The Dating Plan Page 7

  “You’re not selling it very well,” Daisy said dryly.

  Finally the car in front of her started to move, and her Mini kicked into gear. “Love takes commitment. You know I have issues.”

  “I know you do,” Layla said gently. “Every time I come to your place and see you and your dad kicking around in that big empty house, I feel your pain. But he’s finally moving on. Don’t you want to move on, too? Maybe the perfect apartment is out there, or even the perfect man—someone who makes you happy, who cares for you, and makes you laugh.” She hesitated. “Maybe Roshan is the one.”

  Liam had made her laugh, but she suspected Layla wouldn’t want to know that. “My dad thought my mom was the one, and look how that turned out. I’m happy to stay single, but I am going to string out the fake fiancé thing at least until Dad is back from his trip. I haven’t been accosted by any aunties since the conference. It’s been positively peaceful.”

  “You’d just better hope no one puts two and two together. If your dad thought you were with Liam after what he did . . .”

  “I’d just tell him it wasn’t real. Who would believe Liam and I would ever get together?”

  * * *

  • • •

  DAISY was in the zone. At least she was in the zone until someone tapped her on the shoulder and she felt, rather than heard, the rumble of a voice behind her. With an irritated huff, she pulled off her noise-canceling headphones.

  “Yes?”

  Hunter Cole, CFO—a man so blond and beautiful he had no business being in a company filled with geeks—held out his computer. “My laptop isn’t working. Someone said you were in IT. The screen froze, and I’ve got the spinning wheel . . .”

  Daisy’s mouth opened and closed again. She didn’t do well around people like Hunter—confident, beautiful, popular people who were spatially aware and had never once tripped going up stairs, stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk, or bashed their head on a cupboard door. With their perfect bodies and toned muscles, they made her feel clumsy and awkward, the ten pakora pounds she could never lose a glaring signal that she was not one of them, if they hadn’t guessed that already from the nonsensical words that came out of her mouth when they were around.

  Liam was one of them, but she’d never felt the same way around him, like the clumsiness and the lost words vanished the moment he walked in the door, and all that was left was the Daisy inside who was smart enough to do the puzzles he brought her, funny enough to make him laugh, and interesting enough that he would blow off Sanjay to listen to whatever she had to say.

  “Seriously, man?” Josh shot out of his chair in the nearby cubicle. “Asking her to fix your computer is the equivalent of asking a Michelin starred chef to wash the dishes.” He frowned at Hunter, folding his arms across a chest that was only half the size and lacking any of Hunter’s definition. “I thought Finance had its own IT people downstairs. What are you doing up here?”

  Hunter gestured behind him at the slow parade of people walking through the door, hands filled with boxes, bags, and laptops. “The move just started.” His deep voice rumbled so low Daisy could feel it in her bones.

  “I was told this was where IT would be.” He tipped his head from side to side, making his neck crack, then grabbed his collar, like he was about to rip the shirt off his massive shoulders and throw down with Josh right there on the cubicle floor.

  “It’s okay, Josh.” Daisy took the computer, fumbling with it before she got it to the safety of her desk. “I do this for my relatives all the time.” She turned it off and on again and the computer hummed to life. She tapped a few keys and looked up at Hunter. “Looks like it’s working now.”

  “Thanks.” Hunter lifted the laptop off her desk—as if he knew she’d probably drop it if she picked it up again—and walked away, his broad shoulders swaying above his tight-as-a-rock ass.

  “He didn’t even know to turn his computer off and on.” Josh sneered. He was in a savage mood. “No wonder the company is going under.”

  “Be nice,” Daisy scolded. “It’s not his fault.”

  “How can I be nice when we’re being invaded? How are we going to . . .” He trailed off as Mia Hart, the marketing director, placed a box in the empty cubicle beside him. Daisy knew Mia, with her expressive green eyes and thick auburn hair, from project meetings and the occasional elevator ride, but they’d never had more than a passing conversation. Josh, however, knew everyone.

  “Look what the cat dragged in.” He glared at Mia.

