Page 16 of About that Fling (The Can’t Have Hearts Club #2)
He nodded, trying not to read too much into Jenna’s fondness for keeping things tidy and hidden. He heard his ex-wife laugh across the room, and he forced himself to turn to her with the same impassive expression he’d given everyone else.
“In my house, we count our blessings if the toilet paper makes it onto the dispenser at all,” Mia said. “Preteen girls don’t always have the best recall when it comes to household chores. Honestly, do they think there’s a magical fountain of toilet paper that just appears on the roll?”
“I hear you, sister,” called a woman Adam recognized as a physician who’d been asked to join the bargaining team on the medical side. “Try living with three teenage boys.”
There were some titters of agreement from other parents in the room, and Adam nodded along with them.
He’d forgotten Mark had a daughter from a previous marriage, which would make Mia a stepmother now.
The uncharitable side of his brain flashed on an image of the wicked stepmother from Cinderella, but most of him hoped the kid was doing okay. That Mia was doing okay.
A movement on the “under” side of the room caught his eye as the chief clinical officer stood and made his way to the other camp. Adam watched him go, pleased at the unexpected acknowledgment of the validity of arguments from the opposite side.
“Changing your mind about your preferences, Doug?” Adam called. “That’s not an uncommon response to hearing the thought processes from the other side of an issue, no matter how small it may seem. Great to see you illustrating that so clearly.”
“Nah, I misunderstood the question when you asked.” He flashed a sheepish grin and tugged his necktie as he took a spot on the “over” side of the room. “Thought you were talking about wiping methods, not how the roll should spin.”
A few people snort-laughed at that, and Adam saw Jenna cover her mouth to hide a smile. Adam grinned and gave the CCO a mock salute. “Doug, in three years of doing this exercise, I can’t say I’ve ever had someone say that.”
“I fancy myself a trendsetter,” the man said, grinning back as he tugged off his tie. Another good sign, Adam thought, glancing around the room again to see a number of others loosening up.
“We can always use more outside-the-box thinkers when it comes to negotiations,” Adam agreed.
He cleared his throat and went back to addressing the whole room. “Okay, so obviously everyone has reasons for feeling the way they do about toilet paper distribution. Can we all agree on that?”
There were a few nods around the room. A board member whose name slipped Adam’s memory raised her hand a little timidly. “I never really thought about why I did it that way. I just always have.”
“I might have to try that trick going under.” Adam turned to see Susan Schrader looking at the other side of the room with an odd mix of surprise and respect. “My cat does the same thing with the toilet paper.”
“Works great,” the CFO said, looking a whole lot friendlier than he’d been ten minutes ago. “We also got one of those scratching posts to put in the corner of the bathroom and that seems to help.”
“I’ll give that a try. Thanks for the tip.”
Adam smiled, always pleased when someone created the perfect segue.
“That’s the way it is with a lot of opinions we hold,” he said.
“Sometimes there’s a lot of thought and research that goes into them, and sometimes it’s just the way we’ve always done things.
Either way, we all have valid reasons for making the choices we make. ”
He picked up the glass of water he’d nabbed at the start of the session and took a drink, holding the pause until he set the glass down again. “As I’m sure you’ve guessed, this isn’t just about toilet paper.”
A few folks nodded, several looking decidedly less bored or hostile than they had at the start of the session.
“What I’m hoping right now is that you’re all taking a moment to reflect on the idea that each person in this room has a valid reason for wanting things the way he or she wants them,” Adam said, letting his gaze travel from one team member to the next as he held eye contact for at least three seconds.
“Obviously we can’t all have things precisely the way we like in every situation, but we need to keep in mind that everyone’s opinion has merit and value. ”
He let his words hang there in the air for a moment as continued making eye contact with everyone.
The CEO looked thoughtful, which Adam hoped was a good sign.
Mia looked amused, and maybe a little bewildered.
Adam wondered what that was about, but didn’t dwell on it as he shifted his gaze to Jenna.
When his eyes found hers, Adam felt his pulse kick up.
He fought the urge to look away, letting himself linger for a few beats while the room buzzed around him and everything else melted away.
