“Of course.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
As they resumed walking, past various pavilions, cowboy-themed gift shops and refreshment stands, she filled him in on Clark Ball, the employee in question.
“He deliberately defied his supervisor when he asked you for the time off,” Brodie said, wanting to make sure that he understood the situation correctly.
“That’s right.”
“Since he’s made a habit of leaving work early, has he been formally counseled about the unacceptable behavior?”
“Yes, his supervisor told me he wrote him up last week. In fact, there he is.” Caitlyn nodded toward a tall, thin guy who looked to be in his early twenties. He had his keys in his hand and his cell phone pressed against his ear.
“I’ll handle this, okay?”
He nodded, hanging back to watch her take care of the situation. As he watched her walk over to Ball, he couldn’t help but notice the way her sensible navy blue suit hugged her in all the right places. Just like the red dress that she’d worn to the wedding. Of course, her business suit was much more conservative, but still no less tempting. He pressed his lips together, as if doing that might extinguish the attraction simmering inside him. It was the same magnetic pull that had drawn him to her the night of the wedding. The same force that had drawn him away from the twin blondes he’d been talking to before he’d glimpsed her across the room and excused himself to meet her.
Of course, everything was different now. For the next month she would be his boss, for all intents and purposes. He’d advise her on how to pull the park together in every department from staffing and personnel issues to community relations.
He watched as she stood in front of Ball, who was still talking on the phone. When Caitlyn gestured that she needed to talk to Ball, the guy turned his back on her. Something that might’ve qualified as primal stirred inside him. That was no way to treat a lady. It was definitely no way to treat his superior. But Brodie swallowed the urge to step in and tell the guy to get off his phone and show her some respect.
Caitlyn was being entirely too nice. He made a mental note that they’d need to talk about that. She was probably good at her job; otherwise, Alden Moore wouldn’t have put her in charge while he was out. Despite the way she’d laid down the law with him a few moments ago, observing her now, he got a very strong sense that Caitlyn didn’t like being the bad guy—and that her employees knew it, too.
Finally, Caitlyn tapped Ball on the shoulder. He looked a little annoyed, but he put his hand over his phone and said, “Listen, I can’t talk to you now. I need to run. Remember, you told me I could leave. I’ll stop into the office tomorrow and chat. How’s that?”
“No, Clark, it’s not all right. I said you could leave if you had your supervisor’s permission.”
Clark gave an oh-well shrug. “I have to pick up my brother over in Lubbock in twenty minutes. I’ll be lucky to get there in half an hour. I still have to clock out and get to my car.”
“You haven’t clocked out and you’re on a personal call?” she asked.
“Yeah, so I’ll come in five minutes early tomorrow.” The guy rolled his eyes as he bent to place something in his toolbox.
“Clark, when you asked for the time off, you said you needed to take your wife to an appointment. Now you’re taking your brother somewhere.”
This time he ignored her as he turned to walk away.
“You don’t have my permission to leave,” Caitlyn called out after him.
“Sorry,” he called back, not even turning around. “I’ll make up the time. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
Brodie had let her have a go at it; clearly it was time to step in and help her.
“Mr. Ball,” he said. “I think what Ms. Moore is trying to say is if you leave, don’t come back. Because you will no longer have a job here.”
“How dare you put words in my mouth?” Caitlyn said through gritted teeth once they were out of earshot of Clark and others who might overhear.
“I’m sorry you took it that way,” Brodie said. But he didn’t look one bit sorry. “Obviously, your softer approach wasn’t getting through to him.”
“Excuse me? What exactly do you mean by softer approach?” The sun was high in the sky, and she felt heat prickle the back of her neck. “Just because I didn’t steamroll right over him doesn’t mean I wasn’t effectively handling the situation. You butted in.”
“The guy was walking out the door, and you were letting him.”
“I was handling it.” She purposely lowered her voice. “Look, we are not going to talk about this here. Meet me in my office.”
She turned and walked away without him, but he managed to catch up with her. They walked in stony silence as they made their way down Cowboy Country’s Main Street, past the Foaming Barrel Root Beer Stand and Gus’s General Store, to the rough-hewn wooden gate that separated the nineteenth-century cowboy town from the stark, modern Moore Entertainment executive offices.
Of course, after Brodie’s sudden-death ultimatum, Clark had sullenly taken himself back to the job site. Brodie should’ve stayed out of it and let her do her job, rather than jumping in with both feet and a sledgehammer. She hadn’t even had a chance to brief him on...anything. He didn’t know what was going on or that she was completely capable of turning that situation around. She would’ve helped Clark see the light. He would’ve done the right thing in the end. She had faith in him
Apparently, Hayes Consulting was good enough to inspire her father to contract them for a month...an entire month. However, the Brodie Hayes of Hayes Consulting was not Brodie the Brit.
Was this man really the same guy who’d swept her off her feet? Because aside from his good looks and that maddeningly delicious British accent, the guy who’d presented himself today didn’t resemble Brodie the Brit at all.
This guy...
Ugggh...
This guy was cocky and smug, not at all like anyone she’d allow to seduce her. She would never hire this guy, much less spend the better part of the night in a field, watching meteor showers and letting him put his hands all over her body...and putting her hands all over his.
The memory made her shudder...and, much to her dismay, not in a bad way. She needed to stop that right now.
She didn’t slant him a glance.
From a purely objective, woman’s point of view, Brodie Hayes was a handsome man, there was no debating that. But why did he have to be so disagreeable? He certainly seemed to take pleasure in pushing her buttons. Caitlyn knew his type: all flash and no substance.
A womanizer, no doubt.
But she couldn’t blame him for the Valentine’s Day love and dash. That was on her as much as it was on him.
* * *
Quickening her step as she approached the office, she reached out and opened the door herself, holding it for Brodie and gesturing for him to step inside first. She was no expert at office posturing and body language, but holding the door for him felt like she was putting herself back in the position of power.
Exactly where she needed to be now that everything had changed so drastically.
“Hello, Janie, we’re back,” she said. “Please hold calls. Oh, unless it’s about my father. We’re awaiting word on the latest round of tests.”
Of course, her mother would probably