A Bet With Benefits (The Eden Empire Book 3)

by Karen Booth

  “Oh, I know,” Isabel said.

  Sam both hated and loved his sister for pushing the envelope. Isabel knew very well the undercurrents between this group of people. She knew that Sophie’s and Jake’s opinion of him had caused Mindy to break up with him before. She wasn’t testing the boundaries for spite. She was testing them to make sure they didn’t break.

  Sam wasn’t particularly keen on talking to Jake after the run-in the night of the rehearsal dinner, but he also didn’t want to let their feud go on any longer. “Jake. Hey. Nice to see you. Thank you for coming tonight.”

  Jake did offer a handshake with a minimum of hesitation. That was a positive sign. “Sam. I had no idea you were so involved with charity.”

  Sam nodded. “Well, I am. And I’m making more of a point of putting these things out in the open.”

  Isabel took Sam’s arm and snugged herself close for an instant. “I’d say it’s more a matter of him not wanting to brag about himself. He’s been doing it for years.”

  “I wish I’d seen this side of you before,” Sophie said, still seeming entirely skeptical.

  “All I can tell you, Sophie, is that I will try to do better.” He put his arm around Mindy, hoping Sophie would catch the double meaning. He was trying to do better on all fronts. “Speaking of which, Jake, I was hoping that you and I could get together some time soon. Maybe grab a drink. Hash out a few things.”

  Jake looked to Sophie, almost as if he was seeking her approval. Mindy might have been the oldest of the sisters, but Sophie played the role of matriarch. “That could be good,” Sophie said, again sounding uncertain. “As long as it fits in your schedule, of course.”

  Jake turned back to Sam. “I’ll have to take a look at my calendar.”

  Sam wasn’t about to make any more of an overture than that. He’d tried to extend the olive branch. It was up to Jake to take it.

  “How soon until you have to make your speech?” Mindy asked.

  Sam glanced at his Rolex. “Half hour or so.”

  “Do you have a minute to talk?” she asked. “Just the two of us?”

  Sam couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than to be alone with Mindy. “Yes. Of course.” He took her hand and led her to the far corner of the room, away from the bustle and noise of the crowd.

  “I debated about whether or not I should kiss you in front of my sister and Jake. But you know what? The second I saw you, I knew that it was stupid to not kiss you. I want to kiss you. I should just kiss you, right?”

  Sam had to laugh. “Yes. You should kiss me whenever you want. I’m hoping it’s often.”

  She gathered both of his hands in hers and squeezed them tight. “You are going to rock this speech. I know you will. And then we can drink a bunch of wine when you’re done and say mean-spirited things about our siblings behind their backs.”

  He pulled her against him in a snug embrace. “You are so funny.” I love you. It was right there. Within reach. “I think you did pretty well with Isabel.”

  “Something tells me she won’t be quite so nice if you’re not around.”

  “I will do my best to keep you safe.” He muttered the words against her ear, meaning it in a much greater sense than the here and now. He wanted the chance to do it for the long haul.

  “I’m glad you made an effort with Jake. I think he’ll come around eventually. I really do.”

  “What about Sophie? Do you think she’s given up on the bet? I should hope so.”

  Mindy shook her head slightly. “Giving up on the bet would mean giving up on me staying at Eden’s, and that’s the last thing she’s going to do. But that’s okay. You know, I’m over it. My sister and I will reach an understanding somehow. Some way. We always do. There might be some yelling and hair pulling, but that’s nothing new.”

  “Hmm. Now this hair pulling, is that something I can watch?”

  Mindy smacked his arm. “Be serious. You have to put on a straight face in a few minutes.”

  “Don’t remind me.”

  “Oh, come on. You’ll be perfect. I know it.” She leaned into him and gave him a big kiss. “Daniel and Emma just got here, so I should go say hi. And we need to find our table. I’ll talk to you after you’re done?”

  “You will be my reward.” In more ways than one.

  Sam watched as Mindy sauntered off. She was a truly remarkable woman. Strong and smart, funny and sexy. He’d be a fool if he didn’t put everything on the line for her. The how and when were still up in the air, but he knew it had to be soon. She wouldn’t wait on him forever.

  Sam crossed over to the other side of the room and checked in with Ms. Parson.

  “I’d say it’s time for you to go on up and welcome everyone and make our first big pitch of the night for donations.”

  “Got it. Thank you for the opportunity,” he said, shaking her hand.

  She knocked her head to one side quizzically. “It’s you I should be thanking, Mr. Blackwell.”

  He shook his head. “No. I’m sure I got it right the first time. And please, call me Sam.”

  Her face lit up with a ready smile. “Break a leg, Sam.”

