Jennifer Greene - Can’t Say No

“Your dad called me yesterday, and when I heard you had your speech back, I just couldn’t resist coming! I knew you never meant to resign, Bree. You weren’t yourself, and I was just so glad that things have turned out all right for you again.” She nodded with a special smile for Hart. “I was just telling this neighbor of yours that I’d planned to take you out to dinner, so we could talk. I can’t stay-my return flight’s at midnight, and Hart says he knows this little restaurant-”

“Fine.” Bree smiled brilliantly. The sensations were all familiar, being squeezed into Marie’s self-imposed schedules.

“I was just telling him that you’re the best systems analyst in the business. And that I had to be half to blame for your taking off to this godforsaken place. You were working too hard, Bree, and I’m totally responsible for giving you a workload the size of a mountain…” Marie, turning, slipped on the wooden step.

Hart grabbed her arm. Bree’s eyes were fixed on Hart’s long brown fingers clutching Marie’s white sleeve, on the fluttering smile Marie cocked up at him, on the closeness of their two bodies and the late-afternoon sun pouring down on them. “It’s a little rustic for me around here,” Marie admitted with a little laugh to Hart. “I have to admit that I’m strictly an indoor-sports enthusiast.”

Ah, yes, Bree thought bleakly, feeling like a reluctant third as they headed for Hart’s rented Lexus. It hadn’t taken long for Marie to fall. Around Hart, it wouldn’t take any woman long to fall.

And Hart wasn’t fighting it very hard, if he’d already decided on a restaurant, if they were already on a comfortable first-name basis, if they’d been laughing like old friends after only a few minutes’ acquaintance.

“The steaks will wait for another night,” Hart murmured as he handed Bree into the car. She glanced up once at him, to glimpse a cool, unfathomable expression in his eyes that she’d never seen before. “Systems analyst, is it?” he muttered. “I’m just beginning to realize what else you were stingy about telling me. You had quite a boss, didn’t you, Bree?”

Bree ducked her head, feeling miserable. He didn’t have to say it.

“…but I wouldn’t miss this evening for the world. Get in, talkative Charlie. Let’s find out what else you haven’t told me.” The car door shut resoundingly in her ear.

Bree turned to Marie with a smile that was beginning to feel glued on. Hart was irritated with her-she didn’t have the least idea why. Marie was clearly unworried by Bree’s presence as a third party. Bree understood very clearly why-she had never been competition for Marie.

A trip to the Yukon seemed preferable to the evening ahead. Heck, Bree thought wildly, why get picky? She’d settle for Antarctica.

“I started Contec on a shoestring about five years ago. There was just myself, Bree and Allen Spencer-but we got rid of Allen within two months, didn’t we, Bree?” Marie’s eyes flickered briefly on Bree before zooming instantly back to Hart. “Dead weight, that man. Bree could pick up a new system ten times faster than he could. But it wasn’t just that. When a company calls with trouble, you have to send someone who can understand not only their computer system but their specific problems as well, whether it’s a manufacturing difficulty or an unreliable accounting organization-”

“I’m afraid you’re going too fast,” Hart interrupted, leaning back against the red leather booth with a smile. “Computers are half Greek to me. From what you’re saying, can I assume that a systems analyst is a kind of troubleshooter?”

“Exactly-at least in our approach. Contec sells expertise in technology, not the equipment itself. You’d be surprised how many companies invest thousands of dollars in computers and then can’t make the system work for them.”

“So Bree goes in…”

“And educates. Or trains. Or revamps their system. Or custom-programs…”

A black-suited waiter brought a second bottle of wine. Bree tuned the conversation out and tipped the newly filled glass to her lips, delighted with the way the wine slid smoothly down her throat. Amazing, how suddenly fascinated Hart was by the subject of computers. And Marie had been delighted to educate him all through dinner.

Marie gave another scintillating, high-pitched laugh, and Bree downed the rest of her wine. To be honest-though she really had no interest in honesty at the moment-she hadn’t been ignored. Hart had turned to glare at her about every minute and a half, and Marie had waxed poetic on the subject of Bree’s ability on the job. Bree knew Marie was trying to seduce her back to work. Why Hart was so irritated she had no idea, except that he was probably astounded she would leave such a charming and attractive employer and such a “plush” job. Marie was good at making long hours and tedium sound delightful.

Bree had been too busy during dinner to join in the conversation anyway. After the second glass of wine, she’d been simply fascinated watching Marie bounce back and forth from manipulative boss to a lady who helplessly batted her eyelashes. It was really an interesting phenomenon; all Hart had to do was breathe and Marie’s laughter trilled out like a chorus of “Take Me.”

Come on, Bree, you knew he was the kind to attract women, in the plural. She reached for the bottle of wine and found Hart had unobtrusively shifted it to the opposite side of the table. The cup of coffee that had just miraculously appeared in front of her was a poor substitute, but it gave her something to do with her hands, stirring black swirls into black swirls.

“So your company is based on field work, with a willingness to show up day or night no matter what the problem is…” Hart continued.

“Exactly.” Marie nodded her head prettily, her dancing eyes never leaving Hart’s face. “Bree can tell you how often she’s been called in the middle of the night by a manager who supervises a night shift…” She shrugged. “When they need their payroll ready by seven in the morning, someone has to be there to make sure it gets done. That’s been our reputation from the beginning-to be there when called, day or night. Actually, Bree sometimes worked forty-eight hours at a stretch-”

“Forty-eight hours at a stretch,” Hart echoed flatly.

Bree caught the little darts Hart’s eyes sent her again. She sent him back a brilliant smile, just for kicks, and reached for her coffee.

“You have to be willing to stay on the job until the problem’s solved. That’s partly why Bree’s so fantastic. My dependable Bree,” Marie said affectionately. “Of course, we’ve expanded since those early beginnings-I have five more people on my staff now. Bree trained them all, and I can remember last January when we had two out with flu. I told Bree I didn’t see how we could possibly manage, but of course-”

“She managed very well,” Hart finished smoothly.

“I can always count on Bree. I swear, I’d have to have two more people without her.” Marie smiled, flashing her eyes up at Hart as he leaned over to refill her wineglass again.

Hart smiled back, very lazily. “But I’m sure you share some of the workload in the field yourself, Marie.”

Marie chuckled. “I hate to admit this,” she whispered conspiratorially, “but I’d be totally lost in the field. Bree does that kind of work better than anyone. My job is to sell the services we have to offer, but if I had to deliver the real nuts and bolts, I’m afraid I’d be a total failure.”

Marie clearly expected Hart to empathize with her, but Hart, at just that instant, dropped his smile. “I would say you were a natural success,” Hart said icily, “at selling Bree . ”