Before We Kiss

by Susan Mallery

  “You’re already involved. You can pretend you’re not, but we can all see it. You know her. You like her. What’s the worst that could happen?”

  Sam raised his eyebrows.

  Jack sighed. “Yeah, don’t answer that.”

  “You’re an odd one to be giving advice,” Sam pointed out. “It’s not like you’re swimming in commitment.”

  Jack leaned back in the chair. “We’re all so screwed up. How did that happen?”

  “Dumb luck?”

  Jack smiled briefly. “Taryn figured it out. She found Angel. He’s a good guy.”

  “Any regrets?” Sam asked. Because years ago, Taryn and Jack had gotten married. The circumstances hadn’t been ideal. She’d gotten pregnant and he’d insisted they fly to Las Vegas to make it all legal.

  “About Taryn?” Jack asked. “No. I still have her around. We were never in love.” He hesitated for a second. “I wonder if I’m capable of loving anyone. Romantically, I mean. I never have. I don’t need to get married. I have Larissa.”

  Sam raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “Not that way, asshole. I mean Larissa takes care of me. She makes my life run smoothly. Anytime something messy and emotional comes up, I pass it on to her.”

  Which all sounded great, but there was a flaw. “You do realize that one day she’s going to want more. What happens when she gets married and has a family of her own?”

  Jack’s features tightened for a second, then he relaxed. “She’ll still work for me.”

  “I don’t know. I think she’s the type who will want to stay home and look after the kids.”

  “Well, hell.” Jack tensed. “No way. I’ll give her a raise. I’ll pay her so much, she won’t ever want to quit.”

  “That’s one way to handle it,” Sam said, thinking the truth between Jack and Larissa was a whole lot more complicated. Not that either of them would admit it.

  “When the time is right, you’ll figure it out,” Sam told him.

  “Is that what you say to yourself?”

  Sam shrugged. What was there to figure out? He knew exactly what had gone wrong in every one of his relationships. The same could be said for Jack and Kenny. Although Kenny’s circumstances were unique. And painful.

  Jack stood and grabbed the football. “I don’t want you dying old and alone,” he said.

  “Because young and alone is better?” Sam asked.

  “You know what I mean.”

  Sam grinned. “I’m better with money than you. When you lose it all, I’ll let you live above my garage. Then neither of us will be alone. How’s that?”

  “I’d rather have a woman, if it’s all the same to you.”

  “And if that doesn’t happen?” Sam asked.

  “Then sure, I’ll move into the apartment above the garage. You going to get me one of those lifts to carry me up to the second floor?”

  “Sure. With the biggest motor they make.”

  “Because it’s all about speed.” Jack crossed to the door. “Think about Dellina. She seems like one of the good guys.”

  Sam didn’t respond and, when his friend had left, he leaned back in his chair.

  Jack was right—somehow he’d gotten involved with Dellina. One second they were working together, and the next, it was a whole lot more. But to risk anything else seemed impossible.

  He understood that to get what he claimed he wanted he was going to have to take a leap of faith. To gamble on believing in someone. Otherwise, he was destined to always want and never have.

  * * *

  SAM HADN’T KNOWN what to expect for his first Finance for a Small Business lecture. In truth, he couldn’t figure out why he’d gotten roped into the series in the first place. Sure he’d helped Dellina, but that was different. He’d been able to figure out what was wrong immediately, but that was because they were working together. It wasn’t as if he had insight into every business in town. But he’d given his word, so he showed up on time, his presentation ready to go.

  There were already several people waiting in the meeting room at city hall. He recognized Patience, the owner of Brew-haha, along with several other small-business owners. Three women, obviously related and one from each generation, sat near the front. Dellina had an appointment, but she’d promised to stop by before he was done with his talk.

  Sam walked to the front of the room and clipped on the microphone. He looked out at the people watching him and felt unexpected nerves. He was used to speaking before large groups. He did it all the time. But those talks were about sports or having a winning attitude. He wasn’t used to lecturing on finance.

  “Success in business can be measured in many ways,” he began. “Market share, customer loyalty, brand recognition. But at the end of the day, if you can’t pay your bills, none of that matters. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the failure rate of small businesses. After five years more than fifty percent of them have closed. So what makes the difference between the ones that succeed and the ones that don’t make it? How can you use what you already know to your advantage? How do you make sure you’re in that successful fifty percent?”

  “You’re going to answer all those questions, aren’t you?” an older woman asked. “Because just asking them isn’t helpful.”

  Sam glanced at her and recognized her as one of the old ladies who showed up regularly to watch the morning basketball games he played in. Eddie or Gladys, he thought, not able to tell them apart.

  “I’ll do my best,” he told her. “One of the most important aspects of a small business is managing cash flow. You have to pay for inventory before your customers can buy it. You can do your best to get terms that minimize payments you have to make, but you’re going to have to pay for what you have in your store, which means you need to get your customers to pay you as quickly as possible.”

  He clicked on the screen and pushed a button on his laptop. The first slide came up. Sam explained about inventory control and billing, in general terms. Dellina had told him to use her mishaps as an example. He had re-created invoices from fictitious companies, plugging in the numbers, but keeping her information private, and went over the difference between an estimate and what was actually billed. He’d worried about boring his audience, but they all scribbled frantically as he talked. When he was done, nearly every hand shot up as the participants began to ask questions.