  “Sorry, guys.” She shrugged off the insult. “Marketing and Design is moving in beside you, but I brought donuts!”

  “You can stay.” Josh took the donut box from the top of her pile. “But only until they’re gone.”

  Mia gave Daisy a sympathetic smile. “I know you guys like to be left alone. It sucks for everyone.”

  “Not Hunter,” Josh said. “He thinks anyone with a screen is Help Desk.”

  “Aren’t we in a bad mood today.” Mia pulled a bundle of files out of her box. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “We can’t work like this,” Josh said. “I refuse to be diminished to ‘IT.’ I’m going to speak to Tyler.”

  “Maybe give him some space right now.” Mia leaned over to turn on her computer and Josh tracked her movements with a less-than-subtle shift of his eyes. “He’s not in good shape. He looks like he’s just stepped off Survivor. Any moment now, I expect him to call a Tribal Council and vote one of us off.”

  “I heard a rumor that he’s letting ten percent of the staff go.” Josh’s expression turned serious.

  Mia snorted. “You hear rumors about everything. Day-old muffins instead of fresh, spyware in the computers, corporate espionage—”

  “The corporate espionage rumor turned out to be true,” he protested. “Some dude wanted the secret to super absorbent tampons so badly, he was prepared to go to jail for it. That’s probably why we lost market share.”

  “It was never proven in court,” Daisy pointed out. “I think we’re in financial trouble because we expanded out of our core market, at least that’s what Tyler told the VCs when we pitched at the tech con.”

  “How did the pitch sessions go?” Mia asked. “I did a marketing proposal for Tyler to hand out, but he never gave me any feedback.”

  Daisy shrugged. “A few of the VCs said they’d be in touch, but we didn’t get any requests for a meeting. I told Tyler they were probably overwhelmed with all the pitches, but he said that was VC speak for ‘F-off, loser.’”

  Mia’s face softened. “He reminds me so much of my second stepdad. He was a scientist at an aeronautics company who could spend hours just staring into space as he contemplated how many quarks were in the universe.”

  “How many dads have you had?” Daisy asked.

  “Three, but none of them stuck around. My real dad died in a car accident and my mom drove the next two away with her drinking. She never got over my father’s death.”

  Daisy’s heart squeezed in her chest. It had taken her father twenty years to get over her mom. As far as she knew, he hadn’t dated anyone until Priya. They’d both believed that one day Daisy’s mom would come home. And she had, but it hadn’t turned out as either of them expected.

  “It must have been very hard for both of you,” Daisy said.

  “Tyler’s been an incredible support.” Mia pulled a file from her box. “He got her on my medical plan as a dependent.”

  When Josh tipped his head in a puzzled frown, she explained. “She has a lot of accidents when I’m not at home—fires, falls, alcohol poisoning . . . She’s a disaster waiting to happen.” She retrieved the donut box from Josh and offered it to Daisy with a smile, as if she hadn’t just spilled her dark and painful family secrets. “All Star?”

  “No, thanks. I had breakfast this morning.”

  “I’ll take it.” Zoe Banks th
umped her box in the cubicle beside Daisy and settled in her chair. A skilled graphic designer and a single mom, she had worked with Daisy on the website design. “I missed breakfast this morning when Lily had a tantrum and threw her cereal all over the floor. Don’t let anyone tell you the toddler years are the best of times.”

  Daisy laughed. “I’ve got lots of cousins that age. I know what it’s like.”

  “What’s going on with you?” Zoe leaned back in her chair so she could see Mia. “You’re wearing your serious face this morning.”

  “Daisy said we’re doomed.”

  Daisy’s eyes widened. “No I didn’t.”

  “She said the VCs told Tyler to fuck the hell off. That means dust off the old résumé and start pounding the pavement.”

  “That’s not what happened.” Daisy looked from Mia to Zoe and back to Mia. “I’m not saying it’s a lost cause.”

