“A problem for another time,” she told herself as she glanced at her watch. She had a yoga class to get started.
* * *
BY SEVEN-THIRTY, the stretching-yoga class was going strong. Dellina walked back into the hotel and nearly bumped into Bailey.
“I was looking for you,” the other woman said. “Your phone is turned off.”
“Oh, no!” Dellina pulled it out of her pocket and saw the mute button was on. “I did that last night at the dinner,” she said. “I forgot.”
She checked her messages and saw that Bailey had been her only call. “Thanks so much for telling me. Is that why you drove up here?”
Bailey smiled. “Sort of. I also wanted to know if you needed help with anything. Chloe spent the night with her friend Allison and they’re spending the day together. Later they’ll be here for the therapy dog demonstration.” Bailey shrugged. “I have nothing planned for today. Seriously, if you need anything, just ask.”
Dellina appreciated the offer. She also had a feeling that her friend was feeling at loose ends without her daughter around. Since the death of Bailey’s husband and Chloe’s father, the two had only had each other. At least until the town had figured out what had happened and had reached out to them.
“We’re taking our guests into town this afternoon,” she said. “Want to offer a walking tour of downtown Fool’s Gold?”
“Sure. With my job as Mayor Marsha’s assistant, I’ve been studying local history. I know more facts than anyone could ever want to know. Plus, the festival is going to be fun.”
Dellina suggested a time and place for them to meet.
A woman in yoga pants and a fitted tank top hurried up to them. Dellina recognized her as one of the wives. She grabbed Dellina’s hand and pulled her toward the terrace.
“You have to come see this,” she said. “Hurry!”
Bailey walked with them.
“What on earth,” Dellina began, then stopped talking when she caught sight of what was happening on the large lawn just off the hotel.
About twenty guys were playing football. They were fit, handsome guys in shorts and T-shirts on a bright, sunny morning with a view of the valley behind them. Jack was quarterback on one team. He took the snap, then stepped back and threw the ball.
Dellina had never been to a professional football game before. She’d attended a college game once, but football wasn’t her thing. She didn’t understand the game and didn’t get the point. But when she saw Jack throw, she understood the power and grace inherent in every professional athlete.
One of the clients’ husbands caught the ball and ran toward the makeshift goal. Based on the cheering, Dellina would guess he’d scored. Male laughter filled the stillness of the morning.
Light glinted off muscles. Powerful legs bunched and released as the men moved.
“All they need is a sound track,” Bailey murmured as she stood next to Dellina. “Oh, look. Sam’s the quarterback for the other team.”
Dellina saw she was right. That when they lined up, Sam took the center position and caught the ball when it was snapped.
It turned out that while he might have been a star kicker, he had a hell of an arm, too. He dodged a tackle and threw the ball nearly the length of the lawn. Kenny flew past the other men and caught it. He was moving toward the goal line before he even touched the ground.
“Oh, my,” Bailey whispered. “That was impressive.”
“Tell me about it,” Dellina said, her gaze locking on Sam as he gave Kenny a high five.
This had been his world, she thought. On a grander scale, but the basics were here. Athletic prowess, winning and being part of a team. She noticed the other women lining up to watch the show and wondered how many of the wives were thinking their husbands looked pretty good out there.
Despite being on different sides, Sam, Kenny and Jack huddled together for a moment before stepping back into the game. When Sam used the hem of his T-shirt to wipe his face, she saw a flash of bare belly and the muscled contours below. Somewhere behind her, a woman sighed.
“If I weren’t married, I’d want me some of that,” she said.
Dellina agreed. And lucky for her, she wasn’t married.
* * *
SAM HAD DISCOVERED shortly after moving to town that Fool’s Gold was a place that loved its festivals. He and the guys had been bombarded with prepared meals during the Great Casserole Cook-Off and he’d taken his older sister to the Tulip Festival. She’d been impressed by the acres of flowers that stretched for what seemed like miles.
The Summer Festival seemed to be part arts and crafts, part music celebration with lots of food and plenty of tourists. Sam walked with several clients as they explored the various booths. His group didn’t have any kids with them but he knew some of the others did. Dellina had arranged for Fayrene and the babysitters to be on hand if any extra care was needed.
Fayrene had brought the Pomeranian she was taking care of with her and, from what he could tell, the little pooch was a hit. One of the wives had stopped him in the hotel that morning to say that her daughter had had a wonderful time the night before and couldn’t stop talking about the darling little dog who had been so warm and friendly with them all. Apparently Caramel was an equal opportunity cuddler. Something Sam could have respected when he was younger, but not so much now. He preferred to keep his personal life simple and that meant one woman at a time.
Not that he’d been involved in a while or was now, he thought as he stepped aside for a couple of teenage boys on skateboards. They barely made it to the corner when a deputy stepped in to put a stop to their fun.
He liked Dellina a lot. She was great. Funny and sexy and someone he could count on. But he knew what would happen if things got serious—it would all go to hell. He’d reconciled with the truth a long time ago—he had the worst luck when it came to women. Always had, always would. As much as he wanted that to change, it hadn’t.
Which left him wondering about his future. He wanted a traditional family. A wife and a few kids. How was he supposed to make that happen when his personal life went from one disaster to another?
Up ahead the door to The Christmas Attic opened and a woman stepped out with large shopping bags in each hand. She had two kids trailing behind, although the little boy seemed more interested in the festival than keeping up with his mother.
“Stay with me,” the woman called as she started for the corner.
Sam figured her car was in the lot there and, once she put her bags away, she would be fine. It was the getting there that was going to be difficult.