  When he’d finally answered them all, his audience began to get up and leave. He saw both Taryn and Dellina sitting in the back and started toward them. Patience stopped him in the aisle.

  “You’re going to keep doing these, aren’t you?” she asked. “It’s so helpful. I took night classes at the community college, but your information is more practical.”

  “Sure,” he told her. “If there’s interest.”

  “There is,” she said. “Nearly all the businesses in town are small. We survive on tourist dollars for the most part. It’s important we’re doing everything to maximize those dollars.” She smiled. “Thanks for making it all so clear.”

  She stepped away and the older lady—Gladys or Eddie—took her place. “You did good,” she told him. “You’re more than a pretty face and a great butt.”

  Sam stared at her, not sure how to respond to that.

  “I enjoy those basketball games of yours. Eddie likes Kenny because he’s bigger, but you have style when you play. You remind me of a gentleman friend of mine.” She sighed. “He was handsome. Successful in business, like you. He showed up in Fool’s Gold maybe ten years ago and cut a swath through the single ladies of a certain age. I heard some of them allowed him to buy into their businesses.” She shook her head. “Not me. What’s mine is mine. No man’s going to take it away from me. But he sure knew what he was doing between the sheets.”

  Sam looked ar
ound frantically for an exit. This was worse than dealing with his mother. At least he could tell her to stop. Politeness dictated that he not interrupt a woman old enough to be his grandmother.

  Taryn and Dellina strolled up.

  “Are you torturing Sam?” Taryn asked.

  Gladys grinned. “Maybe. But I think he’s man enough to handle it.”

  Sam wanted to say he wasn’t. Not at all. But before he could figure out how to make that confession, Dellina was guiding Gladys away.

  Taryn watched her expert maneuvering and smiled. “You found a good one with her, Samuel. Dellina takes care of you.”

  “You know it’s not like that,” he said.

  “You’re involved.” She watched Dellina chat with Gladys before the old lady left. “At some point you’re going to have to get over yourself.”

  “Now you sound like Jack.”

  “He can be insightful on occasion.” She looked around at the emptying room. “Nice job. You impressed our business neighbors. They’re going to love us even more.”

  “I’m happy to share what I know.”

  She linked arms with him. “I appreciate the distraction. Angel’s gone for a couple of days and it’s boring without him.”

  “Where did he go?”

  “He didn’t say. Mayor Marsha had a special project for him. Ford went along, too. He didn’t share details. I doubt it’s dangerous, but it’s possibly not legal.” She sighed. “He’s just so sexy.”

  “Yeah, and could we not talk about that?”

  Taryn laughed. “I’d accuse you of being jealous, but you have your own thing these days.” Her humor faded. She faced him. “Seriously, Sam, I had my reservations, knowing what you’d been through, but Dellina’s a sweet girl. Smart, funny, pretty. I know what you’ve been through. I know you don’t trust easily, but at some point you need to take a risk. I don’t want you old and alone.”

  Two conversations about the same material in two days? What were the odds? Of course he knew his friends cared about him.

  “Jack’s going to live over my garage if that happens. We’ll be bachelors together.”

  Her violet-blue gaze never left his. “That’s not enough. I know what you want. You’re not going to be happy until you have a family and all the trappings that go with it. That will require you to believe in someone.”

  He understood the words, but didn’t like being pushed. Sure, on the surface, all was well with Dellina. But what about the long-term? How could he know she wasn’t like all the others?

  * * *

  DELLINA GOT GLADYS out of the room, then returned to Sam’s side. Taryn waved and left.

  “You did great,” Dellina told Sam. “Everyone was really impressed.”

  “I was happy to help.”

  He stared at her, as if seeing her the first time. She had the feeling he was looking for something, but she didn’t know what.

  “You make numbers look sexy.”

  He grinned. “Thanks. Then my work here is complete. Do you have time for lunch?”

  “Sure.”

  He took her hand in his and they walked out onto the sidewalk.

  “Margaritaville?” he asked. “We could split nachos. You could get a salad and pretend it has no calories.”

  Because she did that sometimes, she thought, nodding in agreement. “Sounds perfect.”

  “Good.”

  They headed toward the restaurant. Sam said something about the lecture. Nothing that required a response. Which was a good thing. Because out of the blue, with no warning at all, she knew.

  Maybe she’d known for a while. Maybe she’d been hiding the truth from herself because, well, she wasn’t sure why. Or maybe she’d just figured it out this second.

  She loved him. She loved his honor and sense of duty. She loved how he made her feel, how he protected those he cared about, and that even though stepping up in front of the town was his personal idea of hell, he would do it because the business lectures would help people. She loved that he was quiet and sexy and that he called when he said he was going to call. She loved how she felt when she was around him.

  She loved Sam.