  Sam took the stairs up onto the stage, squinting into the bright lights. He took deep breaths as the music faded, reminding himself that no matter what, he would get through it. He had been through things more difficult. This would be over in a matter of minutes and he would ultimately wonder why he’d ever allowed himself to get so worked up about it. As he looked out into the crowd, full of expectant faces about to hang on his every word, his heart thundered in his chest. He had to orient himself, search for the table where Mindy sat with her family. Two rows back. On the right-hand side of the room. He found it and his sights flew right to her. There she was in that heartbreaking dress, looking more beautiful than ever. How was that possible? For a woman to be more gorgeous now than even a week ago? A minute ago? Was it because he knew what was behind the beautiful shell? Was it because he truly knew now what she was made of?

  The answer to those questions was an absolute and resounding “yes.” And so he did what he had to do. He adjusted the microphone, took a sip of water and prepared himself to throw away the speech he’d written with Mindy. Tonight he had a different plan.

  * * *

  Mindy shifted in her seat as Sam stood on the stage, the audience eerily quiet. Mindy’s pulse pounded, making it hard to hear. She wished she could send Sam a psychic message. You’ll do great. I believe in you.

  It was almost as if he’d heard her thoughts. His gaze connected with hers and he seemed to say something in return. Something along the lines of how they had done this together. How this might be his night, but she’d helped him get here. She couldn’t have been more proud.

  “Good evening, I’m Sam Blackwell. I’m honored to be here tonight to share the story of my family’s struggle with ALS. I’m not the sort of guy who opens up, so I hope you all take notice, especially when I ask you to be as generous as humanly possible this evening. Because I am going to ask that of you. Each and every one of you.” Sam methodically pointed to a few people around the room, and everyone started to laugh, lightening the mood. “And with that, I’ll get started.”

  The speech Sam and Mindy had written together rolled smoothly from his mouth. He was as confident as could be, and Mindy could not have been any more proud. He delivered the heartbreaking stories about how he had to watch his mother’s decline and the way his father had struggled with watching his wife fade before his very eyes. He spoke of Isabel. He spoke of being on his own. He spoke of love.

  “And years later, after having gone through that unbelievable loss, I had to ask myself where the love in my life was. Had it disappeared?”

  Mindy sat, transfixed. This was not part of the speech they had written. Sam had gone off script. And she had to wonder where in the world he was going with all of
this.

  “Yes, I had my sister, but she has her own life. And the love I have inside me is bigger than one person. I no longer had my parents. And although I love them every day from afar, there’s still a surplus. There’s something in my heart that’s about to burst. Every day. I think we all experience that on some level, and it’s impossible to measure the emptiness it creates when you have love in your heart and there’s nowhere for it to go.”

  Sam took a sip of his water and let out a breathy laugh. He lowered his mouth to the microphone and said, “I’m sure you’re all wondering where I’m going with this.”

  The crowd laughed in kind, as did Mindy, nervously. Where was he going?

  “I’ve learned a lot about myself while preparing for tonight. I’d once thought of the journey I made with my family as a dead end. But the truth is that experiencing it for a second time while writing this speech, I realized that it was only a single point in my life. That there was more ahead if I just opened my heart to it. I needed a very special woman to show me how to do that, and I couldn’t be more thankful to her if I tried. She not only makes me a better person, she makes me the sort of person who gets up in front of a room of strangers and asks them to write a big fat check.”

  Again, the audience laughed. Meanwhile, Sophie caught Mindy’s attention by bugging her eyes. Mindy shrugged. What was she supposed to say? Sam had gone so far out on a limb. In front of her entire family. In front of these people he’d once been afraid to open up to. And he was putting it all on the line in the most public way possible, probably because that was what their relationship had become—too many people weighing in, too many people deciding they had a voice. It was best to put it all out there. For the people who knew them and cared about them, they would know what he was talking about. They knew the context and what this meant.

  “So in closing, just remember what brought us all here tonight. It isn’t a disease that brought us together. It’s not sad stories, and it’s not the promise of finding a cure. It’s love. Love made us walk through the door tonight and open ourselves up to the possibilities. Take your loved ones and hold them close. Make sure that they know what they mean to you. And let everything in your heart free. Thank you.”

  Sam had hardly finished uttering that final syllable when the audience rose to their feet en masse and erupted in thunderous applause. Sam looked out over the crowd in Mindy’s direction, and their gazes connected. It was a miraculous moment and not just because Mindy could hardly see, the tears absolutely pouring from her eyes. How he managed to smile at her after the speech he’d just delivered, she did not know. But that was Sam—always surprising her with his amazing ways. He walked down off the stage, only to be greeted by a throng of people who had left their tables to shake his hand.