His heart thundered, and he felt certain everyone could see his palms growing damp, hear his pulse thrumming in his head.
He watched Jenna’s chest rise as she took a steadying breath.
She held his eyes, not looking away, not even blinking.
At last, Adam shook off the trance. He let his gaze slide to the CFO, then the board president, and all the rest of the faces that watched him with rapt attention.
Not one of them gave an indication of having noticed his connection with Jenna.
Had he imagined the intensity of it, or just the duration?
You didn’t imagine a damn thing.
“Okay, then,” Adam said, as his heart rate slid back to normal. “Let’s get started on the first discussion item on the agenda.”
He grabbed a stack of folders from behind the podium and began to pass them out, significantly less excited to talk about wage caps than toilet paper. His hand brushed Jenna’s as he handed her a packet, and he watched a flush spread over her cheeks.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“My pleasure,” he said, wishing that were true in every sense.
Jenna walked out of the conference room with Mia at her side, conscious of Adam’s eyes on her. She dared a glance at him, hoping that was the right thing to do to maintain the pretense of being platonic colleagues unacquainted with each other’s genitals.
A smile played at the edges of his mouth, and he gave her a nod of acknowledgment before turning his attention to the CEO.
Mia stood talking to someone else now, so Jenna seized the opportunity to stare openly at Adam for a few more seconds.
He looked engaged and lively, his hair endearingly rumpled.
He’d rolled up his shirtsleeves, and Jenna felt the heat creep into her cheeks again at the sight of his bare arms.
She remembered those forearms anchored on either side of her shoulders, the weight of his body pinning her to the bed as he held her eyes with his.
“So you’re still coming over after work?”
Jenna blinked and turned her attention back to Mia. “Absolutely.”
“I’m so glad,” Mia said, stopping outside the conference room door to lean against the wall. “I’m dying for a girls’ night in.” She smoothed a hand over her belly and closed her eyes for a moment, looking more tired than Jenna had seen her in weeks.
“You sure you’re up for company?”
“Definitely.” Mia opened her eyes again and smiled. “I’ve been looking forward to it all weekend.”
“What can I bring?”
“I have everything for nachos, and I’ll pick up some margarita mix on the way home. Virgin for me, but Mark grabbed tequila last night in case you want it.”
Jenna nodded and tried not to glance at the door. Adam was bound to come strolling out any moment, and part of her wanted to scurry off so she wouldn’t have to deal with the awkwardness of making conversation.
But part of her just wanted another glimpse of him.
Just one quick look at those green eyes flashing with amusement and empathy and a sexy heat she wondered if anyone else recognized.
Ridiculous, that’s what this was. She’d just spent the last five hours staring at the man, for crying out loud. Did she really need another fix?
She swallowed and forced her attention back to Mia. “Want me to bring a salad tonight?”
“Nah, I don’t feel like being healthy. I just want to put on my PJs, watch trashy TV, and enjoy some girl talk. Are you almost done for the day?”
“I wish. I’ve got a two-hour meeting with the rehab team about some personnel issues, and then I have to run home and check on Gertie to make sure she’s doing okay.”
“She’s feeling better now?”
“Right as rain, but I want to check on her to be sure. How about I swing by around six?”
“Perfect. See you in a few.”
Jenna hustled away, breathing a sigh of relief she’d avoided running into Adam, even as she cast a glance over her shoulder hoping for one last glimpse.
The hallway was empty.
God, she must have looked at that shirtless photo of him at least a hundred times last night. It was stupid how thoroughly entranced she was by an image of a man wearing nothing but a pair of boxers and eyeglasses.
Not just any man , her conscience reminded her. If it were that simple, you’d be Googling “shirtless men with glasses” instead of staring at a photo of the guy who made your toes curl.
Jenna powered through the next few hours, soothing bruised egos and trying to mend fences for one of the most dysfunctional teams in the hospital system. By the time she slid her key into the lock of her front door, she was ready to take Mia’s pajama request seriously.
She opened the door, surprised to find the house silent. “Aunt Gertie?”
No reply. She moved down the hall toward Gert’s room, hating that her brain automatically went to the worst-case scenario. Gert not breathing. Gert unconscious in the bathtub.