by Olivia Miles
And she was a fool to be feeling the twinge of hurt creeping over her heart at that thought.
Lila tapped a stack of papers on her desk sharply until the edges lined up and gave Sam another long, hard stare from under the hood of her lashes. “Let’s begin, then.”
“Have you reconsidered my angle?” Sam leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.
“No, I most certainly have not!” Lila stated boldly. “Have you reconsidered mine?”
Sam shrugged. “Nope.”
To think she had almost kissed this jerk! “Well, then.” Lila cast him a withering stare and then lowered her eyes. This was turning into a disaster. “I had another thought this morning . . .”
“If it involves cookies and baking, I don’t want to hear it.”
Lila pressed a finger against her forehead and took a deep breath. “What’s going to happen if we don’t come to an agreement?”
She glanced at Sam out of the corner of her eye and saw that he looked just as worried as she felt. “Maybe we need to have a talk with Reed. Tell them this isn’t working.”
“And run the risk of them taking their business elsewhere? There are plenty of big advertising agencies in Chicago,” Lila pointed out. Ones that would go head to head with Sam, not collaborate with him.
Lila bit down on her thumbnail. The history she had with Jeremy Reed had helped her case, but what about Sam? Why would an agency like his bow to a potential client’s demands?
She was just about to ask Sam that exact question, when his phone began to vibrate.
He frowned when he looked at the screen. “I have to take this. We’ll finish this conversation later.”
“When?” The meeting was next Wednesday, and she felt more panicked now than she had at last week’s lunch.
“Whenever you’re ready to drop that stale idea,” Sam said. With a push of a button, he connected the call. “Hello?” Glancing to meet Lila’s outraged stare, he casually held up his free hand by way of a good-bye and opened the door.
Lila sat perfectly still as the sound of his voice faded and the front door closed behind him. Of all—
“Argh!” Lila gave her palm a satisfying whack on the cold, hard surface of her desk. She swiveled her chair to face the window, her heart pounding. Hot tears sprung to her eyes and quickly blurred her vision of the tree-lined street as Sam appeared on the sidewalk. She blinked twice and wiped away the evidence of with the edge of her pointer finger.
No more tears. Not for that man.
She would have thought by now she’d be over him. But in the six days since Sam had come back into her life, all those original, raw emotions had resurfaced. It was becoming too much.
And she had another eight days of this to go.
Seeing him today had done nothing to make her feel better about that near miss on Saturday. Had it been so meaningless to him that it wasn’t even worth mentioning? Had he regretted it? Forgotten it? Or was it a tactic to get her on his good side, to smooth talk her into giving him his way?
Lila simply had no idea. But one thing was very clear.
She was over Sam Crawford.
Chapter Eight
Sam closed his notebook and slid it back into his briefcase just as the cab swerved to a stop in front of his hotel. Rumors about Jolt Coffee were starting to spread, and the pressure to land Reed Sugar was building. Account executives were diffusing the situation by making lunches, assuring their clients that nothing was wrong, doing damage control to ensure no one got the same idea and took their business elsewhere.
It wasn’t lost on the brothers that since their father had stepped down last fall, clients were nervous.
“It’s perfect timing, really,” Rex was saying. “We overshadow the bad news with the good. No one will care that we lost Jolt when we land Reed.”
“Dad will care,” Sam said.
“Hey, it’s the best chance we have to soften the blow,” Rex replied. “So don’t ruin it.”
“I told you, it’s under control,” Sam said, even though nothing could be further from the truth.
“Before I let you go, there’s something else you should know,” Rex said.
Sam pushed through the lobby doors and set his bag down on a table. He knew what was coming, but somehow it never got any easier. “What happened?”
Rex waited a beat. “He locked himself out of the house again.”
Sam closed his eyes. It still shocked him that such a powerful man could be subject to human struggles. He’d thought this father was invincible. Unbreakable. And oh, how he’d tried to break him. Tried to tear down the walls and get to the heart of the man. Tried to look past the obvious and search for something deeper. “Where were the keys this time?”
“In his pocket.” Rex sighed. The last time this had happened, less than a month ago, the keys were in the mailbox, along with the letters he hadn’t remembered to collect. “It was worse this time, Sam,” Rex eventually said, and Sam felt his brows pinch.
“How so?”
“He didn’t call anyone for help. I just happened to go over, and there he was, sitting on one of the garden chairs. In the rain. God only knows how long he’d been out there.”
Sam sat down in the nearest chair and rubbed his forehead. Their father could go for days at a time without any setbacks; each time something like this occurred it was a fresh blow and a bitter reminder that no matter how much they wished it was wasn’t happening, it was. They were losing him, ever so slowly, and Sam couldn’t help feeling he’d only just found him.
“Where was the housekeeper?”
“In the kitchen, preparing dinner. I fired her. The new one started this morning.”
Sam pulled in a long breath and released it slowly. Miranda had been hired to take care of the house and keep an eye on their father when the family couldn’t be there, but this type of thing could have happened to anyone. It was just another example of the impossible standard the Crawfords held.
Sam should know. He was still trying to live up to it himself.
