Love on the Vine

Book 2: Bound by Design

by Roxanne Smith

Genres: Women's Fiction; Romance; Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

Love is in bloom . . . Straightforward Kay Bing has never been one for subterfuge, although she did embellish her resume just a bit to land a design job at Free Leaf Concepts, a cutting edge botanicals firm. Determined to make a good first impression, she’s exploring the highly secure company greenhouse when her assistant—the much too attractive Oliver Pierce—confides that he’s actually working undercover to investigate whether Free Leaf has created a potent new street drug. Kay doesn’t believe it for a minute—until someone plants designer mushrooms in her salad. Suddenly she and her sexy colleague are teaming up to unearth the roots of a dangerous operation . . . Oliver not only has a personal stake in the investigation, his entire career in law enforcement is on the line. Stubborn, sensible Kay is a distraction he can’t afford, but as they dig deeper into the case, they discover a chemistry that’s too heated to deny. When even one wrong move could be deadly, Oliver may have to risk it all to keep Kay from harm—and convince her they should be partners for good.

Release date: July 18, 2017

Publisher: Lyrical Press

Print pages: 194

Sample

 

Kay Bing sat on the pristine white leather monstrosity deemed a sofa, her arms and legs crossed defensively. “You invited me over to fire me. That’s fantastic, Neve. That’s just great. For once, you could’ve at least been your usual bitchy self about it so I’d have your smart mouth to aim for when I socked you. Duke can quit training you to behave like a normal human being any day now. Really, only one of you is supposed to be the thoughtful, considerate type. Otherwise, it’s cloying. Nobody likes cloying.”

Neve smiled sweetly. “I can still dismember you with a few words, sweetie. I simply choose not to. Besides, I’m firing you to help you, so maiming you would be counterproductive. And Duke and I could never be cloying,” she added with a disgusted grimace. “I’m emotionally distant, and he’s endearingly frustrated.”

Kay would never understand the strange dynamic at work between Neve and Duke. She rubbed her forehead and fought off a brewing headache. She was Kay Bing! She was happy and zesty, feisty, fun, and upbeat. Since when did she get headaches and moan? “So move in with him. Close the distance. End the frustration. And quit putting off the wedding. You’re killing the guy.”

“You look terrible, by the way.” Neve swiftly changed the subject. “Just terrible.”

“I thought a spray tan would lift my spirits.”

“Well, it’s dampening mine. Embrace the pale.” She sat forward suddenly and grabbed Kay’s knee, earnestness replacing her faux haughtiness. “I know you think you hate me but that’s because I’ve yet to tell you the reason why you’re about do the exact opposite. In fact, you’re going to declare your undying love for me and challenge Duke to a duel for my affections. Because I, your great mentor and friend, have secured for you a position at one of the most prestigious outfits in the city.”

“Neve.” Kay dropped her head into her hands so her palms gently cradled her poor forehead. She kept trying to rub away headaches, and now she had a pimple. “If I can’t dredge up any zest as Neve freakin’ Harper’s assistant, what makes you think—”

“Common sense. Quit crying for three seconds, and get your hands off that zit. It’s like you’re worshipping it.”

Kay glanced through her fingers at Neve. The woman was her personal hero. The biggest hotshot interior designer in the greater Little Rock area. She was everything Kay aspired to be one day. But sometimes, like now in particular, Kay wanted to stab her in her gorgeous amber eyeballs with a dinner fork. She settled back, crossed her arms, and invited her mentor to continue with an arched brow. Kay wasn’t all that intimidating on the surface, she knew it. But a few close to her, Neve included, had seen what she could do in a tight spot. That had earned her enough respect to arch her brow daringly and not be met with a chorus of scoffs.

