"He's getting better though, right?"
She shrugged. "We don't really know. We hope so. But he has to get through this next round of chemo before they can tell us where he's at. This has been the worst thing I've ever had to go through. It's hard to see him sick, because he was always such a strong man. Now, sometimes I look at him, and he's so fragile. It's terrifying. He's not that old. He's in his early sixties. This shouldn't be happening now."
"You're right. He's too young."
She was glad that he didn't try to tell her everything would be all right, because no one knew that for sure, and the words always rang hollow. "Thanks." She walked over to the French doors leading out to a small deck. She needed a little air.
Michael followed her out on the deck. They stood in silence for a moment, looking out at the trees, the stars and the quiet night.
"This was my dreaming place," she murmured, not sure why she felt the need to tell him that, but ever since she'd come home, she'd lost some of her defenses.
"What did you dream about?"
"Becoming something amazing. I didn't know what that something would be, but I knew it was out there."
"Have you found it yet?"
She wanted to say yes, but the word wouldn't come out. She settled for, "I don't know."
"That means you haven't found it." He paused. "I saw you up here that night I came to your house to talk to you."
"The night you chickened out?"
"You were standing right here and there was a little glow over your head from the moonlight. You looked like an angel."
She stared at him in astonishment. "Are you serious?"
"I am," he said quietly, no trace of amusement in his eyes now. "You were beautiful then, Liz, and you're even prettier now. I really wanted to kiss you, and I wanted you to kiss me back, instead of punching me in the nose."
Her heart was suddenly thumping against her chest. "You had a girlfriend, I'm pretty sure."
"No, I didn't. There were girls around, but I wasn't seeing anyone in particular. No one interested me as much as you did."
"Maybe I was just a challenge," she suggested, her voice a little breathless, because she felt like one of her childhood dreams was coming true right this minute.
"You were always a challenge. You still are."
"You're trying to spook me, to manipulate me, to get my mind off our competition," she said, suddenly feeling a little desperate.
"No, Liz. I'm not thinking about work. I'm thinking about kissing you, right here, right now."
He moved forward and she backed up against the rail. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "So, what's stopping you?" she asked as his gaze moved from her eyes to her lips, but he made no move to make good on his desire.
"I don't think I could handle another broken nose."
She stared back at him, indecision running through her mind. But her mind was having a war right now with her body and with her emotions. It might be the stupidest move of her life, but she wanted to kiss Michael.
"I wouldn't hit you," she said softly.
"Is that a promise?"
She nodded. "Yes, but if you don't kiss me in the next ten seconds, I'm probably going to change—"
He cut off her words with a hot, purposeful kiss that went way beyond her wildest teenage imaginings. And Michael wasn't kissing her like a boy but like a man, a man who know what he wanted and expected to get it. Right now, he wanted her. She could hardly wrap her mind around that fact. But then her brain had turned to mush with the pressure of his lips against hers.
When he pulled her up against his chest, sliding his arms around her back, she went willingly. When his tongue slid along the seam of her lips in a restless determination to get inside, she opened her mouth, letting him take the kiss even deeper. And it still wasn't enough.
She wrapped her arms around his neck as he threatened to lift his head and take a breath. Not yet. She couldn't let him go. She needed another minute, another hour, another day or a year. And maybe that wouldn't be enough time.
His kisses had released a decade of pent-up emotions, and she had no idea how to stop the tidal wave that was running through her.
Finally, they broke apart, their breaths heating up the cool evening air.
Michael stared down at her with eyes that glittered in the moonlight. "What the hell," he muttered.
She didn't know what to say to that. Her brain was trying to kick itself back into gear.
"I didn't expect…" He stopped again. He couldn't seem to put together a full sentence, but she was no better. She couldn't even manage a few words.
He ran his hand down the side of her face. "Beautiful, Lizzie."
Her heart turned over at the tender side of his passion. Maybe he had liked her more than she'd ever believed. Or was she just caught up in her romantic fantasy coming to life? She had always been the practical girl, but the last thing she wanted to be right now was practical.
She drew in a breath, then another.
He smiled. "I didn't know that I could completely shut you up with a kiss."
"It's comments like that that might get you punched in the nose again," she said lightly.
"There's the girl I remember."
"But I'm not that girl anymore, and you're not that guy, and this isn't high school. We got caught up in the moment, but the moment is over."
"It doesn't have to be. We're both single."
"We're competing against each other."
"That's business." He leaned forward, whispering in her ear. "This is personal."
She shivered as his warm breath hit her cheek. "We can't mix the two."
"It's too late."
"For tonight," she agreed, putting a hand on his chest to push him away. Only the feel of that solid chest made her really just want to curl her hands in the fabric of his shirt and pull him back to her. "Stop it."
"Stop what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She frowned, realized she'd said the words out loud. "I was talking to myself."
"Really?" he asked with interest. "What did you want yourself to stop doing?"
"Everything. We need to leave now, Michael. We need to go back to Sacramento and regroup. Tomorrow we have to finish up at the park and then put together an initial pitch for Charlie by Thursday."
