Before We Kiss Read online

  “Fayrene, I love you like a sister,” Dellina began.

  “I am your sister.”

  “I know. You’re a smart businessperson, but when it comes to love—specifically with Ryan—you’re making this way too hard. Tell him how you feel.”

  Fayrene shook her head. “The guy is supposed to propose.”

  “That’s unbelievably old-fashioned.”

  “I don’t care. When I’m telling my daughter a bedtime story and she asks me how Daddy proposed, I don’t want to tell her he didn’t. That I had to ask.”

  It was more than that, she thought sadly. She wanted Ryan so swept away by love that he couldn’t help himself. That he didn’t care what she wanted. That being with her was the most important thing in the world and he would ask her to marry him no matter what. Only that didn’t seem to be happening.

  “Maybe he doesn’t love me anymore,” she said with a sigh.

  Dellina leaned against the door frame. “Kill me now.”

  “Before your big party?”

  Her sister straightened. “You’re right. The party is huge and I’m going to do such a good job that people will be talking about it for weeks. You still up for being my head babysitter?”

  “You bet. I’m looking forward to it.” As a rule, Fayrene liked kids. She would also like the big, fat check she would earn for just three days of relatively easy work.

  “Good. By the way, you don’t happen to know how long it takes to play a round of golf, do you?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never played. Four hours, maybe.”

  “That’s what I’m thinking. I’ll do some research online and then talk to someone at the golf course. I’m planning the events for the weekend. I have to present the schedule to Sam tomorrow.” She tilted her head. “Don’t take this wrong, but what are you doing here?”

  Sulking, Fayrene thought. “I was hoping we could brainstorm more ways to get Ryan to propose,” she said, pointing to the dry-erase board.

  Dellina walked toward her and put her hands on Fayrene’s shoulders. “You’re my sister. I love you very much. I would step in front of a bus for you.”

  “But?”

  “But you’re going about this all wrong. Tell him how you feel. And if you won’t, comfort yourself with the knowledge that Ryan will propose.”

  Fayrene groaned. “In three years.”

  “Which is exactly when you told him to.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  DELLINA ARRIVED AT the office of Score five minutes before her appointment with Sam. While she knew where the offices were, she’d never been in them before. Now as she walked through the glass doors, she took in the open foyer with the two-story ceiling. A big reception desk stood in the center. There were stairs to the left and an elevator beyond that. But what really caught her attention was the nearly life-size pictures on the wall.

  Sam, Kenny and Jack stared down at her from all angles. There were photos of the guys in uniform, in shorts and T-shirts, standing around and working out. There was one of Jack about to throw a football, another of Kenny jumping to catch. One showed Sam in that last nanosecond before he kicked the ball.

  She turned slowly, taking in the various poses and expressions. In the back, by the stairs, was one picture showing all four partners together. In her heels, Taryn was the same height as Sam. Jack was an inch or so taller with Kenny a couple of inches taller than him. The guys were in suits and ties and Taryn had on a long-sleeved black dress that showed every skinny inch of her body. Dellina immediately sucked in her stomach.

  A middle-aged woman walked toward her. “May I help you?”

  “Dellina Hopkins. I have an appointment with Sam.”

  The woman smiled. “Yes, of course. This way, Ms. Hopkins.”

  “Dellina, please.”

  She was led down the hallway. Signed jerseys and trophies lined the walls. The receptionist stopped in front of a partially open wooden door.

  “Thank you,” Dellina said before she stepped inside.

  She found herself in a large office. One end had a big desk with a computer. There were windows, a long leather sofa and, at the far end, a small conference table.

  The square footage probably came close to that of her house, she thought with amusement. Ah, to be a rich, famous football player, she thought. Talk about serious perks.

  A door by the conference table opened and Sam walked into the room. Her girl parts cheered, her breath seemed to catch and she wondered if it was just her or if the sun was shining just a little brighter now. He smiled when he saw her.

  “Right on time.”

  She was about to ask if there was a private restroom or if he and the other guys had secret passages back and forth between their offices when she took a look at his face. His left eye was slightly puffy and there was a deep violet and red bruise from the bridge of his nose to his cheekbone.

  “What happened?” she asked, instinctively stepping toward him.

  “You should see the other guy.”

  “You got in a fight?”

  The smile returned. “No. I played basketball and got in the way of Consuelo’s elbow.”

  “Consuelo did that to you?” Dellina cleared her throat and lowered the pitch of her voice. “On purpose?”

  “That second question is harder to answer. She would tell you it was my own damn fault and she would probably be right.”

  “You have a black eye.”

  “That seems to be the consensus.”

  She was only a few feet from him. For a second she thought about moving closer and lightly touching his skin. While the idea was tempting, she couldn’t figure out an excuse. It wasn’t as if she had magical healing powers. While being around Sam made her think of tangled sheets and soul-stirring kisses, the information wasn’t relevant for their current discussion. Or any discussion. Because what had happened that night had been an anomaly. Given the choice between the job and man, she would take the job.