***
Mary was already home when Lila stepped into the apartment that evening. “Out here!” her sister called from the fire escape. “And grab the corkscrew on your way!”
Lila dropped her bag to the floor and wandered into the kitchen, where she retrieved the corkscrew from the utensil drawer. The apartment was warm and sticky, but the breeze filtering in through the screen door was cool on her skin. Feeling a little better, she opened the freezer and pulled out a container of cookie dough ice cream, grabbed two spoons, and stepped outside.
Mary grinned as she eyed the ice cream, then began uncorking a bottle of wine she must have bought on her way home from work.
“Rough day?” Lila asked as Mary filled their glasses.
“Eh. The usual. He passed my desk to get some water from the cooler exactly nineteen times.” The girls laughed. “If you must know, the real reason for the wine is that I was hoping it might loosen your lips. You’ve been awfully quiet about all these little meetings with Sam.”
Lila nailed her sister with a look, but Mary’s eyes just turned pleading. “Oh do tell, Lila. Please! Let me live vicariously!”
“There’s nothing to tell.” Lila reached for her wine glass.
“Well, there’s more than I have to share. Do you even know what I did the other night while you were off with a gorgeous blast from the past?” Without waiting for Lila to respond, she heaved a dramatic sigh and took a long sip of her wine. “I hung out at the local hardware store.”
“The hardware store?” Lila frowned. “Why?”
Mary widened her eyes. “To see if any eligible men wanted to show me where I could find the sandpaper,” she said, throwing her head back in laughter. “I spent forty-five minutes wandering the aisles, surrounded by hammers and nails and all sorts of boring stuff, in a vain search for Mr. Right. So forgive me for hoping that your love life is a little more satisfying than mine.”
Lila chuckle
d and handed her sister a spoon. “Ice cream?”
Mary shrugged “Why not? Your little reunion with Sam Crawford is the most exciting thing to have happened in months, and I need a snack while I take in the entertainment.”
Lila pinched her lips. “I told you—”
“I know, I know.” Mary held up a hand. “But I still want to know everything.”
Everything. Lila sighed, feeling her shoulders deflate.
“I told you these were just business meetings,” she said carefully, noting the unconvinced arch of Mary’s eyebrow. “And I meant that. Sam… Well, we’re sort of working together on this pitch.”
Mary’s brow wrinkled with confusion. “The one for the sugar company?”
Lila nodded. She hated having to worry her sister, but misleading her felt far worse.
“Well, that’s perfect!” Mary burst out happily. She dug her spoon into the ice cream and brought a scoop to her mouth. “Isn’t he one of the best?”
“Yes,” Lila said begrudgingly, thinking of that smug smirk, the swagger around the office, the hand casually folded into his pocket, the way women around him savored every flash of those perfect white teeth and men stood a little straighter when he crossed their path. Sam was the best. And he knew it, too.
“Then what do you have to worry about?” Mary asked. “If you’re working with Sam, then there’s no doubt you’ll get the account. And you know what that means!” She clapped her hands together excitedly. “I was thinking of doing a triple-dipped waffle cone. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate. Don’t you love it?”
Lila’s smile felt grim. “Gramps would have loved it.”
Mary topped off their glasses and held hers up by the stem. “A toast. To Sunshine Creamery. And to second chances.”
Her sister wiggled her eyebrows, and for a moment, Lila wasn’t sure whether she was referring to the ice cream parlor or the man who had the power to help her save it.
***
Maybe it was the glass of wine, maybe it was the talk with Mary, or maybe it was the realization that nearly a week had passed and the only progress she had made with Sam was nearly falling for him again—nearly being the operative word—that made Lila set down her glass, stand up and smooth her skirt, and announce she was going out.
“Out? Where?” Mary’s eyes flashed with interest.
“Unfinished business,” Lila summarized as she went back into the kitchen.
She was out the door and in a cab five minutes later, her heart thumping all the way down Lake Shore Drive. Only when they finally stopped in front of the upscale hotel Sam was calling home these days, did Lila hesitate. Her nerves fluttered all the way to the front desk, where she casually asked to be connected to his room, hating the way that came out, and wondering if Sam would have the same interpretation. If he’d take it the wrong way. If he’d try to kiss her again.
She sucked in her lower lip.
Resisting him once had been difficult enough, but twice?
The man set down the phone. “I’m afraid he’s not in his room. You could try the lobby or the bar.”
Lila turned on her heel. She would do just that.
There was no sign of him in the lobby, or in the bar, with its stunning view and cozy seating. Frustrated, Lila stalked back to the elevator, her finger poised over the button that would take her down to the street level, when something caught her eye.
Deciding to give this night one last try, she pressed the button for the pool and sun deck and held her breath. The elevator doors slid open once more and there, doing laps, was Sam.
Lila walked to the edge of the pool, watching as Sam’s strong, hard back cut effortlessly through the water. It had been many years since she’d seen his bare chest, and her body warmed at the sight of it, remembering how it felt to run her fingers over his skin, to dig her nails into his back when he pushed into her, his mouth on her neck, his breath in her hair.
