Tempted By Her Tycoon Boss

CHAPTER TWO

‘IS THERE A chance we could move my tour of the facility forward and do it now? I have to disappear for a while later this morning on other business.’

Linc made the request as he and Cecilia met at the front area of the plant nursery the next morning. They’d driven into the staff parking area within seconds of each other.

‘I’m sorry for the disruption to our review, but would that be manageable for you?’

‘There’s no need to apologise. I’m surprised you got through even one day without a disruption, to be honest. And the flower show management team aren’t due here until eleven—so, yes, I can do the tour now.’

Cecilia’s words and tone were calm. Yet in catching her unawares Linc had glimpsed what had looked like sorrow in her eyes, before she’d shielded her expression and the mantle of ‘business manager’ came down over her face.

There’d been an awareness of him, too. It had sparked briefly before that mantle had come down. It disturbed him that he had looked and hoped for that very thing. And it disturbed him that she had seemed sad.

He frowned, but a moment later Cecilia spoke with such enthusiasm and apparent focus on her work that he wondered if he had imagined that earlier moment of interest and its preceding sadness.

‘It’ll be a real pleasure to show you everything here in detail. Just let me stow my things, Linc, and we’ll get into the tour.’

Cecilia quickly divested herself of her purse and her lunch, tucked her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans, and led the way to the first part of the nursery.

She’d been an intriguing young woman at twenty, when she’d fought so hard to get him to let her manage one of his nurseries. With nothing but a community college course and some time spent in customer service in a small plant nursery behind her, she’d gone after her dream of managing one, tenaciously.

Linc would have been a fool not to employ her, so he had done exactly that. But not before she had let him see that she would have welcomed the opportunity to know him better as a man, not only as a potential employer.

Her interest then hadn’t been one-sided.

And now...?

Now, for his sins, Linc had seen a whole new aspect of her yesterday, and that had not only refreshed the underlying awareness of Cecilia that had never truly left him, but had added to it. Why? Was it because there’d been no woman in his life at all lately?

Well, he’d been busy.

Too busy to pick up the phone and invite someone out or to say yes to any of the invitations that came his way?

Was he getting jaded? Or perhaps lonely? Wanting what his brothers had in their marriages?

That last thought came out of nowhere, and Linc shoved it right back there just as quickly. Ridiculous. He was perfectly happy as he was. He ignored any possibility that he might not be.

Linc’s gaze was focused on the back of Cecilia’s head as she walked along a curved pathway ahead of him, but all that did was draw his attention to her again.

A yellow sleeveless shirt contrasted with denim cut-offs, and both highlighted her soft curves. Today she wore her hair up in that ponytail again, and it bounced with every step of her work-booted feet.

The ponytail made Linc want to kiss her, and while the sensible work attire spoke of her determination, she looked equally as appealing to Linc today as she had yesterday—all feminine curviness and beauty.

Layers had definitely been peeled from his eyes, and Linc wanted to paste them right back on. He needed to do that, because Cecilia wasn’t the kind of woman he’d date and forget—the type of woman he had always dated because it was easy to walk away.

He had to set aside this awareness of Cecilia—whether he’d suddenly noticed her on a whole different level or not.

Cecilia glanced over her shoulder. ‘Shall we visit the cold storage first?’

‘Yes. That would be...ah...great.’

They headed over there, and Linc forced his attention back to the tour. He noticed the amount of empty space surrounding the limited offerings of cut flowers.

‘How’s the cut-flower trade going?’

‘It’s going well.’

Her glance seemed only to calculate the empty shelf area. But her cheeks held a hint of pink that couldn’t be attributed to their brief walk.

Was she feeling this, too? This interest and curiosity that felt fresh and new and oh-so-tempting to pursue?

‘At the moment we’re keeping our stock orders tight.’ She waved a hand in the general direction of the shelves, and then shoved it into the front pocket of her cut-offs.

She’s as aware of it as you are.

Maybe, but that didn’t mean she wanted to pursue it any more than he did, Linc reminded himself belatedly.

