Haley’s eyes watered. “When can I visit?”
“Tomorrow after work,” he assured her. “Unfortunately, he won’t let me stay at the hospital anymore. He insisted I sleep in my own bed.”
Haley lowered her eyes, imagining she would be evicted soon enough. “So, I’ll pack then?”
“That won’t be necessary,” he said with a smile. Haley smiled shyly in response. “I’ve already had Neville do it.” Her face fell. “Come look.”
She wore a confused expression as Sam led her up the stairs and straight to his door. He paused, scooped her into his arms and carried her into his room. With a warm smile, he dropped her tenderly onto the bed.
“I don’t understand,” she mumbled, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
“I want you here, Haley,” Sam said quietly as he sat down near her thigh.
The warmth of his body was distracting her and her brow furrowed as she struggled to concentrate. “I told you I was staying here. I haven’t moved back to my apartment, if that’s what you mean.” She frowned, thinking he didn’t trust her to keep her word.
He shook his head. “That’s not what I mean. I want you here, in my bed.” He saw that she was still hesitant. “I need you close to me, Haley.” He realized that she was drawing away and he sighed. This was not working as he planned. Sam believed that Haley was so reluctant to be with anyone that he knew if he gave her a choice, at least for now, she would run from it. He needed a new approach, fast.
“The reality is that Adam will be coming home soon.” His mind was spinning to stay one step ahead of his tale. “I can hire a nurse to be with him during the day all week, but I would appreciate it if you could stay with us at night.” He saw her defenses slowly weakening. Sam knew she felt responsible for Adam’s injuries because he had saved her.
He watched her expression soften. “I think he would thrive in your presence, and with your cooking, if you don’t mind.” He studied her for a reaction.
Haley’s head dropped to the side. It was a simple request. Obviously Adam was going to be taking over the guest room while he recuperated. And rather than kicking her out and sending her back to that bleak apartment, he was giving her the opportunity to remain in the place she had grown to love. It wasn’t a difficult decision, so why was she so hesitant. Because I will have to share his bed, she thought. The more time they spent together, the more attached she became. It wasn’t just Sam, it was that she had begun to hope for a life she couldn’t have. She sighed. “Okay. I’ll stay.”
Sam beamed. She would stay. But she had also sighed. Clearly, winning Haley was going to be more of a challenge than anything he had ever experienced in business. Tonight, however, he was simply going to focus on the fact that he had her back in his bed. God knows he didn’t deserve her, but he wanted her just the same. The difficulty was going to be in not over-stepping his boundaries, at least not tonight.
“Thank you,” he said simply then walked to the bathroom to get ready for bed.
Chapter Ten
Adam was home within a week. And as Sam had hoped, his brother was thriving under all the attention he was receiving. Soon enough, he had been established in the guest bedroom. He slept there at night, but spent his days on the main floor with Neville and his nurse. He woke early, once he discovered that Haley was in the kitchen by seven.
Taking the private elevator down and scowling as he maneuvered around with the assistance of a wheeled walker, he made his way to the kitchen to find something to accompany his pain medication, all of which warned about being consumed with food.
Haley greeted him warmly as he entered the room. “Good morning! Did you sleep well?” She, too, was flourishing in her surroundings.
Adam offered a wicked grin. “Not as well as you, I’m afraid.”
Coloring a deep crimson, Haley turned her attention to the ham she was cubing. “I hope you like omelets,” she said quietly, while valiantly attempting to ignore his insinuation. While it was true that she and Sam shared the same bed every night, it wasn’t as though they were engaging in passionate love making on a nightly basis before falling asleep. In fact, they hadn’t even had sex since their falling out.
Their routine had turned out to be much different from what she anticipated. Every morning she would rise early, careful not to wake Sam, and shower and dress for work. She would creep downstairs; her hair still in a towel turban, to make breakfast and check the study for faxes or emails that needed a response.
After enjoying breakfast with Neville and Adam, sometimes even Sam, she would clean up while Neville protested bitterly, then let him drive her to work. Sam would arrive later in his own vehicle. Haley would continue in her usual duties at work including the creation of this advertising campaign she was pouring her heart into. And finally, she would meet Neville at the curb at promptly five o’clock. Her routine varied some, whether she worked out at the office or jogged in the evening. And, of course, she still had her tae kwon do lessons three times a week.
If anyone had bothered to ask, she would admit to being content. In fact, Ellen did ask one Sunday afternoon when Haley popped in for a visit.
Setting her mug down quietly, Ellen stared at her for a moment. “Just content?” She asked sadly.
“Hey,” Haley joked. “For me, that’s a vast improvement over the earlier part of the year.” She sipped the hot cocoa her friend had so lovingly prepared.
“But…,” she began, bewildered. “What happened? I thought you and Mr. Davenport were happy.”
