The Last Tailored Suit

Chapter 2

2

Greyson shook his head as he walked up the stairs with Jenna’s bags. How had he managed to hire another unstable person? He had been sure the recruiter would do a better job than he had done himself. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Greyson was half tempted to throw the pint-size, overbearing manager out the door. However, he didn’t think she would let him. She’d end up ordering him to go back to the garden where he belonged.

A small, defeated laugh escaped.

He knew he was a little unkept and dirty. That was the nice thing about gardening. The plants didn’t care if you wore battered jeans and a scruffy beard. Ms. Newman probably expected Greyson Miller CEO to be dressed in one of his expensive tailored suits. She’d be waiting a long time before she saw that Greyson Miller. He was gone. Gone for good, if he had anything to say about it. Which is why he didn’t set the record straight right away. He should have, he knew, but it wasn’t like he could get a word in while she was ordering him around.

Greyson took a breath and deposited her bags into her room. Perhaps he should have thought twice about letting an employee live on the grounds — especially the little drill sergeant. But what’s done is done. In a couple of months . . . maybe a little longer, she’d become someone else’s problem.

Thank God for that.

Until then, he had some gardening to do. He had just started the daunting task of building the hedge maze this morning. It was yet another reminder of Nadia, and one more reason he didn’t care who the manager was as long as she got the job done.

They’d just have to keep out of each other’s way.

Jenna explored the entire first floor while wearing a wide-eyed expression. The mansion was breathtaking and furnished to perfection. Every room had its own lavish style. There were rich colors and bold lines in some rooms, and others were bright and airy. Every corner turned was a new experience. She had never been in love with a house before, but this house . . . mansion . . . had her swooning.

Now, if she could only find the owner. The gardener hadn’t said Mr. Miller was off-site, so he must be here somewhere.

Jenna plunked her laptop down on the kitchen table and sat down in a chair. It wasn’t the office she was hoping for, but there was something nice about the worn table near the large window. It looked as if it was the only thing in the mansion that was actually used. It had a homey feel to it. And the view out the window was spectacular. The sweeping landscape looked as if it went on for miles. Although . . . it was in rough shape. There were piles of dirt and a giant cluster of wooly hedges not even planted.

Jenna made a note to speak with the gardener. If she was going to create a bed and breakfast retreat, she’d need a beautiful and calming landscape. Not this.

Yes, she’d definitely speak with him. She just hoped he’d understand the importance of what she envisioned. If not, she might have to let him go. Jenna frowned. She really hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She hated the thought of having to fire someone. But, Mr. Miller hired her to do a job, and she was going to do it. She was too afraid of the consequences not to do her very best.

Jenna opened the laptop and found the email. It was all set up for her and had Mr. Miller’s contact information already saved. Perhaps she should email him to let him know she had arrived. She doubted the gardener had told him. It took her several attempts before she decided on a simple, straightforward message.

Mr. Miller,

I have arrived at the mansion and would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience. I am eager to start work and have come up with a few ideas of which I hope you will approve. I have stationed myself in the kitchen for the time being. You may find me there when you are ready to meet.

Thank you for the opportunity to work with you.

In regards,

Jenna Newman

Jenna sat back and reread the email. It was to the point and perhaps a bit stiff, but it did the job without making her sound too green. She hit send and sat back, waiting for a response.

The gardener was outside now, she noticed as she looked out the window. He was heading to the cluster of hedges, eating up ground with his long strides.

He stopped suddenly and pulled a phone out of his pocket.

Jenna sighed. She hoped he wasn’t one of those employees who spent fifty percent of his workday goofing off on his phone. Clearly, Mr. Miller needed her to keep a stronger eye on the place and the employees.

Greyson read the email and groaned. The woman was daft. It almost made him want to dress in a suit and tie, shave off his beard, and stand menacingly in front of her like the “lord of the business world” that she was expecting. Would she finally figure it out then?

He had no desire to do any such thing, however. If she believed he was the gardener, then so be it. He was not going to cater to whatever business fantasy she had cooked up in her mind. But, business was business, so he had to at least answer.

Ms. Newman,

I’m busy at the moment. Please send all ideas by email. I will consider them and get back to you. There is a folder in your laptop with your name on it. Included in the folder is a list of items that will need to be completed, as well as business contacts that you will need to reach out to in the coming weeks. It is all explained in detail. Should you still have questions, please let me know.

Greyson Miller

Greyson shoved the phone into his pocket and yanked a hedge out of a pot. Dirt flew in every direction.

“Damn,” he muttered, wiping the spray of soil off his arms.

At least the list would get the woman off his back for a few weeks. That list was a mile long. He’d made it incredibly detailed so that even an intern could follow along without confusion . . . or questions. He didn’t want any questions. He didn’t want to talk.

Jenna Newman nearly made him rethink his plan. He could have just as easily sold the mansion to a private buyer. But, he had wanted this to be his one last project before setting off. It would get the need out of his system and then he could concentrate on the rest of his life. Whatever that would entail.

Jenna read Mr. Miller’s email with a twinge of disappointment. She knew he was a busy man, but he could have at least taken a few minutes to welcome her aboard in person. Well, no matter, she would get to work right away.

Finding the file Mr. Miller referred to, she began reading the extensive list. He had it all mapped out with specifics. God, he must be a micromanager if this list was any indication. He obviously didn’t have faith in her skills to open the bed and breakfast on her own.

Jenna sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She might as well get to work, beginning with the task she thought was the most important — obtaining permits – and the paperwork to become a company. Everything else could be done while the papers were in motion.

However, there was no mention of the bed and breakfast’s name. She couldn’t very well fill out the papers without a business name.

She hated to bother Mr. Miller, but how else was she going to start this enormous list without even the most basic information?

Mr. Miller,

I have reviewed the list and will begin right away. I don’t see any mention of a business name for the bed and breakfast. Please let me know what it is and I will see to the rest of the details.

Jenna Newman

Greyson swore. It’s already begun, he thought. Of course, she did have a valid reason for emailing. He had thought of everything except the obvious — a name for the bed and breakfast. Wiping his dirty hands on his jeans, he replied.

Please come up with a few ideas for a name and forward them to me.

Jenna frowned and closed her laptop. If she was going to name the bed and breakfast, she was going to have to get a better feel for the place. It wasn’t a hardship to explore this wonderful mansion, by any means. In fact, it was something she looked forward to. With that in mind, she stood and began her journey.

She lost her way a few times as she walked from room to room, but there was only one time when she became disorientated. It had nothing to do with being lost, though; because she knew, without a doubt, what room she’d stumbled across.

The enormous bedroom on the second floor, complete with fireplace, stately king-size bed, and spacious bathroom with a whirlpool tub, was most definitely the master suite, and the scent was exactly the same as that of the study.

This was Greyson Miller’s room.

It was as if walking into a different world. Sure, the suite was impressive, but there was something more to it. It felt as though he was standing in the room with her. If this was what it felt like to stand next to him, she was thankful that they hadn’t met after all. Her palms were sweaty, and her knees were oddly soft. It was the most bizarre reaction she had ever had. The knowledge that he would be sleeping only one floor below her in an otherwise empty mansion suddenly made her nervous.

She stood in the center of the room and turned slowly, taking in every detail. This would be the last time she’d set foot in this room. She instinctively knew that she was in a man’s territory, and she would not cross the threshold again.

But first . . .

Jenna crossed over to the suite’s tiled and chromed bathroom and picked out two fresh, fluffy white towels from the cabinet. Her hospitality background was itching, making her do something that she probably shouldn’t do in this alpha male’s room.

She couldn’t help herself.