‘Any special reason?’ He cleared his throat. ‘For keeping the stock orders tight?’

She tipped her head on one side and seemed to consider him for a moment before she responded. ‘It’s because Valentine’s Day is very close and we’ll need the space for all the cut roses.’

‘Right. It’s good that you’ve thought ahead to make as much of that day as possible.’ His voice was so deep it might have come from his boots. ‘I should have thought of that straight away.’

‘It’s a very special day.’ The pink in her cheeks deepened. ‘For—for the customers, and very much for the nursery.’

And most of all for lovers.

She didn’t say that. Instead, she drew a deep breath, as though to try to compose herself.

In Linc’s experience women seemed to expect a very emotional expression of love on that particular day of the year. To show a love that encapsulated exactly the kind of commitment that would never be part of Linc’s own life.

He was grateful his brothers had found such love—that their lives had turned out okay in the end. However, Linc would never deserve—

‘We’ll be getting in red roses, predominantly.’

Cecilia’s words drew him back from the dark thoughts as she led the way out of the cold storage area and, once he’d joined her outside, secured it.

‘We’ll stock other colours of roses, too. There’s a growing percentage of buyers who will purchase something other than the classic red—particularly when purchasing for friends or family rather than—’

‘The romantic loves of their lives?’

There. He’d said it and the sky hadn’t fallen in.

‘Yes.’ She glanced at him and quickly away again. Her chin tipped up. ‘Roses are lovely at any time of the year. My favourites are the creamy white ones. They have a beautiful, subtle scent.’

She led the way through a section of potted seedlings and, as he came to her side, gave him the benefit of a determinedly work-focused gaze.

‘Hopefully this year’s sales of roses will prove to be as lucrative as last—if not more so.’

The words made Cecilia sound as unromantic as they came, and she was a great businesswoman. But one who’d managed to bring romance right to the heart of her working life through her instigation of this year’s masked-ball event. Not to mention all the flowers she stocked for Valentine’s Day, and the flowering maze she had designed and nurtured to fruition.

‘Given your track record over the last six years, I have no doubt that the Valentine’s Day trade will exceed all expectations.’ He made the comment matter-of-fact, but his thoughts were not pragmatic.

She’d been in a relationship a few months ago. His brother Brent had mentioned that it had ended.

So she’s single.

Why would Linc even consider her availability?

She may be hurting and still love the guy.

‘Thank you.’

For a moment Linc didn’t know what she was thanking him for, and then he remembered. He’d paid her a compliment. A business one, about her ability to do a great job as plant-nursery manager.

Which was true.

‘You’re welcome.’

They moved between rows of gardening supplies, through arrays of flowering plants and herbs, potting mix and foliage. Linc began to find his focus again, and the colour in Cecilia’s cheeks returned to normal.

So it was fine. He’d been foolishly carried away—imagining things, nothing more. Flights of fancy weren’t Linc’s style. He would make sure it didn’t happen again.

Cecilia’s love of her work shone through more and more as she talked avidly, explaining the progress and plans that related to each area.

‘What’s happening in that shed?’

He asked the question as they walked towards a shady path, far into the back section of the nursery. Access to the shed was gained through a locked gate. There were no customers to be seen or heard, and it truly felt secluded and private.

In fact, it was the perfect setting for a man to steal a kiss. Assuming that a man would choose to do something so unprofessional.

So much for him returning his thoughts to nothing but business.

‘I’ll show you.’ Cecilia led the way to this final shed on the property and unlocked and opened the door. The tour with Linc had proved productive so far, but she had been oh-so-conscious of him the entire time.

This sharpened interest towards Linc needed to stop.

She felt a moment of nervous anticipation as she prepared to reveal this part of the business. It was working well, and she was proud of it, but what would Linc think of the concept?

‘I hope you’ll approve of this aspect of the nursery.’ She tried to imbue nothing but confidence into her tone as she went on. ‘This is where I work on my repurposing projects. I get some of my best ideas for the future direction of the business when I’m working here, too.’