  But being with the man had been very, very nice.

  He pointed to the conference table. “Have a seat. We can go over what you’ve brought.”

  She sat down and set her tote on the chair next to her. Sam sat on her other side and pulled a stack of papers toward himself. She saw plugs for hooking up a computer and suspected a screen lowered on one of the walls.

  “Fancy,” she said, pointing to the connections.

  “I have finance meetings in here,” he said. “With the accountants. We keep them small because no one else wants to attend.”

  “Your partners want to know their checks cleared and little else?”

  “Something like that.”

  She pulled out her stack of folders. “I get that. Just once I’d like to have a phone call with my bookkeeper that doesn’t have her trying very hard not to sigh in my ear. Every time I think I’ve got stuff the way she wants...”

  Dellina trailed off, thinking that admitting a shortcoming like that probably wasn’t a good idea.

  Sam leaned back in his chair. “Don’t worry. I’m not hiring you for your genius with numbers. I want you to make sure our guests have a good time.”

  “Much more my area of expertise.” She passed him the top folder. “The preliminary schedule of events.”

  He handed her a couple of sheets of paper. “The guest list, including who has kids and their ages.”

  * * *

  SAM FLIPPED OPEN the folder. The top two pages contained the calendar for the weekend. He scanned the lists. Per his request, the party began at four on Friday and went until two-thirty on Sunday.

  “As you can see,” Dellina said, leaning toward him and pointing, “we’re keeping both kids and parents busy. The only places where the children need to be kept separate are the welcome wine tasting and dinner at
Henri’s. I have a private room reserved for the event. Not only won’t it hold extra people, the kids would be a distraction.”

  “I agree,” he told her.

  “The other possible need for separation could be the lecture, but as I haven’t lined up anyone yet, I don’t know. Regardless, I’m running a full second track for the children. I suggest we go item by item through both schedules.”

  He nodded.

  Dellina shifted her chair closer. Her wavy brown hair slipped off her shoulder and brushed against his arm. He was wearing long sleeves and couldn’t really feel the contact, but he could imagine it. His fantasy for round two of their lone night together had been her on top. Only things hadn’t gotten that far.

  “The wine tasting is the first item,” she said. “It will be held on the patio by the restaurant. I want to feature local wineries. Condor Valley Winery is right here in the valley, so they’ll be the star. I have an in with the owners. My sister Ana Raquel is married to the nephew of the winemaker. He’ll give a short talk on wine making, and the hotel wants to provide the appetizers. After the tasting we’ll head into the restaurant for a full sit-down dinner. You and I will figure out the menu. Their wine cellar is impressive, so we have a lot to choose from.”

  She pointed to the second sheet. “While this is going on, the kids will be learning how to make various mocktails and appetizers. Ana Raquel and her husband are professional chefs. They’ll be teaching the class. It seems like an easy way for everyone to get to know one another. There will be an informal dinner. During which we’ll have a local band playing.”

  “You have a band suitable for children?”

  She grinned. “A high school band, but still fun.”

  His gaze dropped to her mouth. Her lips were full and shiny from some gloss. He wondered if it would have a flavor and how much trouble he would be in if he tried to find out.

  “There’s a group in Sacramento that puts on plays for children. I want to hire them to do a kid-friendly play. It’s a little pricey but will be a great end to the evening. The fun part is the kids learn lines and participate as well as watch.”

  It was a lot, but as she said, memorable. Better for the parents to know their children were entertained and tired at the end of the day.

  “Is the play going to cost more than ten thousand dollars?” he asked.

  Her eyes widened. “Hardly.”

  “Then it’s fine.”

  “Sheesh. We have different definitions of expensive,” she murmured.

  He was sure that was true. “What about babysitters?”

  “There will be at least two adults with the kids at all times along with several teenage sitters to keep an eye on things. I’ll have references for everyone working two weeks before the party so parents can check them out if they want.”

  “Impressive,” he told her.

  She smiled. “I live to dazzle. Okay, Saturday morning. We’ll have a stretching class for those who are in the mood, followed by breakfast on the terrace. Then we split up. Adults go to CDS for a fun obstacle course while the kids go bike riding with Josh Golden.”

  “Josh agreed to this?” Sam asked.

  Dellina nodded. “I wouldn’t have put it on the schedule if he hadn’t. He does a lot of Saturday morning rides with different people. If you’re visiting town, you can sign up for it through your hotel. They start on the track at his school, and then when everyone is comfortable they head out to the bike path that circles the city.”

  She angled toward him. “I’ve talked to Angel and CDS has several corporate obstacle courses for us to choose from. They have balance beams and things with tires.”

  He held in a smile. “Things with tires?”

  “You know what I mean. You jump in and out of tires. It’s supposed to be fun.”

  “You don’t sound convinced.”

  “I don’t see the point, but that doesn’t matter. This isn’t about me. You and Jack and Kenny are the stars. Your guests will be expecting a lot of physical activities and this will be a fun one.”

