Before We Kiss

“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.”

Something Dellina could understand. No one wanted to go to an interview wearing a stain. As she waited for her latte, she studied Bailey’s subtle makeup and the frown between her eyebrows. Being a single parent wasn’t easy. Dellina had lost her folks and become responsible for her sisters at an early age. While that had been devastating, she’d been able to return to Fool’s Gold where she knew everyone and there were plenty of people to look out for them.

Bailey and her husband had moved to town a couple of years ago. Neither of them had any family to speak of. There’d been an uncle or great-uncle around but he’d passed only a few months after their arrival. Then Bailey’s husband, a soldier, had been killed in Afghanistan. Dellina hoped Bailey got the job with Mayor Marsha so that she could feel financially secure. That would go a long way to healing a broken heart.

She returned to the table with her drink. Bailey turned to her. “You grew up here. Any Mayor Marsha advice?”

“Be yourself,” Dellina told her. “If Mayor Marsha didn’t already like you, you wouldn’t have the interview.”

“I hope my skills are good enough,” Bailey said. “I took that refresher course at the community college, but I haven’t been in the job market for a while.”

Taryn smiled at her. “Relax. As much as it pains me to admit it, the wily old woman knows what she’s doing.”

“You’ll do fine,” Larissa told her. “And when you get the job, you’ll have the inside scoop on the town gossip.” She leaned forward and grinned. “I remember when I interviewed for my job at Score. Wow, was I nervous.”

Bailey glanced at Taryn. “Yes, I can see why.”

Taryn’s eyes widened. “Hey, if that was about me, I’m a very gentle interviewer.”

Larissa grinned. “She wasn’t the problem. I had to talk to Jack. I was so scared because he was this famous, hunky guy. At least you won’t have to worry about being tongue-tied because Mayor Marsha is good-looking.”

They all laughed.

Dellina smiled at Bailey. “Larissa’s right. Once you get the job, you will have the inside track on all the town gossip.”

“Delicious,” Larissa said.

Taryn looked at her friend. “You don’t have time for gossip. You’re too busy trying to kill people with poisonous snakes.”

Larissa hung her head. “I’ve apologized about a thousand times for that.”

“Give me a thousand more, I’ll consider dropping it,” Taryn teased.

Dellina didn’t know much about Larissa beyond the fact that she had a soft heart and liked to rescue critters of all kinds. Unfortunately it seemed she didn’t always think through her plans. A couple of months ago she’d been transporting snakes for a local wildlife organization. The snakes were going to a sanctuary somewhere in the southern part of the state. When the top of the container had come loose, one of the snakes had gotten out and Larissa had immediately stopped the car and jumped out.

Angel, Taryn’s now-fiancé, had offered to help. He’d found out a bite too late that the snakes were poisonous and had spent the night in the hospital. Angel was fine and the snakes had made it to their new home, but Taryn was still torturing Larissa about the incident. In this case, Dellina found herself on Taryn’s side. Helping animals in need was one thing, but dealing with poisonous creatures should be left to the professionals.

Bailey stood. “I need to go. I want to walk slowly to city hall so I’m not sweaty when I arrive.” She pressed her hand to her stomach again. “I hope I can do this.”

Taryn rose and hugged her. “You can. You’ll be great. Tell me everything that happens.”

“I will,” Bailey promised, and left.

Taryn watched her go. Pride filled her eyes. For some reason the other woman had taken an interest in Bailey to the point of arranging a clothing exchange with the sole and secret purpose of getting Bailey a new interview dress. Taryn had figured Bailey wouldn’t simply accept it as a gift and she sure couldn’t afford it herself. So there had been a ladies-only clothing exchange.

Taryn sat down and picked up her latte. Her engagement ring sparkled in the afternoon light. “So,” she said slowly. “Start talking.”

Larissa grinned. “She’s right. We want details. You said hi and he said hi and then?”

Dellina did her best to keep from smiling. “Are you talking about my meeting with Sam? It really wasn’t that interesting.”

Taryn’s gaze narrowed. “If I had something to throw at you, I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Dellina laughed. “No throwing. Our meeting was fine. Very professional.”

“No sex on the kitchen counter?” Larissa asked.

Dellina shook her head. “No. Sam wouldn’t do that.”

“But you would?” Taryn asked. “Interesting.”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it. Sam was pleasant, we cleared up any lingering confusion about our past and talked about the party.”

Both women stared at her, as if wanting more. No way she was going to mention the tingles. They were private. And probably foolish. She’d had a night with Sam and it had been great. But they’d both moved on and now they were working together. End of story.

“I was hoping for more,” Larissa admitted.

“I think he’s good-looking,” Dellina told her. “Does that help?”

“Not really. I’ve never slept with Sam. Was he good?”

Taryn laughed. “Larissa, my sweet, that makes it sound like you’ve slept with Jack and Kenny.”

