His Sister's Return

by Mary Goldberger

  Samuel laughed at her response knowing that his sister was more cautious than she appeared to be. “So what are your plans?”

  “Well,” Alina said looking down at her glass thoughtfully, “I thought I might look for a job while searching for a place to live.”

  Samuel froze with the glass halfway to his mouth and looked at his sister hard his brown eyes steady and direct. “Do you mean it, Alina?”

  She looked up and smiled. “I feel more content here than I have felt in a long time. I don’t see why I don’t make it my home again.”

  He closed his eyes putting his glass down as a huge smile crossed his face. “That’s good because I was trying to think of ways to get you stay anyway.”

  Alina’s eyes widened with astonishment before she started laughing. “Don’t try your charm on me, Sam. I’m not that easy to be seduced.”

  “Definitely not a pleasant thought at all,” he said without a second thought causing Alina to put her head down as laughter bubbled up inside of her.

  “Let’s just eat so you can take me back to my hotel and then call your girlfriend,” Alina stated as the server came back with their food.

  They were eating when suddenly Alina asked him, “Did you get the ring already?”

  Samuel grinned at her with complete delight and said, “I will let you see it later.”

  Alina shook her head at this as she put down her fork to pick up her glass. “No, the first woman to see it besides the person you brought it from is the woman you are planning to give it to. How many women have already seen it?”

  “No one although my secretary has been bugging me to see it,” Samuel admitted.

  Alina took a sip from her drink before she responded slowly, “I don’t know about others, but I think I would prefer that the man who is going to ask me to marry him allows me to see the ring before anyone else other than his mother of course.”

  Samuel picked up his drink and swallowed some thinking about what she said before he asked, “Really?”

  Alina shrugged her shoulders as she told him, “It is just my opinion probably.”

  She looked up to see him still staring at her and sighed as she picked back up her fork, “Sam, everyone is going to see it after you propose and it is resting on her finger. Why show it around so she will be the last person to even know about it much actually see it?”

  “You have some strange notions,” he remarked.

  “I know,” was all she said with a wave of her fork before she continued eating and Samuel just shook his head at her.

  Trystan watched them joke and laugh as his mother and Bea made small talk while Marla picked at her dessert.

  “Are you done, sweetie? You have been picking at that for the last twenty minutes,” Delilah said turning another thoughtful look on to Marla.

  “I thought I wanted it, but now…” she didn’t finish the sentence as she shrugged her shoulders pushing away the plate in front of her.

  “Mom, are you ready to go home?” Trystan asked catching the server’s attention as she passed by.

  “Yes, sir,” she asked with a lowered tone and a smile on her lips for him.

  “The bill please,” he said noting the smile and tone, but not moved by either one although she was a pretty woman.

  She nodded her head and walked away as he turned back to the others at the table. Bea was still talking with his mother as Marla tried her best to act like she was listening to the conversation.

  “Marla, why don’t you go ahead with mom and Bea to the car while I take care of the bill?” He said smiling at them all as they turned to look at him.

  As they all stood up, he murmured to Bea giving her a hand up, “Take them out the opposite side please.”

  “Of course,” she said softly giving him a sincere smile that changed slightly when he turned away to his mother and sister.

  They walked away going the long way around the restaurant to the door as he didn’t want his mother to see Samuel with another woman and Marla wasn’t ready to deal with a confrontation yet.

  He glanced back one more time at the table noting that they were still talking although they were done eating, and his mouth tightened with anger before he allowed it to fade as the server returned with their bill.

  Pulling the money from his pocket, and leaving a generous tip, he strolled to the exit walking right pass their table. Samuel head was down as he doodled on a napkin speaking to his companion, but his companion was looking around the room although he had a feeling she was listening to what Samuel was telling her.

  He stopped briefly when her eyes landed on him and he gave her a seductive look with charming smile as he met her eyes directly waiting for the smile to cross her face noticing the invitation. He was shocked when she looked at him warily before she turned her head away and back to Samuel who was starting to look up.

  Trystan frowned as he exited the building his long strides eating up the feet between him and his car as he hit the switch to unlock it.

  “Sorry, I got held up inside for a few minutes,” he told them opening the door so his mom could slide in the front seat while Bea and Marla slid in the back.

  He caught the anxious look that Marla gave him and he only shook his head at her watching the relief cross her face.

  He dropped off his mother and Marla at home before heading to Bea’s condo, and as he pulled up to her building she asked, “Do plan on staying the night?”

  It only took him a minute to think before he made his decision driving the car in the parking lot before exiting the car with her, and going up to her place. She clung to his arm as they entered the building and he looked down at her with a hint of desire as the doors closed behind him.

  Alina stretched the following morning as her alarm went off telling her it was time to get up and she laughed at the fact she even set it.

  She got up out of bed opening the curtains to let in the sunlight before she headed for the bathroom and a quick shower.

