A Whole New Man

She quickly scolded herself for her weakness. She didn’t have time for men, no matter how good-looking. Her life was full enough with Images, Inc., and with Amanda, her daughter.

On her way to her desk, she grabbed the folder she had left on the sofa, hoping to get her mind back on business. But it was impossible. The moment he had looked up from the magazine in his hand, she knew she was in for a difficult time. Professionalism had flown out the window. Clear brown eyes had stared into hers, and she had detected a decided twinkle in them.

Determined to get herself under control, she pressed the intercom button and asked Janine to step into her office. She had a lot to do before she picked up Hank at his hotel.

Janine opened the door and poked her head into the office. “Mercy, that is some man you’re going to be working with.”

Lizzie smiled at her best friend and employee and prayed Janine wouldn’t see how much Hank Davis had rattled her. “You gave him the folder with the schedule, didn’t you?”

“Of course.” Stepping into the room, Janine perched on the arm of the sofa and propped her chin in one hand, her hazel eyes dancing. “Once you’re done with him, there won’t be a woman within a hundred miles of Kansas City that won’t be falling at his feet.”

Lizzie kept her thoughts to herself. No need feeding into Janine’s daydreams.

“It doesn’t take much of a stretch of the imagination to see him all spiffed up in a custom-made tux and starched shirt, charming the Kansas City social set,” Janine continued.

“Clothes can sometimes make the man,” Lizzie said without thinking. And that’s what worried her. Good-looking men in tuxedos had always been her weakness. Amanda’s father had been the first proof of that.

But even in something as mundane as a blue chambray shirt and jeans, Henry Wallace Davis was a sight to behold. He didn’t look like the type who would be comfortable in a business suit. He was too rugged, too rough around the edges. And it was now her job to smooth out those edges.

“Mr. Davis seems pretty well made to me,” Janine said with another sigh. “But you’ll know how to handle him.”

Just the thought of “handling” Hank Davis sent a shiver through Lizzie. She shoved the thought from her mind and returned to the business at hand. “Would you call Bailey and tell him to have the car here in about an hour? I need to return Mrs. Adams’s call at the convalescent center about my mom.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Better. The nurses think the doctor will let her come home soon. That will be a big relief.”

“And more work for you,” Janine pointed out.

“I’ll deal with it.” She placed a finger on her temple, massaging the headache threatening her clear thinking. “I have to. Even with the fee from Hank Davis, we need to bring in more clients. There’s no getting around that. We both know business has been slow this spring. Do you have any idea who called earlier?”

Janine shook her head. “He asked for you and I told him you were with a client. Before I could ask for a name, he’d hung up.”

“Maybe he’ll call back.” Lizzie didn’t want to lose a chance at new business. “If he does—if you recognize his voice—put him right through.”

While Janine went to make arrangements for transportation, Lizzie dialed the phone, then waited for one of the nurses to check her mother’s chart. Mentally clicking off her list of things to do, she almost wished she could do without Hank Davis and his fee. But she couldn’t back out because of a foolish attraction to a client. This one was too important. His deposit alone was the last step toward making the final payment on her small-business loan. Once it was paid, Images, Inc., would be free and clear. With the bank, anyway. Her mother’s care and the worry over the medical bills would be a thing of the past. If they could bring in more clients, she could afford to hire more consultants, and then she would have more time to spend with Amanda.

Maybe someday she would realize her dream of making her firm the most sought after in Kansas City. If she could do that, she might prove to her family that she wasn’t the wild child she once was.

One step at a time, she reminded herself.

In her heart, her daughter and family came first. She wouldn’t let a man change that, and since she reluctantly admitted she was attracted to Hank, she needed to focus on his roaming life. That should keep her hormones in line. She knew his type. The moment Amanda’s father had heard the word “baby,” he’d hit the road and never looked back. He wasn’t the only one who had left her, either. She knew, firsthand, that some men weren’t the type to settle down, and she wasn’t going to let herself get caught up with someone like that again. In fact, she had proven she didn’t need any man, so even if Hank was stable, she still had no business letting her weak knees and her racing heart get the better of her. She had a dream and something to prove.

