by Anthology
“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”
“No.”
“Yes you are,” Archer teased. “Don’t worry, I’ll never tell.”
Sam sipped her wine, letting the rich taste roll around her mouth before she swallowed it. “You never know. Maybe I’ll think about it.”
“I’ll drink to that.” Archer held his glass up and Sam met it with a clink and a smile. “I mean it, Sam. You don’t have to take life so seriously. Have a little fun.”
CHAPTER 7
Two days later, Trent still couldn’t get the woman out of his head. It had to stop. For days he’d walked around in a fog, remembering the way her soft lips yielded to his. The way her whole body melted into him and the soft moans of pleasure that escaped her. It was all he could do to keep from driving down the mountain to the Grizzly Paw to pull her into his arms and see what kind of noises she’d make when he pressed her up against the wall and showed her exactly how crazy she was making him.
It had to stop. For at least the fifth time that morning, Trent ran his hands through his hair and tried once again to focus on the papers in front of him and put her out of his head. He had work to do. They were set to open the Springs the day after the solstice festival. It would be the first official day of summer and the perfect time to orchestrate the quiet launch he had planned.
The Braxtons were worried that without a big grand opening, the Springs wouldn’t make enough of a splash to register in the market. But Trent was counting on the very fact that they weren’t having one to differentiate them among their competition. The Springs was positioned to be a world-class resort that offered a soothing escape for guests. And a large party celebrating that fact would be in direct contrast to what they were trying to accomplish.
But the solstice was only five days away, which meant all the loose ends needed to be tied up and the final preparations completed, and there was no more time to waste. Although it wasn’t a full guest list, they’d managed to book up at least half of the rooms for the first week and Carmen told him registrations were coming in every day. With any luck at all, the summer would be a success to set them up for the rest of the year and Les Braxton could settle down and trust that his investment was in capable hands.
That wasn’t the only thing he wanted in capable hands. His mind shifted in an instant, the image of Samantha’s soft curves under his palms as he stroked down her—
“Trent.”
Carmen’s voice as she entered his office without knocking shocked him out of his daydream and just in time, too, because if he entertained his fantasies of Samantha much longer, he would need to find some kind of release. He was getting sick of going to his suite alone every night.
“What’s up?” He straightened in his chair and tried to look as if he’d been busy working instead of fantasizing about the local pub owner.
“There’s a little girl here who said she’s working for me today.” Carmen gave him a look that told him in no uncertain terms that he better know what she was talking about or there might be hell to pay.
“That’s Jules.”
“Jules?”
“She’s going to be working for you for a bit.”
“Is that right?” Carmen crossed her arms and Trent did his best not to laugh. “And have you bothered to check into the child labor laws? Because she looks to be about ten.”
“Eleven, actually.”
“Okay. Eleven. And what exactly am I supposed to have an eleven-year-old do at a luxury resort for adults?”
Trent crossed his arms over the papers on his desk, happy for a break from the subject that was distracting him from work. He relaxed into his chair. “I’m sure you can find a few things for her. Have her fold towels on the pool deck or maybe—I have the perfect idea. I’ll have her help out with the festival.”
“The festival?”
“It’s a summer solstice festival that the town throws every year.”
“I know what it is.”
“Then why did you ask?” Trent pushed his chair out and stood. It was fun to tease Carmen, especially when she was wired so tightly with the opening around the corner.
Carmen dropped her arms and sighed in frustration. “I meant, why are you involved in the festival? It’s Sam Burke, isn’t it?”
“You told me to build a relationship with the townspeople and do something nice for them. That’s what I’m doing.” He opened the office door and held it open. “Come on. Let’s go find Jules.”
She shook her head, but led the way out to the hallway. “That’s not exactly what I meant,” she said. “And I definitely didn’t mean you had to build that type of relationship with the locals,” she said after a minute. “But if that’s what floats your—”
“It’s not like that.” He spoke the words, but was glad that they were walking and Carmen couldn’t see his face. They’d known each other long enough that she’d easily be able to see there was more to it than what he was saying; he just wasn’t ready to have that discussion. Particularly not with his brother’s girlfriend. “They were in need of some entertainment for the festival, and I knew I could help. Besides that, it will be a good launching pad for the Springs. It’s the day before our grand opening.”
“You mean the non-event that we’re calling a grand opening?”
Trent glared at her. “We decided it was best to have a quiet open.”
“I know.” She slapped his arm. “I’m teasing. But that doesn’t solve the problem of Jules.”
“I’m a problem?”
At the same moment, Trent and Carmen froze and turned to see Jules staring up at them. For all her bravado, her lower lip quivered and Trent thought she might cry.
“’Cause I’m not,” Jules said.
Trent squatted down and took her hand. “No.” He forced her to look him in the eyes. “You are definitely not a problem. I was just talking to Carmen about how you were going to help us solve our problems around here.”
She stared at him without blinking, as if she was trying to figure out if he was full of it or not. Finally she blinked and nodded. “Okay. I can help. What are we doing?”