  After Samuel had dropped her off, she had watched a little TV before thinking about what she was going to do today.

  She dressed comfortably in a pair of light blue jeans with a buttoned t-shirt opened over a tank top and a decent pair of walking shoes on her feet. She pulled her brown hair up into a short ponytail before putting her room key in her pocket along with her small wallet that she carried on these occasions because she didn’t like to take all of her money with her. She straightened the room before she walked out heading down to get some breakfast before starting her day.

  She was sitting at a small table drinking a cup of coffee and eating a bowl of cereal when suddenly she felt eyes on her. She glanced up from the notebook she had been writing in when she met those eyes again. She stilled for a moment as he smiled at her and she felt something in her stomach tighten at that smile, but she nodded her head before turning her attention back to the notebook, but his image stayed with her.

  “Damn,” she muttered underneath her breathe as she thought about the man who disturbed her sleep until finally she pushed him out of her head. It was another reason why she had decided to make plans for today because her mind had kept replaying that brief moment in her head when she met the most stunning pair of grey eyes she had ever seen combined with the smile he had given her, something in her had just melted although she hadn’t noticed anything else about him until now. Unfortunately, Alina knew enough about men to know that those who could smile like that when a woman was with another man no matter if the man was her boyfriend or not, was dangerous. For Alina, that meant he was way out of her league and she didn’t feel like getting burned on her second day back especially since she was planning on staying.

  She shook her head and concentrated on her notebook finishing her coffee and cereal before getting up and leaving a tip. She grabbed her notebook taking a causal look around the room as she headed out.

  Trystan finished up the problem with the kitchen staff and walked back out to the dining room his eyes going directly t
o the table where the woman sat only to frown as he noticed it now empty. He walked over as someone began to clear it.

  “Where was the woman who sat here a few minutes ago?” He asked keeping his tone indifferent.

  “She left, sir, not too long ago,” the staff member told him, and he nodded his head giving them a ‘thank you’ before walking away.

  He headed for the reception desk noticing Darlene was the receptionist on duty today. “Darlene, did that woman who came with Samuel come by here?” He asked as she handed him some correspondence that had just arrived, which normally would’ve been delivered to his office.

  “About five minutes ago. She had a notebook in her hand,” Darlene told him as the phone rung

  He nodded his head before heading upstairs to his office, which was on the top floor along with a suite that he used more often than he preferred.

  “Trudy,” he said as he walked into his outer office. “Have a breakfast tray delivered to Room 323 tomorrow morning for me around 9am.”

  Trudy looked up at him with blank eyes as she said “Of course, sir. Would you like to have a note delivered as well?”

  “No, but have them put a flower on the tray,” he requested. “A rose preferably.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said already dialing the number to do as he requested as he walked into the office closing the door behind him. “And it begins.”

  Marla flinched as she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist as Samuel said, “Hi, baby, how was your dinner last night with your family?”

  “It went well,” she said stepping away from him as she finished the detail on her mannequin.

  “That’s good,” he said looking at her detail when he smiled. “You are very talented.”

  “Thank you,” Marla said not able to stop the smile that crossed her face at the compliment before she remembered the night before. “So what did you do for dinner?”

  “I had it with someone special,” he said without hesitation walking over to the mannequin with observing eyes. “Is it one of the designs that will be in the show in a few months?”

  Marla nodded her head not trusting herself to speak as his words came back to her ‘I had it with someone special’. He turned to her suddenly with a smile before he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. “I missed you last night. I was planning on calling you when I got home but I figured you would be asleep since you’ve been working long hours so I worked some more on my planned meeting coming up.”

  She frowned hearing the stress in his voice, and pushed aside the other woman for the moment. “Are you ready for it?”

  “I am, and I’m not,” Samuel admitted folding her against him his muscular frame encasing her softer one. “I’m hoping that this idea will appeal to the Board and aid Witt in becoming more family oriented as Trystan and I would like.”

  “If the Board doesn’t approve, then what will happen?” Marla asked allowing her hands to rest on his shoulders.

  He shook his head his thumbs lightly stroking her back making her tingle at his touch. “Not much as I’m the boss’s son although I know a few would love to knock me down and although I believe I can run the company, I’m glad that dad isn’t retiring any time soon.”

  “So do I,” Marla said firmly causing him to lift his head to look at her. “I believe that you are ready and more than capable of taking over.”

  Samuel smiled at her with pure delight as he leaned down and kissed her sweetly before he whispered, “Thank you for believing in me.”

  In that moment, Marla decided that she wasn’t going to let anyone take this man away from her as he leaned down and kissed her again. She let her hands slide from his shoulders up to his short hair and as the kiss deepened, she knew there was one person who could help her.

  Alina returned to the hotel later that afternoon tired, but happy as she walked through the door heading straight for the elevator.

  “Miss Barks,” a voice called out to her.

