Mark shifted in his seat, stroking his hipster beard, not looking entirely sold on the premise of corporate anything. He struck her as a man who’d be a stickler on the finer points of an arrangement between the two companies. This deal, if it happened, would require more than the right amount of money. A day ago, Mark’s reticence would have unhinged Anna to no end. Today, it was more of an annoyance. If he didn’t want to be here, why didn’t he just say so? Then she and Jacob could get back to business of an entirely different nature.
Mark nodded and started on his song and dance about Sunny Side. Anna listened, taking notes on projections and plans for future products, ideas he had for the launch of the technology, product integrations and applications. Adam was a damn fool for letting his rift with Jacob stand in the way of this deal. Of course, the fact that he’d ignored the financial upside was testament to how much he hated the man she’d just kissed with reckless abandon in the garage.
“Anna? Do you have any questions for Mark?”
She was on deck. It was time to make her case. Jacob might be distracting the hell out of her, but she needed to focus. “I don’t. I’ve had a chance to look over these numbers and if your projections hold true, I’d say that Sunny Side can pretty much write their own ticket. So the real question is, how do we make that work within the structure of LangTel?”
Mark leaned forward and set his elbows on his knees. “Look, Ms. Langford...”
“Please. Call me Anna.”
“Anna. You have to understand that I run a company of two dozen employees. Our product has come to fruition so seamlessly because we’re a tight-knit group. Our company culture is immensely important. My worry is that a giant like LangTel will swallow us whole or dismantle us until there’s nothing left.”
“Let me assure you. We have no interest in dismantling your company. The dynamic of your team is crucial to your success. We will absolutely keep it intact.”
“How can you make promises like that? Isn’t your brother CEO? I’ve heard he can be ruthless.”
Jacob shot her a sideways glance, as if to remind her that Adam’s reputation was of his own making, not Jacob’s, and he wasn’t wrong. Adam liked knowing that some people feared him.
“Actually, Adam’s business thinking is very much in-line with yours. He’s started two immensely successful and innovative companies from the ground up...” She stopped herself. One of those two ventures was the one Jacob and Adam had started together, the very source of the rift that made everything such a mess. Her stomach sank. What must Jacob think of what she’d just said? That she was hopelessly callous? She had to recover from her gaffe. “At the end of the day, whether your company is big or small, everyone wants to retain the dynamic that brought you success. Nobody wants to see someone else come in and dismantle what you’ve worked so hard for.”
Jacob cleared his throat and Anna felt horrible. Bringing up his history with Adam had been a mistake. He’d said it himself in the garage. The last thing he wanted to talk about was the past.
Six
Jacob and Anna bid their goodbyes to Mark as he walked out to his car. The brisk night air filtered into the foyer. With a quiet click, Jacob closed the door. They were alone.
“Well? What did you think of Mark?” he asked, bending over to pick up a stray leaf that had been tracked into the house.
Anna stifled a sigh of appreciation for his backside. The man knew how to work a pair of jeans. “I like him a lot. He seemed open to some of the things I suggested, so that’s good.” Considering where Anna’s mind had been that whole time, it was a wonder she’d been able to glean that much from the meeting.
“Good. Definitely good.” He nodded, holding the orange leaf by the stem as if he didn’t know what to do with it.
“Yep.” The air was charged with anticipation. They both knew where this was going. But no one was doing anything about it. Should she throw herself at him? That was as close to formulating a plan as she could come. “Pretty color.” She pointed to the foliar evidence of the fall weather, resorting to painful small talk.
Jacob opened the door again and tossed the leaf outside. A new rush of cool air caused her to shudder. Perhaps it was nature’s way of punctuating the fact that this time, he didn’t merely close the door. He locked the deadbolt.
“Are you cold?” He dropped his chin, stepping closer, working his way into her psyche with an intense flash of his eyes. His hand gripped her elbow. Energy zipped along her spine.
Finally—touching. Nothing skin-to-skin yet, but at least someone had given in. Anna was hyperaware of her breaths, her galloping heartbeat, the rotating sway of her body in his presence. This wasn’t that different from the moment after the motorcycle ride, except then, they’d had to break the ice. She was glad to be done with breaking. Now on to melting. “I caught a chill. I’m okay.”