With a big smile, Trent stood up and gestured for her to follow him. “Come on. I have a very important project for you, and I think you’re the perfect person for the job.”
Together they walked down the hallway and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carmen smile and shake her head before she joined them.
~ ~
With her clipboard in hand, Sam left her office and made her way through the kitchen. She grabbed a bun from the basket Archer had set out as she went past.
“That’s not lunch,” he called after her.
“It’s lunch enough.”
“Get back here.”
There was no point arguing with him, and she knew it, but she also knew she had far too many things on her list to be able to sit down and eat a meal. “Archer, I don’t have—”
“You don’t have time not to have a good lunch.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.” She laughed because although it really didn’t make sense, she knew he meant well. And the knowledge that she wasn’t going to have a chance to eat again until much later, combined with the mouth-watering smell of whatever it was Archer had cooking away in the big pot on the top of the stove, convinced her that she had time to have lunch. “Fine, I’ll eat. But I only have a few minutes.”
“It won’t take any time at all. Go sit down. I’ll bring it right out.”
Sam did what she was told and pushed through the swinging door into the bar. Her top waitress—and only employee she trusted almost as much as Archer—Kylie was filling two glasses of draft.
“How are things looking out here, Kylie?”
“About the same as they usually are.” She winked and expertly flipped the tap up as she put the glasses on her tray and hoisted them up to her shoulder. “Actually, for a Wednesday afternoon, it’s busier than usual. There’s a whole group of guys who said they’r
e working up the mountain on the resort.”
“Really?” Sam arched her neck to subtly check out the men. “That’s…”
“Great?”
“Yeah.” She nodded her head distractedly. “It’s great. But…why now? They’ve been building that place for months and we’ve barely seen anyone.”
“I don’t know,” Kylie said. “But I’m not complaining. This is the second day they’ve come in and I sure like their tips.”
Sam watched as she sashayed her hips across the room. Just enough of her midriff showed under her Grizzly Paw t-shirt and she had to smile. Sam knew exactly why Kylie was getting the tips. She was a great waitress and the fact that she was young and cute didn’t hurt one bit. She shook her head while she watched Kylie place the beers on the table, and take the orders with an easy flirt.
“I’m glad they came in.”
Sam spun around at the voice. Trent stood only inches away from where she sat on the bar stool. Her heart rate instantly increased to a rapid beat that she hoped he didn’t notice. “What are you doing here?”
“Hello to you, too.” He slid onto the stool next to her and all at once Sam wished he’d picked somewhere else to sit. His sheer proximity was making her heart beat fast, and her hands itch with the urge to wrap themselves around him and pull him into her. She’d thought of little else since their shared kiss the other day, and she wanted more than anything to enjoy a repeat performance. But that couldn’t happen. Especially not in the middle of her bar.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I just didn’t expect you here.”
“Why not?” He smiled and if Sam was less of a woman, she would have melted at the devilish grin. As it was, she was having a hard time behaving normally in his presence. “After all, I needed to go over the details of the festival with you. Jacked Crackers needs to be sure of the stage size and overall space they’re dealing with. They’re used to playing larger venues, so if they need to make any adjustments it’s better that we know that ahead of time considering they won’t be in town long.”
“Oh my goodness.” Sam slapped her hand to her forehead. “I didn’t even think of where they’d stay. We have a few rooms upstairs, but they haven’t been rented out in ages and I could probably clean them up, but—”
“I got it.”
“Pardon?”
Trent spun so he faced her. His hand reached out and squeezed her thigh in what she assumed was an effort to calm her down, but all it did was send her spinning in a million other directions.
“I’ve got it,” Trent said. “They can stay at the Springs. We’ll be officially opening the day after the festival, so the rooms will be ready and with them as some of the first guests, hopefully they can help spread the word about the place. We have plans to offer them a full range of services as well so they can—and…I’m boring you.”
“No,” she answered truthfully. “You’re not. I’m just starting to realize why you’re doing what you’re doing.” She twisted in her seat so her back was facing him.
“Pardon?” When his hand wrapped around her shoulder, Sam had to fight the urge to lean back into him. His touch felt so good and it would be so easy to let him hold her up, even if she now realized his motives were purely for his own purposes. He hadn’t wanted to help her at all. But didn’t she know that? He was a business man. Of course he wasn’t trying to save her festival. It was all about his resort and how they could publicize it.
A wave of laughter from the corner caught her attention and she turned to see the group of workers flirting with Kylie as she placed their lunch orders in front of them.
“Looks like you have some satisfied customers,” Trent said. When she still didn’t turn to look at him, Trent’s hand slid up her back, and under the wave of hair that cascaded down her back. Thrills shot through her, but still she fought the urge to let it show how much he affected her.
“What do you need to know for the band?” Sam shot up so she stood next to the bar, and just out of reach of Trent and his touch that was threatening to make her come completely undone.
