Entangled To The CEO

Tasha’s [POV]

One of the teachers, a young woman with a long, silky ponytail, licked her lips as she watched Rainer lean down to check a row of seeds.

“I’d understand your annoyance if it was reversed,” Barbie said. I jumped at her sudden appearance next to me.

“What?”

“If your co-worker was just standing around ogling women. But, he looks pretty busy to me. So, why are you staring at him like that?” Barbie asked.

“Why are you here?” I asked my sister. She laughed, holding her pregnant stomach as it jiggled.

“I don’t know, but I’m glad I came. What is going on with you and him?” I clutched my clipboard and checked a row of calculations.

The seeds would take two to three weeks to sprout. That’s when I needed to schedule a professional photographer.

I needed someone who could capture Hyperion executives with their shirt sleeves rolled up.

Rainer’s bright smile as he answered the junior high kids’ sarcasm with easy retorts. He would look good, I mean, the garden would look great on our website.

“Hello, earth to little sis.” Barbie waved a hand in front of my eyes.

“You left me a cryptic message this morning. Remember? I came to see what was going on with you.”

“I was just a little distracted this morning. It was nothing. How are you? Have you painted the baby’s room yet?” I gave my sister a bright smile.

“Oh, no, you don’t. You’re telling me right now what is going on between you and your gorgeous co-worker.” Barbie crossed her arms and tried to look fierce, but a grin kept bursting through.

I swatted her arm. “Nothing. Nothing is going on. I’m pretty sure you’ll see him in the headlines soon hanging off the arm of some great socialite.”

“But before that, something happened between you two, didn’t it?” Barbie turned and stared at Rainer until I stepped in her way. Then she grinned at me.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“I can see it. If you’d stop frowning, I’d say you look good.” I tried not to look at Rainer, but he was staring over at us.

“You’re not seeing anything.” Barbie shrugged her shoulders and patted her belly.

“Fine. You two aren’t trading glances. You know what else I see?” I barely stifled a groan.

“Barbie, I don’t have time for this.”

“Make time,” my sister said.

“With him.” Her mischievous grin was gone, and there was a faraway look in her eyes. I turned to see what had my sister so captivated and I caught my breath.

6’3″, wide shoulders, gold-blond hair, and a bright, easy smile. He shut the door of his pickup truck and caught the eye of every woman in a 500-yard radius.

“Yeah,” I said.

“He’s my new guy. I mean, he’s the landscape architect who volunteered to help out.” My sister fell silent as he marched up to us with a shy nod.

“You must be Tasha Nichols. Wow. Ah, yeah, I’m Seth Lar son, the landscaper.” He had dark-brown eyes, chocolate brown.

I imagined him licking the dark chocolate with a spoon. Were we getting ice cream sundaes together?

“Sorry. Yes. I’m Tasha Nichols.” Barbie elbowed me. “And this is my older sister, Barbara.”

“Please, call me Barbie,” my sister said. Seth smiled at her round belly, took her hand, and kissed the back of it.

“You look beautiful today, Barbie.”

“Oh, that’ll get me through at least another month.” Barbie laughed.

She hugged her pregnant belly and stepped back.

“Why don’t I give you two a minute.” I flashed my sister a look and turned back. Seth was a step closer, his hand out to shake mine.

I put my hand in his and willed away a sudden dizziness.

When I saw Rainer stomping out of the garden plot while watching us, I swayed. Seth caught me.

“You all right?” he asked.

“Yes, sorry. Fine. Just a pebble under my shoe.” I straightened up and brandished my clipboard.

“Let me get you caught up.” I couldn’t stop talking, even after I saw Mr. Reynolds catch Rainer in a round of long-winded introductions.

Every time I glanced at Seth, all I saw was a patient smile. His warm, brown eyes watched me, charmed despite my over-explaining.

This couldn’t be happening. Was he flirting with me?

“This is a great operation, Tasha. Can I call you Tasha?” Seth tipped the clipboard down. My arms were like jelly.

Rainer was shooting us rapid-fire glances, but I couldn’t read his expression. “Yes, please. Call me Tasha,” I said.

“I’m sorry for running on and on. Did I miss anything?” Seth held up a hand.

“All I really need to know is what I can do for you. How can I help?” My jaw dropped over the overt invitation.

Seth’s arm was circling around my shoulder. I skittered back and thought I caught the curve of a grin on Rainer’s face.

“Ah, we really just want your opinion on the project. Feedback on the application. Maybe some suggestions for projects, DIY, for the students?” “Great,” Seth said.

“How about you show me around the garden plot, I’ll put together a few ideas, and then we can talk about them over dinner?” I almost laughed out loud. I’d been flirted with before and asked out before, but never so warmly or so quickly.

Half of me thought there was no such allure as an unavailable woman, but I couldn’t figure out why I was off the market. Barbie swooped in, taking delight in patting Seth’s muscular arm.

“Sorry to interrupt, honey. I have to cancel dinner tonight, Tasha. I’m so glad you have other plans. I feel just terrible.”

“Great. Then it’s a date?” Seth asked. Seth held his hand out to me, but Rainer stepped in and shook it.

