Love on the Back Burner Read online

  “If you need sales materials, they’re over in the other area,” I said, hoping to dismiss him. Yeah, I knew the type. They came and went at companies like ours, on the way to bigger and better jobs at companies named for fruit.

  “Uh … no …” he tilted his head quizzically. “I need to sit there,” pointing at my chair.

  “Here?”

  “You do want your computer fixed, don’t you?”

  “Well, yes, but Jim will do that. I don’t need some amateur coming in and messing things up for me.” I covered my machine possessively with my arms. Did sales guys not have enough to do that they wanted to tinker with the computers and play “techie” today?

  He leaned back on my cubicle wall, crossed his arms, and gave another half-smile.

  “Ah. Well, yes, you wouldn’t want an amateur,” he drawled. “Neither would I. I suspect we should wait for someone who was trained. Perhaps someone with a degree and experience—”

  “Yes. So move along to wherever you are supposed to be, Slick, and let me wait for the real IT guy.”

  I swiveled away and bent my head to concentrate on a piece of copy that I needed to edit.

  He didn’t budge.

  I lifted my head and turned back.

  “Listen, I get it. You’re new and you like to see if you can ‘get one over’ on the girls in the office. Well, I’ve seen them come and I’ve seen them go here, buddy boy. Not to mention the fact that we have a strict ‘no dating in the office’ policy, so you are wasting your time. And furthermore, I have a lot of respect for IT—”

  “I’m glad you have respect for IT.”

  That was Bill, our VP of Engineering, bustling down the hall with two laptops under his arm.

  “Huh?”

  “This is Cameron Grayson. Cam will be taking over the IT responsibilities.”

  “Cam” just gave a shrug of one shoulder and blinked his huge green eyes innocently. How long did he spend in front of the mirror every morning getting his hair to look oh-so-un-attended to?

  “But … what happened to Jim?”

  “Jim had to go to Atlanta for a while to take care of a family emergency. I called Cam since I knew he was available because of that downsizing over at Interactive Applications.”

  Great. Some loser that got canned from his own job.

  “He was the head of the whole IT operation there. Had a team of ten. We’re really lucky that someone with such experience was available so quickly before he got snapped up by one of the big boys.”

  Oh. “You bet,” I mumbled. “Really lucky.” Oh well. Just some random replacement guy.

  “Alex, make him feel at home. He’s a particularly good friend of mine, seeing as how he was the president of my fraternity at A&M,” Bill said over his shoulder as he continued down the hall.

  Drat!

  Cam grinned.

  “So, shall I look at your computer, or do you still need me to show you my degree in chair sitting?”

  I stood up and shot him a murderous look.

  Chapter Three

  “Hey, we said we’d bring you your café mocha. Can’t you wait just a few moments?”

  Elliott was paying the cashier at Java Junction.

  “I had to get away from the human annoyance fixing my computer.”

  “What?” Natalie stared at me. “Did you and Jim get into a fight? I find that hard to believe!”

  “No, Jim is off on some family emergency, and Bill brought in some hotshot temporary guy to replace him.”

  I grabbed my beverage and unceremoniously plopped down in one of the booths. Deadline or no deadline, I just couldn’t be near that arrogant jerk at the moment.

  Natalie and Elliott slid in next to me, grinning.

  “You mean the famous Alexandria charm didn’t work on one of the tech guys in the office,” said Natalie.

  “I guess not … What?”

  “You know,” she continued, “all you have to do is talk tech, and those guys eat out of the palm of your hand.”

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about. Once again, just because I usually read the documentation and actually attend the demos, you two accuse me of some underhanded plot.”

  “Nah. Most-a of the time she charms them-a to her bidding with her ‘mamma mia’ cooking,” said Elliott, in a poor attempt at an Italian accent.

  Hmm. Again with the reference to Italian cooking. Maybe Keira was right. Maybe I used my mother’s recipes both as some sort of weapon and defense at the same time.