With this statement carefully delivered, and avoiding the thought that she also came here when she missed her sister the most, Cecilia glanced about the area.

Sunlight streamed through skylights in the roof into a large open-plan area that housed projects in various stages of completion. Old boots with creepers growing out of them...a rocking chair that had been painted orange and black, its seat area filled with a large planter of pumpkin vine... Demand for this kind of repurposed item was growing.

‘I didn’t know about this.’ Linc’s gaze moved about the area before it returned to her. ‘How long have you been doing this work? Where did you get all these items?’

He wouldn’t realise it, but the sun coming through the skylight above had cast his profile into sharp relief. Every strong feature and every subtle nuance was there for her to see. Right down to the length of his dark eyelashes and the way they curled slightly at the ends. And the shape of his lips...

Cecilia struggled to remember his question. He’d asked something about where she got the items for refurbishment. It was one of her favourite aspects of the plant nursery, which showed how easily being around Linc could throw her completely off her guard.

‘I find items in all sorts of places.’

She took a step to the side, to break that particular view of him. It was as though she’d jumped back through time six years and all her past awareness of him as a man had returned.

Actually, it hadn’t—because she saw him now with a history of working in his employ for six years. She saw him with more maturity. With more certainty in her interest in him...

‘I started this operation about four months ago.’

Soon after she’d realised she needed a distraction and a way of letting out her emotions, thanks to the implosions going on in her personal life.

She simply couldn’t feel a renewed attraction to Linc, let alone a deeper one. Because— because business and that sort of pleasure didn’t mix. Because she had enough to deal with in her life without trying to take on a romance. Because she’d learned the hard way, when Hugh had disappeared from her life without a backward glance, that you just couldn’t trust romantic attachments once ‘real life’ interfered with them!

Most of all because Linc had rejected her overtures all those years ago. Remember? There was no earthly reason why he’d feel any differently now.

‘Any time I’m out and about I visit garage sales and junk shops...thrift stores and car boot sales.’

Perhaps if she made herself sound like a lonely single girl with a craft obsession, she would embarrass herself out of being so conscious of him.

‘All the items are ridiculously cheap to buy,’ she continued, ‘and people leap at the chance to purchase the end product—the repurposed item. There’s good profit to be made, and the items appeal to the style of visitor who comes here to tour the maze. Jemmie features them online, as well.’

His strong hands lifted a pottery urn from the bench. It had a chunk missing from one side. ‘So a buyer will pay top dollar for this?’

‘Once the urn has herbs growing in it, or maybe some flowering cacti, you’ll be surprised how quickly it will be snapped up.’

She took the urn from his hands, held it up to the light. She ignored her fanciful thoughts and how it felt to stand so close to him, to measure her smaller frame against his taller, stronger one.

Get over it, Cee. Get over it right now!

Cecilia went on to tell Linc about her repurposing timetable, and then led the way back through the nursery acreage to the maze, quickly showing Linc the upgrades she’d had done to the fruticetum at the centre of it. Its circular arrangement combined colourful blooming potted shrubs with evergreen native species.

‘Clever work.’ He made the declaration the moment they stepped into the central area. ‘Those shrubs grouped all around the edges of the circular space will add to the air of mystery for the masked ball.’

She gestured to the picnic tables dotted around the central area as well as the edges.

‘Currently, when folks finish touring the maze, they can sit for a while, enjoy the quiet and utilise the screens embedded in the tabletops to scroll through our available stock lists and place orders. They can either take them with them, collect later or have them sent to any address they choose. The night of the ball there’ll be a raised dais for dancing. The central picnic tables will be shifted out to the edges of the area and the canopied dais will be assembled on-site the day before the event.’

Something she had told herself was mostly about commerce and exposure for the business suddenly felt quite personal to Cecilia. She could imagine herself on that dais, dancing with a handsome partner.

Well, a girl could buy into a romantic idea, couldn’t she? Even if it was an idea she had germinated to increase the popularity of her business.