Larissa’s blue eyes widened. “What? No. Of course not. I work with them.” She flushed. “Especially Jack. We’re friends. Nothing more. Just, you know, good friends.” She pressed her lips together as if trying to prevent herself from babbling. “For the record, I have not slept with anyone at Score. I was just wondering about Sam.”

Dellina felt a little of Bailey’s tummy unease but it had nothing to do with being nervous. For a second she couldn’t place the cause.

“Because you’re interested in Sam?” Taryn asked, her eyebrows raised.

The second Taryn asked the question out loud, Dellina realized the cause of her anxiety and it didn’t make her happy. Why did she care if Larissa had a thing for Sam? She’d spent one evening with him and had a single conversation since. What did she care if he slept with the entire state of California?

“I’m not interested in Sam,” Larissa said with a sigh. “I meant I work with them, they’re sexy, handsome men. All of them. Equally. I’ve heard things in the media and from various women and I wondered if any of it was true.” She looked at Taryn. “You slept with Jack and you won’t give me any details. Maybe Dellina will be more forthcoming.”

“I was married to Jack,” Taryn said. “And no, I’m not talking about that part of our relationship.”

They both looked at Dellina expectantly.

She held up her hands. “Um, no. I’m not comfortable getting into specifics.”

“How about a gross generality?” Larissa offered. “Was he good?”

Dellina felt herself start to smile. “Yeah, he was good.”

Larissa squeezed Taryn’s hand. “Our little boy is all grown up.”

“You’re a freak,” Taryn told her. “You know that, right?” She turned to Dellina. “As Sam’s business partner, I would encourage you to have sex with Sam. I’m guessing it would improve his mood and I’m for that. As your friend, you probably want to think more than once about getting involved with a man who has that much bad luck with women.”

“Arguing each side equally,” Dellina murmured. “Impressive.”

“Isn’t she?” Larissa sat back in her chair. “What is it about sports guys that make them so appealing?”

“Their bodies,” Dellina said without hesitating, telling herself she was speaking in generalities and not talking about Sam at all.

“The danger,” Taryn added. “Remember during the Olympics when we couldn’t stop watching Kipling Gilmore? When he skied down that mountain, it was the sexiest thing ever.” She paused and grinned. “Except for Angel, of course.”

“Yes, don’t leave your fiancé out of it,” Larissa murmured. “I’m with you on Kipling. Yum and double yum.”

Larissa leaned toward them both. “So I heard from a friend of mine.”

Taryn groaned. “Run,” she told Dellina. “Run while you still can. Run and never take her calls.”

Larissa’s mouth turned into a pout. “You don’t know what I’m going to say.”

“Yes, I do. Some creature needs rescuing. It’s going to be weird and inconvenient.”

“Mostly to Jack,” Larissa reminded her.

Taryn perked up. “That’s right.” She looked at Dellina. “Jack is forever helping Larissa with her various projects. Whether he wants to or not.”

“It’s one of his best qualities,” Larissa said.

“Why doesn’t he just say no?” Dellina asked.

“It’s not in his nature,” Taryn said. “He’s a sucker for Larissa’s causes.” She picked up her latte again. “All right. What is it now?”

“There might be a lady in Barstow breeding chiweenies.”

Larissa paused dramatically. Dellina looked at Taryn. “What’s a chiweenie?”

“Hell if I know. And where’s Barstow?”

Larissa put her hands on the table. “They’re dogs. A Chihuahua-dachshund mix. There’s concern she has a puppy mill rather than a breeding program. We’re still investigating. But we might need to go in and rescue them.”

Taryn’s right eye twitched. “Save us all,” she murmured. “Fine. Go rescue your chiweenies, but don’t ask Dellina for help until after the party. I mean it. She’s working on a deadline.”

Larissa’s eyes widened. “But they’re puppies!”

Taryn looked at Dellina. “You see what I put up with?”

Dellina heard the love behind the frustration. Because for Taryn, the people at Score were her family. Dellina knew how important belonging could be. She would do anything for her sisters and her friends. Every now and then she wondered what it would be like to have a Mr. Right in her world. Then she told herself she was doing just fine and that a man would simply get in the way of that.

* * *

SAM ARRIVED AT Score a little before six in the morning. He stored his change of clothes in his locker, then headed outside.

While the days were warm in summer, the nights were still cool, as were the early mornings. The sun had just started to climb over the mountains when he walked onto the basketball court across the street from the company offices.

When he and Kenny and Jack had first come to Fool’s Gold for a charity event, they hadn’t been looking to leave Los Angeles. But something about the town had appealed to them. They’d come back individually over the next few weeks and had ultimately decided to relocate. When Taryn had gone looking for a building, they’d requested a space for a half basketball court. Ever the overachiever, she’d found one where they could put in a full court. Which meant three mornings a week there were pickup games with the guys in town.