"I know. And we'll leave in a minute. We'll do everything you just said, but for now…" He shifted her so that she was facing outward. She leaned against his broad chest while his arms came around her waist. "Let's just enjoy the night for another minute. Then we'll go."
It was hard to fight something that felt so good, so she did what Michael asked. She let him hold her as she looked out at the stars and dreamed a new dream—one that couldn't possibly come true.
* * *
Liz fell asleep about twenty minutes into the drive back to Sacramento. Michael couldn't help thinking how she looked even prettier asleep. Her guard was completely down. There was no tension, no fight left in her body. She was completely relaxed and there even seemed to be a little smile on her slightly parted lips.
He shifted in his seat, turning his attention back to the road, but his mind wasn't on the highway or the traffic, it was on Liz, on what had happened on her balcony. He'd wanted to kiss her since he'd seen her fall into the quicksand outside of Charlie's office a few days earlier.
Actually, he'd wanted to kiss her since he'd tried to do that the last time—nine years ago.
She'd been worth the wait, he thought with a smile. And she hadn't hit him this time. No, she'd kissed him back with all her typical Lizzie fervor and passion. He liked her all worked up. In truth, back in school, sometimes he'd goaded her just to see that spark of fire in her eyes. She was definitely a woman who felt strongly about so many things.
One of those things was obviously her family.
His mind turned to her dad, to the man who had spent half the day talking football to him. Ron Palmer had been surprisingly astute when it came to football and it was clear
he had a love for the game. But it was also clear that Ron had the same love for his family, a love they returned.
He hadn't been part of that kind of a family scene since his folks split up and probably not even before that. While he had good relationships with each member of his family, as a foursome they'd never been that tight. After being part of the Palmer clan for a day, he felt like he'd missed something.
Actually, he knew he'd missed a lot, but he couldn't complain. Many people had had it a lot worse than him.
He glanced over at Liz as she mumbled something in her sleep. Her brows had drawn together, and it was clear her dreams were making her tense. Impulsively, he reached out and put his hand on her leg.
She let out a sigh and seemed to relax.
He smiled. The soothing touch might have driven away her tension, but it was creating a whole different kind of tension in his body.
He had it bad for her. He hadn't felt this turned on by a woman in a while. And while he knew she shared the attraction, he also knew that any relationship between the two of them was going to be complicated, maybe even impossible.
They were battling each other for a huge account. And after seeing Liz's affection for her ailing father, he knew she wanted the win for her dad as much as for herself.
But he couldn't just sit back and let that happen. He had his own family to consider. His sister needed a win, too. The Playworld account would ensure she had enough money to keep paying rent and wages to her employees. And Erica had bailed him out of a dark hole after his career ended. She'd given him something to get up for. He owed her.
Sighing, he put both hands back on the wheel. There was no great solution for the situation. One of them was going to win and one of them was going to lose.
Actually, it was possible neither one of them would win, but he didn't think so. He had celebrity contacts he could use and Liz had a strong firm behind her. Christa and Ed would have to put together something amazing to really be in the running.
It would almost be better if Christa or Ed won, then he wouldn't have to hurt Liz, and she wouldn't have to hurt him.
Somehow he didn't think that was the way it was going to go down.
Chapter Eight
Liz woke up in the hotel room Monday morning to the sound of her alarm. She scrambled to turn it off, then fell back against the pillows with a yawn. Yesterday had been a long day. She'd let her family and Michael distract her from work. She had to get her focus back today. She still had to visit a few more exhibits, talk to some employees and maybe even chat up a few tourists to get their impressions of the park. Then she had three rides to go on, including the monster roller coaster.
Her stomach clenched at the thought of getting on that ride. But she would do it. She had to do it. If she didn't go on the roller coaster, she would have no chance of winning the account. She could handle ninety seconds of terror and nausea, couldn't she?
Throwing back the covers, she jumped out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. After showering and changing into comfortable jeans and running shoes, she headed downstairs to grab breakfast in the lounge.
She wasn't the only one who'd had that idea. Sitting at a window table was Michael and Christa. They certainly seemed to be having a good time. Michael was talking and Christa was laughing. Then she put a hand on Michael's arm and leaned forward to whisper something in his ear.
Liz frowned at the flirtatious, intimate gesture. Just how friendly were Michael and Christa? She'd thought Michael was spending all of his time with her, but he'd obviously also found some time to schmooze it up with Christa.
Michael turned his head and caught her stare. He motioned her over. She reluctantly moved in their direction.
"Morning," he said, giving her a warm smile that felt far more intimate than it should have.
"Hi. Did you two already eat?" she asked.
"Just finished," Christa said. "I'm trying to convince Michael to shoot the moon with me."
"Well, don't let me stop you. I'm going to get some food. Maybe I'll see you around later."
"We can wait for you, Liz," Michael said.
"No, please go ahead. I have to make a few business calls before I go to the park."
Michael frowned at her answer, but Christa was already getting to her feet. "Let's go, Michael. I want to beat the crowds."
