wriggled against him. “I never get to see you,” I murmured against his chest. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too, honey,” he said. “And I promise it won’t be like this forever. It’s just that dad is cutting back and someone has to step in and guarantee a smooth transition.”
“And your brothers? Aren’t they pitching in?”
“Yes they are,” he said. “But we are a pretty big business, and we’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to deal with things going forward.”
“I’m fine, really,” I said, suddenly feeling remorseful for laying my petty concerns on him. “You’ve got so much on your plate already. You don’t need a little whiner like me messing up your mojo.”
“You’re not whining,” he said. “In fact, I think you’re about the only person I know who never whines.”
“That’s probably because you don’t know me all that well,” I said.
“I beg to differ. For one thing, I think you would make a great CEO.”
I laughed. “And you would make a great stand-up comedian. Me? A CEO?”
“Yes, you,” he said, and his eyes suddenly grew serious. “Look, I’ll be gone a lot these coming weeks, and you’ve practically been running Hearts & Flowers all by yourself anyway. So why not formalize things?”
“Formalize?” I said, wondering what the hell he was talking about.
“From now on, you’re my CEO. You’re in charge here and you report to me. What do you think?”
I raked my fingers through his hair, a look of concern on my face, as I made a production of checking his skull.
“What are you doing?” he said, laughing.
“Just checking for head injuries,” I said. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?
He grabbed my hands in his and fixed me with shiny eyes. “I’m not crazy! You’d make a great business leader. For one thing, you know all there is to know about the flower business. And for another, people adore you. The customers, the employees… You’re a natural at this, Erin. Trust me.”
I grimaced. “I don’t know, Rem. It’s one thing to be the boss’s sock puppet. It’s quite another to actually be in charge. Do you really think I can do this?”
“You have been doing this, silly! I spend less and less time here and business is improving hand over fist. Who’s responsible, do you think? The absentee owner, or his brilliant second-in-command?”
“Duh. The absentee owner, of course,” I said. “If it weren’t for your invaluable leadership, I would never have been able to get this far.”
“Well, if that’s your only concern: I promise you will always have my ‘invaluable leadership’ at your disposal. I’m only a phone call away. Now are you gonna fight me on this? Or do you trust my judgment?”
I sighed deeply. “You’re the boss.”
He kissed me and I swooned. “No, you’re the boss,” he said when his lips released mine.
“Well, if you put it like that,” I sighed, and completely forgot what we were talking about when our lips locked once again, deeper this time, hungrier.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered against my mouth.
“Prove it,” I breathed.
He grinned and his eyes traveled to the door.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Nobody’s around.”
“Who do you call nobody?” a familiar voice sounded from the doorway.
Remington and I quickly extricated ourselves from our embrace.
“Don’t stop on my account,” Tamara said as she stepped into my office.
Her eyes shone gaily as she took in our scuffling act.
“Hey, hon,” I said, straightening my skirt. “We were just having a, erm, business meeting.”
“Sure you were,” she said, her eyes taking in Remington.
“This is my friend Tamara,” I introduced her. “This is Remington Carswell. Your boss.”
“Hi, boss,” said Tamara, not the least bit perturbed.
“Hi, Tamara,” said Remington, crossing over to her with outstretched hand. “I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I know you already.”
“Ditto, Mr.
“I miss you too, honey,” he said. “And I promise it won’t be like this forever. It’s just that dad is cutting back and someone has to step in and guarantee a smooth transition.”
“And your brothers? Aren’t they pitching in?”
“Yes they are,” he said. “But we are a pretty big business, and we’re still trying to figure out how we’re going to deal with things going forward.”
“I’m fine, really,” I said, suddenly feeling remorseful for laying my petty concerns on him. “You’ve got so much on your plate already. You don’t need a little whiner like me messing up your mojo.”
“You’re not whining,” he said. “In fact, I think you’re about the only person I know who never whines.”
“That’s probably because you don’t know me all that well,” I said.
“I beg to differ. For one thing, I think you would make a great CEO.”
I laughed. “And you would make a great stand-up comedian. Me? A CEO?”
“Yes, you,” he said, and his eyes suddenly grew serious. “Look, I’ll be gone a lot these coming weeks, and you’ve practically been running Hearts & Flowers all by yourself anyway. So why not formalize things?”
“Formalize?” I said, wondering what the hell he was talking about.
“From now on, you’re my CEO. You’re in charge here and you report to me. What do you think?”
I raked my fingers through his hair, a look of concern on my face, as I made a production of checking his skull.
“What are you doing?” he said, laughing.
“Just checking for head injuries,” I said. “Are you sure you didn’t hit your head?
He grabbed my hands in his and fixed me with shiny eyes. “I’m not crazy! You’d make a great business leader. For one thing, you know all there is to know about the flower business. And for another, people adore you. The customers, the employees… You’re a natural at this, Erin. Trust me.”
I grimaced. “I don’t know, Rem. It’s one thing to be the boss’s sock puppet. It’s quite another to actually be in charge. Do you really think I can do this?”
“You have been doing this, silly! I spend less and less time here and business is improving hand over fist. Who’s responsible, do you think? The absentee owner, or his brilliant second-in-command?”
“Duh. The absentee owner, of course,” I said. “If it weren’t for your invaluable leadership, I would never have been able to get this far.”
“Well, if that’s your only concern: I promise you will always have my ‘invaluable leadership’ at your disposal. I’m only a phone call away. Now are you gonna fight me on this? Or do you trust my judgment?”
I sighed deeply. “You’re the boss.”
He kissed me and I swooned. “No, you’re the boss,” he said when his lips released mine.
“Well, if you put it like that,” I sighed, and completely forgot what we were talking about when our lips locked once again, deeper this time, hungrier.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered against my mouth.
“Prove it,” I breathed.
He grinned and his eyes traveled to the door.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “Nobody’s around.”
“Who do you call nobody?” a familiar voice sounded from the doorway.
Remington and I quickly extricated ourselves from our embrace.
“Don’t stop on my account,” Tamara said as she stepped into my office.
Her eyes shone gaily as she took in our scuffling act.
“Hey, hon,” I said, straightening my skirt. “We were just having a, erm, business meeting.”
“Sure you were,” she said, her eyes taking in Remington.
“This is my friend Tamara,” I introduced her. “This is Remington Carswell. Your boss.”
“Hi, boss,” said Tamara, not the least bit perturbed.
“Hi, Tamara,” said Remington, crossing over to her with outstretched hand. “I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I know you already.”
“Ditto, Mr.
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