“What’s this?” Hank asked when he stepped out of the hotel. It was obvious that the limousine parked at the curb and the uniformed driver waiting at the open door were for him.

“It’s something special we do for our clients.” Lizzie gave the driver a warm smile as she got into the car and motioned for Hank to follow.

He climbed in after her and settled onto the wide seat across from her. “But a limo? Isn’t that kind of extravagant? I’m taking the foreman’s job, not the company president’s.”

“It all has to do with self-image,” she explained, her face intent. “If a person believes he’s worthy of something, he’ll live up to it eventually. A limo is something that, in most people’s minds, represents a certain social and economic level. Being chauffeured in a limousine gives a person a special feeling and, in time, it begins to show in the way that person thinks of himself and acts.”

“Not to mention being seen in one, right?”

She leveled her gaze on him and shot him a perfect smile. “Right.”

He held her gaze, lost in the blue of her eyes until she finally looked away to give the driver instructions. Turning back to Hank when she was finished, she smiled. “Bailey will be your driver for the next two weeks. And if you need anything, let him know.”

The driver smoothly pulled the limo out of the parking lot and into the steady stream of traffic. “Call me any time, Mr. Davis.”

“Thanks.” Stretching out his legs in the roomy interior, Hank accidentally nudged Lizzie’s foot, only to see her shift away from him. “And the name’s Hank.”

“Yessir.”

Hank glanced at the woman across from him as the glass went up, cutting them off from Bailey. With nothing else to do, he’d spent the two hours since he’d left her office doing little more than thinking about her. Dressed in the same creamy-white suit, with her deep red hair still neatly bundled up on the back of her head, she looked glossy and crisp, exactly like the ad for her company. Professional. Untouchable. But Hank had an idea that she used her own psychology on herself. Things were not always what they seemed. Just like the limo.

Shifting in his seat, he caught her attention. “While I was reading through the contract, I had a question.”

“What’s that?” she asked and leaned forward.

The scent of her perfume, sweet yet musky, drifted in Hank’s direction, taking his concentration to continue. “You mentioned that you usually work at least a month with the people who hire you. Since I only have two weeks, maybe I should just be paying for a half course.”

Her eyes widened, and the pulse beating at the base of her throat picked up speed. “We’ll just double our efforts,” she said, her voice slightly unsteady.

Her answer narrowed down the possibilities that had run through his mind while he had waited for her to arrive. She needed the money. Luckily he didn’t. He’d made good money at every job he’d ever worked, and there had been no expenses but his own day-to-day living. The foreman’s job would pay better than he’d been getting on his old crew, so he didn’t have to worry. But he wondered why, with a fancy business, money was an issue for her.

“Where’s our first stop?” he asked.

She cleared her throat and tugged at the hem of her skirt. “The apartment won’t be ready until tomorrow, so I thought we’d start with some shopping at The Plaza today.”

“Shopping?”

“Clothes shopping.”

He wasn’t surprised. She obviously believed the outside was the place to start. “Clothes make the man, huh?” he asked with a grin.

She lifted her head and stared at him. “How did you—” A blush painted her cheekbones and she pressed her lips together.

“How did I know? Well, the limo is as much for show as for the self-image,” he explained, enchanted by her high color. “Clothes would be the same.”

“You’re much more perceptive than I’d imagined. Do you have it all figured out?”

Her smile was sincere, and he knew she’d just paid him a compliment. “Not all of it. Is this what you do for fun?”

“Fun?” She shook her head. “I don’t have much time for fun. Running a business takes a lot of time.”

“But everybody should take the time to cut loose and have some fun once in a while.”

“I agree, but it depends on your definition of the word,” she pointed out.