Risking the Vine (Romancing the Vine Book 1) (10 page)

Chapter 8

She was an idiot. Before jumping in the shower, Jac had checked her cellphone. Five missed calls, five voicemails, and ten frantic text messages from her coworkers. Damn Ted Fleury and his fucking ‘family first’ approach to doing business. Jac dropped the phone back onto the desk and made for the shower.

Hot water poured over her skin, washing away the last traces of white paint. She’d washed her hair twice, luxuriating in the smell of the pricey shampoo furnished with the room. As she worked up lather, it was easy for Jac to pretend it was Luke’s fingers massaging her scalp. Her breath shortened, and not just due to the humidity in the steamy shower.

After drying off, she wrapped the damp towel around her torso, tucking the end between her breasts. A plastic laundry sack dug out from under the sink made a perfect depository for her soggy coveralls and she stuffed the wet clothing inside, pulling the strings tightly shut. Waiting for the mirror to clear of steam, she spread her jeans, T-shirt, and underwear over the shower curtain rod.

Her lips tightened as she raked a brush through her snarled hair. No doubt, Ted’s new account services manager had already screwed something up with a client. Which explained Ted’s insistence that Jac return her ass to the office. Valerie’s cryptic text about all hell breaking loose had almost intrigued her enough to put off her shower and call the woman back. Time enough for that later.

Slapping the brush on the vanity with more force than necessary, the noise cracked against the mirror, echoing in the small bathroom. Dropping her towel, Jac pulled the courtesy robe from the back of the door and shrugged into the soft fleece.

Her phone rang as she stepped into the bedroom, cinching the belt around her waist. The sleeve flopped over her hand as she reached for the madly ringing iPhone.
Shit!
Ted again. Drawing a deep breath, she swiped the screen.

“Jacqui Bishop,” she answered in her most regal, professional voice.

“I expected a call back hours ago, Jacqui.” Ted’s tense, irritated voice boomed over the connection. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Hello, Ted.” She’d kill him with professionalism and common sense. “I’ve been away from my room all day, participating in the team building exercises. This morning the teams were assigned an art project. For the afternoon exercise we had to work together to paint part of the cask room within a certain time frame. Unfortunately, I had a little mishap—”

“Fine, fine, fine,” Ted interrupted. “You should’ve had your phone with you, in case I called.”

Jac modulated her voice, as if explaining to a child why he shouldn’t shove his freaking finger into an electric socket. “Ted, the rules of the exercises forbid carrying phones. Too much of a distraction, I guess.”

“I have to be able to reach you. We’ve run into a snafu and I need—”

Someone knocked on the door. “Hang on, Ted, someone’s at my door.”

Saved by the bell!

His exasperated rush of breath sounded close to a curse in her ear as she crossed the room. Served him right. He was about to tell her he needed her help. Too damn little, too damn late. He should have given more thought to promoting the uber-inept Deidre. Jac opened the door to Jules, carrying a tray loaded with goodies. She waved the woman in, following her to the dresser.

“Okay, Ted, you were saying . . .” Jac focused on the yummy items Jules unloaded from the tray. Tucking the phone against her ear, she picked up the open bottle of wine Jules had just set down.

“I was saying I need your help with a billing question. Corvallis Regional Medical Center is protesting certain charges on their most recent statement.”

“That’s Deidre’s account.” And Jac wasn’t interested in rescuing the woman after she’d already explained to her the hospital’s unique billing system. She plucked the crystal stem from Jules’ hand and splashed a good portion of wine into its generous bowl.

“Well,” Ted cleared his throat, “I’m not sure Deidre is . . .”

Capable? The right woman for the job? A complete waste of oxygen? Ire clogged her throat, threatening to choke her. She swallowed her anger with a sip of the tart, fresh white wine. Lemon exploded on her tongue, chased by notes of pineapple.

“I thought she had a good relationship with CRMC. I know I’ve explained their set-up to Deidre. She should be able to glance at their statement and figure out if something is wrong.” Jac took another long drink of the wine.

Jules rolled her eyes as she moved a tray of fruit, crackers, and cheese to the counter.

“I’m afraid this might be, er, beyond her capabilities.” Ted’s voice almost sounded contrite.