Her son, a boy of maybe four or five, spotted the ice cream vendor and grinned. He moved toward the curb instead of following his mother. The woman turned and looked for him, then frantically called out a name.
“I’ll be right back,” Sam said as he jogged toward the boy and scooped him up. As he did so, he waved at the woman. “I’ve got him.”He maintained eye contact as he approached so she wouldn’t think he was trying to kidnap the boy, then put him down as soon as they were close.
“Let me help you with your bags,” he said. “Then you can keep hold of what’s really important.”
She gave him a grateful smile. “I should have made two trips,” she admitted. “It’s just the Christmas store is having a sale and there’s a nativity set I’ve wanted forever. Noelle called to tell me she was holding it for me.” She picked up her son and took her daughter’s hand. “Thank you for helping.”
“No problem.” He took her bags and they walked to her small SUV. He put the bags in the back. “Enjoy your weekend.”
She smiled at him and he returned to his guests. One of the wives linked her arm with him.
“This is why I like your company so much,” she said. “You all have heart.”
“It’s a small town,” Sam said, not sure what to do with the compliment, but liking it all the same. “Helping out is part of the culture.”
“It’s so nice to see,” she told him. “Living here must be very special.”
Sam nodded. The woman released his arm and returned to her husband’s side. Sam continued to walk with them, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
When the guys had first visited Fool’s Gold, they’d all been impressed by the location. Although Taryn loved everything about Los Angeles, the guys were ready for a change and Fool’s Gold had offered that. But once they’d bought the new building, Sam had wrestled with second thoughts. Did he really want to live in a place where everyone would know his business? He’d grown up with that and didn’t feel the need to re-create it as an adult.
Because of that, he’d held back a little. Jack and Kenny had made friends everywhere, but Sam had kept to himself. He’d resisted requests to speak to local business organizations and hadn’t done any community service work. He saw now that he was never going to feel as if he really belonged if he didn’t simply take the plunge. It was like what had happened with Dellina. He’d been so busy thinking the worst, he’d missed out on someone great. She’d not only saved the client party, she’d turned out to be someone he could trust. And in his world, that was to be treasured.
* * *
SAM WALKED OUT of the elevator and saw Kenny and Jack handing Taryn money. Judging from the wad of cash she held, he would guess three or four hundred dollars each. They were making a bet—something he usually participated in. Only not this time. Because he knew what they were betting on. Maybe not the exact verbiage, but he could guess the subject matter.
“What?” he asked as he approached.
His friends turned to him. Kenny and Jack both looked guilty while Taryn appeared smug.
“Showing a video versus just talking,” Taryn told him. “I’m convinced she’s not going to do anything to embarrass you. Jack says there’s going to be sex on a video while Kenny’s going for an over the clothes demonstration.”
Kenny held up both hands. “I’ve been to her talks before. We all know what happens.”
“You in?” Jack asked.
Sam tried to ignore the steady thumping of a headache coming on and shook his head. “There’s no win for me. Taryn, I appreciate your support, but we both know that we’re talking about my mother. There’s no way she’s not going to do something.”
“You want to bet on the video versus talking?” she asked.
“No. I want her to be normal.”
“We don’t have a pool for that.”
“I wonder why,” Sam muttered as he walked toward the room at the end of the hall. He planned to sit up front, but on the side. That way he could rush the stage if necessary. He wasn’t sure what he would do when he got there, but when it came to Lark, being ready for action seemed more important than having a plan.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“IT’S SAFE TO RELAX,” Dellina said as much to herself as to Sam. They were off the terrace at the rear of the hotel after a long, successful day of entertaining clients.
Behind them, large grills were heating as the hotel chefs prepared for the evening’s barbecue. To the north was a big fire pit that would be lit closer to sunset. The tables were set, the music already playing, and in a few minutes their guests would arrive. The weekend event had passed the halfway mark. Dellina hoped to have an easy time of it from now until tomorrow afternoon when she was going to collapse and sleep for at least twelve hours.
“From everything I’ve heard, people had a great time in town,” she told him. “The kids loved their bike ride with Josh and the therapy dog event was a hit.”
He looked at her. “What you really mean is my mother didn’t take off her clothes or have sex on the stage during her lecture.”
“It had been a concern,” Dellina admitted. She’d stayed in the back of the room while Lark had taken the stage. She wasn’t sure if she was there so she could run if necessary or to show other people the way out if they felt the need to bolt.
“She was okay,” Sam admitted. “For her, the lecture was tame.”
“And informative,” Dellina added.
Lark had spoken about the importance of sexual happiness in a marriage. When she’d hit a button on the computer next to her and lit up the screen, Dellina had been prepared for anything from p**n to detailed, anatomically correct photographs. Instead Lark had shown tasteful drawings of both male and female anatomy, then had discussed pressure points and breathing exercises.
“She only said clitoris three times.” Sam sounded relieved. “So we got through it.”
“Or at least the part we were both worried about.” She glanced at her watch. “Okay—I’ve checked on the food. The bar is ready. There’s a mocktail station for the kids, if they want to re-create their favorite drinks from last night. We can—”
She stared as the first couple in their group stepped out onto the lawn. She knew them by sight and name, had spoken with them. They were in their forties and had left their college-age kids at home.
While the couple had been friendly with each other, Dellina couldn’t remember them holding hands. As she watched, the wife glanced up at her husband and laughed. He stopped, faced her, then cupped her face with his free hand and kissed her. Using tongue.
“What?” Sam said, spinning toward the hotel. “Are my parents na**d?”
“I have no idea, but if they are, they’re not out here.”
He looked around, then back at her. “What are you staring at?”
“Bill and Marie.”
Sam glanced at them and shrugged. “They’re here.”