Now Sam stepped through the gate in the high fence and walked toward the people already there. He, Jack and Kenny made up the Score contingent. From CDS, the local bodyguard school, were Justice, Angel, Ford and Consuelo, the only woman who joined them. Gideon, who owned the local radio station and his twin brother, Gabriel, showed up most mornings. Usually someone else came to play. One of the Stryker brothers, Josh Golden or Raoul Moreno.

They played to thirty points and generally followed NCAA rules. Teams were decided by drawing poker chips from a bag and whichever team Consuelo wasn’t on was skins. Given the choice, Sam preferred having the petite brunette on his side. She was small but fast, and she played dirty.

“Hey,” he said as he approached. As he greeted everyone, he did a quick head count and realized they were down one player. Clay Stryker had arrived just after Sam, which meant one of the regulars was absent.

“It’s Angel,” Consuelo said with disgust. “I’m sure he’s still in bed with Taryn.”

Not anything Sam wanted to hear. Taryn was too much like a sister for him to be thinking about her having sex with anyone. When it came to personal information, he didn’t want to know.

Just then a man on a Harley rounded the corner and parked. A couple of the guys whistled loudly.

“Who’s finally getting some,” Ford yelled. “Did your woman not want you to go?”

“Can I help it if I’m a god in bed?” Angel asked as he pulled off his helmet.

Sam grinned.

The first few mornings after the court had been finished, there had only been the three guys from Score. Later in the week, the team from CDS had shown up. The game had grown from there. Sam wasn’t sure, but he would bet Taryn had something to do with it. There were more greetings, then everyone drew from the cloth bag and divided into teams.

Sam saw he and Consuelo had different colors. He grimaced as he pulled off his shirt. He would have to be careful around her. She thought nothing of throwing an elbow. If it went high, the man she was guarding ended up with a black eye. If it went low, he generally walked like a cowboy for the rest of the day. Neither was appealing.

“Let’s go,” Jack said, clapping his hands together.

Kenny rolled his eyes. “Once a quarterback,” he muttered to Sam.

Sam chuckled.

The ball was tossed into the air and they were moving.

Sam ducked around Justice and reached for the ball. He moved downcourt only to sense more than see someone coming up beside him. He turned, shifted his weight and jumped up to shoot. The ball spun through the air and fell gracefully into the net.

“Way to go, Sam.”

The high-pitched yell had him looking over his shoulder and then swearing under his breath.

“They’re ba-ack,” Ford said as he ran past.

Most mornings two old ladies showed up with lawn chairs and mugs of coffee. They sat and watched until the game was over, cheering both sides and often suggesting that shirts weren’t the only thing that should come off.

He had no problem with that. It was that one of the old ladies seemed especially interested in him and that was kind of weird. He’d run into her a few weeks ago at one of the town festivals and he would swear she’d pinched his ass.

Justice scored for the other team, then Jack stepped out of bounds to take the ball. Sam got into place and caught it, then passed it to a teammate. As they all moved up the court, he thought that if someone was going to go after his ass, he would pick Dellina. They’d only been together that one time, but it had been memorable. The way she’d kissed him, he thought as he turned and reached for the ball. Her mouth had made him—

He came to a stop involuntarily as his face made contact with something hard and sharp. Pain exploded by his eye, but before he even started swearing, he passed the ball to Clay. Only then did he reach up to touch the rapidly swelling lump that was going to not only leave a mark but give him a black eye. He turned to Consuelo.

“Seriously? You had to do that?”

“You weren’t paying attention. You know I hate that.” She sounded more defensive than contrite. Then she pointed to his face. “Your nose is bleeding, too.”

He rubbed his chin. Sure enough, his hand came away with blood on it.

“Man down,” Jack yelled, walking toward him.

“I’m standing,” Sam told him even as he headed off the court. Dripping blood would make the court slick. And he should probably get some ice on his eye.

“I’m not going to say I’m sorry,” Consuelo yelled after him.

He smiled. No, she wouldn’t, and he liked that about her.

Sam walked across the street. It was still before seven but when he entered the offices of Score he found Taryn in the foyer. She took one look at him and shook her head.

“No,” she said firmly. “I’m not patching you up. And don’t bleed on the carpet.” She walked to the phone at the reception desk and picked up the receiver. A second later she said, “Sam got injured.” She paused and looked at him. “Black eye and bloody nose.” Another pause. “Yes, they are idiots.”

She hung up. “Larissa will meet you in the locker room.” She pulled a box of tissues from the reception desk and thrust it at him. “Use these. I swear, if you drip on our carpet...” she began.

He took the box and pulled out a handful. “You’ll what?”

“Be very angry.”

“Ooooh. I’m trembling.”

She glared at him, then stalked off. Considering she was wearing four-inch heels, the pace was impressive.

Twenty minutes later Larissa removed the ice pack to check the swelling. “You’re going to have a black eye,” she murmured. Her touch was light as she brushed her fingers over his cheek. “You want to go see a doctor?”