“So you need my help? To get your new manager out of the hot water she’s landed herself in?” The words, said aloud, tasted bitter on her tongue. She washed it away with more of Jules’ really excellent wine.

She could make him grovel and beg for help. She ought to. God knew she wanted to. This was one of those moments she hated her damned inclination to make the team better. She just might win the team building MVP award. If there was such a thing.

Ted cleared his throat again, as if asking for her assistance stuck in his craw. As it should. He’d screwed her out of the promotion she deserved and now what she’d feared had happened. He was going to use her talents to get him out of a jam with one of their largest accounts.

Jules spread a folded napkin next to the bottle of liquid happiness and set a chilled bucket on the cloth. After slipping the bottle into the bucket, she propped her hands on her hip. “Be strong,” she mouthed.

Jules’ encouragement brought a smile to Jac’s face and her voice when she spoke. “I don’t know, Ted. I’m learning so much here. I think I’ll be a better asset to the team if I continue this training and bring back what I know.” She popped a small piece of Swiss cheese into her mouth.

Jules shot her thumbs up and walked to the door. Pausing, she whispered, “Need anything else?”

Cupping a hand over the mouthpiece, Jac quipped, “A new job?” Ted’s voice continued to drone in her ear, something about being a team player, yada, yada, yada.

“Sorry, can’t help you there.” The frown eased on Jules’ face as she reached for the doorknob. “Later tonight, let’s sit down and talk farming.”

Jac smiled. At least this seemed a step, if somewhat scary, in the right direction. She tuned back into Ted’s annoying demands as the door closed behind Jules.

“I don’t see why it’s so important for you to stay. I need you here more. Corvallis is too big of a client to lose.”

“Ted, really, Deidre should be able to figure out the statement. Their multipliers on physical therapy bills are calculated differently than any other services. They’d specifically requested the lower rate. A manual adjustment is required to correct the bill before it goes out. Is it possible the correction didn’t happen? It would make a twenty thousand dollar difference in the total.”

Ted went silent as clacking sounded over the phone. Jac pictured his chubby fingers ruthlessly pounding the keys on the antique adding machine sitting on the corner of his desk. While waiting for the light bulb to skyrocket over his head, she poured more wine.

Glass in hand, she strolled to the window. She’d never get tired of this view. A soft breeze fluttered the curtains and kissed the skin revealed in the vee of her robe. The gentle gust evoked memories of Luke’s heated palm on her flesh. A delicious tingle coursed from her chest to the spot between her legs, pooling low and heavy there.

A triumphant “Ah ha!” pulled her back to the present.

“You’re right. That’s exactly what the problem was.” Ted’s delighted chortle grated her last nerve.

She wanted to make him say it again. Of course she was right, dammit! And he was going to screw his business at the same time he screwed her. The knuckles of one hand turned white on the delicate stem of crystal, and the hard plastic of her phone dug into the palm of her other.

So freaking through with this.

“Ted, we need to talk when I return. Which won’t be until next Monday. You’ve already paid for the course and the room, and Jules told me they have a strict no-refund policy, so I’m going to stay.”

“But . . . but what if we have more problems?” he sputtered.

“Deidre has to learn to handle them. I’ve shown her everything she needs to do
her
job correctly. She simply has to apply the information at hand. She’ll be fine.”

Ted snorted. Curious, it seemed he didn’t believe his niece would be okay any more than Jac did. “I want you to keep your phone with you, in case I need to reach you.”

“Against the rules, remember? I will promise to check in at lunch each day. It’s the best I can do. It was your idea to send me here, after all. Might as well learn everything they can teach me.”
My next employer is going to find the new skills quite valuable
.

“Fine. I’ll see you when you get back.”

Jac drained the last of her wine after she hung up. Once she collected a refill and grabbed an apple slice from the plate, she flounced onto the comfortable navy blue chair. Crossing her legs, she kicked her foot and contemplated the pale yellow liquid swirling in the glass, brooding about her future.

She’d made up her mind while talking to Ted. She’d leave MedServices. There was no backing away from that decision now.

