Next To Nothing!. Barbara Dunlop

stopped short, halfway into the Canna Interiors offices as the large man rose from a white leather chair in the reception area.

      “Mr. Reeves has been waiting for half an hour,” said her secretary, Rosemary, a lilt of excitement in her voice, and an appreciative glimmer in her eyes.

      Rosemary was a grandmother in her early fifties, but Jenna could see why a woman of any age might find the burly Mr. Reeves attractive. She heard Candice suck in a quick, admiring breath behind her.

      “Yes. I’m Jenna McBride.” She moved toward the waiting area, hand extended. “And this is my partner Candice Hammond.” For an impish moment, Jenna considered adding the fact that Candice was single.

      “Derek Reeves,” said the man, grasping Jenna’s hand.

      Then he turned to Candice and gave her a cursory glance and a nod.

      “Candice,” said Candice, offering her hand.

      He shook it with an absent nod, then he immediately turned back to Jenna. “I was wondering if we might talk for a few minutes?”

      She felt Candice stiffen.

      Jenna half turned her head to smile in Candice’s direction in an effort to include her. “How can we help you?”

      Derek Reeves gestured to the low table in the reception area. “I’ve been reviewing your portfolio.” He still spoke directly to Jenna. He almost seemed to be studying her face.

      “You’re interested in the services of a decorating firm?” she asked politely. Judging by the cut of his suit, Derek could be a great prospective customer.

      “Uh…yeah.” He nodded. “That’s right. I am.”

      “We’ll probably be more comfortable in the boardroom.” Jenna gestured to an open doorway behind the receptionist’s desk. While the man’s attention switched to the boardroom door, she signaled to the coffeepot.

      Rosemary gave her a quick nod of understanding.

      Derek Reeves glanced at Candice, then back at Jenna. He cleared his throat. “Sounds fine.”

      “I have a conference call in about two minutes,” Candice quickly inserted, obviously picking up the same strange signals as Jenna. “Do you mind, Jenna?”

      “Of course not.” Jenna reminded herself that Derek was the customer, and Candice was acting like a professional. Still, she couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed on Candice’s behalf. “I’ll bring you up to speed later.”

      “Great. Thanks.” Candice turned a stiff smile on Derek. “Nice to meet you Mr. Reeves.”

      “Likewise,” he replied formally, again with barely a glance.

      Ignoring the obvious undercurrent, Jenna led Derek Reeves into the small boardroom.

      “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about your project,” she suggested as they sat down at the polished, round table. The deep patina absorbed the late day sun. Candice had insisted their offices exude success, even before they had their first client. Jenna found herself glad of that right now.

      “Sure.” Derek paused, glancing around at the sample pictures on the wall of the room. “Good idea…It’s a…lobby.” He stopped scanning the walls and sat back. “A lobby.”

      “Oh.” Jenna waited a moment for him to elaborate. “Would that be in an office building?”

      His forehead furrowed and he glanced around the room again. “Yes. I mean, no. It’s a…hotel.” He slowly smiled and nodded as if he’d just had a mental revelation. “A hotel lobby.”

      Jenna experienced a twinge of disappointment. So far, they didn’t have any experience decorating hotels. They’d started with private homes and branched out to some office buildings. The hospital lobby was their big break into special purpose space, but she didn’t think whale fountains and monkey carpets would impress many hotel owners.

      Her uncertainty must have shown, because Derek jumped back in.

      “Did I say lobby?” he asked.

      “Yes…”

      “Well, actually, it’s more than just the lobby.” He nodded. “It’s the restaurant, too.”

      “The restaurant?” Her heart sank. They had absolutely nothing in the way of experience that would qualify them to decorate a restaurant.

      “And,” Derek continued, “well, the spa, too. In fact, you know, the whole hotel should really be upgraded.”

      “The whole hotel?” Jenna’s eyes widened.

      “Right.”

      “Uh, Mr. Reeves—”

      “Call me Derek.”

      “Sure. Derek.” Jenna debated the merits of blunt honesty versus the incredible opportunity of decorating an entire hotel. She wanted the job. She wanted the job very, very much. But there was the touchy matter of experience.

      “It sounds like…” she tried. “I mean, of course we’d be delighted to submit…” A little voice inside her told her to shut up and say yes. “Uh, is the hotel here in Seattle?”

      “Yes. On the lake. The Quayside.”

      “The Quayside?” Jenna’s heart stopped for a split second. She felt the blood drain from her face.

      “You’ve heard of it?”

      “Yes. Of course.” Who hadn’t heard of the Quayside? Jenna dropped her hands into her lap and pinched herself.

      The Quayside was a gorgeous, venerated historic hotel on a scenic point of land right on the shore of Lake Washington. It was an architectural dream, water on three sides, and a stunning view of the Cascade Mountain range.

      It had played host to business magnates, movie stars and royalty. This was a job which could catapult their firm to the stratosphere.

      Jenna swallowed. Do not mess this up. “We could draft some preliminary sketches—”

      “Tell you what.” Derek rose from the table, and Jenna followed suit. “I’ll give you my card.” He reached into his suit jacket pocket. Then he flipped the card over and pulled out a pen.

      “I’m writing the name and phone number of the hotel manager on the back. Give me a few…Uh, I mean, give him a call. But wait until late tomorrow afternoon. He’ll give you the details.”

      Jenna nodded silently. Her brain was running a million miles an hour. Candice was going to die. She was going to fall off her chair and die right there in the office.

      Derek straightened up and handed Jenna the card.

      “Thank you, Mr…. Derek.”

      He smiled, and his eyes lit up like Santa Claus. “Thank you, Jenna.”

      TYLER SNAPPED a couple of pictures from the Quayside Hotel parking lot as Jenna and her partner Candice emerged from the front entry. Derek had called last night to describe Jenna, and to tell Tyler she currently had a contract at the hospital. From there, Tyler had followed the pair to the hotel.

      Jenna seemed to be having the time of her life with her fiancé out of the picture. The two women walked down the sidewalk, talking animatedly, laughing, and gesturing in the air like a couple of college students as they headed for Candice’s sedan.

      Tyler raised his newspaper so that it shielded his face as they passed his SUV. Whatever had happened in the hotel, they were certainly excited about it. He wondered for a moment if they’d met their boyfriends. It was a definite possibility.

      As their vehicle backed out of the space, he turned his attention to the stone building, training the camera in preparation for the emergence of their dates. He could catch up with the women at either the hospital or the Canna Interiors office later.