"The only thing I care about is what we're going to do next," I said.
Chapter Seven
Tasha
Rainer was not taking the hint. I wanted him to leave, to disappear down the long corridor that leads to the better offices and let me get ready for the meeting. I thought standing with my hands on my hips, elbows out, would have stopped him in my office doorway, but he had other plans. Rainer hooked one arm gracefully around my stiff elbow and tucked me close as he escorted me inside. Topher jumped at the chance to follow, but Rainer shut the door in his eager face.
"I'm serious, Tasha," Rainer said. "We need to come up with a plan right now for how to fix this."
"You don't even really know what 'this' is," I said. I untangled myself from his arm and stalked around to the other side of my desk. "Why don't you go to your office and let your assistant catch you up?"
Rainer flat out ignored my hint and settled in the chair closest to my desk. He stretched out his long legs, checked his shiny shoes for smudges, and then laced his fingers together over his stomach. "What's to catch up on? The app was a success, now its detractors are getting traction, and we have a public relations problem to fix. So, the big question is not 'what happened,' but 'what are we going to do now?'"
I thought about marching to my office door and yanking it open, but even then I was sure Rainer would find a way to stay. He lounged back and watched me with those eyes, searching my face as if he was going to read the solution there. The real problem was I had an idea.
"What do you think we should do?" I asked.
Rainer raised an eyebrow. "I thought I wasn't qualified to think about it, seeing as I'm not all caught up yet."
I dropped into my office chair and glared at him. "So, I'll take that as a 'no?' No bright ideas yet?"
"Yet being the operative word," Rainer said. He leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling.
I cringed at the water spot that had been spreading, ignored by maintenance, and tried to stay focused. It didn't help that Rainer made even my scratchy office chairs look sinfully comfortable. How did he look so relaxed, so sure? I hated myself for finding his confidence so sexy.
I jumped a foot off my chair when my office door popped open and Amy trotted in. "Ms. Nichols? I wanted to let you know that you have a morning meeting with, ah, Mr. Eastman?"
"Is that a question or a reminder?" Rainer asked.
Amy's eyes took in every inch of my handsome co-worker before I cleared my throat and interrupted her obvious thoughts. "Thank you, Amy, but in the future, I do not need reminders about things I've put on the calendar myself."
Amy shrugged. "Sure. It was his idea, really."
Rainer's assistant glared at her from the hallway. Then he shot me a hopeful look, and I had no choice but to nod. He rushed inside, clutching a sheaf of papers. "I just thought you, oh, and Mr. Maxwell, would like to see the latest reports."
"What was your name again?" I asked though I knew full well the answer.
"Topher, Ms. Nichols. I've been Mr. Maxwell's assistant for two years, and before that, I was with Mr. Anderson in the research department." Topher was too excited to sit still.
"Is it good news?" I asked.
Topher realized his inappropriate excitement and handed the papers over with a bright blush.
Rainer laughed. "My assistant is just happy to be of service. Guess I don't work him hard enough."
"There are already reports of schools banning the app, parent groups are speaking out about it, and the American Medical Association is already planning a press release about it," Topher said.
"And I, like, heard there's going to be a skit about it on Saturday Night Live," Amy added.
I reached for a pen on my desk and gripped it hard. "And none of these groups are making any mention of the app's other uses? No one is talking about the integrated reminders, the routine suggestions, or the seasonal tasks?"
"It's just a game," Amy said. Then she caught everyone's look and shrugged again. "A really fun game. My garden has a fairy castle built into the fountain. I just need to collect a few more seeds before I get to start seeing fairies."
"Oh, yeah," Rainer said. "I forgot about the interactive reality component. I love that you can get alerts on your phone and find fairies all around town."
"I'm glad you at least know a few of the product details," I said.
Rainer sat up in one fluid move. "And you didn't know what exactly we were up against until I initiated this little meeting."