Love Makes the Difference (Sully Point Book 1)

by Nicole Smith

  "You're the one who will be down here, right? Because I need the light I get upstairs. You should pick. But not tile."

  Sam grinned at her and she felt a slight shiver go through her body. That look of his, the way his eyes looked into hers, the shape of his mouth and--hey, he's coming over here--and--oh wow, what a kiss.

  "Erhm. Hmm. Excuse me," Leo was saying to them.

  Anna felt herself blush while Sam put an arm around her.

  "We wanted to know if you know of anywhere we could pick up some wood, nails and a hammer. We want to seal up the back door."

  "Sure, let me call my Dad. I think we have some wood over at the house and he has tools."

  Within a half hour, her father's pickup was parked in front of the building. Leo and her Dad carried lumber into the first floor. Between them, Sam and Anna explained the latest news about the press conference, the security team, and Patrice's break-in.

  Her father seemed relieved to meet the bodyguards. Then he began questioning Sam about plans for the first floor.

  "I can help you out, in particular with the bathroom and I can get the parts for cost. Check with Hank Albert, he's got Albert and Son Flooring. He can do a nice job on the floor. What are you going to put down?"

  "Hardwood I think. Then we can get some rugs to warm it up."

  "Will this front window bother you when you're writing?" Anna asked. The window was made of the old-fashioned glass blocks that couldn't really be seen through. That, however, didn't seem relevant to Kevin.

  "Ma'am, step away from the window please. I know you can't really see through it, but the shape of a body can be seen."

  She felt a shudder of fear run through her body. She walked back to stand with Sam and her father.

  Sam looked at the window musingly. "Let's just say that I'm not going to work up next to it. I'm going to need furniture down here, a desk for the new computer. And we'll need to get the sink area changed into a small kitchenette."

  Frank said, "Let me help you with that, and I'll get Cody as well. He's all bummed out since his girlfriend broke up with him."

  Soon enough her father and Leo had the back door boarded up and Sam and Anna went back upstairs after her father left. Kevin was told the plans for the early morning at the bakery and Sam's need to be out and about town arranging things for the first floor. The new guards showed up and the couple was at last alone in the loft.

  "I feel like this day has gone on forever. I think I'll be glad to get up and out to the bakery by five a.m. tomorrow. Baking bread sounds almost sinfully simple."

  Sam moved to stand in front of her and put his arms around her. He began kissing her, then he was murmuring against her lips. "I've been waiting all day to do this."

  "Me too," she said breathlessly, and clothes were suddenly flying. They fell onto the couch together. "The bed...."

  "Can wait," he said in a deep voice. "I can't."

  Chapter 9

  The next morning she was awakened by two things--the alarm going off and Sam pulling her close to him. He reached over her and hit the alarm button on the clock. "Stay here with me for a few minutes."

  Laying her head on his chest and her body across his, she said, "As I recall, it takes more than a few minutes. I think it was hours last night."

  She felt the laugh go through him. "All right. I can't guarantee you'd ever get to the bakery today if I had my way. I just can't get enough of you."

  "The feeling is very mutual. I'll see how early I can get off work. Kayla wants more hours."

  "Good," he said with feeling.

  "Oh damn, we never got my clothes from the house. I've got to go there now if I'm going to be on time for making the bread."

  "I'm coming with you."

  "Sam, you'll only distract me."

  "Yes, that was my plan."

  "You're terrible!" She scrambled away from him and out of the bed they'd opened up at some point last night.

  She was aware of him watching her walk naked across the room, gathering up clothes and she found that she'd lost all sense of embarrassment around him.

  "You're utterly luscious."

  Maybe not all embarrassment, she thought as she felt herself blush.

  "Come on, get up and make coffee if you're coming with me."

  "If I'm coming with you I'm waiting to have better coffee at the bakery."

  "Good idea."

  They both dressed and met up with Kevin and Leo and the other guards outside and then took off for the house. She led Sam quietly in the back door and up the stairs hoping not to wake her father. When Sam saw her computer he looked at her in disbelief.

