pleasant travel companion you are. My assistants are always a roll of the dice since I donât get to choose them.â
âIâll bet.â
Forcing his attention to the screen, he enabled the settings that would allow April access to his system then asked, âWant to see the agenda for tomorrow?â
âYes, please.â
He clicked open his time management program. âIâll download the schedule to your desktop.â
In one energetic move, she covered the distance between them and stood hovering above his right shoulder to view the screen. Though she held her hair back so it didnât brush his cheek, Rex could still smell the faint floral fragrance that had embedded itself deep in his psyche during the flight to Atlanta.
âDirect observations and depth interviews?â
He nodded, inhaling deeply and enjoying the way her scent filtered through his senses. âThe marketing researchers will have respondents scheduled for shopping experiments. Iâll conduct one-on-one interviews after each one.â
âWhat will you want me to do?â
âYouâll start cleaning the data, check the sequencing of the questions and the consistency of the answers. Iâll examine the results at night. The key here will be to keep up. Weâve got a busy few weeks ahead.â
April nodded. âTell me about the marketing research company weâll be dealing with.â
âMy first choice is always Yodzis and Associates. They have offices in most of the major cities, but I work with a few others when need dictates.â
âWhy do you like this company?â
âThey streamline my work process by being professional and organized. They also have a large participant base, which lets them pull together studies on a dime if something comes up that I need to investigate quickly.â
Standing up, April made a move to back away, so Rex pulled a chair out and said, âSit. Letâs go over the game plan as long as weâre here.â
She slipped into the seat, propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her clasped hands. âAre these the same researchers you dealt with when you conducted the research for America Sleeps?â
Her question distracted him from the way the purple lights in her eyes flickered beneath thick black lashes. âYou know about my work with America Sleeps?â
âMy boss mentioned it. I think he was trying to convince me of the merits of going on the road with you.â
âNeeded convincing, did you?â
âSome,â she admitted. âNothing personal. I just havenât ventured away from home base that much.â
âSome people enjoy working on the road.â
âYouâre one of them?â
He nodded and she gifted him with a smile that said sheâd guessed as much. That smile did amazing things to her face, and his pulse rate. Full pink lips parted just enough forhim to see the straight white teeth below. That smile also sparkled in the depths of her eyes and dispelled some of the nervous energy that seemed to be so much a part of her.
One glimpse of a relaxed April so completely undermined his focus that Rex forgot what heâd been about to say. Which didnât really matter, as she seemed happy to lead the conversation.
âSo whatâs the attraction of the open road?â
Heâd been asked variations of this question many timesâespecially from his sisters, all of whom believed he should find a bride and settle down in Chicago to raise little Holts to entertain his nieces and nephews. He kept a stock answer handy.
âKeeps me fresh. The work is always changing and providing new challenges.â
âBeing challenged is important to you?â
âSome wise person once said, âVariety is the spice of life.â And as we only get one go-around, I figure I might as well make the most of it.â
âTrue enough, but itâs interesting how
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