by Nadia S. Lee
“Okay.” Unlike hers, his tone was steady. “Good night.”
“Night.”
She went upstairs to the guest room, then quickly ran cleansing wipes over her warm face, trying to keep herself busy so she wouldn’t obsess about Sam. The only nightgown she had in her suitcase was a sheer white thing that showed off her cleavage and stopped at mid-thigh—her honeymoon nightie. If everything had gone as planned, she would’ve been wearing it in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora.
Inhaling deeply, she put it on. The honeymoon was off, but why shouldn’t she wear the pretty, nice things she’d bought? Since Jared had put their wedding-related expenses on his ostentatious AmEx black card, he could deal with the cost of the obscenely expensive Bora Bora accommodations and so on.
Her phone rang, and because she was tired and not thinking straight, she answered it without checking to see who was calling.
“Lina.”
She froze at her best friend’s voice.
“Hello? Are you there?”
“How dare you call me?” Lina demanded, keeping her voice down. She didn’t know how thin the walls were.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry you got caught.”
“No! I mean, I wasn’t intending to do anything… It just happened.”
Oh. My. God. “Are you seriously telling me your skirt just flew up on its own, and your underwear just dropped to the floor, and my fiancé just happened to fall into your lady parts?” Lina said, adopting the “break the hostile witness” voice her dad used in court. It was that or scream bloody murder, and she didn’t want to make a scene when Sam could hear.
“No! You’re twisting what I’m saying. Lina, I… Jared always loved me. Not you.”
Lina snorted. “Then why didn’t he propose to you?”
“Because I’m not rich!”
“Like I am?” Lina’s family had money, but she didn’t have much.
“You totally are! Don’t you know—”
She wasn’t going to waste time listening to Crystal’s excuses. “You know what? Forget it. You threw away a lifelong friendship for a few minutes of illicit closet action with my fiancé, so…” A bitter knot grew in her throat, and she swallowed hard. “We’re done. Don’t ever call me again.”
“Lina, you were being used.”
“Exactly, by you. And now I’m done. Buh-bye!”
Lina hung up and blocked the number so Crystal would never bother her again. She tossed the phone on the nightstand and inhaled a few times. It was better that they had this conversation. She got a chance to say what she wanted to say, and Crystal’s pathetic excuses just strengthened Lina’s resolve that she was through with her friend.
A couple of knocks sounded at the door. She frowned. “Come in.”
The moment she said it, she realized her error. She was in her come-hither nightie. What if she gave Sam the wrong impression? But jumping for the sheets would seem even more ridiculous. Right?
It only took a second for her to have that internal debate, but it was enough time for Sam to step inside. His gaze swept over her. Was it her imagination, or did his gaze linger? Her heart hammered, and she focused on her breathing. Suddenly it was hot in the room.
She didn’t have the best body. But she had the most absurd hope that Sam would like what he saw.
He snapped his eyes up and kept them solely on hers. “Um, the pillows.” He thrust two big, fluffy ones at her. “I said I would bring them…”
“Right.” She took them. Her hands stroked along his forearms—not on purpose, but she felt the contact all the way to her toes, which were curling into the floor at the moment.
“Well.” He cleared his throat. “Good night.”
“Good night, Sam.” She hefted the light bulk. “Thanks.”
“My pleasure.” His voice seemed more gravelly than normal.
She stayed rooted to the spot long after he’d gone. When she finally slipped under the covers, she hugged the pillows, which smelled like Sam somehow. It was probably just fanciful thinking—after all, he’d been holding them for, like, a few minutes at the most.
But logic was no match for her imagination. Sleep eluded her until dawn.
Chapter Seven
The quick pounding of feet against dirt jarred along Sam’s legs and back. Most locals used the path for jogging and walking their dogs, but it was still fairly deserted.
Generally, Sam didn’t run so early in the morning, but it had seemed imperative to get rid of the excess energy that had been crackling through his body since the night before, when he’d seen Lina in that nightie.
She’d been a vision in white lace. All those curves and feminine allure.
His attraction had been swift and strong, although she hadn’t seemed to notice.
He wiped his mouth as it dried at the memory. Get your head screwed on right. The last thing Lina needs is a man after her. Even if the circumstances were different, as an heiress, she’ll be wary.
As he ran, he listed up all the reasons why it was inadvisable for him to pursue Lina. She was his ex-fiancée’s younger sister. She’d just gone through a terrible emotional experience, and was heartbroken and vulnerable. He should at least give her enough time to get over Jared the Gutter Rat and find a semblance of equilibrium again.
Not that it would matter by then. She’d be long gone. As a matter of fact, she was leaving later that day.
Sam spotted Wayne walking his Pomeranian, its tail upright and wagging. The sheriff was the only one in town to own the breed. It hadn’t been his choice, but his mother had given it to him. Despite his gruff treatment of the animal—he even called it Dog, refusing to name it—everyone knew he adored the tiny fur ball.
Sam slowed to a walk. “Morning, sheriff.”
Dog yapped excitedly. Sam bent down and scratched the magic spot behind her ears. She narrowed her eyes and panted in bliss, her tail wagging slowing down.