  “Right. Like Hansel and Gretel, only she leads them to her computer with a trail of meatballs instead of bread crumbs,” said Natalie.

  I shot her a shrinking glance.

  “That was to lead OUT of the forest, you ninny. Get your fairy tales straight. And besides, you two never complain about my cooking!”

  “No! Please don’t stop the gravy train.” Natalie paused to laugh at her own wit. “But you know, Ali, when you go out with new guys, we just think that sometimes you rely awfully heavily on your mamma’s recipes.”

  “Right,” Elliott agreed. “We know that when you aren’t poring over technical documentation—ow!”

  That “ow!” was in response to my swat to the back of his head. So Natalie took over.

  “You are watching the Food Network, trying new recipes, reading cookbooks. You always try those recipes out on us, and we love it. You just need to branch out when you cook for someone of the male persuasion in a dating situation.”

  “Hey! Have you guys been talking to Keira?”

  “No, not particularly,” said Elliott, wagging his eyebrows. “Although, I’d like to do more than talk.”

  This earned him a swat from both Natalie and me.

  Elliott had long had a “thing” for my best friend, who had politely turned him down on many occasions.

  “But,” I looked at the two of them, “I like to bring out my best game.”

  “Sure. We’re not disagreeing. Just mix it up a bit, that’s all.”

  Hmm.

  “Well. You guys may be right. I’ll give that more thought after the trade show. Yikes! The show! We’d better scoot back to work and get ready for Felicia’s meeting, or we’ll all be out of work and all this discussion about food will center on is whether King Soopers or Albertsons has a better deal on packaged mac and cheese!”

  I returned to my desk and looked around warily to see if “Green Eyes” was anywhere around. My computer was up and running, so things seemed to be back to normal. Good. Maybe I wouldn’t have any technical issues until Jim got back. Then I wouldn’t have to deal with Cam Grayson again.

  I started to sit down. What the ...?

  Oh no. He didn’t.

  That jerk adjusted my chair while he worked at my desk! A cardinal sin! (Though I’m sure my brother the priest would go to great lengths to explain to me how the mere act of moving the settings on a chair does not put one’s soul in mortal jeopardy. But that’s beside the point.)

  “I don’t believe this!”

  Natalie asked over the wall, “What don’t you believe?”

  “That … that … inconsiderate … I …”

  “You know for someone who uses words for a living, you seem to be at a lack for them right now.”

  “He … adjusted my chair.”

  Natalie and Elliott both popped up, grinning.

  “Oooh. That spells death for this guy,” said Elliott.

  At that moment, the perpetrator himself returned.

  “So, I fixed your system and things should be okay … What?”

  “You … moved … my … chair … settings!”

  “So?”

  “So? SO?”

  Natalie and Elliott were watching this exchange with much enjoyment.

  “Yes. So?”

  “So, Cam, a person just doesn’t adjust another person’s chair! It’s just not done!”

  “Oh,” he shrugged. “Okay.”

  He strolled away.

  Natalie
and Elliott rushed into my cubicle. “Wow! Is THAT the temporary IT guy?”

  I glared.

  “Are you two kidding me? He moved my chair!”

  They looked at one another, then back at me.

  “Honey. Let me drop some knowledge on you,” said Natalie. “When someone that hot is anywhere nearby, the only furniture you should be thinking of is a king-size bed!”

  “Natalie!”

  “Yep. I’m secure enough in MY manhood to tell you that is a fine-looking dude,” added Elliott.

  “Both of you, please return to your desks and allow me to complete my task—which, I might remind you, was looking up notes for YOU!”

  They scampered away.

  I returned my chair to its proper settings and managed to get back on task.

  The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. As I stood to join the others in the conference room for the marketing meeting, Keira called.

  “Hey, Alex, how are things?”

  “I’m much better today. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in San Francisco?”

