Sweet Victory

by Melanie Shawn

  “Reaaaally?” said Karina, drawling the word out for effect, “That's interesting. Because I was just at Sue Ann’s with Ryan, and guess who stopped by to rent the upstairs apartment? Luke Reynolds.”

  Sam's interest was piqued, but she did her best not to give an outward indication, “OK, so? What does that have to do with my love life?”

  Karina laughed heartily, “Really, Sam? That's how you're gonna play it, huh? OK, then. I guess you wouldn't have any interest in knowing what he said about you?”

  “Said about me?” Sam asked, unable to keep the frantic tone out of her voice.

  “Hmmm...” Karina murmured noncommittally.

  “He was talking about me?”

  Karina raised an eyebrow archly, “My, my. Aren't you a little too interested for someone who's supposed to be, you know...completely disinterested?”

  Sam sat for a moment, torn between wanting to maintain her detached persona and wanting to know what Luke had said. Finally, she gave it up.

  “Fine,” she said, her cheeks flaming, “You got me. I can't pretend. I do care what Luke Reynolds said about me.”

  “I'll give you a hint,” Karina teased, “it involved the word amazing.”

  Sam's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

  Unable, herself, to keep up the teasing facade, Karina turned to Sam and threw her arms around her. Karina pulled back, and she and Sam clasped their hands in one another's and squealed like junior high school girls.

  “So, what happened?” asked Sam, her cheeks now fully flushed with joy, “Tell me every single tiny detail!”

  “OK,” Karina said gleefully, “So, here's how it went. I just asked how his day was, if you guys got a lot done. He said you spent most the day on the slopes. I asked if you raced, he said you did. I asked if you won, he said not the first time…”

  “Hey! He cheated!” Sam protested.

  Karina laughed, “He admitted to cheating! Then he said that you won the rest of the races, fair and square, and he said you were…amazing.” Karina finished dramatically.

  “I’m sure he was just talking about my boarding,” Sam said, trying to downplay the compliment.

  “I don’t think so lady. I think Mr. Luke Reynolds has got a thing for you,” Karina said, waggling her eyebrows exaggeratedly.

  “Yeah right. I am so not his type,” Sam lamented, her enthusiasm of just a moment before waning visibly, “You should see who he normally dates. I mean, you know how people say 'oh, he only likes playboy bunnies' as, like, a phrase? Well Luke Reynolds has, in actuality, dated more than one playboy bunny.”

  Karina snorted, “Whatever. Be that as it may, I’ve always had good instincts about these things. And I’m telling you, he’s interested. I swear to God.”

  A slow, wicked smile spread across Karina's face, and she leaned forward to speak in a low and conspiratorial voice, “Honestly, I think he would be exactly the right man to help you with your 'stunted personal growth.’ He’s gorgeous, talented, experienced...and that voice alone has got to make your panties at least a little wet.”

  “Karina!” Sam cried, and hit her friend with a pillow, a blush instantly creeping up her cheeks.

  “What, you know it’s true,” Karina shrugged, smiling, “Seriously though, Sam. I think you are making up a bunch of reasons in your head for why nothing could happen between you two. But my advice is...just go with it! Play it by ear. Don’t put yourself, or him, in some box – or worse, on a pedestal. Just see where this goes and enjoy the journey.”

  “Where was all this sage wisdom a few months ago when you were freaking out about Ryan?” Sam teased.

  “Pssshhh. It all goes out the window when you’re the one falling in love.”

  “Oh, I'm not falling in love,” Sam emphatically declared.

  “OK, then,” Karina clarified with a chuckle, “Falling more in love then. Cause let’s face it – you’ve had a thing for that boy for a looong time.”

  Sam groaned and covered her face with a pillow.

  “Just sayin...” Karina chuckled, as she found herself on the receiving end of a smack with that same pillow.

  Chapter Ten

  Luke had been thrilled that morning when he had pulled the curtains aside in his new apartment and had seen that, not only was the sun shining brightly, but they had gotten some snow fall overnight. One of Luke’s favorite sights in the world was fresh powder on the ground. He thought of it as a good omen.