  "Do you know how old that thing is? We've got to get you a new computer."

  "I hardly ever use it. Grab those two suitcases in the closet and start emptying drawers while I change clothes."

  Within minutes they had the bulk of her clothes packed and ready to go. "We can come back later for books and other stuff," she said, grabbing the smallest bag.

  "Thought you could sneak in and out, did you?" Her father's grumbly voice startled her so much she nearly dropped the suitcase. He stood right outside the door of her bedroom still dressed in pajamas.

  "Dad! I thought you were asleep."

  "Nah, I heard you come in."

  "We've gotta dash so I can get the bread made. See you later?"

  "Yeah. Sam, stop by the store at some point today so we can start ordering supplies for the first floor." He ambled back down the hall to his bedroom, shabby flannel robe flapping around him.

  "He's really taken me moving out and you moving in with me very well."

  "He's a good guy."

  Once at the bakery, Sam cadged some day-old muffins from Anna. He seemed impressed when she told him how the day-old items were donated to the homeless shelter every day. Sully Point didn't have a huge population of homeless, but there were enough that her food donations made a difference. They talked while she made bread, then Sam left with his set of bodyguards. That was after he'd overwhelmed her with a deep passionate kiss.

  Anna couldn't understand her feelings. When she was with him, she was consumed by him, needing him, wanting him--not just for sex but for being around him. Hearing him laugh, watching his eyes crinkle at the edges when he grinned at her, feeling that incredible body holding hers...

  Then once she was away from him she began to feel like it couldn't be real, that he couldn't really love her. You'd think I'd be getting it by this time. He says he loves me. Maybe I should start believing him. She knew the reason she hadn't told him she loved him was because of this feeling of disbelief. To tell him that, and then to have him leave her--she didn't think she could stand it if that happened. She trusted him, the man, but somehow she didn't trust his love--not quite yet. She knew last night there had been a moment when he'd waited, expecting her to say she loved him. When she hadn't, she'd felt a slight pulling away coming from him. Like a small little wall between them. Barely seen or felt, but still there.

  Do I love him? The answer, she knew, was yes. Maybe it was time to take the leap and say it to him. Could she trust her heart to him?

  * * * *

  Sam met his favorite early-morning car salesman, Joe, to arrange a gift for Anna. The man showed only a modicum of surprise when Sam said he wanted to order a special Porsche for her. He wanted it to have all the bells and whistles and more--and of course, once again, paid for the whole thing with his there-is-no-limit credit card. Joe was only breathing slightly fast during the transaction.

  The morning sun was up and shining brightly by the time Sam met Frank at the hardware store. They were in the middle of choosing a sink for the kitchenette when the older man stopped talking and took a deep breath.

  "I have one thing to say to you," Frank said to him in a stern voice. "If you ever hurt her--"

  "I never will, sir, never."

  "You're a lot more experienced than her--not just with women, but with life in general. You've had a broader worldview than she has
. I can see you're helping her to take steps into that bigger world, but be careful not to overwhelm her. Anna's strong, but she's also been in her own little world for quite some time. You two are moving fast, like with having someone look at her work. I just hope it isn't too fast. You take care, Sam."

  Sam said, "I love her. More than I could ever have imagined doing before this. I think she's ready for the paintings to be seen. But maybe the Porsche I just bought for her to replace that heap of hers is too much. What do you think?"

  Frank's eyebrows rose to his hair line. "Porsche?"

  "Yeah, I think that car of hers is dangerous. Do you think I should wait to give the new car to her?"

  "I think you should let me drive it first," Frank said, laughing. "Good grief man, are you made of money?"

  "Pretty much, yeah. The books and movies--it's been more than I expected. Aside from buying myself some fancy cars, I never had much to spend it on, until now."

  "She is attached to that old car," Frank said musingly.

  "The Porsche is going to take a couple weeks to get here, maybe I can prepare her for it before then."