  “All of us squeezed onto one floor?” Josh gestured to the now bustling office. “Constant chattering? Boxes of donuts with the chocolate ones missing? I’d say it is. And this is only the start of the budget cuts. Next thing you know, Tyler will be pulling all the free sample condoms and lube. What am I going to do? Colossal is the only size that fits.”

  “They’re only called ‘colossal’ to pander to the male ego.” Mia gave him a withering look. “They’re actually tiny size.”

  “Well, no wonder he’s cutting staff,” Josh retorted. “The marketing department can’t tell the difference between six inches and ten.”

  Zoe shot a sideways glance at Daisy. The tension between Josh and Mia shimmered in the air between them. “We just need to find an investor,” she said. “How hard can it be? Does anyone have a connection or know a VC with money to burn?”

  I do! The thought crossed her mind and she quickly dismissed it, just as she’d tried and failed to dismiss all thoughts of Liam since she’d bumped into him again. Why did he have to look so damned gorgeous? And why did his voice sound deeper and his eyes look bluer than she remembered? And why were his lips so soft and his hands so firm when he’d held her?

  “I think we should go for drinks and brainstorm ideas to save the company,” Josh said. “Friday night after work. Who’s in? Daisy is, of course, because she absolutely loves going out with her work colleagues to party.” He gave her a hopeful grin, even though she always turned him down.

  Before she was forced into an awkward explanation, Tyler walked into the office looking more unkempt than usual, in a rumpled shirt, baggy jeans, and sock feet. His thick graying beard and uncombed hair were a decided contrast to the clean-shaven look he had sported until things started to go downhill.

  Tyler had never been interested in running the company. He’d left the business side to Kristina and her then-boyfriend, Derek, who convinced them to expand the product line to include diapers, adult incontinence undergarments, and sexual health products. Unfortunately, their new slogan, “From Cradle to Grave, Top to Bottom,” didn’t translate well internationally—“Baby Bite My Grandfather’s Ass” not being the optimal message for foreign consumers. Funding dried up. Derek took his money and ran. A jilted Kristina left the company to do outreach in developing countries. And poor Tyler was left holding the bag.

  The noise quickly died down and Daisy pushed her chair into the aisle to hear what he had to say.

  “As you might have guessed from the move, our last round of fundraising didn’t go well,” Tyler said. “I’m still not giving up, but I know many of you have families and financial commitments, so I want to tell you where we stand so you can make informed decisions about your future . . .”

  Daisy stifled a gasp when he outlined the cuts that were about to come. Josh had been right about the layoffs, but that was only the beginning. If things didn’t pick up after one month, another 20 percent of the team would have to go. Travel and conferences were canceled. All tech purchases were frozen, and there would be no more new hires.

  Should she start sending out résumés right away? Where would she go? What if she couldn’t find a job she liked as much as this one? Her hands shook as anxiety sent tendrils of worry through her veins.

  “Tyler . . .” Rochelle, the company receptionist, walked through the open-plan office, stilettos clicking on the tile floor. Her long blond hair was swept back from an elegant oval face dominated by wide blue eyes. She’d been Derek’s executive assistant until he’d disappeared from the company. Good-hearted Tyler had offered to keep her on as a receptionist. Another woman might have turned down what was effectively a demotion, but Rochelle carried on, as officious and condescending as she had ever been.

  “We have a visitor.” She smoothed her hand down her pearl-white sheath dress, drawing attention to the curve of her slim hip.

  Tyler’s gaze flicked to her, slightly annoyed. “I’ll be there in a minute. I’m making an important announcement.”

  “You’ll want to come now. He’s from Evolution Ventures. His name is Liam Murphy.”

  Daisy sucked in a deep breath. It couldn’t be him. Liam wouldn’t dare come to her office. Not after she’d made it clear he wasn’t welcome.

  Or would he?

  • 9 •

  “THE Liam Murphy?” Visibly shocked, Tyler staggered back. “From Evolution Ventures? Here?” He waved his hands frantically in the air. “Everyone. Calm down. Don’t get excited. We’re right in the middle of start-up central. He probably got lost on his way to see Google or Twitter. I need a clean shirt. And my tie. Where’s my jacket? Where are my shoes? And just in case it is the miracle we’ve been hoping for, who has the pitch deck?”