Haley made a face. “Stop linking us together. Really. I work for him. We were intimate…” Her voice trailed off as her face took on a wistful quality.
“Past tense? Aren’t you living with him?” Ellen was genuinely confused.
“It’s more of a practical arrangement,” she explained.
“Huh. Well, I could have sworn you were practically dating.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
Haley looked down at her lap. “So could I,” she murmured.
And now with so much to occupy her time, she was grateful that she was too exhausted at the end of the day to wonder about how attached she was growing to him. She purposely went to bed long after he did. She refused to ride to and from the office with him. Oh, the lengths she had gone to in order to preserve her heart.
Adam was staring at her as she looked up. She gave him only the faintest of smiles as she concentrated on folding his omelet over and garnishing with some fruit on the side.
“There,” she said, passing him the completed dish.
“Beautiful,” he said, studying her. He realized that she had failed to catch on. He was ready to make a second attempt when Sam wandered in and scowled at him. Apparently he had been lingering near the door.
Haley glanced up from her reverie and saw him. “I’ll just finish getting ready,” she said to no one in particular. And without a second’s hesitation, she quickly exited the room.
Sam’s dark mood deepened. He plunked down on the empty stool at the end of the counter. Without even meeting Adam’s gaze, he knew his brother was staring at him. “I don’t know,” he said quietly.
“What don’t you know?” Adam asked, glad to focus on anything besides his current condition.
“I don’t know why she’s acting like that toward me. She avoids me like the plague. She comes to bed long after I’m asleep. She refuses to ride to work with me, or home for that matter. She carries on with her own activities without including me in on anything.” His shoulders drooped as he spoke.
“Have you told her how you feel?” Adam asked with concern. He hated seeing Sam like this, despondent, melancholy.
“Not exactly.”
“Which means…” His brother prodded.
“She knows I want her here,” he said defensively.
Adam frowned. “Well. That’s a start. But have you told her how you feel, what you want from her, in what capacity you really want her here?”
He sighed. “I don’t kno
w how.” He looked at his brother with sad eyes. “I guess I just thought if she were living here with me, even under false pretenses, that everything might just fall into place with us.” He picked at the green seedless grapes before speaking again. “I thought if she could fall asleep wrapped in my arms every night and wake up with me every morning, she might grow accustomed to the idea of a relationship.”
Adam cocked his head to the side. “Huh. You thought that?”
Sam stiffened. “Yes. Why?”
At that moment the front door closed, assuring them of their privacy. Haley had left for work without even saying goodbye. It stabbed through Sam’s heart. He sighed again.
“Well, think about it,” Adam began, chewing his food as carefully as he chewed on this thought. “Haley has never really dated before. She’s utterly naïve and inexperienced.” Sam scowled. “And her first experience has left her scarred, and scared.” He looked to see if Sam was paying attention. Convinced he was, Adam continued. “Somehow you think that she’s going to magically understand what you want from her when you keep insisting that you aren’t dating because she’s an employee.”
Sam opened his mouth to further rebut the statement, but Adam silenced him with a raised hand. “It’s crap. Despite whether you’ll admit it even to yourself, you are dating the girl.” He scowled again. “And that’s another thing.” His hand slapped against the counter to emphasize his indignation and disgust. “You have been coming up with one pretense after another to spend time with her.” He mimicked Sam’s deep resonating voice for a moment, “You’ve never experienced the city…go here with me. I need an escort, come with me. I could use your help; spend time with me. Never once have you brought your feelings, your emotions into it. Is it any wonder she keeps hers so carefully guarded?”
“I get it,” Sam said irritably.
“Are you sure?” Adam watched as Sam nodded. “Good. Then what are you going to do about it?”
“I have no idea,” Sam responded, taking one final swig of his coffee. He took one last bite of the omelet on his plate, thought wistfully about having her cook for him for the rest of his life, and strode out of the kitchen to drive to the office.
Haley gave him a quiet nod as he entered the office. Sam paused. He wanted to speak to her, to clarify the misunderstanding that had created this fissure in their relationship. He had been trying to give her space, gain her trust, but maybe his efforts had backfired. Maybe he was actually creating more distrust through his inability to be more direct, more open. “Good morning, Miss Iverson,” he said seriously as he continued past her.
He needed some grand gesture, some way to show her how he felt about her. And the more he thought, the more ideas he found fault with. Flowers and candy were too common for her. He had already pampered her with spa treatments, and clothes. He had taken her to fabulous restaurants, Broadway shows, and balls. He needed something…different, something just for them. Some chance for her to spend some real time with him, get their relationship back on track.
He glanced at his desk calendar. Two weeks until Thanksgiving. And he had a nice long winter in New York to look forward to. Damn, he hated the cold. Even Haley seemed to. Hadn’t she recently threatened to move some place warm once Ellen returned?
