Susan Mallery - Before We Kiss

“But?”

“But you’re going about this all wrong. Tell him how you feel. And if you won’t, comfort yourself with the knowledge that Ryan will propose.”

Fayrene groaned. “In three years.”

“Which is exactly when you told him to.”

CHAPTER THREE

DELLINA ARRIVED AT the office of Score five minutes before her appointment with Sam. While she knew where the offices were, she’d never been in them before. Now as she walked through the glass doors, she took in the open foyer with the two-story ceiling. A big reception desk stood in the center. There were stairs to the left and an elevator beyond that. But what really caught her attention was the nearly life-size pictures on the wall.

Sam, Kenny and Jack stared down at her from all angles. There were photos of the guys in uniform, in shorts and T-shirts, standing around and working out. There was one of Jack about to throw a football, another of Kenny jumping to catch. One showed Sam in that last nanosecond before he kicked the ball.

She turned slowly, taking in the various poses and expressions. In the back, by the stairs, was one picture showing all four partners together. In her heels, Taryn was the same height as Sam. Jack was an inch or so taller with Kenny a couple of inches taller than him. The guys were in suits and ties and Taryn had on a long-sleeved black dress that showed every skinny inch of her body. Dellina immediately sucked in her stomach.

A middle-aged woman walked toward her. “May I help you?”

“Dellina Hopkins. I have an appointment with Sam.”

The woman smiled. “Yes, of course. This way, Ms. Hopkins.”

“Dellina, please.”

She was led down the hallway. Signed jerseys and trophies lined the walls. The receptionist stopped in front of a partially open wooden door.

“Thank you,” Dellina said before she stepped inside.

She found herself in a large office. One end had a big desk with a computer. There were windows, a long leather sofa and, at the far end, a small conference table.

The square footage probably came close to that of her house, she thought with amusement. Ah, to be a rich, famous football player, she thought. Talk about serious perks.

A door by the conference table opened and Sam walked into the room. Her girl parts cheered, her breath seemed to catch and she wondered if it was just her or if the sun was shining just a little brighter now. He smiled when he saw her.

“Right on time.”

She was about to ask if there was a private restroom or if he and the other guys had secret passages back and forth between their offices when she took a look at his face. His left eye was slightly puffy and there was a deep violet and red bruise from the bridge of his nose to his cheekbone.

“What happened?” she asked, instinctively stepping toward him.

“You should see the other guy.”

“You got in a fight?”

The smile returned. “No. I played basketball and got in the way of Consuelo’s elbow.”

“Consuelo did that to you?” Dellina cleared her throat and lowered the pitch of her voice. “On purpose?”

“That second question is harder to answer. She would tell you it was my own damn fault and she would probably be right.”

“You have a black eye.”

“That seems to be the consensus.”

She was only a few feet from him. For a second she thought about moving closer and lightly touching his skin. While the idea was tempting, she couldn’t figure out an excuse. It wasn’t as if she had magical healing powers. While being around Sam made her think of tangled sheets and soul-stirring kisses, the information wasn’t relevant for their current discussion. Or any discussion. Because what had happened that night had been an anomaly. Given the choice between the job and man, she would take the job.

But being with the man had been very, very nice.

He pointed to the conference table. “Have a seat. We can go over what you’ve brought.”

She sat down and set her tote on the chair next to her. Sam sat on her other side and pulled a stack of papers toward himself. She saw plugs for hooking up a computer and suspected a screen lowered on one of the walls.

“Fancy,” she said, pointing to the connections.

“I have finance meetings in here,” he said. “With the accountants. We keep them small because no one else wants to attend.”

“Your partners want to know their checks cleared and little else?”

“Something like that.”

She pulled out her stack of folders. “I get that. Just once I’d like to have a phone call with my bookkeeper that doesn’t have her trying very hard not to sigh in my ear. Every time I think I’ve got stuff the way she wants...”

Dellina trailed off, thinking that admitting a shortcoming like that probably wasn’t a good idea.

Sam leaned back in his chair. “Don’t worry. I’m not hiring you for your genius with numbers. I want you to make sure our guests have a good time.”

“Much more my area of expertise.” She passed him the top folder. “The preliminary schedule of events.”

He handed her a couple of sheets of paper. “The guest list, including who has kids and their ages.”

* * *

SAM FLIPPED OPEN the folder. The top two pages contained the calendar for the weekend. He scanned the lists. Per his request, the party began at four on Friday and went until two-thirty on Sunday.

“As you can see,” Dellina said, leaning toward him and pointing, “we’re keeping both kids and parents busy. The only places where the children need to be kept separate are the welcome wine tasting and dinner at Henri’s. I have a private room reserved for the event. Not only won’t it hold extra people, the kids would be a distraction.”

“I agree,” he told her.

“The other possible need for separation could be the lecture, but as I haven’t lined up anyone yet, I don’t know. Regardless, I’m running a full second track for the children. I suggest we go item by item through both schedules.”

He nodded.

Dellina shifted her chair closer. Her wavy brown hair slipped off her shoulder and brushed against his arm. He was wearing long sleeves and couldn’t really feel the contact, but he could imagine it. His fantasy for round two of their lone night together had been her on top. Only things hadn’t gotten that far.

“The wine tasting is the first item,” she said. “It will be held on the patio by the restaurant. I want to feature local wineries. Condor Valley Winery is right here in the valley, so they’ll be the star. I have an in with the owners. My sister Ana Raquel is married to the nephew of the winemaker. He’ll give a short talk on wine making, and the hotel wants to provide the appetizers. After the tasting we’ll head into the restaurant for a full sit-down dinner. You and I will figure out the menu. Their wine cellar is impressive, so we have a lot to choose from.”

She pointed to the second sheet. “While this is going on, the kids will be learning how to make various mocktails and appetizers. Ana Raquel and her husband are professional chefs. They’ll be teaching the class. It seems like an easy way for everyone to get to know one another. There will be an informal dinner. During which we’ll have a local band playing.”

“You have a band suitable for children?”

She grinned. “A high school band, but still fun.”

His gaze dropped to her mouth. Her lips were full and shiny from some gloss. He wondered if it would have a flavor and how much trouble he would be in if he tried to find out.

“There’s a group in Sacramento that puts on plays for children. I want to hire them to do a kid-friendly play. It’s a little pricey but will be a great end to the evening. The fun part is the kids learn lines and participate as well as watch.”