Wayne grunted. “You’re up early.”
“Wanted to jog.”
The sheriff eyed the sweat dripping from Sam’s face and neck. “Looks like you’ve been at it for a while.”
“Half an hour, I guess.”
He grunted again. “Your guest giving you trouble?”
“My guest?”
“That crazy bride.”
Sam laughed. “She’s not crazy, and she’s not giving anybody trouble. She’s fine.”
“Heard you took her over to your parents’.”
Sam shrugged. “They invited me to dinner, so I brought her along.”
This time Wayne snorted. “Your folks like her?”
Sam shrugged. “I guess.”
“She leaving today?”
“That’s what I heard.”
“Tell her no more free passes.”
“Will do, sheriff.”
Wayne was quiet for a moment, then said, “Pretty girl. Her intended is a moron.”
“That he is, and that she is.”
“Course, the pretty ones are trouble.” Wayne gave Sam a gimlet eye. “Might do to remember that.” He took the left fork on the path toward his own house.
Sam walked back home, cooling down. He should get cleaned up and feed Lina some breakfast before she took off. The idea of her leaving made him feel funny…and a little pained, like he’d eaten something he shouldn’t have the night before.
When he came back, it was barely six. He showered and put on a gray T-shirt that he’d been told brought out his eyes, and a pair of old but super-comfortable jeans. The moment he opened the bedroom door, the scent of coffee and frying bacon drifted up from below.
He tilted his head. The only person who might be rummaging around in his kitchen on a weekend, invited or not, was Molly. But she didn’t like to get up before seven thirty. She must’ve been feeling extra nosy to come by, and cooking was her way of giving herself an excuse to stay around.
“Molly, you can quit now. I’m not—” The rest of what he was about to say vanished from hi
s mind when he came around the corner and saw Lina.
She was in a pretty pink dress with spaghetti straps. The outfit showed off the smooth, tanned skin of her arms and legs. Her loose golden hair curled around elegant shoulders that he had the most absurd urge to press his lips against.
“I filched your apron.” Stains from old food splatters he hadn’t been able to get out dotted the forest green. “Hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” Sam said, his throat suddenly tight.
“I don’t know how you like coffee, but here.” She served him in a white Harvard mug.
“Thanks.” His hand moved automatically to take it, but his mind wasn’t on the dark, fresh brew at all. The domesticity of the scene had hit him like a fist, and he liked it entirely too much.
Contrary to what some thought, he hadn’t wanted to marry Jolie for career advancement. She might be the daughter of a name partner, but he didn’t need that to make it all the way to achieve senior partnership. He was too talented a lawyer not to.
What he’d wanted—and still wanted—was love, companionship and simple moments like this. He’d seen it all between his parents while growing up, and he craved it. The dynamic, the whole lifestyle. After all, what was life without a woman he could grow old with?
“Is something wrong with the coffee?”
“What?”
“You were sort of…staring at nothing.”
He looked down and realized he hadn’t taken a single sip. “Just thinking about a…um…case.” He brought the coffee to his lips. It was surprisingly good.
“What kind of case?” Lina asked. “Or you can’t say anything because it’s all privileged?”
“It’s a minor dispute over land use,” he said.
“No hundreds of millions of dollars at stake?” She laid the fried bacon on paper towels and carefully cracked some eggs into the still-sizzling pan.
He laughed. “No, nothing like that.”
“Do you miss it?”
“Miss what?”
“You know, New York, the work you did there. You were representing clients and cases that made headlines.”
He thought about it. “I miss my friends, but I don’t miss the cases or anything like that.”
“Not even the expense account or the flashy living?” Lina raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you like the simple life. I’ve seen your Maserati.”
He pulled out two slices of whole wheat bread and put them into the toaster. “Want some?”
“Just one, please.”
He added another slice. The smell of bread being browned filled the kitchen. “I’m not going to lie—I love that car. I worked hard for it, saved for it and earned it. And yeah, the money I made at your father’s firm was nice. But I didn’t like having to represent big corporations that did something barely legal and then wanted to squash the other side just because they were rich and could afford to hire the most expensive legal teams in the country.”
“You disapprove of my father’s work?” She pushed the eggs around. Before he could answer, she asked, “Sunny side up or over easy?”
“Sunny side up.”
She slid the eggs around a little more, then placed them on two plates and divvied up the bacon.
“And to answer your question, no. Your father has the right to work for whatever clients he wants. I didn’t want to because that’s not why I went to law school.”
Sam followed her with two sets of utensils, toast and strawberry jam. She’d already set the carton of grapefruit juice and milk on the table. They sat down to eat.
Lina was an excellent cook. The bacon was crisp, the eggs just right. He marveled at it. Jolie’s culinary accomplishments ended at not blowing up the espresso machine he’d bought her for Christmas.
Sam watched Lina picking at her food. Did she think he was critical of her father and had become angry?
“You know, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Sam said. “I wasn’t—”
“I’m not upset.” Lina munched at the end of a bacon strip. “I was just thinking that you were something special.”
“Special?”
“Sure. You threw it all away because you didn’t like what you had to do to earn the money that got you a car every red-blooded man would want. That’s pretty unusual.”