There it was. He beamed. He knew precisely what to do. He frowned. And once again, he was the only executive in the free world forced to make his own plans. Sam certainly couldn’t leave Haley to it.
Seconds later, Haley interrupted his reverie. “I need to go to the art department and check on their progress. The presentation is in a few days,” she said seriously. She still secretly hoped that he would offer his assistance, but that hadn’t happened so far.
He studied her for a moment. “Please shut the door, Miss Iverson,” he said in his most formal tone. He watched as she followed his directions and waited until the latch clicked and she had turned before he moved from his leather chair.
In three strides he had crossed the office to stand before her. Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders and with his right hand forced her chin up until she had no choice but to look at him. “You are incredible,” he murmured as he lowered his face to hers. He heard her inhale sharply as she realized that he was going to kiss her. A smile formed on his face as he closed the distance and gently brushed his lips across hers. “I have complete faith in you,” he whispered into her ear. “Your presentation will be phenomenal. You’ll win us this account. And,” he pulled back so she faced him once more, “you will be greatly rewarded.”
Her brow furrowed. What did that mean? Did he mean to reward her personally or professionally? She shook her head to clear away the confusing thoughts. “I really have to go,” she said quietly.
Sam gazed into her eyes, unsure of what he saw there. “Okay, Haley. Just leave your weekend open. I’m going to need you the entire time.”
She cocked her head to the side, more confused than ever. “Alright,” she acquiesced.
Haley wandered down the hall, took the elevator to the floor the art department resided on, and slowly made her way to her destination. He believed in her. That had to count for something. But the closer the holidays came, the sadder she grew. It wasn’t just missing her family. This year she would have plenty of people to spend her time with. It was that she was so attached to Sam and the coming of the new year would mean she had to create a new life all over again. And she liked this one. She liked working in the advertising agency. She liked being with Sam. She liked living in that house, with him. For the first time in a long time, she was allowing herself to be happy. She took a deep breath and plastered a serene look on her face. Taking one final step, she pushed open the art department door.
That was far less painful than he had imagined. He spoke to a travel agent who helped him plan the perfect vacation for them. They would be heading to the airport immediately after work on Thursday. He knew how these accounts were won. He had spent many weekends agonizing as he awaited a decision. And rather than have Haley pacing and unsettled, he was taking her some place warm and tropical, some place where she couldn’t help but relax. At least, that was what he was going to tell her. He smiled.
Tuesday afternoon he sent her shopping. “I need you to pick some business casual suits and some more cocktail dresses,” Sam ordered.
“Why?” She asked seriously.
He looked at her very patiently for a moment. “Can you look me in the face and tell me you have anything to wear for your presentation in two days?” He studied her reaction.
Suddenly it was dawning on Haley that while she felt very different, she really hadn’t significantly changed her wardrobe. Sam had bought her some eveningwear, and some dress casual, but her work attire had remained the same. She still sported her voluminous dresses. She still hid.
Haley swallowed hard. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I really don’t have any clothes to wear for that occasion.”
He leaned across the desk at her. “It’s more than that. You need to have clothes that will help you be taken more seriously. If you want a future in this business…” His voice trailed off.
“I do,” she assured him. “I want that more than anything.”
Sam stared at her in silence. “More than anything?” He wasn’t sure how to take that. He wanted to be more of a draw than what he could offer. He knew she wasn’t interested in him for his money. She had made that abundantly clear, but he needed to mean more than the jobs or the contacts he could offer her.
“So, I should go now?” She asked, interrupting his thoughts. Quietly he nodded. And she rose to leave.
Moments after she departed, Sam made his decision. Heading down the hall, he made his way once more to Jake’s office.
“Huh,” Jake remarked as Sam entered the room. “So, I take it you’re finally speaking to me again.”
Sam scowled instantly. “I was never not speaking to you, Jake. I’ve just been a little overwhelmed.”
“Apparently not so overwhelmed
you couldn’t make an ass of yourself.” He still steamed over the perceived mistreatment of Haley.
“Listen. I’m trying to make things right with her. I need your help for a part of that.” He lowered himself into his usual chair.
“Doing what?” Jake’s eyes narrowed.
“I need you to do more investigative work for me,” he began seriously. “I need you to find this guy that hurt her. He needs to be brought to justice so that she can stop running, so she can stop looking over her shoulder, so she can have a shot at a life.” A life with me, he thought to himself.
“Okay,” Jake said slowly. “I’ll do this for her.” He saw Sam’s eyebrow arch dangerously. “And because you pay me to.”
“That’s more like it,” Sam said angrily. He knew where he stood at the moment with Jake, but he wasn’t going to let the man forget who was in charge. He rose to leave. As he glanced over his shoulder, he paused. “Oh, and Jake? The sooner the better.” Without waiting for so much as a nod, he walked the hall back to his office.
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