âThereâs always a catch.â Kalissa smiled.
Riley agreed with that. âCatch isââ he settled a hand on her bare hip ââIâm falling for you.â
Her smile widened. âThatâs not a catch.â
It was for him, and that was the hard truth. He was quickly coming to care for this woman, but he was destined to upset and disappoint her. There was no way around it.
But not now, he told himself, not today. They could be together for a little longer yet, before the real world crowded in.
* * *
Seduced by the CEO
is part of the Chicago Sons series: Men who work hard, love harder and live with their fathersâ legacies â¦
One
Kalissa Smith stripped off a pair of dirt-streaked garden gloves and paced backward from the Newbergsâ house, smiling with both pride and satisfaction. It had taken a full month, but the new lawn gleamed emerald under the August sun. Beyond its scalloped edges, fresh, black dirt was mounded in flower beds positioned against the brick walls of the two-story colonial. Evergreens and dwarf maples were clustered in one corner of the spacious yard, providing shade and privacy.
âThe ornamental peppers definitely work,â said Megan, crossing from their company pickup truck in the driveway.
âItâs a bit of a twist,â said Kalissa.
Megan drew a deep breath. âI think theyâll be happy with the twist.â
âTheyâd better be happy.â
The Newbergs were not the easiest clients in the world, but at least the job was finally complete.
âDid we make any money on this one?â Megan asked.
âI sure hope we did. We were underwater on the turf, but we saved on labor.â
âOnly because we did most of it ourselves.â
âGood thing we charge ourselves such reasonable prices.â
Megan smiled at the joke. âIt does look fantastic.â
Kalissa couldnât help flexing her sore shoulders. Her calves were tight and her abs ached from so many days of physical work. On the bright side, she had absolutely no need to visit a gym, and she was developing a very nice tan.
âIâm going to take some pictures for the web site,â she said.
Mosaic Landscaping had been in business for just under a year, starting when Kalissa and Megan had both earned college diplomas in landscape design.
âThere were three more inquires on our voice mail this afternoon,â said Megan.
âCan we at least grab dinner before we start a new project?â
Megan chuckled. âOn top of everything else, you want food?â
âCall me high-maintenance.â
âI could go for a burger.â
âBennyâs, here we come.â
Bennyâs Burgers was a funky little restaurant tucked in an alleyway near their landscape shop on the west side of Chicago. Theyâd rented the aging storefront and warehouse space because of its generous size and reasonable rent. Esthetics had little to do with the decisionâthough they had painted and brightened the upstairs apartment, moving two single beds and some used furniture into the space.
Kalissa retrieved the camera from the front of their serviceable, blue pickup truck, making her way around the yard to take shots from various angles.
At the same time, Megan gathered up the last of the hand tools, stowing them in the pickup box. Then she perched herself on the tailgate, scrolling through pages on her tablet.
âAny new inquiries from the web site?â Kalissa called as she lined up for a picture of the flagstone walkway edged with pink and white peonies. The front porch and double doors filled in the background, and the sun was hitting the flowers at just the right angle.
âThere are still a lot of people looking for maintenance.â
Megan and Kalissa had talked about adding a yard maintenance service to their business. It wasnât where they wanted to focus, but if they could hire a decent crew, they might be able to make a little extra money. Their business was gradually increasing its customer base, but the margins were thin.
Kalissa clicked the final shots.
âWhat do you think about doing that?â she asked as she made her way back to the truck.
âIs there something youâve neglected to tell me?â Megan was staring at the tablet screen.
Kalissa stopped in front of her. âAbout what?â
Megan turned the tablet so it was facing Kalissa.
Kalissa reached out to steady it.
She squinted against the bright sunshine, and a photo of a bride and groom came into focus. The man was handsome in his tux, and the womanâs dress was gorgeous, highlighted by a huge, multi-colored bouquet of roses, tulips and lavender.