Now he discovered there was something cozy and intimate about sitting here while Dana bustled around, putting home-baked cookies on a plate and pouring coffee for the two of them. Another knot of tension eased.
She was dressed as she had been when he’d first seen her, in snug-fitting jeans and a sweater that skimmed past her slender hips. This one was as orange as those fake flowers in the living room and featured an abstract design in electric blue. It took everything in him to refrain from the impulse to trace the design from the V-neckline over the swell of her breasts and on to a waistline he was sure he could span with his hands. Instead he forced his gaze on, focusing finally on her feet. Despite the chill in the air, she was wearing only a pair of orange socks. There was something unexpectedly sexy about the sight.
Face it, he told himself. There was something just plain sexy about Dana. He’d fought it, but there was no denying he’d felt it each time he was around her. His body responded forcefully to the slightest touch, the most fleeting glance. Working with her would be sheer torture. The most exquisite sort of torture, but painful none the less.
“Thank you,” he said when she finally sat down opposite him. “I take it you’ve decided to declare a truce.”
“For the moment,” she acknowledged. “It’s your grandfather I should have yelled at.”
“I’ll give you the number,” he offered with a grin. “In fact, I’ll even dial it for you.”
“What are we going to do?”
After seeing the way she lived, how badly she needed the money, Jason knew he had no choice. He drew in a deep breath. “You’re going to take the job.”
Troubled eyes met his. “Are you sure? I know it’s not what you want.”
“I’m sure I’ll survive.”
“Could you manage to sound at least a little bit enthusiastic about it?”
“Don’t expect miracles overnight.”
She nodded, but she no longer met his gaze. “Okay, so where do we go from here?”
Jason followed her cue. “I suppose you should come by the plant. I think it would be helpful if you could see what we’re all about. It may give you some ideas. Then I’d like to go over the timetable I have in mind for the entire campaign, see if it works for you. I don’t want you to feel pressured to meet an unreasonable deadline just to prove yourself. Once we’re certain everything’s in place, then we’ll arrange a meeting with my father and grandfather.”
“I think the less I see of your grandfather the better.”
“You may have a point, but there’s no escaping it. Granddad likes to be involved in everything. His father founded Halloran Industries and handed it down to him. Of course, at the rate Granddad is going, my father and I won’t get our turns until sometime in the next century.”
“He doesn’t want to retire?”
“He tosses the idea around every once in a while, then some new project comes along and he can’t bring himself to let go.”
Jason couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice. He loved his grandfather dearly, but Brandon’s tight grip on the company’s entire operation was keeping both him and his father from any real sense of ownership. No wonder he was bored. He hadn’t made a significant decision since he’d joined the firm, at least not without his grandfather looking over his shoulder.
“When can you start?” he asked.
“It’ll be a couple of weeks before I can work full-time, but if you need me for something specific before that, I’ll try to work it out.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“I’ll be working.”
“Come over on your lunch hour. I’ll show you around. I’ll order in lunch.”
“It takes a half-hour each way on the bus. That hardly leaves time for lunch and a tour.”
“You don’t have a car?”
“No.”
“Then I’ll send one for you. Better yet, why don’t you let me finance one through our company credit union? You’ll need it if you’re going to be running back and forth between Halloran Industries and the Lansing offices. Or would you prefer to have me set up an office over at Halloran? I’m sure John would agree.”
Once Jason had accepted the fact that there was no way around working with Dana, he’d actually begun warming to the idea. If his grandfather was so enchanted with Dana, perhaps this was Jason’s opportunity to actually impress him with the marketing campaign he’d been trying to implement for months now.
However, Dana’s expression grew increasingly distressed as Jason’s whirlwind enthusiasm mounted. She held up a hand.
“Whoa! Wait a minute!”
“What?”
“I do not want a car of my own. I can’t afford it and you know how I feel about credit. As for any running back and forth, I’ll manage. I’ve been taking public transportation around Boston for years.” She ticked off the points on her fingers. “Finally if I am going to be working for the Lansing Agency then I should be based at the Lansing Agency. You’re just one account. John may have other work for me.”
“Not right away,” Jason argued. “I’ll need you full-time until we get this off the ground.”
“Then John can bill you for the travel time. I’m staying at the agency.”
Jason recognized the stubborn finality and decided it was time to slow down and stop pressuring her. He wasn’t entirely sure himself why his mood had shifted from reluctance to excitement. They could both use a little time to analyze this new relationship and all of its implications.
“We’ll try it your way,” he
