Her Favorite Rival by Sarah Mayberry Read Free Book Online

made notes to compare some of the figures with her own data. She steadfastly refused to glance sideways at Zach, but she could feel heat stealing into her face anyway, a slow, steadily growing burn.
    She concentrated fiercely on her notes, taking down almost every word Gary said, and slowly her embarrassment subsided—that is, until Zach shifted beside her, bumping her shoulder, and the whole rising-tide-of-heat thing started all over again.
    By the time the meeting ended she had damp armpits and was desperate for five minutes alone to regain her equilibrium. The moment Gary signaled they could go she was on her feet, gathering her things as though school had been let out for summer.
    “Audrey, could I have a word?” Gary called as she all but sprinted for the door.
    She pulled up short. “Sure. Of course.”
    She joined him at the head of the table, mentally reviewing her to-do list. Maybe he wanted to talk about the new proposal they’d had from one of their lighting suppliers. Or the additions she wanted to make to the rechargeable battery range.
    But Gary’s gaze was focused over her shoulder. “You, too, Zach.”
    Of course he wanted to talk to Zach at the same time. Today was clearly her day. Not. She hugged her papers to her chest as Zach joined them.
    “I’ve got a meeting in ten so I’ll cut to the chase,” Gary said. “Whitman has asked us to put together a competitor analysis. Strengths, weaknesses, growth areas. You know the drill. I thought maybe you two would like to handle it.”
    Okay, now she knew fate really was dicking with her. The last-remaining-seat situation was one thing, but offering her a chance to score some major corporate brownie points while linking that same opportunity to her having to work hand-in-glove with Zach? That was simply cruel.
    “Sounds good,” Zach said easily. “But I’m happy to handle it on my own if Audrey’s snowed.”
    She blinked, drawn out of her own thoughts by his casually worded attempted coup. She bet he’d be happy to handle the analysis on his own. He’d probably love to give Whitman a little shoulder rub and polish his car, too.
    “Oh no, I’m up for it,” she said brightly.
    Only belatedly did she consider how her words might be construed, given what Zach had overheard her say last night. “I mean, I’m not snowed.” That didn’t sound good, either. Not when she was talking to her immediate boss. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m busy, but I’d like the opportunity.”
    “Good. You’ve got two weeks. Whitman wants a presentation after the conference.” Gary gave her a curious look before heading for the door.
    She cleared her throat and faced her temporary partner in crime. Determined to be professional about this, no matter what.
    “So...how do you want to do this?”
    “I guess we should divide up the workload. Write our sections separately, then pool data and conclusions,” Zach said.
    She forced herself to look at him directly for the first time all day. He was wearing a dark blue shirt, the color lending extra depth to his eyes. For once he wasn’t laughing at her. A small win.
    “Sounds good. Do you want to reconvene after five, draw up a schedule...?”
    “Can we make it six? I’ve got a conference call with some of the guys from Perth.”
    “Sure, suits me.”
    He gestured for her to precede him from the room and they parted in the hallway.
    In her office, she gave herself a little pep talk. This report was an opportunity, and she was going to hit it out of the park. End of story.
    She applied herself to her task list with a Terminator-like zeal, aware that she would have to carve out the time to research and write her share of the analysis over the coming week. Since no one had miraculously added a couple of extra hours to every day, she was going to have to work harder and smarter to fit everything in.
    Accordingly, she was armed with some initial thoughts when she made her way to the meeting room at six. Zach hadn’t