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Chelsea laughed. “I’ll be sure to put it in the diary.” She smiled at Grant. “You really do need to spend time with our custodian to understand how things work around here.”
He smiled at her through pursed lips, and she smiled sweetly back at him.
~ ~ ~
After the usual morning catch-up, everyone went about their business. Chelsea took Grant to her office and took a seat, gesturing for him to do the same.
“I’m impressed with your Spanish.”
“Thank you. I see it as a necessity. I think teams need a foundation of good communication, and that can’t happen if you can’t even talk to each other.”
Grant nodded, looking thoughtful.
“You don’t agree?” He was probably like most of the guys in the industry who saw the workers as a resource, not as people.
He held her gaze for a moment, looking deep into her eyes. Why, oh why did her body have to react to him? Her nipples hardened, and memories of their naked bodies moving together flashed before her eyes. He smiled, and butterflies swirled in her tummy. “I do agree.”
She struggled to remember what they’d been talking about.
“Teams need to be able to communicate, and most leaders don’t make the effort to make themselves understood—and I’m not just talking about learning another language.”
She relaxed a little. She had to stop being so defensive, and more than that, she had to stop being attracted to him—somehow.
“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page. So, down to business. My plan for the day is to give you a tour of the place this morning, then after lunch, we should make a plan for how you’re going to spend your time. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great to me. It’s exactly what I was hoping we’d do.”
“Good. Let’s get out there then. We should start in the vineyards.” She got to her feet and made her way to the door. When she reached it, she turned around to speak, but he was right there. He was so close she could feel the heat of him. That heat spread to her cheeks as she looked up into his eyes.
“Sorry.” He held his hands up. “I didn’t mean to crowd you. You stopped so suddenly.”
She nodded. She didn’t think she’d be able to speak, even if she did know what to say. He stared down into her eyes for a long moment, and all she could do was stare back. She really shouldn’t be remembering looking up into his eyes as he’d thrust his hard cock inside her, but she was—and the memory was doing funny things to her insides. All the muscles in her belly and lower tightened, even as she tried to get control of herself.
He brought his hands down and rested them on her shoulders, and she stepped closer. “Chelsea, I …” He lowered his head, and she tilted hers back, no longer in control of anything, simply longing to feel his lips on hers again.
“Chelsea?” The sound of her name being called brought her back to her senses in a hurry. She sprang away from him, and he did the same.
There was a tap on the office door, and then it opened. “Oh, you are in here. I wanted to … Oh, sorry.” Gene smiled at Grant apologetically. “I didn’t realize you had company; I’ll catch you later.”
“No, we were just finishing up here.” Chelsea smiled at the older man. “I’d like you to meet Grant Dawson. Father brought him in to help us turn this place around.”
Gene eyed Grant warily but held his hand out with a smile. “Nice to meet you. I’m Gene.”
Chelsea watched as the two men shook hands. She loved Gene. He’d been her savior time and again over the years, and this time, he’d saved her from herself. What had she been thinking? She obviously hadn’t been thinking at all. Her brain had gone into hibernation while her baser instincts had taken over. She couldn’t allow herself to slip like that again.
“What did you need, Gene?”
“I’m fine. I don’t need anything, I just wanted to let you know that I’m all done going through the accounts.”
Grant raised an eyebrow, and she smiled at him. This could be a good opportunity to get rid of him for a while. “Contrary to what my father may have told you, I am aware that I need to run a tighter ship. I’d asked Gene to help me figure out how.”
“Are you the bookkeeper?” asked Grant.
Gene laughed. “No. I don’t even work here. I’m the pilot.” His smile faded. “Or at least, I was the pilot for Hamilton-Groves.”
Chelsea hated to see him look so sad. “Gene had a heart attack, and he has to wait until he’s passed his new medical exam before he can fly again. In the meantime, he’s been helping me out with Zosca.”
Gene smiled at Grant. “I’ve been flying for the Hamiltons for over thirty years. I’ve learned a thing or two about the business in that time.”