As for that vision of herself on the dais... The man who appeared in it with her looked remarkably like Linc.

Heat warmed the back of her neck. The middle of a working tour was not the time for such flights of fancifulness. Hadn’t she allowed herself to be distracted enough by him this morning?

‘Will it be an old-fashioned ball?’ he queried. ‘With waltzing and so on?’

Was his voice deeper than usual? Cecilia glanced at his face but couldn’t read his expression.

‘There will be waltzes and other simpler dance tunes. I want people at all levels of dancing ability to be able to participate,’ she murmured, and then had to clear her throat and strive for a stronger tone. ‘I hope to create a night to remember.’

His gaze met hers and, for one breathless moment, electricity seemed to charge the air between them.

‘I’m sure you’ll achieve that.’

Oh, Linc, do you feel this too?

‘I hope you’ll be there.’ The words came unthinkingly, and the warmth that had started at the back of her neck now rushed into her cheeks.

Had she not learned the last time?

She rushed on. ‘What I mean is, it would look good to have the owner here. For business. But I understand you may be busy. It’s not an expectation.’

Cecilia had asked the question with business in mind. She had!

‘I’ll have to consider—’ He broke off as his cell phone started to ring.

Yet not before Cecilia sensed the hesitation in him.

So there. That answered her unspoken question.

Of course he wouldn’t want to involve himself in a masked ball. She had never asked him to do anything like that before. Why should she start now?

Mortification threatened, because she did not want him to see her request as an overture. It didn’t matter what she might or might not have felt towards him since his arrival to undertake this review of the business.

Her request had been about business, and she needed Linc to know that.

Cecilia ignored the little voice that suggested it had been a little bit about the man himself, as well...

A moment later he’d responded briefly to the caller. He turned to Cecilia. ‘I’m sorry. That was the call I’ve been waiting on. I need to go.’

‘You’re fine. Go do what you need to do.’ Cecilia waved him away as though she had some claim to granting him permission or not. ‘And don’t worry about my invitation. I understand if you can’t make it or don’t want to attend. It was a marketing-related thought. That’s all.’

Another thought encroached. What if he did attend the masked ball and arrived with some beautiful woman on his arm?

Not her business—and she wouldn’t care one way or the other!

Linc gave a quick nod and strode off.

Cecilia did not watch his departure until he was out of sight, nor did she stand there daydreaming, incapable of remembering what she should do next even though she’d just given herself a stern internal talking-to.

She merely took a moment to gather herself for her next job. Yes. That was what she did.

And that job needed to be a last-minute check of the maze before the flower-show committee arrived.

Cecilia forced her attention to her work. And it was as she inspected the perfect flowerbeds that Cecilia admitted to herself that she really did hope Linc would attend the masked ball.

But only for business purposes.

* * *

‘You can go ahead and sell off two of the three apartment complexes as whole lots to those investors. It’s a good time to do it, and you know the profit margin I’ll be looking for.’

Linc gave his agreement over his cell phone to his property broker as he strode from his car to the entrance of Cecilia’s plant nursery the following morning.

‘The third is to be offered as individual units under the first home-buyer arrangement we have with our partner real estate firms.’

‘You know that plan is neither time efficient nor as cost-effective as the investor option.’ His broker’s voice held the tone of an oft-repeated lament.

Linc treated the warning to the same response he gave it every time. ‘Nevertheless, you know where I stand on this.’

‘There are times when you’re going to give back, whether it reduces your profit margin or not. Yeah, I know. I’m proof of that myself.’ The other man gave a wry laugh and yielded the point. ‘You gave me a great chance when you employed me, and I haven’t looked back since.’

‘You can fill the time while you’re waiting for those units to sell by property shopping for me in Queensland,’ Linc offered. ‘How does that sound? I’ve been wanting to buy into that state for a while.’

He gave his broker—suddenly a much happier man—his instructions, ended the call and set out to find Cecilia.