  Coming down the stairs that morning in a cheerful mood, he had decided that – since he did pass directly through a cafe on his way out of his apartment every morning – it might be nice to start a little tradition of bringing in a coffee for Samantha. Yes, he decided. He liked that. It showed thoughtfulness, but it wasn't overly presumptuous. Luckily, when he was ordering it, Sue Ann had figured it was for Sam and had known how she took her coffee. Two sugars, no milk.

  Luke handed Sue Ann his money, and as she handed both of the ‘to go’ coffees back to Luke, she winked and said, “You say Hi to Sam for me, now.”

  Luke smiled as he took the containers and turned to leave, “Will do.”

  “That girl sure is a cutie,” Sue Ann remarked, seemingly innocently.

  Luke laughed, “Yes, she sure is, ma'am.”

  As he walked away, he thought he caught just a moment of assessment in Sue Ann’s eyes, but it was gone in a flash, replaced by a friendly grin as she turned and busily got back to work.

  As Luke turned into the employee parking lot at Mountain Ridge Outdoor Adventures just a few minutes later, he saw Sam’s red Volkswagen Bug was already there. He smiled. He also saw a Black Mercedes 600 series he didn’t recognize parked next to Sam’s bug.

  Luke opened the door to his and Sam's office, carrying the coffees. Instead of seeing Samantha, as he expected to, he instead saw a tall blonde who looked more like she belonged on Wall Street than at Mountain Ridge. Ah, he realized. She must belong to the Mercedes.

  He nodded his head to her and said, “Good morning,” in a voice that came off as friendly yet confident. Something about the tall beauty's cool elegance unnerved him, made him feel like he had showed up for a test in his underwear.

  “Good Morning Luke, I’m Lauren,” the woman said in a brisk, business-like tone which made him think that the next words out of her mouth were likely to be, ‘I’m with the IRS and I’m here to audit you.’

  “Nice to meet you,” he said automatically, but then smiled as the next thought occurred to him.

  “Oh!” he exclaimed, “You're Lauren, of the Fabulous Four. Nothing You Can’t Accomplish.”

  She softened, “I see my reputation precedes me.”

  “Yes it does,” Luke replied in a warm tone.

  “As does yours,” Lauren said with an enigmatic smile, “As does yours.”

  He wanted to follow up on that and find out what parts of his reputation specifically she was referring to, and how exactly it had preceded him, but Samantha chose that precise moment to bounce happily into the room.

  “Hey Laur,” Samantha greeted her friend.

  “Hey Sammi, I was wondering where you were,” Lauren smiled warmly as she greeted Samantha. Luke marveled at how Lauren really seemed like a completely different person when she was lit up with warmth. He now saw very clearly what women like Amanda, Karina, and Samantha – who were warm, loving, and funny – would have in common with Lauren. All you had to do was see her smile.

  “Oh, I was down checking in with Amanda and seeing if she needed anything special from me today. I'm so glad you're here!”

  Lauren laughed as she turned toward the rows of boxes stacked against the side of the wall. “Yeah, I'm not surprised! Amanda wasn’t kidding when she said there was a lot of inventory.”

  Sam returned her laugh, “I know, right? That's not the only reason I'm glad you're here, but I'm not gonna lie. It's a big part of it.”

  Luke, for his part, was struggling just to pry his eyes from Samantha. Her hair was up in a ponytail, s
he had no makeup on, and she was in a Mountain Ridge hoodie, jeans and sneakers.

  She was the most adorable thing he had ever seen in his life.

  “Morning, Samantha,” he said, handing her the coffee Sue Ann had prepared for her.

  “Morning, Luke. Thanks.” Samantha replied almost shyly, and he saw a shiver run through her as she took the coffee from him.

  “Are you cold?” he asked, concern lacing his voice, “I can turn up the heater.”

  “Nope, I’m fine,” she said definitively, looking down in a concerted effort not to meet his gaze, “This coffee will warm me right up.”

  “I haven’t touched this one,” he said, offering the other cup to Lauren, “it’s plain black so you can fix it however you like.”