Neve’s smile dazzled. “See how nice it is when your mouth is closed? You should try it more often. Now, what makes me think is difficult to explain, given how most everyone around me suffers from some measure of mental encumbrance.” She gave Kay’s knee a final squeeze and snuggled back into her spot, tucking her feet beneath her bottom. “I called your parents. I found out that once upon a time, before you realized your dream of interior design, you were quite the little gardener. You had an aunt who ran a florist shop, may she rest in peace, and you spent many of your formative years helping her with professional arrangements. Then I learned you actually designed the courtyard of her shop when she had it remodeled, and you did it at the vastly impressive age of sixteen. From what I gather, it was remarkably well done. Your first experience with design hailed from plumerias and peonies. Whether it’s wood or beavertail cactus, the basics are the same. Think about it. It’s all contrast and symmetry. Each flower has a certain shape, their leaves likewise, and each a different shade of green on a massive spectrum. You had to coordinate with not only the flowers and their foliage, but whatever grew alongside it. It’s the same thing you love, just a different medium. You’re an artist, switching from oils to acrylic.”

Kay knew her mouth was slightly open, but who’d have thought—she stopped herself there. Neve. Neve would’ve thought, because Neve’s mind functioned on a different plane of reality than ordinary folks. It was almost a lucky thing she was also cocky, abrasive, rude, and potty-mouthed, because she’d be otherwise perfect. As it was, she was just acerbic enough to be likeable, given one had the right sense of humor.

“Finn and I split, so you called my parents.” Kay nodded. “Of course you did. I’m almost scared of what you’re going to say next.”

“You should be.” Neve reached for her coffee mug and took a sip. She licked her lips. “Because I had to pad your résumé a bit. I’m not tooting my own horn or anything, but my recommendation goes a long way. What it can’t do, however, is give you work experience you don’t have. So, my lying fingers did that. I typed you up a fancy résumé—by the way, you worked with Duke on Vale House, the geraniums were a bitch—and now, my dear friend, you have an inspiring job far above your current station as a mere assistant, and something new and fascinating, yet old and dear, to sink your teeth into. Not to mention my prominent word resting on your teeny-tiny shoulders. I’d say no pressure, but it’d be a horrible lie. Don’t make me look like an idiot.”

Forget open, Kay’s mouth went full guppy. Open and shut. Open and shut. She had nothing and everything to say, starting with what meds Neve might be on. “You faked my résumé—”

“Lightly padded.” Neve grinned. “And now, you’re the new head designer at the most prestigious high-end landscaping service in the city. The NASA of all things green, responsible for creating some of the most unique, award-winning hybrid plants in the country.”

Kay covered her mouth. She couldn’t stand looking like a guppy. “You don’t mean…” she mumbled through her fingers.

“Free Leaf Concepts? Of course I do. Who else? That’s who I call when I get leafy ideas for my jobs. I don’t really do leafy stuff. But you, you’ve got all kinds of leafy experience.”

Kay chewed her lip and let the idea swim around in her head. Yeah, okay. She did have some leafy experience, didn’t she? In fact, landscaping had been her first bug, the one that bit early. Only later had she decided her interests were more inside than out. But she still had a green thumb hanging around somewhere. It hadn’t been lopped off completely.

Free Leaf Concepts was the go-to company for designers who wanted anything resembling nature concocted and executed for interior décor. A twenty-foot fountain greeting clients in a five-star hotel lobby, a veritable rain forest inside a restaurant with a three-month waiting list, a spa to appear as though it existed in the maze of a bamboo grove. Designers, they set down the mold. They decided furniture placement, fixtures, layout, and so on. Companies like Free Leaf were hired to come in after that fact and put a sheen of realism over the whole thing. Just as often, they worked with designers side by side, a coalition of paint and petals. Save that corner for an indoor tree to grow up through the ceiling with a sunroof overhead. Design a sink that fits into this pocket of hanging jasmine. Hang wallpaper to match these rare African blooms. It was meticulous, highly detailed, and expensive work.

Kay blinked a few times, let the idea settle onto her frazzled brain. Was a change of scenery enough to pull her out of her funk?

She just wasn’t herself lately. The spunky, happy girl she’d always been had gone into hiding since her split from Finn. They’d worked together on a cabin with Neve last year. The place had been a total loss until Neve put her magical touch to it and created a charming, earth-meets-glamour work of art. When the owner, Gavin, decided to sell, Kay and her sexy carpenter boyfriend bought it. Together. Like idiots. Young, doe-eyed idiots. At least they hadn’t eloped or done anything wildly stupid. Just bought a cabin together, that was all. When the relationship ended, Kay couldn’t sell her half fast enough.

