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She jerked her hand away, probably itching to use it against him with the waves of anger he felt rolling off her.
Pugly growled at her feet. So much for gratefulness for saving his life, but he admired the little guy's spunk as much as he did his dog sitter’s.
He put a little distance between them, more for himself than anything else. He was dangerously close to grabbing her, kissing the hell out of those beautiful, soft lips of hers and throwing her on the desk to see if her body remembered his touch. “Genevieve, maybe we can talk about this later. I’m in the middle of a meeting.” He gave a chin nod to the board who sat quietly watching them through the video call.
The sun crept higher in the sky and from its current perch just past high noon, a wash of warmth flooded the room with sunshine. Light caught on a few auburn streaks in her dark hair. He reached out and tucked a few wayward strands behind her ear.
“Dinner later, remember. In fact, I didn’t think I’d see you until then.”
“Surprise!” She smiled but the gesture didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “Yes, later. I’ll meet you at the bistro. Eight o’clock. Not seven.”
He nodded as his secretary showed Genevieve out, Pugly in tow. He wasn’t sure what just happened and from the looks on the faces of his board members, they weren’t either. But he couldn’t wait to find out later that night.
He smiled and turned back to the gentlemen waiting. Hands shoved into his pockets, all he could do was offer a half-apologetic shrug. Half, only because he wasn’t all that sorry for the interruption—only that there were witnesses. “Well then, it looks like we had our arses handed to us, gentlemen.”
An aged, roughened laugh caught his attention. “You better watch yourself, son,” came the eldest member of the board with a fond chuckle. White hair and beard marked the man with wisdom and the words he shared next followed what Whiskey already knew.
“Be careful with that one. My wife was a spitfire like your girl, there, and take it from someone who has lived it. That woman aims to win the war she just waged.”
“You better hope not. It could mean millions if we’re not careful.”
“Money is not everything, boy,” came the old-timer. The only one from the onlooking group, aside from himself, that didn’t let money rule his decisions.
Whiskey enjoyed a good challenge and something told him Genevieve would make him fight for this every step of the way. “Maybe you’re right.”
Whiskey nodded as he watched the beautiful creature cross the street from three floors above Main Street. “I think you’re absolutely right.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Genevieve mentally pulled up her checklist. Step one accomplished. She had a visual layout of the entire setup in the boardroom of Town Hall serving as Whiskey’s private office. Now for step two and the trickiest portion of her plan. Getting Whiskey out of there long enough for her to steal the plans and all the backups. That should delay him long enough for her to get more people on board to save her parent’s building.
She palmed her phone and hit number two on fast dial.
“Are you free tonight? I need your help with a little clandestine work.”
“You had me at clandestine. You at the shop?”
“Yeah, got in early this morning. You won’t believe who I’ve been tied up with all morning.”
“Oh! I like where this is going! I have a notion, but please do tell and don’t leave out a single, filthy detail.”
Genevieve chuckled. “Stacey Banners. You always were one for gossip. I’ll do you one better. Meet me at the shop in five and I’ll fill you in on everything.”
“I don’t like to gossip, but it sure the hell is entertaining. Hey, do I bring backup?”
Genevieve rolled her eyes with a half laugh, half groan. If her mom caught wind of what she had planned… nah. Scratch that, Genevieve corrected herself. The matriarch of the Summers’ family, aka the town’s social guru who didn’t know a stranger, would back her up and provide bail and an after party.
“Who do you have in mind?”
“You’ll never guess. I’ll grab the wine too.”
“Nah, make it some tequila. This is going to take something way stronger.”
Genevieve marched across the street, Pugly in one hand and her phone in the other. She ended the call with her best friend from high school. All it took was a phone call and they always had each other’s back. Every third Friday of the month they did a gossip party over Skype. Distance didn’t faze their friendship at all.
She tipped her face skyward and let the warmth of the sun fill her. Good thing because she needed it. Whiskey’s voice followed her the two blocks back to Blossom’s.
He’d been dead wrong on so many accounts but one. Getting the town to recognize the building as a historical site would take forever. She could do it, but the luxury of time was not on her side. However, what she did have was influence and the power of her words.