  How totally ridiculous. She’d fallen for the one guy she knew who absolutely, positively, never, ever wanted to get involved in a serious relationship. Talk about stinky luck.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  FAYRENE GLANCED ANXIOUSLY at the clock. Her guests were due to arrive at six. She’d just put in the bubbly feta and sweet pepper dip that she was going to serve as her appetizer, but they needed to be served immediately. Which meant if Montana and Simon Bradley were late, she was in trouble.

  Exhaustion swept through her. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could do this. Convincing Ryan to propose had proved to be a lot more complicated than she’d realized. But she wasn’t going to give up. Tonight’s dinner guests were blissfully happy. Montana was also weeks away from giving birth. Fayrene hoped talk of babies and being in love would get the message across.

  The back door opened and Ryan and Caramel came in.

  “The barbecue is ready,” he said as he walked to the refrigerator and pulled out the tray of marinated chicken pieces. Fayrene had gotten the recipe from Ana Raquel’s A Fool’s Gold Cookbook. The salad was ready, along with dessert. Ryan would grill corn with the chicken.

  “They should be here any second,” she told him. She scooped Caramel into her arms and cuddled the little dog. Caramel settled in close and gave her a reassuring puppy kiss on the nose.

  “How do you know Montana?” he asked, pulling a beer out of refrigerator and opening it.

  “I’ve worked with her and the therapy dogs. Max, her boss, sometimes gets in several puppies at once and socializing them takes a lot of work.” She leaned against the counter. “I’ll admit, it’s one of my favorite temp jobs. I get to spend the day playing with puppies and taking them into town so they get used to different situations.”

  “Like when we took one to the high school football game last year?” he asked.

  “Exactly.” She petted Caramel. “I’m going to miss you, baby girl.”

  “Me, too,” Ryan admitted, scratching the dog’s chest. “She’s been great. We should talk about getting a dog. After we’re married.”

  Fayrene held her breath. Was it now? Was he going to ask her now?

  The doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it,” Ryan said.

  Fayrene sighed. She told herself that at least the arrival of their guests for dinner meant the appetizer wouldn’t be ruined, but it was cold comfort.

  She walked into the living room and greeted Montana and Simon. The other woman was huge and moved awkwardly. Fayrene’s back gave a twinge in sympathy.

  “How are you?” Fayrene asked. “Feeling okay? Should you be out?”

  Montana, a pretty blonde with brown eyes, laughed. “Out is so much better than home. It distracts me. Plus Simon is less likely to hover so much in person.”

  Dr. Simon Bradley shrugged. “I worry about you. Live with it.”

  As he spoke, his gaze lingered on her, as if there was no one else he would rather see. Simon was an interesting guy. A gifted surgeon who specialized in helping burned children achieve normal again. He knew what they suffered. One side of his face was so handsome as to seem unreal, while the other side was a twisted wreck of savage burns.

  He’d come to Fool’s Gold temporarily, but had fallen in love with both Montana and the town and had decided to stay. Fayrene remembered the triplets’ wedding, with Montana and her two sisters marrying the men of their dreams. Fayrene was hoping a little of that marriage magic would wear off on Ryan.

  “Why don’t we go outside,” Fayrene said. “The evening is so lovely.”

  The heat of summer had started to fade
and nights had grown cool. But in this hour, the temperature was perfect.

  She and Ryan got their guests seated. Montana insisted on holding Caramel, who immediately flopped onto her back for a tummy rub and a snooze. While Ryan offered drinks, Fayrene pulled out her dip and slid the accompanying pita crisps onto a serving plate. She joined her guests outdoors.

  Ryan handed Simon a beer, Fayrene a glass of wine and Montana a glass of lemonade. He took a beer for himself and settled next to Fayrene.

  “This is so nice,” Montana said with a smile. “Quiet. I adore my daughter, but once she learned to talk, she never stopped.”

  Simon’s smile was full of pride. “She’s a smart girl.”

  “Which means she takes after you.”

  “You’re smart.”

  “Uh-huh. I think we all know who has the brains in the family. That’s fine. I’ll take being the heart.”

  “You have mine,” Simon told her.

  Fayrene felt the need to look away. Being around Simon and Montana was like watching something so intimate as to be private. Their love was a tangible presence in the room.

  Montana nuzzled Caramel. “And then there’s this little girl. What a sweetie.”

  “I’ve enjoyed looking after her.”

  Montana stroked the dog’s cheek. “I’ll bet you have. When do you return her?”

  “When Mayor Marsha is back.”

  Montana looked at her. “She’s back already. I’ve seen her around town.”

  “I didn’t know that.” Fayrene frowned. “I’ll give her a call in the morning.” Not that she wanted to give up the sweet girl, but still. Caramel wasn’t her dog. How strange that the mayor hadn’t been in touch with her when she arrived home.

  “We could get a puppy,” Montana told her husband.

  Simon shook his head. “We’re going to have a new baby. We already have Skye and our other pets. Isn’t that enough?”

  “I guess. But puppies are fun.”

  “There are other ways to have fun.”

  Simon’s voice wasn’t all that suggestive, but Fayrene had a feeling he wasn’t talking about playing board games. She glanced at Ryan to see if he was picking on the passion and caring radiating from this couple. She smiled, thinking this had been a very good idea. When dinner was over and their company left, she was going to guide the conversation back to—