by Jill Sanders
She watched Kristen’s eyes sharpen. “Logan? From school? Itching-powder Logan?” Amy nodded. “What about him?” Kristen asked.
“He’s my new partner.”
Kristen coughed and almost choked on air. Amy slapped her on the back several times.
“What?” Kristen finally squeaked out.
“At work. Gary brought him in to be my partner. I’ll be working side by side with him for the next several months.” Amy dropped her arms and started pacing again. “Several months of that man. Gary better retire and leave that business to me, that’s all I’m saying.” Amy turned and swung her hands around. “If not . . .” She tried very hard to steady her anger and fears.
Kristen started laughing. “Logan Miller is your new partner?”
Amy’s eyes got big. “Hello?” She waved her arms around again. “That’s what I’ve been telling you for the last half hour.”
“Oh, that’s rich!”
Amy stood back as Kristen continued laughing.
“It’s not that funny.” She frowned down at her friend. “Can you believe the man didn’t even recognize me?” At least he’d acted like he hadn’t recognized her. Maybe this was just another one of his games.
“Well, yeah!” Kristen nodded. “Look at you. You’re hot!” She smiled when Amy glared at her. “I just mean that you’ve changed so much. Plus, everyone calls you Amy now, not Amelia. And you did change your last name when your parents got divorced. You’re Amy Walker now, not Amelia Craig.”
“Still, the least he could have done was remember the person he used to torture every waking moment of every miserable day of his youth.”
Kristen gasped. “Oh!” She started walking around the room, much as Amy had been doing a few moments ago.
“What?” Amy followed her. “What?” she kept demanding as Kristen repeatedly said, “Oh!”
Amy was a good deal taller than Kristen. With her long stride, she kept having to avoid stepping on the back of Kristen’s feet as they walked.
Then Kristen stopped and Amy bumped into her. Kristen turned and grabbed Amy’s shoulders.
“How about we use this temporary memory lapse of his to our advantage?”
“What?” Amy asked, looking down at her.
“What would you say to getting even?”
A bottle of wine later, they had compiled a list of the top ten infractions Logan was guilty of in their youth. Which didn’t help Amy, since she was unsure how she was going to get even with him for any of them.
“Promise me you’ll think about it,” Kristen said, pacing the rug. “I mean, do you remember the time he sat behind you on the bus and then accidentally sneezed, causing his gum to fly out of his mouth and straight into your hair?” Amy reached back and touched the spot she’d had to cut out.
“Fine, I’ll think about it.” Amy looked down at the list and frowned. “I’m just not sure there is any way to do any of this to him.”
Kristen smiled. “When the time is right, you’ll know. Just promise me that if you can, you’ll take the chance.”
“When did you become so vicious?” Amy asked.
“When I watched a twelve-year-old boy push my best friend into a frozen pond.” Kristen returned to the sofa next to Amy.
Amy remembered how Logan had lost his balance on the school hike. “He didn’t exactly push me.” She could still recall how cold the water was and the flu she’d had because of the dip.
“No, but he didn’t help you out of the frozen mess either.” Amy watched as Kristen’s frown deepened. Amy knew her friend too well to know Kristen wasn’t going to let go of this plot for revenge now.
Amy thought about it and finally gave in. “Fine, if the occasion arises, I’ll consider doing something in retaliation.” She doubted she would have the guts to do anything besides making a list and dreaming about revenge.
Kristen crossed her arms and gave her one of her most stern looks.
“Fine!” Amy threw up her hands. “I’ll do it!”
CHAPTER TWO
Logan watched the sexy woman with golden hair walk into her office the next morning. She was taller than most women and her legs looked even longer in the fitted black slacks she was wearing today. He’d enjoyed the view of her legs the day before, too, in the pencil skirt that had hugged her every curve. She looked like she kept in shape and he could tell that she didn’t just spend time in the gym, but the outdoors as well. Her skin glowed with a silky tan, accenting the ultra-blonde highlights in her hair and setting off her blue eyes.
As with yesterday’s outfit, nothing was out of place. Perfection was the word that flew through his mind.
He’d made sure he’d been at the office an hour early, just so he could do a little more research on her recent past. Of course he’d remembered everything from their childhood, but hadn’t hinted to her that he knew who she was. Something told him to keep that knowledge from her. Maybe he had taken cues from her to avoid mentioning their mutual past, or maybe he had just wanted to see how she would react to him first.
He’d been frustrated when all he could find out was that she’d been working for his uncle for almost four years, after interning in the office while she was in college. And in that time, the agency had increased profits almost fivefold.
Not only were profits up, but the business as a whole was gaining a reputation for excellence. Not that RMR had a bad reputation. His uncle had started the business back in the seventies and a few years back, things had started to slow down when the business seemed to fall into a rut. That was, until Amy had joined the firm—then things had started thriving when she’d persuaded his uncle to make a few changes.
Uncle Gary was almost fifteen years older than his sister, Logan’s mom, Gina. The siblings had drifted apart as adults, but when Gina gave birth to Logan, her brother had shown interest in his nephew and then in Logan’s younger sister, Laura, as well.