The break-up was proving to be a wrench in the very fabric of her personality. She was different now. She didn’t know how to get back to that girl who was in love with her job, in love with life. She didn’t think she could talk herself to the ledge of anything, let alone take an insane plunge. Neve knew that, so she’d decided to give Kay a little shove.

Kay pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled a plume of air. “Okay. Okay.” She pressed her lips together and studied Neve. She was obviously pleased with herself. Only a hint of apprehension showed in the wideness of her eyes. She’d gone out on a very precarious limb, and Kay was grateful. She owed it to her friend to at least try. “Maybe you’re right. Going back to my roots. Oh, hey, get it? My roots?”

Neve hardly cracked a smile. “Look at you. Already getting back to your old self.”

“You know, just because you and Duke can’t be funny without maiming each other doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to be funny.”

“Oh, there’s plenty to laugh at.” Neve gave a breathless chuckle and looked at Kay in a way that made her skin prickle. “Like how you start tomorrow.”

* * * *

Oliver Pierce stared at his boss, not caring a wink that Cappy Don was mean before his first cup of coffee. Oliver could handle mean. What he couldn’t handle was another kink in the plan. There were so many hurdles, it might as well be a track meet. “Do you want to know what nobody thinks is funny? Last minute complications that look like Tinkerbell.” He tossed the glossy photo down onto Cappy Don’s desk.

Kay Bing looked like something out of a kid’s picture book. White-blond hair cut into an adorable crop that framed a round face and big colorful eyes that weren’t blue or green, but somehow both at once. Her file had her listed at a hair under five feet. Precious as pudding.

Cappy Don slurped loudly from his mug, like he took pleasure in the disgusting noise, and smacked his lips as he picked up the photo. “She won’t be a problem, Pierce. She’s young. Twenty-three and fresh from a stint with Neve Harper. If that name doesn’t make your balls shrink, they’re made of sterner stuff than mine. Girl’s probably a shell of a person inside, whittled down to the marrow of what’s left of her self-esteem.” Spindly black eyebrows—they could never quite decide which direction they wanted to go, so they went everywhere at once—rose dramatically as Cappy Don gazed up at Oliver. “Does it bother you to take orders from a woman, is that it? Because the person who sat at this desk before me was a woman, and let me tell you, pal—”

Oliver sighed. “Of course not. But I had Kay’s predecessor’s file memorized. Not only that, Roscoe and me were drinking buddies, and I’d cleared him already. I’m going in blind with this little girl. Roscoe kept me busy, but not so busy I couldn’t keep up with my more discreet tasks. If she’s the type to micromanage, we might as well toss the whole deal in the trash. I can’t do what I’m supposed to do in there if I’ve got a twelve-year-old hovering over my shoulder.”

The captain set down his mug and sat up straighter. He slipped the photo neatly into a manila folder containing every scrap of information they’d been able to gather on Kay Bing on short notice. Cappy Don was Mr. Business now. The time for complaints had passed. “Keep telling yourself she’s twelve. That way, you can’t get sidetracked. If you’d gone past her picture, Pierce, you’d have read—”

“I read it all,” Oliver cut in, careful to keep his tone neutral despite the frustration churning in his stomach. He didn’t need to remind Cappy Don of his eidetic memory or speed-reading-to-comprehension ratio. “For example, I know her résumé was forged.”

Cappy Don shrugged with a marked lack of concern. “Lightly padded.”

“Her aunt’s florist shop is the only real experience she has, besides a year working as the second-in-command at Harper Designs,” Oliver pressed. “She’s a go-getter, has a predominately positive attitude, downright bubbly by all accounts, and until recently was half owner of a cabin Neve Harper remodeled for one of Little Rock’s most popular Chamber of Commerce board members, Gavin Chambers, last year. Chambers and Harper also happen to be close personal friends, which means Kay Bing has friends in high places. Could be she has some she shouldn’t. Could be she’s close to this. After all, Neve pulled strings to get her this job. Roscoe wasn’t cute, but I can vouch he was clean.”

“You also read her father is a cop. Worked burglary for years in the city before he retired. I hear he chases kids out of abandoned houses and helps old ladies cross the street these days, but he was a bulldog in his prime.”