‘She’s in the office.’ Jemmie, Cecilia’s second-in-command, told him as Linc strode across the courtyard.

‘Thanks.’

As Linc headed for the office, he acknowledged silently that he really wanted to see Cecilia. He should want to see her again to prove to himself that this recent and inexplicable sharpening of his interest in her had disappeared as quickly as it had made its presence felt.

Odd that he should feel a lift in his spirits as he approached the door of the plant-nursery office, if that was the case.

The office door stood open. As Linc drew closer, observing Cecilia’s concentration and hearing the sound of her voice as she spoke into the phone, he silently acknowledged that she looked beautiful sitting there and that seeing her gave him a warm, happy feeling.

He could live with that without ever doing a thing about it. In a short span of time he’d be out of here and back to his regular world, anyway.

Out of the way of temptation?

‘Linc. Hi.’ She glanced up after ending her call and offered a welcoming smile.

For a moment Cecilia looked equally happy to see him. Happy and...interested? Linc couldn’t take his gaze from hers. And blue eyes stared back at him—before she seemed to realise how long their glances had held.

She dropped her gaze. ‘I wasn’t sure if you’d be here today.’

He stepped over the threshold and let his gaze linger on her face, enjoying the lovely lines, the sweep of her lashes against her cheeks.

‘The business with my property guy didn’t take long.’ Linc gave himself full points for sounding so close to normal. ‘I wound it up a few minutes ago on the phone, actually.’

He brushed aside his travelling all over Sydney to inspect his property holdings as though it had barely impinged. Right now it didn’t seem to matter. All he could focus on was Cecilia.

What the heck was going on with him?

‘Besides, I’ve got this review to do for you. It still shouldn’t take too long if I get a good run at it.’

As though to mock him, his phone rang.

‘I think you may have spoken too soon.’ Amusement crinkled the skin at the corners of Cecilia’s eyes, and her mouth turned up into a soft smile.

Linc lost himself in her in that moment. His breath caught and, still stuck on that smile, he answered his phone absent-mindedly.

He had to run the caller’s first few words back through his mind again before he could focus. ‘Sorry, Alex. Which export law did you say is concerning you?’

Linc forced his attention to the call.

Cecilia turned her focus to her work while Linc spoke on the phone with his brother. It felt strangely intimate to be in the same room with Linc while he did that, yet she had learned from his brief time here so far that he would step outside if he wanted privacy for a call.

Maybe she should find a reason to step out, anyway. She didn’t need to add any extra feelings of intimacy to her connection with this man. She was having enough trouble ignoring her awareness of him as it was.

She started to stand.

‘Okay. Tell Jayne I said hi.’ Linc’s voice softened noticeably as he said his goodbyes on the phone. ‘I’ll stop by to see you both tonight on my way home.’

The man loved his family to pieces.

Cecilia’s heart softened and ached a little at one and the same time. He must be close to his family. That was so appealing. Yet it made her feel sad because she, on the other hand, was experiencing a difficult phase with her sister.

But that was going to get better. It was!

Linc ended the call and glanced up just as Cecilia settled back into her chair. ‘How did the committee’s visit go yesterday?’

‘It went well.’ She welcomed the distraction from her thoughts more than he could know. ‘The committee members were happy with the standard of the maze and with the area that will be used at its centre for dancing. There will only be a hundred guests. Tickets to the ball are being auctioned online, with proceeds going to charity. I’m relieved the committee were satisfied with my plans and with the site itself.’

If the nursery played its cards right, it might get a yearly event out of this. She would definitely hold more balls for special occasions...weddings. The possibilities were endless. Cecilia couldn’t help but feel a little excited about the doors this first event might open up.

‘It sounds as though you have things well under control.’ Linc murmured the words as he sat down to recommence his review.

Cecilia laughed. She didn’t mean to, but the sound escaped her. ‘All except the fact that Valentine’s Day is about to erupt onto my work horizon, whether I feel ready for it or not—and I’m leaning somewhat towards the “not” side of that particular equation right now.’