Perfect Fit - Brenda Jackson [5]
Back in his car Gabe began his journey home. A part of him was eager to start work on the ski resort. Being awarded the contract had literally opened doors, and business was booming. Recently, he and Christopher had discussed hiring an additional building crew just to handle the new business they were acquiring.
Gabe looked forward to the two weeks he would spend in Anchorage, a city that was vastly different from Detroit. He needed to get away for a while, especially because of his mother’s overzealous matchmaking schemes. She had called earlier that day, telling him about another young woman that she wanted him to meet. He had come up with an excuse why he couldn’t meet the woman any time soon and had quickly ended the conversation.
His thoughts turned back to Anchorage and all the work he had to pack into the two weeks he would be there, including finding suitable temporary housing for his men. Because of the length of time many of them would be staying there, some had decided to take their families with them, an option he and Christopher had offered them. The last thing the company needed was any member of the work crew getting homesick or pining for companionship. And those who decided to leave their families behind could fly home at least four times, which included the major holidays.
Gabe planned to make time to check out the city while he was there. He’d heard that Anchorage was beautiful and the perfect place to fish, which was something he enjoyed doing. And since he would eventually be spending a lot of his time there, he may as well look for temporary housing for himself as well.
Less than twenty minutes later, Gabe had arrived home. The first thing he did was check his phone messages. He wasn’t surprised to find several from his mother, but he was surprised to find one from Keri Morton. She had called to thank him for dinner and to let him know that she and her ex-boyfriend had decided to try and work things out for the baby’s sake. Gabe shook his head as he made his way to the refrigerator for a beer. After the earful Keri had given him, he truly wished them the best.
She had been a woman on the rebound, and he had to remember that type of woman was nothing but trouble.
CHAPTER TWO
Sage
Charlotte, North Carolina
Sage Dunbar gritted her teeth against the words her boss had just spoken. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself that Stephen Poole was invincibly arrogant, something he seemed to take pride in. She also had to remind herself that the man was extremely smart and knew the business of marketing, something she was still learning under his wing. Her role at the Denmark Group was to assist companies in developing strategies that were right for them and would ultimately maximize their profits.
She glanced at the clock on the wall and wondered if anyone else in the room was as anxious for the meeting to end as she was. The man had started off by praising them for their hard work, and then without missing a beat, he had begun criticizing them for failing to come up with a suitable proposal to present to a company he was eager to bring on board.
“So what do you think, Ms. Dunbar? Is there a possibility your department can have an acceptable proposal on my desk first thing in the morning?”
Yeah, if we spend the night here, we can. Instead of giving him those thoughts, she simply smiled and said, “Yes, that won’t be a problem.”
She watched him smile. He was well aware that he had handed her a challenge, and like always, come hell or high water, she would come through with flying colors. “Good. I knew I could depend on you.”
She smiled back to avoid gritting her teeth again. All she could think about at the moment was him in bed tonight making out with his latest conquest, while she and her staff slaved away at the proposal he wanted