  Keira worked for a high-tech consulting company and could be gone for weeks at a time setting up other companies. She was supremely efficient and was much requested as the team leader. Her technical knowledge was razor sharp.

  “I’m waiting while the plane is on the tarmac and thought I’d check on you.”

  “Well. I’m not pining over Raymond the Runner, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “Ha! That’s a good name for him, although Raymond the Red would be better, given that he was covered in lasagna sauce when he scooted out of the building!”

  “True! Hey, I thought about what you said, and I really think you are right.”

  “Generally I am. But why specifically this time?”

  “Oh hush. I mean specifically about my tendency to beat guys over the head with my Italian cooking.”

  “Go on …” she said hesitantly.

  “Well, I think I need to meet a fellow on HIS turf. Cook HIS favorite foods.”

  “Oh, Alexandria, I didn’t mean you had to give up your own cuisine.”

  “No, no, no. You were right. I’ve thought about this. It’s the right thing to do.”

  “Are you sure you’re not overthinking this? You know you have a tendency to do that.”

  Was she right? Did I have a tendency to overanalyze? I didn’t know. Maybe I … wait! There I was doing it!

  “No, Keira. I’m pretty sure this is the way to go.”

  “Honey, don’t do anything rash! Listen, my plane is getting ready to leave and I have to turn off my phone. We need to talk about this!”

  “Bye! Love you. Don’t worry.”

  I hung up feeling satisfied and determined.

  Chapter Four

  The trade show was the usual hectic three days of activity, but all in all, it went smoothly, and the hard work that Natalie, Elliott, and the rest of the crew put in the previous quarter paid off in a lot of buzz both in the industry and in the press. On the last day, after the exhibit was packed up and ready to ship home, the three of us went out to a trendy Boston restaurant for some much-deserved relaxation and a good meal.

  “Well, we can close the books on that one.” I lifted my apple martini to salute Natalie as we sat in the bar waiting for a table. “And it’s safe to say the product is a success in the market.”

  “Whew,” she toasted back with her own glass of wine. “Thank you for all the help in getting all the materials ready.”

  Elliott added, “Another successful exhibit and gorgeous artwork, if I say so myself.”

  Natalie threw a cocktail peanut at him. “You constantly say so yourself!”

  “Stop it, you two,” I said. “I’ll need to recruit an adult to sit between you at dinner.”

  “Oh no,” Natalie said.

  “What? I know that’s an old joke, but I’m too tired to be terrifically witty right now.”

  “No,” she said, looking over my shoulder. “Don’t turn around.”

  I immediately swiveled my head.

  Oh no indeed. There was Mr. Tech Department himself, Cameron Grayson. Why was he here? He wasn’t on the trade show team. Shouldn’t he be back in Denver adjusting and readjusting all the chairs in the office?

  “Pretend like you don’t see him,” I said. “Maybe he will go the other way.”

  He didn’t go the other way. He made a beeline to our table.

  “Hey, Elliott. Hey, Natalie.” Pause. “Alexandria.”

  What was that? The other two got a “hey” and all I got was a snippy afterthought of “Alexandria.” Boy, this guy was a piece of work.

  “Hiya, Cam,” said Natalie. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hi, Cam. Care to join us?” Elliott asked.

  I resolved to kill Elliott at the first opportunity.

  “Oh, Bill gave me a day to come out to the show.

  He said it was a good opportunity for me to network.”

  I added Bill to my hit list.

  “I stopped by the Media Resolutions booth around two, but you three must have been on a break.”

  “Break?” I laughed. “I think we were probably scurrying around the floor. Working.”

  There. That should put him in his place.

  “In any case,” I said, “what brought you HERE, into our lives, into this restaurant at this moment?”

  Natalie shook her head at me and tsk’d.

  Cam said, “This restaurant belongs to someone I know, and I just stopped in to say hello on my way to the airport. Don’t worry, I’m not here to muscle in on your dinner party or adjust any chairs or anything.”