"I don't think there will be crowds on a Monday morning," he said.
"Even better. We can shoot the moon twice, maybe three times," Christa added with a sexy smile. "Trust me, you'll enjoy it a lot more when you're riding with me."
Liz shook her head at Christa's blatant innuendo. Christa reminded her a lot of the girls in high school who used to hang around Michael. Some things never changed.
She was relieved when they left the lounge. Despite the fact that from a business perspective, it might be dangerous to let Christa and Michael work together, she needed a little space from him so she could concentrate on her job, instead of thinking about how nice it would be to kiss him again. A yearning ache filled her gut at the memory. She tried to ignore it. She tried to pretend that Michael's kiss the night before had just reminded her that she'd been a little lonely the past year. It wasn't him that was so special. She'd just missed being with a man.
Sighing, she realized she'd never been a good liar, not even when it came to lying to herself.
Walking over to the buffet, she grabbed a bowl and filled it with oatmeal, then topped it off with blueberries and sat down at a table in front of the television. While she ate, she watched the morning news anchors talking about the upcoming holiday season. When the anchor threw to a field reporter, who was aptly named Autumn Dane, she sat up a little straighter.
"What incredible adventure have you found for us today, Autumn?" the anchor asked.
The beautiful red-haired Autumn waved her hand at the big barn behind her. "We've got pony rides for the kids, a holiday boutique for mom and a special beer tasting for dad. This is a great place for the whole family."
Autumn had certainly improved her news reporting skills since she and Liz had worked together as college interns at a television station. But she wasn't surprised that Autumn had done so well in her career. She'd always been determined and driven to get on TV.
As Autumn wrapped up her story, an idea ran through Liz's head. Autumn specialized in finding great places for the family to go and spend the weekend. What better place than Playworld?
Pulling out her phone, she was relieved to see she still had Autumn's number even though it had been a couple of years since they'd spoken. She sent her a quick text. "Just saw you on TV. You look great! I've got the perfect story idea for you. Call me when you get a chance. Even if you're not interested in the story, let's catch up."
She slipped her phone back in her bag, thinking how great it would be if Autumn called her back before she had to make her pitch on Thursday. She'd love to be able to tell Charlie she'd already scheduled him for a national television spot.
Getting back into the swing of her job made her feel better, stronger and more in control. She was good at PR. She knew what to do. She just had to do it better than everyone else.
* * *
Michael didn't know what the hell was wrong with him. When had spending the morning with a beautiful woman become so boring? Christa was very attractive. He had to believe she was intelligent or she wouldn't be on this pitch, but he found her conversation dull and the over-the-top flirtation was more of a turnoff than anything else. He didn't want to cozy up with her in a dark ride as she suggested more than once. And when she'd squealed and clung to his arm while going over the rope bridge, he'd had to fight the urge to throw her off of it.
But it wasn't really her that was annoying him; it was Liz. It was the fact that he was stuck with Christa when he really wanted to be with Liz. But Liz had made it clear she wanted to be on her own. The warm, laughing, relaxed woman of the day before had definitely turned back into a cold, determined businesswoman this morning. She'd wan
ted him to see she had her game face back on. And he'd seen it all right. He just hadn't liked it.
"Michael, are you listening?" Christa asked.
"Sorry, what did you say?"
She tipped her head toward the man by the drinking fountain. Ed Hoffman was perusing the Playworld map through thick reading glasses. Dressed in black slacks and a white button-down shirt, he looked quite out of place in the park.
"There's no way Ed wins this," Christa said, echoing Michael's earlier thoughts. "He's too stiff and straight. Charlie wants someone who knows how to have fun, and from what I've seen that makes you and me the leaders. Because Liz Palmer is definitely low on the fun scale."
"Liz knows how to have fun," he said, not sure why he felt the need to defend her, but he did.
"If you say so," Christa said doubtfully. "She sure doesn't show it."
"She's serious when she's working."
"Are you sure there's nothing between you two?"
Nothing like a smoldering kiss on Liz's balcony and nine years of thinking about her? "We're just old friends," he said. He had no intention of sharing his feelings about Liz with Christa.
As if on cue, Liz came around the corner with a huge pink cone of cotton candy in her hand. And on her face was the biggest smile—a smile that quickly turned into a frown when she saw them.
"Hey," she said.
"How's the cotton candy?"
"Really good," she admitted, a guilty gleam in her eyes. "I haven't eaten this stuff since I was probably ten years old, but it tastes even better than I remember."
"Because it's pure sugar," Christa told her. "You're lucky you don't worry about your weight."
Liz's gaze narrowed as if she were debating whether or not Christa had just insulted her. Michael quickly stepped into the breach.
"Sugar is what makes it good," he said, trying to think of a way to ditch Christa and go around the park with Liz. "Where did you get it?"
"There was a stand by the pirate's cove."
"I'll have to check that out." As he finished speaking, Ed saw them and ambled over.
Steal My Heart (Bachelors & Bridesmaids) Page 7