Starting up an agricultural operation wouldn’t be cheap. She had some money saved, and if necessary, she could ask her parents for a loan. Until she got on her feet, she could freelance as an auditor for hospital patient billing departments. It wouldn’t be much, but it would at least buy groceries and pay the electric bills on Grandpa’s farmhouse.

Plus, she’d sell her townhome and use the proceeds from the sale as seed money. She certainly didn’t need a house in Medford if she lived in Eugene.

Jac glanced at the phone she’d tossed to the bed after her conversation with Ted had ended. She’d have to talk to her cousin, Rowena, about moving in. She doubted it would be a problem. Last time they’d talked, Ro had mentioned she wanted to live closer to town. A call to her could wait until this weekend.

Satisfaction seeped through Jac, or maybe this mellow feeling was due to the wine. She lifted the glass to her reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall. Her hair had begun to dry in soft waves. The white robe emphasized the pale peach tones in her skin, while the wine had brought a flush to her cheeks. Smiling, she downed another swig, this one in celebration of a decision made, instead of in frustration with the ineptitude wreaking havoc back at the office.

Digging the toes of one foot into the plush carpeting, she swung her other foot in the air as she burrowed into the comfy chair cushions. The sides of her robe slipped apart, revealing her thigh and baring more of her chest. She had a pretty pleasant buzz going right now, mentally and physically. As she licked drops of wine from her lips, someone knocked at the door.

Hoping it was Jules with more wine, she called out, “Come in.”

Luke walked into the room. Yep, the afternoon’s prospects were certainly getting better. He must have showered because his dark hair was damp and curling softly. A forest green button down shirt replaced the crisp white one he’d worn earlier. Cuffs rolled up to his elbows, the color transformed his eyes to a mesmerizing azure. Instead of jeans, he wore black trousers.

Letting his gaze rove over her body, a simmering grin spread across his face. “Looks like you managed to get all the paint out.”

“Yep.” She grinned and gestured to the dresser holding the snacks. “Help yourself to a glass of wine. Jules wasn’t kidding when she said it was special.”

Luke moved to the dresser and lifted the wine bottle. Only a small amount remained in the bottle, barely enough for a serving. “You didn’t leave me much.”

“Shame on me. Sorry, I didn’t realize I’d drank so much.” She mock-frowned, then giggled like a schoolgirl. Covering her mouth with her hand, she stifled another silly laugh. “Guess what? I’m quitting my job.”

“Decision made?” Luke pulled a bottle of water from the mini-fridge next to the dresser, twisting the cap off as he crossed to her.

“Yep. And it feels like a hundred-pound, no, a two-hundred-pound boulder has lifted from my chest.” She patted a hand to the skin bared by the gaping fabric, drawing his eye. Even slightly inebriated, Jac realized the emotion darkening his eyes was desire.

A quick glance down her torso confirmed her suspicion the robe revealed more than it hid. She tugged one side closer to the other, unsure why she felt suddenly shy. When he attempted to take the glass from her other hand, she jerked it away protectively. She held his eye as she drained the dregs, her lips curving as she handed him the now empty goblet.

Luke swapped her empty for the bottle of water he held. “You’re going to need this.”

“You take such good care of me.” She slurred slightly. “I was so angry about my boss’ phone call, I didn’t realize how much I was drinking.”

She tipped her head back and drank deeply of the cool, refreshing liquid, her eyes on Luke as the temperature of his regard heated. He smiled and her world reeled.

Twirling a finger, he gestured for her to continue drinking. She ran her tongue around dry lips, his lusty gaze tracking the motion, dipping to her chest, lowering to her exposed thigh. His bold perusal felt like a tender caress.

Jac gulped more water, hoping to cool the sudden burn in her belly. He was so sexy, standing there with hunger written all over his face. The late afternoon sunlight slipped in through the open window, bathing his features with an otherworldly glow. The ends of his long, curling eyelashes were tipped in gold, and the ring of white flecks surrounding his pupils gleamed in the bright light.

God, she had to kiss him. Had to feel his arms around her, his lips consuming her. She ached to plaster her body against the length of his incredibly muscular frame. Still clutching the water bottle, she rose. And wavered in place as the wine she’d consumed made an impact.