  She turned at her name and smiled as the receptionist hurried over with a note in her hand. “I was told to give this to you,” she told her with a soft smile before she went back to the desk.

  Alina frowned slightly as she stared down at the note in her hand tapping it lightly against her thigh dashing for the elevator before it closed.

  She opened up the note after hitting the button for her floor only to be stunned by its contents. She had thought it was from Sam since she left her cell in her room when she left this morning, but it wasn’t.

  The note simply read: You are very beautiful. Maybe we can have dinner sometime.

  There was no signature of who sent it and the woman next to her sighed as she glanced over it. “You have a secret admirer, my dear.”

  Alina gave her a polite smile as she nodded her head, but she stared down at the note with slightly uneasiness wondering why someone would send her such a note her mind flashing to the man from last night and this morning before she shook her head at that nonsense.

  “It is probably just someone playing a game with me,” Alina spoke aloud getting a snort from the woman next to her as the elevator doors opened on her floor. She closed the note up and walked out not looking back as the woman snorted again.

  Entering her room, she closed the door behind her and quickly put the lock on before she walked over to the bed. The note was still in her hand as she sat on the bed and she rolled her eyes putting it inside the drawer. “Nonsense,” she muttered getting up from the bed heading for the bathroom. “I’m not beautiful.”

  Pushing the notes’ contents away, she washed up before going and changing into a pair of shorts and t-shirt her normal sleeping outfit as she turned on the TV flicking through its channels until she find something she liked.

  An hour later there was a knock on her door and she sat up with a frown as she called out, “Yes.”

  There was a short pause before a soft voice said, “We were asked to deliver this, ma’am.”

  Alina climbed out of bed her brows knitted together in confusion as she grabbed her terry cloth robe from the chair she had put it on when she unpacked. “Coming,” she called out putting the robe on and tying it.

  She unlocked and opened the door a few seconds later to see a young woman standing there with a vase of flowers.

  “Umm…are you sure you have the right room, miss?” Alina asked in confusion as she opened the door wider.

  “This is room 323, correct,” the woman said taking another peek at the delivery slip before checking the door number again.

  “Yes,” Alina confirmed.

  The young woman smiled as she handed her the vase. “Then I have the right room,” she said with a wave before she walked away.

  “Hey wait,” Alina called out, but the young woman was already in the elevator with the doors closing. Alina sighed shaking her head before she stepped back in her room and closed the door putting the lock on it one more time. She looked at the flowers looking for a card only to come up empty handed. “It seems someone will be missing there flowers tonight,” she muttered touching one with a finger before shaking her head.

  She walked back in the room placing the flowers on the table near the balcony doors and smiled. “Well, they may not be for me but they are pretty.”

  She glanced at them one last time before she walked back over to the bed and sliding out of her robe, she settled back down to finish the movie glancing occasionally at the flowers on the table.

  The next morning she was up and out of her room before eight thirty to do some more sightseeing while at the same time checking out any available places for rent as she did yesterday. As she headed downstairs, she stopped suddenly thinking about the flowers that she left in her room and she shook her head continuing on down.

  She headed for the receptionist desk first where she smiled at the woman who was on the phone. After the woman hung up, she asked, “Good morning, how may I help you?”

  “I think someone made a mistake with a delivery,” Alina told her. �
�I am in room 323 and last night someone delivered a vase of flowers, which I think were delivered to the wrong room.”

  The woman looked a little uncertain as she said, “Well, I never heard of that happening before here, but I can look in to it for you.”

  Alina nodded her head as she smiled. “Thank you,” she told her before she walked out of the hotel.

  Up in his office, Trystan was working on some papers when his phone rung and he picked it up with a brief, “Tyeson.”

  “Sir,” the nervous young woman began on the other end and Trystan frowned as he stopped his pen.

  “Is there a problem?” He asked sitting back in his chair as the woman responded, “Well not exactly.”

  His eyebrows lifted at that before he asked, “Did we get a complaint?”

  “No, but a guest staying here believes that she got a wrong delivery last night,” the woman said in a rush, and Trystan sat forward. “She said that a vase of flowers was delivered to her last night, but she believes that they delivered to the wrong room. I’m not sure how to handle this because it never happened before.”

  Trystan put down his pen as he told her, “No need to worry about it. I will take care of the misunderstanding.”

  “Yes sir,” the woman responded and he heard the obvious relief in her voice before she hung up.

  He hung up the phone with a thoughtful look on his face before a sudden thought crossed his mind and he called the front desk back.

  “The woman who believed she had the wrong delivery, when did she leave?” He asked the minute the same woman answered the phone.

  “Almost thirty minutes ago, sir,” she answered after a slight hesitation.

  “Thank you,” he told her hanging up the phone and glancing at his watch noticing that it was just hitting a little after nine.

  He settled back in his seat as his secretary came to the door telling him, “Sir, the breakfast you ordered was delivered, but the guest wasn’t in her room.”