She waited patiently as he swam the length of the pool twice more, wondering if he had noticed her yet, but suspecting he hadn’t. When Sam set his mind to something, very little could deter him. He was a driven man by nature, and right now his focus was on something other than work. Or her.
Finally, he reached the far end and stood. The surface of the water met him at the hip, revealing a smooth bare torso chiseled with corded muscles. His back to her, he used his arms to lift his body onto the ceramic tile. His navy swim trunks clung to his wet skin, and Lila had to look away.
“Hey!” he called out, his face breaking out in a surprised grin. He walked toward her, water dripping generously from the knees of his shorts and onto the floor. She flitted her gaze down to his waistband, following the trace of hair that began at his belly button.
She took a step back as he neared her.
“What are you doing here?” His brow flinched in curiosity, but there was a telling spark in his eyes.
Lila paused to consider her own reasoning. She hadn’t thought this far ahead. She wasn’t prone to impulse; if anything, she lived her life in a regimented, structured routine. Only one person had the power to make her forget all rational senses and act on sheer whim, and that person was standing half naked before her.
Damn him.
“So,” Sam continued, wandering out onto the sun deck. His damp hair curled slightly over his forehead and he combed it back with his fingers before picking up a towel. “To what do I owe this honor?”
He scanned her face for an explanation, and Lila once again found herself at a complete disadvantage. Her grand plan had made so much sense twenty minutes ago, but now she struggled, feeling foolish. She wasn’t here to smooth things over, much less make things easy. If nothing else, she was here to demand an answer. How dare he almost kiss her and then not even bother mentioning it again? And what right did he think he had to waste an entire day that could have been spent working?
“So this is how you’ve been spending your afternoon, while I’ve been busy slaving away coming up with ideas for the Reed campaign.”
“I had some business matters back at the office to take care of,” Sam explained as his jaw hardened. His eyes blazed through hers with indignation. “And I always try to get in at least an hour of exercise. Takes the edge off. Helps me think.”
“You ran off in such a hurry . . .” Lila tipped her head and stood tall in her heeled sandals, meeting Sam squarely in the eye. Navy flecks surrounded his large black pupils. She had forgotten about those.
Just one more thing she’d have to work on forgetting.
“Didn’t know you were my gatekeeper.” He grinned affably and pulled the towel down over his chest.
Lila allowed her gaze to follow the white terrycloth as it circled his sculpted abdomen. She released a measured breath before returning her eyes to his. “You seemed so eager to get to work on the project first thing this morning; I couldn’t help wondering if some emergency occurred that would pull you away so quickly.”
A smile crept across Sam’s face. “You were concerned about me?”
“I didn’t say concerned.” She folded her arms across her chest and met his level stare.
“Aw, Lila . . . you still care,” he chided, his grin widening in boyish pleasure. “I knew you did.”
Of course I care, Sam, she thought miserably. That’s just the problem.
“A phone call would have been nice,” she said, struggling to make eye contact when he was standing there like that, rubbing a towel all over the very same parts of his body she had once touched.
“I was distracted, Lila. I apologize. Now, can we move on?”
She shifted the weight on her feet. “It’s not that simple, Sam. You can’t just do something wrong, and then brush it under the rug.”
Sam tossed the towel down and nailed her with a look. “Are we talking about today or are we talking about what happened six years ago?”
Lila suddenly felt tired. “I don’t want to get in to this again.”
“Good,” Sam said.
“Me either.”
He grabbed a white T-shirt from the lounge chair and slipped it over his head, pulling it down over the ridges of his torso. A wave of disappointment fell over Lila that she might never see that bare chest again, and she suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch him.
Luckily, she stopped herself just in time.
Sam tipped his head toward the elevator bank. “Since you’re here, why don’t we grab dinner?”
Lila’s heart skipped a beat when she remembered the reason she was here. Not to stare at her ex-boyfriend’s perfectly toned abs, but to fight for something she believed in.
“Actually, I have another idea,” Lila said. “A better idea, I should say.”
“Oh? Well, I’m all yours,” Sam’s lips curved slowly, and against her better judgment, Lila couldn’t help liking the sound of that.
Chapter Nine
“Where are you taking me?” Sam asked as they climbed out of the cab. He reached into his pocket and took out his wallet, holding up a hand when Lila began to protest.
“To one of my favorite spots in town,” Lila said. She needed to clear her head, needed to remind herself of why she was doing this. It wasn’t about unrequited feelings or attraction. It was about her family, and preserving their history.
Sam fell in to step beside her. “Should I have worn something a little dressier?”
Lila couldn’t help but grin as she glanced at him sidelong, taking in the concerned wrinkle of his brow, the uncertain frown on the mouth that she could still taste if she closed her eyes. “You’re fine,” she said, glancing at the T-shirt that clung to his broad chest.
She turned away just as quickly and kept her eyes forward. Shop owners were starting to close up now, and most of the storefronts on this stretch were dark. Condensation from air-conditioning units above dripped onto the sidewalk. Lila smiled at a woman watering marigolds in her flower box. She hadn’t been back to this part of town in too long—not since they’d cleared out their grandparents’ apartment and closed the door one last time on the place they’d called home for the majority of their lives.