  “What’s Liam doing here?” Daisy whispered, half to herself.

  Mia leaned toward her. “Do you know him?”

  “He was my brother’s best friend.”

  “Did you miss the part where Zoe asked if anyone knew a VC with money to burn?” Josh spun around in his chair. “That was your chance to say, ‘Why yes, I know one of the senior associates in one of the top VCs in the country who found a unicorn when he was just starting his career.’”

  Daisy shrugged. “We’re not close.”

  “Who cares if you’re close?” He grabbed the arms of her chair and gave it a gentle shake. “Look around you. People are scared about losing their jobs. Tyler looks like a caveman. The snack bar is going to be permanently closed. And you and I will never get into the flow until all these people go back downstairs.”

  “He’s not here to save us,” Daisy said. “He wants to rent the second floor. I saw him the other day and I told him not to. I guess he didn’t care what I thought.” The words poured out of her in a tidal wave of anger, flushing her anxiety away. “But then that’s the kind of person he is. He stood me up for my senior prom and then disappeared without a word after practically living with my family for eight years.”

  “But he has money to invest,” Josh protested. “So he wasn’t a nice guy ten years ago. People change.”

  “Don’t be an idiot.” Mia glared at him. “He stood her up for her prom. That’s huge for a teenage girl, Josh. Huge. And then just bailing on her family? Unforgivable.”

  “Thanks.” She gave Mia a smile, feeling a lightness in her limbs. Mia understood her pain in a way not many people did.

  Josh grabbed his phone. “Evolution Ventures have ten million in assets across four funds, locations in New York and Silicon Valley, over eighty investments, and they’ve done three IPOs and two acquisitions. What’s not to like?” He turned the phone around to show them a picture of Liam. “And check this guy out. I wouldn’t mind having that eye candy walking around.”

  “Damn, he’s fine,” Zoe said. “A bastard, of course, but a good-looking one. I’d fight you for him.”

  “You sprained your finger pushing the elevator button,” Josh said. “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “I am totally unaffected by his breathtaking good look
s.” Mia waved the phone away. “It’s what’s inside that counts.”

  “Exactly.” Daisy nodded. “I’m going to tell him to get lost—”

  “Everyone get back to work,” Tyler called out. “Don’t let him think we’re slacking. Rochelle, bring him to my office.”

  “I took him to the conference room,” she said. “But—”

  “Good. Conference room. Bring him coffee. Or muffins. Or avocado toast. Or how about those little Linzer cookies from the bakery down the street?” He pointed at the nearest employee. “You. Get cookies. Rochelle, tell him I’ll be there in five minutes. In the meantime, get him whatever he wants.”

  “He wants Daisy.”

  A smile spread across Josh’s face. “He wants you, Daisy. Think of Mia’s mom and Zoe’s daughter. Think about my rent increase and Hunter’s inability to use basic tech. Do you really want us all out on the street, foraging for muffins in back alleys?”

  “Daisy. Hallway. Now.” Tyler raced out of the room before she could object.

  “I’ve never seen him so panicked,” Mia said. “He’s barely functioning. You’ll need to calm him down.”

  Tyler was still buzzing with excitement when Daisy joined him and Rochelle in the hallway. “This is it, Daisy. Our big chance. I saw him watching our pitch to Alliance Ventures at the con last week. He must have seen something he liked.”

  Daisy’s words of warning died on her lips. “What do you mean he was watching?” She quickened her pace as Tyler strode down the hallway toward the conference room.

  “He was at the back of the room. I hadn’t put Evolution on our pitch list because I didn’t think we were a good fit, but I guess I was wrong, because here he is! He must have questions for you about the software system or he wouldn’t have asked for you by name.” Tyler smoothed down his hair. “Keep him busy. I’ll be back as fast as I can with the pitch deck.”