  She wore a lightweight sweater over black pants. Low-heeled shoes that Taryn would turn her nose up at but Sam thought were cute. Dellina was professional and obviously good at her job. She also smelled good and he couldn’t stop wanting to pull her close and violate several state statutes on sexual harassment.

  “After that,” she continued, “we meet up with the kids and head into town. It’s the weekend of the Summer Festival. We’ll have lunch together, then split up to explore. There will be a tour of the town for anyone interested. We shuttle back to the hotel at three-thirty and then there’s the lecture for the adults and the children get to hang out with Max and his therapy dogs.”

  She pulled a brochure out of another folder and passed it to him. “Normally Montana does the community outreach with the dogs, but she’s seriously pregnant and taking it easy. K9Rx Therapy Dogs does what it sounds like.”

  “I know what therapy dogs are.”

  “Then you get the fun the kids will have with friendly, adoring dogs. Angel will bring his Acorns by to talk about their recent project with therapy puppies.”

  Acorns? Sam started to ask what or who they were. Then he remembered Taryn’s involvement with a group of girls. They were like scouts, only local. There had been activities and a project involving puppies. More interesting was take-no-prisoners Taryn now spent her days staring at her engagement ring and sighing like a schoolgirl.

  Love did strange things to people. Once he’d wanted that for himself. Not the acting like a fool part, but the rest of it. The connection. The family.

  Dellina continued, “We finish the evening with a barbecue on the terrace. Kids with their parents, although there will be sitters available if Mom and Dad want to stay up late.” She drew a breath. “Sunday morning we have brunch together. Then there’s golf for those interested, a spa day here at the hotel for the ladies and the kids get on a bus to head to Castle Ranch.”

  “Horseback riding?” he asked.

  “Horses and goats and an elephant.”

  He shook his head. “I’m not paying for an elephant.”

  “You don’t have to.” Her smile was smug. “There’s one at the ranch.”

  “An elephant?”

  “Yes.”

  “In Fool’s Gold?”

  “Of course. Her name is Priscilla. She lives on the ranch. She has a pony named Reno as a companion.”

  Sam wondered if the elbow to his face had bruised more than his eye. “You’re sure?”

  “You can’t make up something like that.”

  She had a point there.

  “Elephant rides, it is.”

  “Then we all meet back at the hotel and the weekend is over.”

  He studied the papers. “You did great. Our clients will be talking about this for a long time.”

  “That’s the goal.”

  “The lecture is still a problem.”

  “I know.” She sighed. “It has to be special. I’m figuring it out.”

  “This is where you tell me the short time frame doesn’t help.”

  Her mouth twitched. “Why state the obvious? You were in an emotional crisis. We all have to deal with the aftermath.”

  “I wasn’t in an emotional crisis.”

  “What would you call it?”

  “Hell.”

  She laughed. “Fair enough. The combination of the list and wedding dresses were probably off-putting.”

  “That’s one name for it.”

  She tilted her head. “You could have talked to me.”

  “Not after seeing all that.”

  “You assumed the worst.”

  “It wasn’t much of a stretch,” he told her.

  “I guess. But you should trust p
eople more.”

  “Not likely.” He studied her. “You, on the other hand, are too trusting.”

  “I’m okay with that. I want to assume the world is a nice place. To think otherwise is too sad.”

  An innocent, he thought, not sure if he admired her or wanted to warn her against all that could happen.

  “It’s because I grew up here,” she added with a shrug. “You’ve lived here now. You know what it’s like.”

  “True. A Fool’s Gold native would have a tough time being cynical. So what was it like? Four perfect seasons and a warm, loving community?”

  She laughed. “You’re right about the community. I’m not sure I’d agree the seasons are perfect, but it was nice.” Her humor faded.

  “What?” he asked. “Something ruin Pleasantville for you? What was it? A lost dog? A bad prom?”

  “Prom wasn’t great.” She shrugged. “It wasn’t all sunshine and roses. Bad things happen everywhere, even here. My parents passed away.”

  Sam reached for her hand, then drew back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be a jerk.”

  “You weren’t.”

  “I assumed nothing bad had ever happened to you.”

  “I’m not sure anyone gets through life without some kind of pain.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Seventeen. My sisters were nearly fourteen. My parents took their first vacation by themselves.” She looked away. “At the last minute my mom wanted to cancel, but I said we’d be fine.”

  This time Sam did take her fingers in his. “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known what was going to happen. There’s no way she knew, either.”

  “Which all sounds very logical.” She returned her attention to him and didn’t pull free of his touch. “But back then I felt so responsible.” She swallowed. “It was a freak thing. They were on a boat in the Caribbean and there was a storm. It took a couple of days to find their bodies.”

  Sam couldn’t imagine what that must have been like. His parents made him crazy—especially his mother—but at least he knew they were around. Ready to torment him at a moment’s notice.