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The conference room door clicked shut and Josh waited for his father to look up. He didn’t. He just sat there and took notes while Josh felt himself getting more and more pissed off.
“So,” Dad finally said. “What the fuck was that all about?”
“Excuse me?” Josh asked. He knew his father was pissed and that was too bad. “You mean how I possibly saved the firm millions?”
“Don’t exaggerate. You came in here, panicked some people and delayed this project, which will cost us. What the hell were you thinking?”
Josh sat back and pushed the folder with the site analysis toward his father. “This is only a soil sample. What if something is buried on the site?”
“What? Do you think this could be placed on the EPA Superfund list?”
“It could be, but we won’t know what we’re dealing with until those additional tests are done.”
“So, you nail some girl engineer and...” Will leaned forward, incredulous. “Did you seriously do an engineer? Are you fucking desperate?”
Deep in the pit of Josh’s stomach, rage bubbled up. Rage that he had never felt before. It was protective, it was possessive, and his instinct to react on Caroline’s behalf almost overcame his reason. Jesus. He couldn’t beat his own father to a pulp, right?
He had to leave. He had to leave before his father said something else and Josh couldn’t be held responsible for what he did.Holy shit. When did he get this way?Taking a deep breath, he placed his hands palms down on the table before he leaned in. “I’m going to call the engineering firm and get a meeting with the project director who let this shit slip through the cracks. Then I’m going to get the tests scheduled.”
“You’re wasting time.”
“Maybe, but we will be thorough. You’re leaving for Australia in a few days, so let me handle it.”
“I don’t like being countermanded. You should have come to me first, not the girl you screwed.”
He had to get this conversation back to what mattered, the timing and the sale, before he flattened the old man. “If I’d done that, you’d have found a way to get around me. This is too important.”
“Because the girl you’re sleeping with says so.”
Josh straightened and tried not to tip his hand. If his father sensed even a little weakness he’d use that to his advantage. No matter how bad he wanted to kick the crap out of him, Josh had to walk away. “Have a good trip, Dad.”
He was out. Once he got back into the hall and was a safe distance from the conference room, Josh leaned against the wall and exhaled.Holy hell.His heart was pounding, and heat was ricocheting around his body. He’d gotten the better of his old man, for now, and his first thought after realizing he’d taken control of this project was that he wanted to see Caroline. He wanted to hold her and this need to protect her was overwhelming him. Jesus, he had to get his shit together.
It was crazy.
Completely crazy.
8
Josh’s car arrived at the building housing Roberts and Michaels Engineers, Architects and Planners. The firm was large, with offices all over the country, but even though it had international reach, it specialized in local projects.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t his experience. The more he researched the kinds of land assessments that were supposed to be done, the more he realized the firm wasn’t doing their job. What he wanted to know was why? He knew his dad was pushing for quick completion of the site survey, so just like he’d planned, Josh waited to schedule the meeting until his father was out of the country and pretty much unreachable.
He hadn’t seen Caroline for a few days, not since she stormed out of her sister’s house last Sunday. He’d thought about calling or stopping over, or maybe checking out a restaurant in her neighborhood, hoping he’d see her.
It wouldn’t be hard to run into her, but one wrong move and he’d be on the receiving end of a restraining order and a sordid headline in the Post. He was totally out of his element. Unlike other women he’d been with, Caroline stayed on his mind.
All the damn time.
His reaction to his father’s jabs the other day confirmed that there was nothing about their relationship that would fit into his normal pattern, and that had him more spooked than anything. Entering the elevator, he pressed the button for the twenty-ninth floor, and the first thing he wondered was if he would see her. If he could persuade her to go to lunch with him. That would be safe. Controlled.
Then he thought about touching her. Would he be able to touch her? The feel of her was embedded in his brain. He was addicted.
God, he was a fucking mess.
He didn’t even know who to talk to about it. His best friend was Caroline’s brother, Kevin, and he was flying into town in a couple of weeks. But Kevin would probably kill him, so talking to him was out. He couldn’t talk to Jason because he would tell Meg, and she would definitely kill him.
No, Josh was on his own with this. The elevator opened and he stepped into the reception area. It reflected the firm... old and venerable... Josh could see why his father would gravitate toward these people. The walls were covered floor to ceiling with dark wood, the furnishings were large and luxurious and the woman at the desk looked pinched and formal. Great.
