so Brody simply took a moment to drink in the sight of her.
And prayed he wasn’t courting disaster.
The office door closed and she faced him and froze.
Slowly he came to his feet and smiled. “Leanna, it’s good to see you,” he said as he came around his desk.
Meanwhile, she hadn’t moved and looked more than a little distressed. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.
Not a good sign…
“How are you?” he asked softly as he cautiously approached her.
Leanna looked over her shoulder toward the door before looking back at him. “Um…what’s going on?” she finally asked.
“I would think it was obvious. I decided to treat my staff to some of your cupcakes.”
Her eyes narrowed. “So you ordered three hundred cupcakes over the course of two days because you’re a nice guy? Is that what you’re trying to say?”
“I’m not trying. That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Brody thought he sounded charming and sincere, but when Leanna let out a very loud snort of derision, he began to second-guess himself.
Again.
“Won’t you please have a seat?” Motioning to the sitting area on the side of his office, he smiled at her.
“I don’t really have time to stay. I have other appointments to get to.” Her posture and voice were both stiff and he cursed himself for not even considering that she might have other places to be.
“Just five minutes, Leanna. Please.” It felt like he was coaxing a scared animal and he felt completely out of his element more and more by the minute.
“Fine,” she murmured. “Five minutes.”
Nearly sagging with relief, he followed her over and waited until she was seated on the sofa before taking his own seat at the other end. “So, how are you?”
“Brody, I really don’t…”
“Okay, okay,” he said apologetically before meeting her gaze. “I wanted to talk to you but didn’t think you’d take my call.”
“You would be correct.”
Okay, wow. That was…blunt.
“Then I figured if I ordered some cakes from you that you would have to talk to me. I know it wasn’t the greatest way to go about doing it, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. When you left without saying goodbye, I had no idea why.”
When her eyes went wide and she seemed to sit up even straighter, he did not take it as a good sign.
“When I left without saying goodbye? Are you serious right now?”
The level of snark and sarcasm was enough to make him wary of saying anything. Fortunately, he didn’t have to because Leanna jumped to her feet and kept talking.
“You were the one who left without saying goodbye!” she snapped. “I woke up Sunday morning and you were gone! Then I proceeded to shower, pack, and get ready to leave and still there was no sign of you! You didn’t leave a note or anything! So if you think you’re going to pin this whole thing on me, you’ve got another thing coming, buddy!”
He had to bite his tongue to keep from grinning because listening to Leanna try to be forceful with him was almost comical.
But it did explain a lot.
“Oh, and for the record, I think it’s a big crock of poo that you ordered cupcakes for your staff out of the goodness of your heart. I heard the way you talked to your employee and it’s appalling!”
“Excuse me?” When had she been around him and an employee?
“I heard you on the phone Sunday morning,” she said, her nose wrinkled with disgust. “You were mean and hateful and…ugh! You’re the worst!”
So many things were beginning to make sense and unfortunately, none of them made him look good.
Or even remotely likable.
“May I say something?” he asked cautiously. She let out a huff of annoyance before she sat back down.
“Sure.”
“I think there’s been some misunderstanding.”
She snorted again, but he didn’t let it deter him.
“I did get up while you were sleeping, but it wasn’t because I wanted to.”