  This last remark, along with his emerald-eyed smile, was aimed at me.

  “Well,” I said, “best be on your way. Can’t afford to get caught by TSA. See you in the office.”

  He gave a mock salute and left.

  Natalie and Elliott stared pointedly at me.

  “What?”

  “Alex. Do you think you would win any courtesy points for that?”

  “What would your nonna think?”

  I moved uncomfortably in my chair.

  “Well. He had to get to the airport, and, you know …” I started weakly but then gathered more force.

  “Besides, if Nonna had all the facts—”

  Several peanuts flew in my direction. Luckily, the hostess called us to our table and broke that line of conversation.

  “I’ve been looking forward to this meal,” said Elliott. “My friend John said the chef is an up-and-comer.”

  “Everything looks great. It’s hard to decide,” I said, scanning the menu.

  But we did manage to decide: We were splitting a cold antipasto platter, then Osso Buco for Elliott, Risotto with Mushrooms for Natalie, and Tagliatelle with Leeks for me. The dessert menu looked intriguing as well, so we’d probably end up each ordering one and passing them around as we usually did.

  “The menu is right up your street, Ali,” said Natalie.

  “Gosh, as a matter of fact, you could probably cook in this place!”

  I glanced back at the chalkboard on the wall where the daily specials were written, then around the room at the cozy tables set in a rustic grouping. The exposed brick walls and industrial lighting were very much in keeping with the type of restaurant that I loved back in Denver.

  “She’s right,” said Elliott. “This is the type of place that I could see you in.”

  I let myself drift for a second. To be able to cook someplace like this would be great! I shook myself mentally. Yes, cooking was my love—as a hobby, not as a career.

  “Sure, Elliott, you mooch, with as much as I feed you, I probably DO need to convert my kitchen into an industrial one!”

  “Hey, I resemble that remark!” Elliott said, grinning.

  “Didn’t Cam Grayson say it was a buddy of his that owned this?” Natalie asked. “What if they open another one in Denver and need a chef there, and there YOU are, and—”

 
; “Stop right there, sweetie,” I raised my hand. “I know you’re quite creative, but even IF I wanted to cook for a living, the last thing I’d want to do is work for someone like that egomaniac.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.” I shook my head. “And here comes the antipasto!”

  I swiftly turned the topic back to the show itself and managed to keep the other two from discussing Cam Grayson for the rest of the evening.

  One outstanding meal later (including a bottle of fine wine), we strolled back to our hotel.

  “Well, kids,” said Elliott. “My flight is at oh-dark- thirty so I need to scoot off to bed. I know, I know, I sound as old as Alex’s grandmother, but getting a cab out of here will be brutal so I better get my beauty sleep.”

  “Me, too,” said Natalie. “Split a cab in the morning, Elliott? What about you, Alex?”

  I considered my options.

  “My flight isn’t till 2 p.m., so I don’t have a curfew. That fireplace in the lobby is gorgeous, so I think I will sit downstairs by it for a bit. You guys have good flights, and I’ll see you on Monday.”

  They went to their rooms, and I settled on one of the comfy leather couches to enjoy the crackling fire.

  “Alexandria D’Agostino?”

  I turned toward the voice to see a dark-eyed man that I recognized from our industry. I hadn’t seen him since the first day of the show.

  “John? John Faris?”

  “Yes. I thought that was you, Alexandria!”

  He came around the couch, gave me a hug, and sat down.

  “What are you doing sitting all alone here? I thought you would have been gone to Denver by now.”

  “My plane leaves tomorrow. I would have thought you’d have been long gone to the Lone Star State by now.”

  John was a sales manager from another software company, and we often ran into each other at industry events. He was based in the Austin office.

  “I had a late sales meeting, then I grabbed a quick bite. The rest of my team is already gone.”

  He settled back and motioned to a server from the lobby bar.

  “I’ll have a brandy.” He nodded his head my way.