  “Thanks,” Lauren replied genially, “but I’ve already had three today and that is my absolute limit. I had an early call with a potential client back east so I was up at four am.” Samantha grinned, “Lightweight.”

  Lauren grumbled. “Yes, Sam, I know for you that's practically sleeping in, but for me that's torture.”

  “What can I say?” Sam shrugged, “Mornings are my favorite time of day.”

  “Mine, too,” Luke said, looking at Sam with a boyish smile.

  She met his eyes and returned his smile. Man, Luke marveled, the more I learn about Samantha, the more I like about Samantha! I could get used to this!

  “Well, looks like we’ve got a lot of work to do, so we should probably get started,” Lauren said, her words snapping him out of his Samantha-induced fog.

  “Lauren, you’re gonna wear that to go through boxes?” Sam asked. Actually, Luke had been wondering the same thing, but he wasn't about to broach the subject with the self-possessed woman!

  “What? I have on pants and flats, I’m all set.” Lauren said decisively.

  “OK,” Sam conceded, but not without adding, “I’m pretty sure this is not the activity Armani had in mind when he designed that pants suit.”

  Luke laughed, and Sam joined in. Lauren, on the other hand, did not seem amused.

  “Alright,” Lauren said briskly, getting right down to business, “So it doesn’t look as though any of these boxes are labeled. Let’s first open each box, then we can group them together according to contents. Let's also go ahead and label them as we go along, as well, just so we there’s no confusion.”

  When she finished this speech, she reached into her bag and pulled out three sharpie markers, handing one to Sam and one to Luke.

  “Wow,” Luke said impressed. “You are really prepared.”

  “Of course I am,” Lauren said in a tone that implied that Luke was ‘master of the obvious.’

  Sam jumped in, smiling proudly, “Lauren’s a planner, an organizational goddess, the queen of bringing order to chaos.”

  Samantha bent at the waist, arms extended in front of her, and said grandly, “We common folk bow to her excellence.”

  Again, Luke and Sam laughed, and again Lauren was not amused. She simply shrugged and said, “Works for me.”

  The day went by quickly after that, and Luke had to admit, Lauren really did seem to be the queen of bringing order to chaos. With Lauren's leadership, they accomplished in one day what would have taken most people at least a week to sort through, organize, and set-up.

  As he drove back to his newly-rented apartment, Luke had to admit to himself that even though the day had not brought the one on one time he had been hoping to get with Samantha, he didn’t think it could have gone better. She had definitely seemed to be more relaxed around him, like she was letting her guard down.

  He loved watching her when she didn’t know he was watching. He noticed little things like way she scrunched up her nose when she was really trying to concentrate on something, or the fierce look she would get in her eye if she thought he or Lauren had gotten through more boxes than she had in the same amount of time.

  He laughed. The girl was definitely competitive with a capital C, and he loved it

  Chapter Eleven

  After spending two consecutive eight hour days around Luke, Sam had to admit that the paralyzing effect he had once had on her had lessened. Sitting at her desk right now, knowing that he would be in at any moment, she was actually looking forward to seeing him. No sweaty palms. No shortness of breath. That's progress, she congratulated herself.

  I mean, sure. She still got butterflies when she looked at him, and a lot of times when he spoke, the goosebumps still made an appearance. And yes, of course, when he looked at her it did still feel like the sun was shining on her. So, yeah. There was that.

  But she wasn’t so nervous around him anymore that she wanted to leave the room just because he was in it, so that was progress!

  She was even starting to think that they were gonna make a pretty good team. They had worked together with the help of Lauren the day before, organizing and prioritizing, and Sam had to give Luke credit. He took Lauren's direction without blinking an eye, but when he had an idea of how he thought something would work better, he spoke up and was usually right.

  But what had impressed her most was the fact that Luke never tried to pretend he knew something he didn’t. If Lauren asked him a question and he didn’t know the answer to it, he just said so. So many of the athletes, agents, and trainers that Sam had been around the majority of her life always had an answer for everything. And most the time, of course, they had no clue what they were talking about.