His uncle had never married and had no children of his own. Logan’s mother had always said that her brother had been married to his business, and after seeing the way the man worked over the past few days, he understood that all too well now.
When Gary had approached Logan a few months ago about joining his business, at first his nephew had been hesitant. Then, after doing some reading about how RMR had taken a turn for the better in the last four years, Logan had been curious to find the reason why.
Everything he’d found had pointed to one person. Amy Walker.
He knew that his uncle was planning on retiring within the next five years; that was certainly an incentive to come on board. But if Logan had to be honest with himself, Amy had been one of the main reasons he’d taken the job. He’d asked his uncle to allow him to work closely with the woman for a while, at least until he had learned how everything ran in the office.
“Morning.” He leaned back in the small chair and watched as her eyes heated when she noticed him in the corner.
“Morning,” she mumbled and took another sip of her coffee. “You’re here early.”
“Since I missed half of your presentation yesterday, I’m trying to get familiar with the system.”
“Let me know if you need any help.” He watched her rush over to her desk and sit down. She looked nervous today, and he knew exactly how to push her further.
“I noticed you have a few meetings today. I hope it’s okay if I tag along?”
She glanced up at him. “I suppose you’ll need to.” He watched her bite her bottom lip and he felt his pulse jump. “I don’t even know your history.” Her face flushed. “I mean, where you worked before this.”
He couldn’t stop the smile from bursting onto his lips. “I was at Cherry Creek Realty in Denver for almost four years. I started there shortly after I graduated from CSU.”
“Do you still live in the Cherry Creek area?”
“No, I moved back to Golden a few months ago.” He knew he should be up front and tell her he recognized her, but he was enjoying his secret too much to stop.
; “Being local makes it easier. The commute would have been bad during the winter months.”
He smiled. “I hear from my uncle that you do a lot of sales in the mountains.” He enjoyed the way she played with a bracelet on her wrist. It was a nervous habit she’d always had.
“Black Hawk has been booming the last few years. Idaho Springs is always busy during the summer months as well.” She flipped open her laptop.
“RMR used to only work in Golden.”
She glanced up at him. “Yes, it’s one of the first changes I made, once I convinced your uncle, that is.”
“Sounds like it paid off.” He’d seen the numbers himself. It had caused their profits to spike within the first few months.
She nodded, her gray-blue eyes watching him closely. There was something else hidden behind them and he wondered if he’d get a chance to find out what it was.
“I have a nine thirty in Clear Creek Canyon.”
“Mind if I ride with you?” he asked, hoping she would agree.
“Fine, I’ve got a few things to do first. I’ll meet you in the lobby at nine.” She twisted her bracelet once more.
He turned back to his laptop, hiding his smile of satisfaction. He heard her leave and quickly immersed himself in the files marked Clear Creek Canyon on the shared network drive. There were more than a dozen houses for sale in the area, but he quickly found the file she was working on and familiarized himself with the house and location.
Working in the city for the last few years, he felt unfamiliar with how realty worked in the mountains. It was almost like they were two different animals.
In Cherry Creek, a prominent neighborhood in Denver, it was the square footage of the house that mattered. In the mountains, it appeared that the size of the lot and its location were the most important client concerns.
This particular property had two acres and was sitting on a rather ominous-looking cliff. He bet the view was something to behold, though, and he was actually looking forward to seeing the property firsthand.
By the time he was done reading over the file and looking at all the photos, it was time to meet Amy in the lobby.
He jogged down the stairs and walked into the empty lobby area. Glancing around, he looked down at his watch and frowned. Then he heard a horn and turned toward the glass doors to see her sitting outside in a white Jeep.
It was mid-July in Colorado, and as he stepped out, the warmth of the sun hit him. He loved this time of year in the Rockies. The wind rushed off the foothills, cooling the evenings down for everyone to enjoy.
“I thought we’d drive with the top down,” she said as he opened the door.
“Sounds good to me. Nice Jeep.” He’d noticed the larger tires and couldn’t help but feel a little jealous.
“It comes in handy when the property is at the end of a muddy road.” She threw the Jeep into gear and swung out of the parking lot quickly. “Did you get a chance to check out the property?” she asked as they pulled onto Highway 6.
“Yeah, looks like it should have no problem selling.”
“You would think so, until you see what it was like before I got my hands on it.” She glanced over at him. “They had furniture from the eighties.”
“It can be difficult selling a home when buyers can’t see past the history of a place.” He’d had his share of vintage places to sell.
They drove in silence for a while. He enjoyed the view of the hills as they headed deeper into the high mountains. Clear Creek Canyon was to the left of them. When she turned off the main highway, her Jeep easily started climbing up the side roads.
“Tell me a little about yourself,” he said after a while. “I mean, if we’re going to be working closely with one another, we might as well get to know each other better.” He turned to look at her. She glanced his way and he saw her eyebrows squish together. “Don’t you think?”