Sam smiled, relieved and happy. “Well, I’m not that special. And I was very lucky not to have to deal with student loans and so on like a lot of my colleagues did. If I had, I wouldn’t have been able to leave.” The money he made at Roberts & Son wasn’t bad, but compared to his compensation at Pearce Vogel Lott, it was nothing.
“So how did you end up debt-free? Harvard Law isn’t cheap.”
“It sure isn’t. But my parents have been saving since I was born for my college and post-graduate education. And I worked and saved too. My parents were determined that I choose a path that would be rewarding emotionally and spiritually, rather than financially.”
“Your parents are amazing.”
Sam’s mobile phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out. It was his father. “Sorry, I gotta take this.”
She smiled. “Go ahead.”
“Dad. What’s up?”
“We have a situation. Amanda just quit.”
“What?”
“Yup. She texted me saying she found the love of her life in Vegas on Friday. And they’re married now! She’s going to live with him in Montana.”
“That’s crazy.”
“You don’t have to tell me. She won’t even be coming by, since her cousin can send her her things. Of all the irresponsible, asinine… Where am I going to find a secretary on a day’s notice? Amazon?”
Sam cringed at the way his father was bellowing. He could imagine his mom trying to calm him, not that it would work until much, much later. Steve hated unreliable people. “We’ll figure it out, Dad. Don’t worry. I’m finishing up breakfast here. Can I call you back?”
“Sorry I interrupted,” Steve said. “Enjoy your meal, son. I guess an hour or two won’t kill us. But if you know anyone…” He hung up.
“Is everything okay?” Lina asked. “I could hear him yelling.” She quickly added, “But I couldn’t make out what he said.”
Sam huffed. “Our legal secretary quit, effective immediately.”
Lina gasped. “Why would she do that?”
“Amanda’s been sort of off since her mother’s death a year back. Says her new motto is carpe diem, which also means she doesn’t always stop to think about how her actions will affect others.”
“Oh. That’s awful.”
“Tell me about it. Anyway, it’ll be tough finding someone around here who has the proper training without any notice. But we’ll figure something out.”
Lina pulled her lips in, then said, “Yeah… Doesn’t really seem like this town is teeming with legal secretaries.”
“No. We’ll have to put some ads out and see if somebody can relocate or something. But we’ll be all right.” He shrugged and took a bite. “Let’s finish our food. You have a long drive today.” He hesitated, then asked, “Where are you going? Back home?”
“I don’t know. I’m not ready to face anybody quite yet,” Lina said. “I’m still digesting the whole thing.”
“I understand.” He gestured at the kitchen. “More coffee?”
“That would be gr—”
Before Lina could finish, the door to his house shook with a furious banging.
“Bambi Adelina Vogel, I know you’re in there!”
Lina gasped, and Sam blinked. The shrill voice sounded awfully like…
…Jolie.
Chapter Eight
Lina cringed at the public ruckus her sister was making. Maybe Jolie didn’t care, since she obviously didn’t give a hoot about the people in this town. But Lina didn’t want to make any more of a bad impression. It was already bad enough she’d sped through, screaming and playing loud music.
And Bambi…
Ugh. Did Jolie have to re
veal her real name? Good Lord. She hated that her mom had named her after a boy deer, even if it was Disney.
Before Jolie could embarrass her further, Lina jumped to her feet and ran to the door. Her sister’s fist almost landed on her nose before she jumped back.
“You!” Jolie said, pointing a professionally manicured index finger at Lina.
“Come in before you make a scene!” Lina hissed.
Jolie sneered, but stepped inside. Lina shut the door. “How did you find me?” she demanded.
“Easy. GPS on your Aston Martin.”
Of course. Lina felt like punching herself.
Jolie looked as put together as usual, in a royal-purple jumpsuit with slightly flaring pants. A Louis Vuitton bag hung on one slim arm. The makeup on her face was perfect, as though she’d gotten ready for a photo shoot rather than a family confrontation. Unlike Lina’s unruly curls, Jolie’s straight, obedient golden hair stayed in a sleek bun, not a strand out of place.
Suddenly, it seemed like all the air had been sucked out of the room.
Jolie shook her head. “I wouldn’t have had to come to this…place if you had just answered the phone. Mom and Dad are worried sick.”
“Well, as you can see, I’m fine. So you can go back home and tell them,” Lina said, wrapping her arms around herself.
“What were you thinking?”
“You know what I was thinking. You were there.”
“But running away? Creating a scene by acting like a child?”
“I was trying to spare everyone a scene! There’s no telling what I would’ve said or done if I’d stayed.”
“If you didn’t do anything wrong, you should’ve stayed and made your case rather than leaving Mom and Dad—and me—to deal with it. Four hundred thousand dollars, Lina.”
She winced. She hadn’t wanted to spend so much money, but Jared’s parents had insisted on maintaining a certain amount of class—four hundred thousand dollars’ worth. But it wasn’t like her family to lose their cool and chase after her, since they always had oodles of money. Besides, she had the perfect justification. “If you’re that upset, why don’t you sue Jared and his family?”