  Frank chortled. "Prepare her for it? Not in a million years. But you go ahead and try, son. I'd sure like to see a Porsche in the family." He slapped Sam on the back and headed over to help out a customer at the register.

  Sam shrugged and decided a farmhouse sink wasn't the right look for the first floor. Stainless steel contemporary would do fine.

  * * * *

  Anna waited nervously at the loft, pacing up and down. Stanley Walters was due to arrive any minute. She'd debated putting a painting up on the easel but left it empty. He might want to put a painting there to look at it.

  She wished Sam was with her...and was accordingly shocked at how strong a desire that was. Surely she could handle this on her own! Yes, but maybe having him near would have been nice.

  There was knock on the door, and she opened it to see Kevin handing a driver's license back to a tall, thin man with a full head of wavy, white hair. As he turned to smile at her, she remembered she'd neglected to mention the guards.

  "I'm so sorry! I forgot to tell you about the security. Won't you come in?"

  "Actually I expected them. Norman Crawford called me at an ungodly hour this morning. He said I'm to talk to him when it comes to negotiating my commission--that is, if I'm interested in the work. He mentioned a problem with someone."

  "He, uh, sort of represents me, I guess." Anna knew she should have expected that from Norm.

  "Yes, well, fine. I'm familiar with Norman. Now, if I could trouble you for coffee--I haven't been up that long yet today. Slept in the limo down here actually. I see you've got quite a few paintings out for me to see."

  "Of course, go right ahead and begin. I'll get the coffee."

  Stanley pulled out a pair of glasses and put them on, then walked toward the nearest wall of paintings.

  Anna went to the kitchen and started the coffee going, then pulled out her cell phone from her jeans pocket. She stared at it for a full minute before hitting the speed dial to Sam's phone. He'd programmed it for her this morning.

  "Hello? Anna? What's wrong?"

  "Nothing's wrong," she whispered. "Stanley's here. Can you come home? You don't have to, but--"

  "I'll be there before you know it. Take a deep breath. See you soon, love."

  She put away her phone and set coffee mugs on a tray and walked out to the main area. "What do you take in your coffee Mr. Walters?"

  "Hmm? Cream, no sugar," he said distractedly.

  She poured coffee and cream and walked over to hand him the coffee with a napkin. "Here you are."

  "What? Oh the coffee, yes, I could use that. Now back away young woman, I'm concentrating."

  She moved quickly back to the couch, realized she couldn't stay in the room with him, and took the tray back to the kitchen. There was a box of scones on the counter she'd brought from the bakery. She set them out on a plate along with butter and jam. Then she stared at the concrete floor, stained a smooth sand color.

  Finally she heard Sam at the door and practically ran to open it. Stanley was still moving slowly around the room.

  She grabbed Sam's hand and pulled him into the loft. He bent his head to hers and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Nervous?"

  She gave him a tremulous smile. "Come into the kitchen, he's concentrating."

  They moved quietly into the kitchen. Sam took her in his arms and hugged her. "Has he said anything?"

  "No, nothing except that he's concentrating and to move away. It must be bad. He probably hates them."

  "Not at all. I've seen him babble on and on when looking at bad paintings. If he's saying nothing, it could be good."

  "I'm sorry I called you to come hold my hand. I should have been able to do this on my own."

  "Hey, none of that. You should have seen me the first time my book went to the publisher. Norm had to stay with me for days."

  "Really?"

  "Really. Besides I have some things to run by you for the first floor."

  They proceeded to talk about design choices and types of furniture, and by the time Stanley called them into the room again, Anna realized she was totally calm. Which didn't prevent a knot forming in her stomach as they went in and sat on the couch.

  Stanley stood by the easel looking at a painting there. It was the one Sam had bought that was now soot-damaged. "Before I leave today I'll tell you what to buy to clean this painting. It was clearly in a fire. Recently?"

  "Yes," Sam said. "Part of our troubles that created the need for security."