“When has being a cop ever meant anything? Charles Manson’s mom was probably a devout Catholic.”

Cappy Don gave Oliver an exaggerated smile, showing too many teeth. “Your paranoia is why I like you, Pierce. You’ve got so much going on in your brain, you’re afraid of what’s creeping up behind you. So, you try to look everywhere at once. Your head’s practically spinning twenty-four-seven. It’s a wonder you get any sleep, with the way you’re always watching, looking, hunting...and usually finding, which beyond liking you, makes you my favorite. Must be exhausting in there.” He tapped his temple with a thick finger. “I’ll tell you, your buddy Roscoe wasn’t all puppies and rainbows. That rose-colored memo the top floor sent out on Friday made him sound like he had an important date in Bali, but he got canned for sending dick pics to the receptionist. Start putting that around first thing Monday morning. If somebody else spreads the rumor before his right-hand man, it’ll seem fishy, close as you two were. And don’t ask where I got the information. It’s need to know.” The way he said it, Oliver doubted even the captain knew the identity of their informant within the ranks of Free Leaf Concepts. He picked up Kay’s folder and tossed it at Oliver’s chest like a Frisbee.

Oliver caught the file neatly between his palms. “This slows us down.”

Cappy Don shrugged again, showing an infuriating lack of care. “So, we go back a few steps. Do what you do and find. Read her file again. Slow, like you’re searching for a secret code. Kay Bing has survived working side-by-side with one of the biggest ball busters in this city. Between that and her license to carry a concealed weapon, she’s probably going to have a few surprises for you. However...” He stopped to give Oliver a hard look from beneath the unforgiving line of his brow. “She shouldn’t be a problem. Not unless you make her one, Pierce.”

Oliver ran a hand over his face. Cappy Don had one thing right. It was exhausting to be him. “I’ll start right away.”

“Make sure you do.” Then Cappy Don smiled that smile—the one that gave Oliver pause every time, because it usually meant a joke was coming, and Oliver was the punchline. “Our girl starts tomorrow.”

* * * *

The Free Leaf Concepts building was a narrow silver spire that stabbed into Little Rock’s hazy blue downtown sky like it was trying to pick a fight with the clouds. Aggressive, bold, but innovative and inspiring, too. Everything was chrome and shiny outside, as if they wanted to blast their clients in the face with the good stuff the moment they walked into the foyer. It worked. The lobby was a spectacle. The concrete and shiny metal of the outside world, from the dirty sidewalks to the old brick grandfather buildings lining the streets, were a million miles away as soon as Kay stepped through the mirrored doors, etched with Free Leaf’s chrome leaf emblem.

Crimson chrysanthemums were arranged around copper sculptures and red velvet couches in the waiting area. The fixtures and lighting were all shades of gold and honey. It was vibrant, masterfully done, and Kay wanted to touch everything.

“I’ve never seen chrysanthemums that shade,” she breathed to the receptionist when she came to gather Kay. “I mean, red is common enough, but that...Well, that’s not red. That’s fresh blood. I’ve seen fresh blood, I would know.”

The receptionist’s eyes widened slightly. Kay cleared her throat and stood up straight. She might look like a particularly wise fourteen-year-old, but Neve had taught her a thing or two about commanding herself. Kay had spent the last year taking orders and doling them out under her mentor’s watchful eye. With Neve backing her, Kay had never lacked for confidence. Now, there was no mean lady over her shoulder, daring someone not to take the five-foot-nothing Kay Bing seriously. She was on her own here. She couldn’t just rely on Neve—she had to be Neve.

The receptionist watched her curiously. Kay held back a heavy sigh. She’d never been good at first impressions. She offered the receptionist a bland smile. “Never mind. Long story. Hi, I’m Kay Bing. You should be expecting me. Or, at least, someone should.”

The woman smiled back. She had on a turtleneck dress with cap sleeves in a shade near exact to the sofa, and a clear clipboard tucked against one jutting hip. “I’m Brit. And you’ve probably never seen chrysanthemums like that because that particular shade was manufactured in house. We have a remarkable botanist. His lab takes up the entire third floor. Please, follow me.”

