Page 26 of Designed for Disaster

I grumbled something about employees who had no respect, and grandmothers who were all too willing to gossip about ancient history. I hadn’t started a fire in the kitchen inat leastfive years.

“Do you want me to call down and tell them you’re running behind?” Pam called.

I stood, making a mental note of where to pick up in the email I was sending back to one of our contacts in Singapore. “No, I’m heading down right now.” I darted into the hall. “Did they say what it was about?”

“Nope,” Pam said without looking up from her computer screen.

“Probably the sustainable line,” I said, getting into the elevator. Now that I’d hired Natasha, the team had hit the ground running with designs, so it would make sense that marketing would be ready to start putting things together on their side. I’d had it on my to-do list to link up with them in a couple weeks, but I supposed today was as good as any.

The elevator stopped on the next floor, the door rolling open to reveal Natasha. She was chatting with the CAD designers.

“Girl, I’m telling you,” Shay said. “Literally the best thing I’ve ever put into my mouth.” Shay held her hand up to Erik’s face. “Hold whatever lewd comment that sprang to life in your mind.”

Erik smirked.

“We have to go sometime,” Bonnie said to Natasha. “After payday? Dumplings always taste better after payday.”

Natasha nodded. “Count me in. Gotta go—we’ll chat later.” She stepped into the elevator next to me. Her black slacks clung to her in a way that had my gaze dropping to take in every curve as the door closed again.

“Hi,” she said.

“Ms. Dryer.”

“Ugh, please. Not the last name.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Makes you sound pretentious.”

“Pretentious?” I scowled at her. “Would you rather I called you Hellcat?”

“Natasha works just fine. But if you’d prefer Hellcat, I can dust off Coffeezilla.”

She smirked as I turned away. Why was this elevator so damn slow? “On your way to lunch?” I asked. We hadn’t spoken much since we’d had dinner together. Well, me, her, and all my friends.

“No, I’m actually on my way to marketing,” she said. “Last-minute meeting.”

Well, that made sense if the meeting was about the new line. Of course they’d want Natasha there. “That’s where I’m heading too.”

“Oh, right,” Natasha said, startled for a second before nodding. “I’m happy to keep you and marketing looped in on our progress.”

“Great. How’s the design team?” I asked. “Other than making plans to get dumplings?”

“Good.”

“Care to expand on that?” I pressed.

“Which part?” She sounded cagey, which sent up warning flares for me.

The CAD designers were warming up to her, but what I really wanted to know was how the rest of the team was treating her. That first day, I’d felt the tension in the room. I could partially understand the reluctance from some of our long-term staff, but Saunders Furniture didn’t hire just anybody. They should have known better to question a decision that not only came from me but was fully endorsed by Dee. “The part where you let me know what it’s like working with the team. Is everyone being respectful?”

The corner of Natasha’s mouth quirked. “Everyone’s been great. You heard. We’re getting dumplings.”

The elevator door opened, and we stepped out onto the marketing floor. I held my hand out for Natasha, directing her down the hall. I pulled the door to the conference room open, admitting Natasha and myself.

The entire marketing team was assembled at the table around a plate of banana bread, with Sheila at the helm. She beamed at us, eyeballing Natasha and me in a way that was unnerving.

“Thanks for coming,” she said. “I realize everyone is very busy.”

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