tside at her blank desk and waved at the copy machine repair man.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Nichols, but I have to go," Topher said, his face glowing with excitement. "Mr. Maxwell wants to run through the reports with me."
He rushed out without shutting the door. I let out a long, controlled breath and shut the door myself. It had probably all been a ploy, a showy little move that was supposed to prove to me that Rainer was taking his work seriously. I didn't buy it, and, based on the reports I was reading, I didn't have time to be impressed. GroGreen was getting national attention as a problem, it was being touted as the new monster threatening America's health, and I had to find a way to get out ahead of it.
Finally, I sat down and opened up the plan I had started.
My office door popped open before I heard the jaunty knock. Rainer stepped in and shut the door behind him. "Sorry to show up unannounced, but your assistant is truly useless. You'd be better off sharing Topher with me."
I fought the urge to throw a stapler at him. "It hasn't even been an hour. I really need to get some work done."
"We," Rainer said. "We really need to get some work done. That's why I sent your assistant to the Vista Cafe to get us some lunch. No telling what she'll bring back, but we'll survive."
I glared at him, but it had no effect. Rainer pulled one of the stiff-backed chairs closer to my desk and settled in. With a grin, he loosened his tie and popped open the first button of his crisp, white shirt.
"What are you doing?" I asked, dragging my eyes away from the tempting line of his jaw.
"Brainstorming. Remember? We need a plan to stop the nation from going all pitchforks and torches on our app."
"Our app?" I laced my fingers together and squeezed. Rainer lounged in the uncomfortable chair with no reports, no notes, not even a pen.
"Hey, did I hear that your sister planted those orange trees in the atrium? She must really have a green thumb," Rainer said.
I blinked, my fingers going lax. "My sister? Yes. She took on all the gardening after . . . Do you want to borrow a notepad? For your brainstorming?"
Rainer studied my face, saw the gaping hole in the conversation, and gave me a sympathetic pass. "Is your sister all corporate driven like you?"
I tossed a legal pad at Rainer harder than was necessary. "No. Barbie is not all 'corporate driven.' She couldn't ever stand desk jobs."
"What does she do now?" Rainer asked.
I started to glare at him but realized he was being sincere. He honestly wanted to know more about my family. Maybe it was how he skated by without doing much; everyone liked talking to him because he was genuinely interested.
"She's six-months pregnant, and the doctor has warned her repeatedly to take it easy," I said. "That's what she's doing now."
Rainer smiled and nodded. "Let me guess: she's not good at following doctor's orders."
"No," I said, refusing to enjoy the easy flow of our conversation.
"It's gotta feel good knowing you've got a niece or a nephew on the way. No wonder you're so focused on getting your big money all squared away."
"Speaking of that, we need to focus on work," I said. I closed down the document containing my plan and focused on Rainer. "Any ideas yet?"
Rainer leaned back in the stiff chair and stretched. "Well, I was thinking about how someone like your sister might use the app. We've got to show the nation the best aspects of it. Why not create a community garden? We could document the whole thing, show the app being used in the real world, and get people out there, literally on the ground."
I tore my gaze away from Rainer's flat stomach and felt the room reel. In one casual comment, he'd hit on the very idea that I had spent half the night forming. I thought about Topher as a spy, but dismissed it. My plan was no more than a few notes that no one but myself had seen. I had to admit that despite his reputation, Rainer had razor-sharp instincts.
"Come on, Tasha. Don't dismiss it just because I said it."
I took a deep breath. "I had the same exact idea. Here, let me show you the notes I've already started."
Rainer jumped up and leaned over my shoulder. I opened the document and tried not to notice how work was bringing us closer than ever.
Chapter Eight
Rainer
I woke up with a stiff neck and realized I was still on the couch. My cavernous living room was cold and still, the sunrise starting on the other side of the mansion. I had sat down late last night to watch the moon set beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, and never bothered to head upstairs to the master suite. Now, I heaved myself off the couch and stretched.