Susan Mallery - Before We Kiss

“The party starts Friday afternoon and goes until Sunday afternoon,” he said. “We’ve got a block of rooms up at the ski lodge.”

“How many rooms?” she asked. “Also, what about meeting rooms and other facilities?”

“I have that information back at the office. I’ll email it to you.”

“Great. I’ll need to see copies of the contracts, as well. So I can review what they’re expecting and what you’re expecting.”

His mouth tightened. “I reserved some rooms,” he told her. “There’s no contract.”

She made a few more notes and told herself not to judge. She was the party professional, not him. “I’ll take care of that.” She’d learned to get everything in writing. That way the only surprises were good ones. “You’ll need activities, meals and goodie bags. Do you want a separate track for the kids? I’m guessing the parents would enjoy alone time, at least part of it.”

“Sure.”

“Lectures? Musical entertainment? Do you want sitters for the kids?”

“I have no idea.”

Which meant he and the other partners hadn’t discussed anything past “Hey, let’s have a party.” The good news was there wasn’t a lot to undo. The bad news was the tight time frame.

“We have just over four weeks to pull this all together,” she said, turning her attention to him, which was hardly difficult duty. Sam’s features were chiseled, his dark eyes intense. He looked like a model for one of those moody fragrances for guys. And sitting oh-so-close. Not that she was going to react. They were working together now. In business. Which meant what had happened between them before was interesting but not relevant.

“I’m finishing up another project this week, then you can have me full-time until the weekend of the party,” she told him.

One eyebrow rose slightly as he nodded. “We’re going to need all your attention on the event.”

“How much do you want to be a part of the decision making?”

“Run everything by me. We can set up regular meetings or you can simply drop by Score. I’ll make myself available.”

“We’ll do both,” she said, writing more on her growing to-do list. “Okay—contracts for the rooms and figuring out a schedule will be my top priorities. I bill by the hour. There will be deposits on some items, but because of the tight time frame, others will have to be paid for outright. I prefer to run all the invoices through my office so I know what you were charged.”

“Not a problem. When you come by the offices, I’ll give you an up-front retainer. This party is going to cost a lot. I don’t want you to stretch your cash flow on our account.”

“Thank you,” she said, thinking he’d been just as thoughtful during their lone intimate encounter. He’d...

No, she told herself firmly. That was not going to happen again. Nor was she going to get lost in remembering how he’d touched her or kissed her or...

“I should have enough to get started on all this,” she said, putting down her pen. “Let’s meet in a couple of days and I’ll have more details worked out.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

They both rose and she walked him to the front door. For a second she wondered what would have happened between them if he hadn’t gone into the wrong bedroom that night. If he’d made his way back to her.

Probably no difference at all, she told herself firmly as they said goodbye. He was a big-time ex-jock and she was a small-town girl. She doubted a guy like him was looking for something serious, and she wasn’t, either. What happened made for a funny story and nothing else. But, she admitted after he’d left, it was sure fun to think about.

CHAPTER TWO

THREE HOURS LATER Dellina had the rough outline of a plan for the weekend party. She’d already done some preliminary work, but knowing how many people were coming, and the number and ages of the children, made a difference in what she was going to suggest everyone do. She’d made appointments at the resort and arranged for tasting menus.

She glanced at the clock, then stood and left her office. After grabbing her bag, she walked out of the house and started for the center of town.

Fool’s Gold was set in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. The town was at an altitude of about twenty-five hundred feet, which meant there were four definite seasons. Just one of the things she loved about living here. While tourists were the main source of income, there were plenty of small businesses in town, along with a big casino-hotel complex on the outskirts of town and a new outlet mall. To the north was a facility that constructed wind turbines and to the west were lots of vineyards.

Dellina and her sisters had been born and raised here. Dellina had briefly thought about moving to a bigger town but had quickly realized she was a hometown girl at heart. Sure, growing her business would be easier somewhere else, but easy wasn’t always right. Her folks had taught her that.

She turned on Fourth and saw the sign for Brew-haha up ahead. Taryn and Larissa had arranged for a coffee date the second she’d told them about her scheduled meeting with Sam. No doubt they wanted details. Dellina was prepared to say everything had gone well. She wasn’t going to confess to any tingles. That would be embarrassing for all of them.

As she approached the coffee shop, she saw a tall curvy redhead pacing along the sidewalk. Bailey Voss wore a navy dress and jacket, along with sensible navy heels. A little on the business side for her. Realizing what the professional dress meant, Dellina hurried toward her.

“Is it today?” she asked by way of greeting.

Bailey turned toward her and nodded as she pressed a hand to her stomach. “In about half an hour. I got ready too early and then... I was afraid to stay home, but once I left, I didn’t know what to do with myself.”

Dellina turned the other woman toward Brew-haha. “Come inside. We’ll distract you until it’s time.”

“Thanks,” Bailey said, then bit her lower lip. “Just don’t be so entertaining that I forget where I’m supposed to be.”

“We’ll set an alarm,” Dellina promised, and guided the other woman into the store.

Brew-haha was a bright, cheerful place with small tables by the big windows. There were the usual coffee and tea drinks, along with pastries. Dellina spotted Taryn and Larissa right away. They’d already collected their lattes and were seated.

Taryn, one of the partners at Score, was in her mid-thirties. Tall with long dark hair and violet-blue eyes, she dressed as if she was a high-fashion model. Today Taryn had on a fitted jacket over a tight skirt. Her heels were at least four inches high; her bag was a leather-and-snakeskin Hobo. Dellina would guess that the combined cost of the outfit would be about the same as a decent used car.

In contrast Larissa wore a brightly colored T-shirt and yoga pants. Her long blond hair was pulled back, she wasn’t wearing makeup and she had daisies painted on her toes. Taryn spent her days ruling Score with an iron fist while Larissa gave massages and acted as Jack’s assistant. It was an interesting dynamic.

Both women looked up and saw her. They waved.

“Look who I found,” Dellina said as they approached the table.

Bailey twisted her fingers around the strap of her handbag. “I have my interview with Mayor Marsha in a few minutes.”

Taryn pulled out a chair. “Sit here. You can tell me everything that has you nervous and we’ll work through it.”

Bailey sank down and sighed. “I’m just scared I don’t have enough experience.”

Dellina walked up to the counter and ordered a latte. “Bailey, you want anything?”

Bailey shook her head. “I’m afraid I’ll spill.”