He smiled, as if he held a secret, but didn’t say anything about her abruptness. Instead, he crossed his arms. “Actually, that’s not really why I’m here today.”
“Then why are you here?”
She didn’t mean it to sound rude, but the moment the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could take them back. Something about him prickled at her. Even as the very presence of him was turning her on and causing her stomach to do weird flips and things, she wanted him to leave her alone. It was a push and pull that she couldn’t quite explain.
Before he could answer, the kitchen door swung open and Archer appeared. He held a tray with a bowl of steaming soup and a fresh bun on it. “Trent.” He greeted the other man. “Can I get you anything?” He slid the fragrant bowl in front of Sam; it was all she could do not to immediately dig in. She was hungrier than she’d thought and Archer was right—she needed to eat.
“No, thanks, man. I can’t stay today.”
Her stomach flipped with disappointment at Trent’s words.
“I just stopped by to let Samantha know about her assistant.”
Assistant? Sam’s ears twitched, suddenly paying attention.
“She’ll help you out with all the last-minute details and help you with any final preparations.”
Sam dropped her spoon. “I don’t need an assistant.”
“Everyone needs a little help.”
“I don’t.”
“Let me help you, Samantha.”
Sam flicked her gaze between Trent and Archer, looking for even the slightest bit of support. The traitor simply shrugged and smiled. “I think I have some stuff to do in the back,” he mumbled and made his escape.
Chicken, she thought. But she didn’t need his help, anyway, and she definitely didn’t need an assistant. Besides that, in a budget of zero, there was no money to pay a helper.
“Trent, I don’t need—”
“I’m told she’s really good with decorations. Paper pom flowers are her specialty. Not that I know what those are.” He shrugged and for a moment looked so innocent and relaxed that Sam was instantly attracted to him again. She had to stop that. It wasn’t healthy for her to be constantly turned on by a man she was never going to be with.
“What do you mean she’s good at pom flowers?”
“You know what they are?”
She remembered some large tissue paper things hanging from the ceiling at Beth’s house right after they moved in. They were in a medley of bright colors and were actually quite pretty. “I have an idea,” she said.
“Good. Because I’m told she’s the best,” Trent held up his fingers in air quotes, “pom flower maker in town.”
A smile lit Sam from inside. “Jules,” she said.
“Oh, so you know her?”
Trent winked and as if they’d practiced it for hours, Jules walked through the front door, her arms loaded down with a pile of tissue paper in a variety of bright colors. Sam rushed to alleviate the girl of her burden.
“What are you doing here, kiddo?”
“Isn’t it great?” Jules’s big eyes were wide with the hopeful expectation that Sam wouldn’t crush her excitement. “I’m working for Mr. Harrison now and my first job is to help you with the festival.”
She raised her eyebrow. “Yes.” Sam glanced at Trent, who watched the scene unfold with humor in his eyes. “I heard you’d made friends with Trent.”
“Mom told you.”
Sam nodded.
“Did she tell you I was working at the Springs?”
“She may have mentioned it.” Sam picked up a piece of red tissue and folded it absentmindedly between her fingers. “But I don’t understand why you’re here if you’re supposed to be working at the Springs. Don’t you have towels to fold and flowers to water and things like that before the guests start knocking down the door?”
“I thought Jules would be put to good use helping you this
week,” Trent said. “I know you have a lot on your plate and this way you don’t have to worry about the decorations. Jules is in complete control. She has a budget and she’s been specifically instructed to stay out of your way, so you can worry about all the other things you might have to worry about.”
Sam glared at him but she couldn’t seem to find fault in his proposal. Not only would there be some decorations, when all she’d thought of was turning on the Christmas lights she hadn’t gotten around to taking down, but it would make Jules happy, which in turn would make Beth happy. And at that moment, Sam couldn’t find anything wrong with that.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “I hate decorating, so if you can take care of that for me, you’d be a real lifesaver.”
The little girl’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Of course. But I expect you to work hard. I’m not going to cut you any slack just because you’re you.”
Jules nodded solemnly. She looked around, taking in the space around her. Technically she wasn’t supposed to be inside, but because the Grizzly Paw was one of the only places to eat in town, most people overlooked that small detail. At least until after the dinner hour. Jules was no stranger to the pub. “I have a lot of work to do here,” she said after a moment.
Sam tried not to giggle at her seriousness. She nodded in agreement. “You do. But don’t worry too much about the decorations in here. Let’s focus on the outside.”
“Yes,” Jules said, all business. “I’ll go check it out.”
After the girl left, Sam was all too aware of Trent’s presence next to her.
“I hope it’s okay,” he said. “I know you don’t want any help, but…”
“No. It’s fine.” Determined to focus on something besides Trent’s proximity to her, she picked up the bun on her soup and ripped off a small piece. “But about the budget for decorations…”
“I’ve got it. Please don’t worry about it.”
The last thing Sam wanted was to be indebted to him for something else, but she couldn’t see how a few poms would cost much and if it made Jules happy…