“I suppose so. You first.” She took a turn off the side roads and started up a narrow private road.
“Born and raised in Golden until junior high, although my family moved to a Golden neighborhood with better schools when I was starting kindergarten. Then my folks moved to the Cherry Creek area where I finished school, went to CSU, and started working for CCR.” He waited for her to start.
“Married?” She peered at him from the corners of her eyes. He tried to hide his smile as he shook his head.
“Never. Got close a couple of times.” Her eyebrows shot up in question. He didn’t feel like going through the details now. “Long story.” This time when the Jeep turned, he held onto the seat as the tires hit big holes in the dirt road. Dust flew behind them in a big plume.
“Your turn,” he said between bounces.
“Pretty much the same as you. Except I didn’t move away.” She was concentrating on avoiding the bigger holes. The rest of the bouncy trip they sat in silence.
Logan kept his eyes straight ahead, lost in thought until they turned a corner and the house came into view. He whistled. “What a beauty.”
She stopped the Jeep in front of a giant four-car garage. “Yeah, I liked it the moment I set eyes on it.”
“Makes me wish I had a few million sitting around to snatch it up.”
“I don’t think I could handle the drive every winter.”
“It’s not about the drive, it’s about that view.”
She stepped out of the Jeep and used her side mirror to remove the hat and scarf in which she wrapped her long hair up. By the time she was done, she looked like she’d just stepped out of a salon.
When she turned toward him, he heard a car coming up the long drive and watched as a dark Mercedes SUV rounded the corner.
Over the next hour, Logan observed Amy closely as she worked. By the time the young couple looking at the Clear Creek Canyon property climbed back into their luxury vehicle, he was thoroughly impressed with her. There was no doubt in his mind why RMR was doing as well as it was with her on board.
“Most impressive,” he said as they stood on the large deck and watched the dark SUV disappear down the drive.
She turned to him, and for a moment, he could tell that she’d forgotten he’d even been there.
“Thanks.” She turned back to the house.
“What a view.” He propped his hip on the railing. He felt very comfortable in the nature surrounding them. The air was crisp and clean with hints of pine, and he wished he could bottle it all up and take it back to the city with him.
She stopped, then walked back over to the edge of the deck that overlooked the canyon.
“When I was a girl, my parents owned a place not far from here.” She leaned her elbow on the railing.
“What happened to it?”
“They sold it when they divorced.” He could hear the sadness in her voice.
He walked over to her and took her hands in his. “I’m sorry.”
She jumped a little and frowned at him.
“What?” he asked as her fingers dropped from his.
She blinked a few times, then shook her head and walked into the house without another word.
He stood there for another minute before he walked in the back door to go find her.
“We’d better get back to the office,” she said with her back to him. She was putting some paperwork into her small case.
“How many showings can you do in a day?” he asked offhand. “I mean, if every house is thirty minutes away from the office.”
She turned to him. “Normally I don’t schedule just one showing like this.”
He leaned against the counter and waited.
“This is the second time I’ve shown this couple this house. I’m betting they’ll make an offer before the end of the month.”
“I’ll take that wager,” he said under his breath.
She glared over at him. He couldn’t help smiling back at her.
“What makes you think they won’t?” she asked.
“Oh no. First the wager. It wouldn’t be fair to show you all
of my cards first.”
She thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Fine, what shall we bet?”
“Dinner,” he said smoothly.
Her chin dropped. She recovered quickly and shook her head.
“No?” He leaned up. “Do you have a problem going to dinner with a coworker?”
She nodded slightly.
“Why? Are you married? Seeing someone?” He already knew the answers, thanks to a Q&A session with his uncle that morning.
She hesitated for a split second. “No.”
“Good, then it’s settled.” He felt his heart skip. It was going to be a lot easier getting what he wanted than he thought.
“What do I win?” she asked.
He smiled slowly. “Dinner with me.”
She laughed quickly and he realized he enjoyed the sound very much. He also realized it wasn’t going to be easy getting her to budge about not wanting to go to dinner with him.
“Fine, if it can’t be dinner, how about you get your office back?” he added.
She tilted her head and looked at him. “I’m going to get that back anyway.”
“Eventually, but not by the end of the month.”
“Fair enough.” She held out her hand for him to shake.
Amy was quiet on the drive back down the mountain. Why had she let him sucker her into the bet? Maybe it was the cocky smile on his face?
After all, she knew her buyers. She was positive there was an offer coming soon. Glancing over at him, she wondered what knowledge he had that made him so sure of himself.
The young couple, the Lufts, had shown nothing but eagerness for the house. They had asked all the right questions, already had bank approval, and were sitting on a fortune thanks to a recent inheritance. Besides, she knew something Logan didn’t. They were expecting. She knew Logan hadn’t picked up on the subtle hints from the couple. Which, in her mind, gave her the upper edge.
Dinner! It was hard to believe that he’d want to spend any time with her, let alone go out to dinner with her. Did he really not know who she was? She wasn’t ready for dinner, maybe never would be, which is why she was more comfortable betting on his early departure from her office.