  Sam knew that both Karina and Amanda had thought that Luke might be interested in her, and now Lauren had said the same thing after she spent the day with them yesterday. Still, Sam was a long way from believing it. She knew him in a way that they didn’t. She knew the kind of women that Luke dated, and there was no way Sam fit into that category!

  She used to think that because of her inability to maintain any semblance of composure anytime Luke was around that she would just have to keep her distance from him in perpetuity. But now, she was beginning to think that they might be able to be friends.

  Yes, friends, she said to herself, trying out the feeling of the word. Friends. That's better than nothing.

  Right?

  She sighed.

  Sure, she would always have a crush on him. But Sam believed that if most of the women who knew Luke were honest with themselves, they would have to admit the same. So, it's not like she was alone in that foolishness.

  At least after these last couple of days, Sam knew that she and Luke could be friends and co-workers. Yep, she could handle that.

  “Mornin', beautiful,” Luke’s deep voice interrupted Sam’s internal pep talk and she closed her eyes as she was engulfed in a veritable storm of butterflies and goosebumps.

  As Luke set a coffee on her desk and brushed against her, she felt a shiver run the length of her spine, the butterflies were continuing their jig in her stomach, and her palms were drenched. And Luke had been in the room for all of ten seconds. She grimaced to herself. Maybe she would have to append her internal pep talk to say that MAYBE she could handle it.

  “Morning, Luke,” Sam said cheerfully, pasting her friendliest smile on her face.

  A concerned look crossed Luke’s face, “Are you OK?”

  “Yep, why?” Sam asked brightly.

  “No reason,” Luke said with a knowing smile, sitting at the desk opposite Sam.

  Sam decided it would be safer to ignore that path than to explore it, and so she quickly changed the subject, “Hey, thanks for jumping in yesterday and helping me and Lauren with unpacking and organizing everything. You really didn’t have to do that. I just wanted to already have a system established before someone else came on in the Pro Shop.

  “My philosophy has always been, if I'm going to be overseeing something, I want to know every aspect of it inside and out. I guess I’m just really hands on that way,” Sam could hear herself rambling but she wasn’t able to stop it.

  “Well,” Luke said slowly and deliberately, staring right into her eyes, “I think the
more you get to know me, the more you will find out I’m really hands on too.”

  Well that definitely stopped the rambling. She couldn’t speak now if she wanted to! She could feel her cheeks getting hot and she was sure that they must be a bright shade of pink. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a small voice was telling her that she ought to be embarrassed about her flushed cheeks and speechlessness, but at this moment, transfixed by Luke’s gaze, humiliation was the furthest emotion from her heart and mind that she could imagine. She was excited. She was thrilled. She was...turned on! Well, she said wryly to herself, I guess embarrassment isn’t the only reason people get flushed.

  A loud chime sounded from her desk, breaking the spell of the moment. When she looked down and tried to acclimate to her surroundings she saw that it was her phone. She had gotten a text from Stephan, her manager.

  Good GOD, she raged internally, what on God's green earth does he want now?

  She tapped on the icon to open the message and saw it read basically the same as all the recent emails and texts she had received from him.

  He had a great endorsement deal that she couldn’t say no to...blah, blah, blah.

  “Boyfriend troubles?” Luke asked.

  “What?” Sam looked up, confused.

  “You look upset, is it boyfriend troubles?” Luke repeated.

  She snorted, “I wish,” then scrambled to correct herself, “I mean, no I don't! Err...I mean...”

  She felt her face get hot. OK, there it was. There was the embarrassment.

  Luke smiled and pressed on, asking, “What is it, then? Are you OK?”

  “Pshh this,” she said dismissively, pointing to her phone, “No, this is nothing.”

  “Ex-boyfriend troubles?” Luke said roguishly, refusing to drop it.

  “No, no. This is business, not personal.” Sam explained.

  Then she quickly and decisively texted a response to Stephan.

  “I’m taking a year off,” she typed with her thumbs. Short, sweet, to the point.

  “Well, I know our relationship is a business one,” Luke ventured, “But...if you don’t mind me getting personal, can I ask...are you seeing anybody, Samantha?”