Kay tried hard to keep her excitement in check, but it thrummed through her like an electric guitar. “In house?” she repeated. “You have your own botanist? Wow. You know, I dig the monochrome, but a few pale yellow tulips would really—”

“No tulips,” Brit interjected apologetically. “Company policy. Too common. One of the most cultivated flowers in the world. Free Leaf Concepts prides itself on ‘top shelf’ fauna, if you will.” Then she pulled a face, sticking out her tongue in a small grimace. “At least, that’s the line I feed clients. We do, of course, pander to special requests, but it requires ordering through a third party.”

“Got it. No tulips.” Kay’s enthusiasm wilted a little as she followed Brit. She was going to work for a bunch of flower snobs. Tulips were wonderful and hardy. She hated to think how they felt about daffodils.

Brit guided her through a hallway like something out of Kay’s wildest dreams. Jungle met concrete in a fantastic display of nature and man-made coming together in glorious harmony. The walls were mixed concrete overlaid with milky silver panels that cast distorted reflections placed randomly along the length of the curved hallway. Ledges cradling passionflower vines were cut into niches of concrete between the panels. The vines grew elegantly from one ledge to the next. The odd silver panels gave a strange, funhouse illusion of greenery dipping and swirling everywhere, all at once. The ceiling was low, painted a subtle sage green that reflected the industrial carpeting underfoot, and recessed lighting cast a pale light, as if the hallway were awash in lazy afternoon sunlight. The design was a marvel.

The hallway ended at a round glass-encased elevator. Brit punched a button but didn’t move to step inside. “Fifth floor is all executive offices and conference rooms. Mr. Arnell, our director of operations, will probably call you in for a briefing sometime, but his calendar and working hours are hectic. Don’t expect to get much advance warning. Could be this afternoon or next month. He’s out of the office from noon to two most days. Complete nightmare to schedule him with clients. Your office is on the fourth floor.”

Kay smiled. Just one small floor away from the botany labs. She stepped inside the cylindrical elevator.

Brit made a notation on her clipboard and grimaced with distaste. “Damian Roscoe may still have a few personal affects in the office. You can have your assistant, Oliver, clear them out for you. He and Roscoe were buddies, so don’t take it personally if he doesn’t hop-to on the first day, okay? He’s a good guy, even if Roscoe was an idiot douchebag.” She gave Kay a bright smile and a wave, then punched another button that set the doors to closing. “Your team is anxious to meet you. Have a great first day, Ms. Bing.”

Kay blinked at the receptionist’s retreating form, then put Brit’s parting comment aside. Office gossip wasn’t on the agenda.

She fixed her expression into a stone mask of observation, just like she’d seen Neve do a thousand times. It usually meant the gears were turning, calculating budget, measurements, and people all at once, deciding in an instant what, where, when, how, and why. For Kay, the stony façade would be a tool. A shield. At least, for today. Tomorrow, maybe it wouldn’t be a mask, but the real thing.

She tucked her nerves and self-doubts into her back pocket. She straightened the collar of her no-nonsense black button-up. Instead of a tie, she wore a neat silk bow in a muted gray. Professional. Not overly cute.

Kay couldn’t dress cute. Dressing cute meant jokes about curfew, and did her parents know where she was. Ha-ha. Yep, she got it. She was little. But she also knew if she wanted to be the queen, she couldn’t dress like the jester. Anything pastel—light pink, pale lavender, baby blue—was out of the question. Hacking off her hair helped to a degree, and recently she’d began wearing heavier makeup, finding it aged her. Scrubbed clean, she could pass for a young teenager. She might be the only woman alive looking forward to a few wrinkles.

The glass elevator pinged eloquently, like someone had installed a doorbell from one of the homes in the Governor’s Mansion district, when it finally came to a stop. The door slid open.

A handsome man—the kind with an eye-catching appearance that encouraged a second glance—waited just on the other side. His eyes, the same subtle green as the ceiling in the hallway downstairs, scoured her in one quick motion, literally sizing her up. He smiled indulgently, like he wanted to offer her a quarter for the candy machines. But not before she caught the gleam of calculation, there and gone in a blink.

He held out his hand. The sm. . .