  "It will be easier to clean if it was recent. I can also recommend a restorer to work on it if you'd prefer. It must be cleaned however, because I want it in your first show."

  Anna felt stunned as a buzzing noise started in her head. "My what?"

  "Your first show at my gallery. Young lady--Anna--these paintings are wonderful! They must be shown to the public. I don't want you going to any other gallery. I can give you a superb opening, lots of publicity, the cream of the crop of New York art connoisseurs will be there."

  "Wait--wait--are you saying you like them? You think they're good?"

  "Good? They're better than good! You have such an eye for color and mood, with a skill yes, but more than technical skill. The ability to transcend skill and put yourself in the work, this all comes across. Oh yes, Anna, the paintings are quite something. And you've never shown them? You already have such a body of work here."

  "That's actually not all of them, Stanley. She has a storage locker with more," Sam said with a proud smile.

  "Oh my, this is fabulous! We won't show them all at once. But I need to see the others too."

  Anna cleared her throat and managed to take a breath. It was all coming at her so fast. "Some of those in the locker are earlier works, Mr. Walters, before I knew what I was doing. Not all, but some."

  "Please, my dear, you must call me Stanley. I know we're going to be great friends. It doesn't matter what level they are at, I want to see all of them. After that, I'll be able to make decisions about which ones to put into the first show."

  "First show?" Anna asked in a very high voice.

  "Yes, yes, clearly we'll have more than one. My dear, you are about to become famous in the art world, at the very least, and also a very wealthy woman."

  Anna thought for a moment she was going to faint. Then Sam's arm went around her shoulders and squeezed gently. It was like a grounding force, his solid presence next to her. She focused on her breathing and felt her world righting itself. Albeit in a new configuration.

  "This all sounds impossible and amazing to me, Stanley. What do we do first?"

  "If we can go see the paintings in the storage locker, that would be best. Then I'll head back to New York--with the soot-damaged painting if you want the restorer to work on it. I'll contact your agent and we'll discuss numbers, prices, percentages, that sort of thing. Once I have a date set up I'll bring a truck up he
re and we'll load the paintings to make the move to the city."

  "Stanley," Sam said. "Have you ever seen a painting that has been slashed be restored?"

  "Slashed? Multiple times?"

  "No, just once. Part of our ongoing trouble."

  "Show it to me."

  Anna brought it out of the packing crate room. Stanley set it up on the easel and peered closely at it.

  "Tricky, very tricky, maybe impossible. But the way it was done, yes, it might be he could do something. I'll take it with me today as well."

  "I'll pay for the restorer. I can get you some money before you leave," Anna said.

  "I can pay for it, one of those is my painting anyway. It's all because of me that this happened." Sam argued.

  "No, I think it should be me who pays--"

  "Hush, both of you," Stanley said with a wave of his hand. "The gallery will pay and that's that. Now help me get these down to the limo and then take me to the storage locker."

  By the time they had seen Stanley off and were back home, Anna felt herself smiling and wondered if she would ever stop. Stanley had raved about the paintings in the locker as well, saying even the earliest works showed true talent. She felt like having wildly passionate sex with Sam right then--and was sure he would cooperate with the idea--but she also knew she wanted to tell her father about this stunning news.

  "Come on," she said grabbing Sam's hand. "Let's go to the grocery store and buy some food. I'll fix dinner at the house and we can eat with Dad and Cody and tell them the news."

  "And just when I was thinking I could talk you into some congratulatory sex," he said with a grin.

  "Actually I thought of that too." She looked into his chocolate eyes and felt lust curl inside her just from the way he was watching her. "Can you grill steaks?"

  He looked startled. "Yes, I can. Why?"

  "I'm thinking if we do dinner on the grill, we don't need to spend so much time in the kitchen, if your offer still stands."

  His face lit up. "Oh yeah, the offer still stands." He laughed as she threw herself into his arms, and began to unbutton his shirt. "You know, love, these things are usually best done at a slower pace. However..."