“Rainer Maxwell, Tasha’s co-pilot on this project. And you are?”

Barbie threw me a horrified look, but the two men nodded and shook hands.

“You can call me Seth, Mr. Rainer. I’m the landscaper Ms. Nichols asked to consult on your project. By the way, I think this is so inspiring.” Seth turned back to me with another warm smile. Rainer cleared his throat.

“So, where would you like to start? Should I show you over to the garden plot or do you think you can find it from here?” Seth sized Rainer up and then glanced across the parking lot to the plot we had cleared.

“I think I can find my way.”

“I’ll go with you,” I said. Ignoring Barbie’s not-so-subtle cheerleading moves, I moved to stand next to Seth.

“My co-workers are all buying up new properties, and I’m thinking of joining the trend. Maybe you can give me some suggestions for fixing up my lot before I try to sell?”

It was a good thing Seth saw neither my sister’s face nor Rainer’s scowl.

We fell in step across the parking lot, but it was hard to concentrate on what the attractive landscaper was saying.

Rainer was following close behind, and my sister could not help but trail along out of curiosity. Seth noticed too, but it didn’t seem to bother him. A light breeze ruffled his hair, and his brown eyes crinkled at the corners.

“I’m not going to lie; I read up on your company. Congratulations on your recent windfall. Still, I hope you stick around the East Bay for a while longer.”

“Me too,” Barbie puffed. “Can you imagine our Tasha here in some big empty house? All white marble and modern lighting?” Rainer caught his shoe on the curb.

“What’s wrong with that?” “It’s wrong for my sister,” Barbie said. I glared at my sister behind Seth’s back.

“Rainer’s right. I’ve got to keep up with the execs.” Seth ignored the uneven terrain of the conversation, “Well, I’d be happy to swing by your place and give you a few suggestions. Still, you might find it’s nice to have an oasis away from work.”

“She could buy an oasis,” Rainer muttered. “Would that make all of you more comfortable?” I asked Rainer.

“Would you and Berger and the other boys be happier if I spent my money in the same ridiculous ways as you?”

“I see a good vantage point from over there,” Seth said. He skirted away from us and into the garden plot.

Barbie followed him but kept an uncomfortably keen eye on me.

“So, I bought a new house in a better neighborhood,” Rainer said.

“Is that really ridiculous?” I crossed my arms.

“No, and I’m sure you and your girlfriend are going to have a great time redecorating it. That doesn’t mean I have to go making the same split-second decisions about everything.”

Rainer moved in front of me and tipped my chin up with one finger.

“Ellison is not my girlfriend. She’s just an ex who stopped by. I’m not dating anyone woman exclusively.”

“Just eight or nine?” I bit my lip to keep more from coming out. Rainer ran a hand through his hair.

“Look, I know what you’ve seen at work, but I’m telling you the truth: it’s all a show. Sure, I like flirting and dating and being seen with beautiful women, and it doesn’t hurt the company’s publicity, but that doesn’t mean I’m a total jerk.”

“You just play one in real life?” I scrubbed a hand over my mouth.

“Hey, Seth, why don’t I show you our layout on the application?” Rainer spun away from me and headed into the garden plot.

It took longer than usual for my sister to sidle back over to me. She pressed one hand to her rounded belly and blew out a hot breath of air.

“How about you suggest a path in this garden? Maybe something nice and even, not too steep.”

“Very funny, Barbie.” I turned back to my car then realized the clipboard I hoped needed retrieving was still in my hand.

“Tasha, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on with you.” Barbie caught my hand and squeezed it. I ground my teeth but gave in.

“Let’s just say it’s ten times worse than the office holiday party.” My sister shook her head.

“This doesn’t seem so one-way to me. Didn’t you see that jealous face he pulled when you went to walk with Seth?” I snapped my pen lose from the clipboard and pretended I had something to write down.

“He’s just territorial. Like an ape.” Barbie smiled.

“Finding it hard to say nice things about him? Sure sign you’re feeling something for Rainer.” I couldn’t let my sister see she might be right, but there was nowhere for me to go.

Except over to where Rainer sat sizing up the landscaper. Rainer was waving his phone around and showing off the GroGreen application with great enthusiasm.

Seth was studying the garden, a Zen-like smile on his tanned face.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Barbie said as she heaved herself up the small hill to stand next to me.

“Oh, yes, Barbie suggested a garden path. Something nice and even,” I said. Both men smiled and nodded, but all I saw were Rainer’s fierce eyebrows.

Even as he smiled, they were drawing tighter together. Our conversation was clearly not over, but I had no idea why he was so set on convincing me Ellison wasn’t his girlfriend. Why would that matter to me?

“No, actually, I was thinking you should try that great little hotel in Tasha’s town. You know, when you go on your date. Do a pregnant mama a favor and try one of those Cuban sidecar cocktails,” Barbie said.

So, that’s what jealous looks like, I thought as Rainer’s frown deepened.

He suddenly noticed a text message and got out of the garden plot as if the hillside was on fire.

The only problem was, I watched him go before remembering Seth was still there and smiling at me.