  Mindy had to get to him right away. She had to tell him that she loved him. She couldn’t let him go another minute wondering if she did.

  “Mindy. Wait.” Sophie grabbed her arm. “Is he talking about you?”

  “If he isn’t, I’m about to put my foot in my mouth, big-time.”

  “You guys are in love? You didn’t tell me that the other day when we talked about it.”

  “I know. I guess I was just too scared to admit it.”

  “Oh, Mindy. You had to know that I would let you out of the bet if you really wanted that. I’m not going to hold you hostage.”

  Mindy leaned over and kissed her sister on the cheek. “Thank you. I appreciate that. But that’s not what I mean. I was scared to tell you I love him because I couldn’t tell you that he would ever say it back. I was a big chicken.”

  “And now?”

  “And now it’s time for me to put it all on the line.” Mindy wound her way past the tables, dodging waiters and other guests, until she was standing outside a ring of people waiting to talk to Sam.

  He saw her and smiled, then reached past several guests for her. She put her hand in his, which left her with a tingle. That zap of electricity. It would never grow old. He pulled her through until she was right by his side. “I’m sorry. I know we need to talk. This will only take a second. I promise.”

  “It’s fine. I’m not going anywhere.” She held on to his hand like it was her lifeline, and in many ways it was. No, she hadn’t fully talked this through with Sophie, but quite frankly, she didn’t plan to. Sam was the right man for her. She knew that with every bone in her body.

  As the crowd around Sam dwindled, Mindy spotted her sister and Jake standing on the periphery. She certainly hoped there would be nothing but well-wishes from them. Sam deserved nothing less.

  Jake pushed forward and held out his hand to shake Sam’s. “Incredible speech. Absolutely amazing.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “I, uh... I’m sorry about earlier. I’m sorry about the wedding. I would like to have coffee. I would like to see if we can patch things up.”

  Sam smiled wide. “Sounds like a plan. I will give you a call in a day or two.”

  Jake cast his sights at Mindy. “No hurry. I have a feeling you have other things you need to deal with.”

  Sam squeezed Mindy’s hand. “I do. In fact, right now.” He leaned down and muttered in her ear, his breath warm against her neck. “We have to go somewhere where we can talk.”

  “God, yes.” Mindy led the charge, towing Sam back to the entrance and right outside into the night air.

  “I will have to go back in at some point,” he said.

  “I love you, Sam.” She didn’t want to wait any longer. She didn’t want any more buildup to the words that should have come out of her mouth before. “I loved you before you made that speech. And I don’t know why I was scared to say it other than I feared that you might not return the words and that was going to crush my heart.”

  “Shh. Shh. It’s okay.” Sam placed a hand on each side of her head and kissed her on the lips, making Mindy rise up onto her tiptoes just to be closer. “I love you, sweet woman. I love you more than I ever thought possible. And I’m just as guilty of holding back. At first it was your family, then the bet, but in the end, I think it was all that same fear. I worried that I wouldn’t be enough. I worried that I wouldn’t be right for you.”

  Mindy smiled so wide her lips hurt, her chest heaving with happiness. “I’m so glad you said all of those things in front of everyone. It was perfect. We had to put everyone on notice, and you did that. Now we let the chips fall where they may. I defy anyone to tell us that we don’t deserve to be in love.”

  Sam arched both eyebrows at her. “I am very happy to hear you say that. I was worried you would get angry with me and say that I put you on the spot with your sisters, but I also figured that there was no way things were going to get any worse, right?”

  “Absolutely right.”

  Sam sighed and wrapped his arms around her. “You know what?”

  “What?”

  “I’m happy. Actually, completely and totally happy. I can’t think of a single thing in the entire world that I would want right now.”

  “Nothing?” Mindy asked with a pointed stare.

  Sam laughed. “Well, yeah, of course. That.” He tugged her even closer and kissed her softly. “I always want that from you.”

  “I suppose we have to go back inside first, though, huh? Say our goodbyes. Let people fawn all over you.”

  He took her hand, leading her back to the museum steps. “I say one more hour. Then I want you to come home with me, Mindy.”

  Her heart absolutely swelled, right there in the center of her chest. “I’ll come home if you promise me one thing,” she said, stopping right in front of the door.

  “What’s that?”

  “That you’ll clean out one side of your closet. If I’m coming home with you, I’m staying. For good.”

  Epilogue

  One month after the fundraiser, so much in life had cha
nged. For starters, the renovations on the BMO offices had begun. As had the restructuring of the company, starting with Mindy installing Carla Meadows as the new CEO after Carla cleverly not only got Matthew to admit he was trying to undermine the value of the company, but also ask if he could bribe her to help him. The best part? Carla had been smart enough to record the whole conversation on her phone. Pushing Matthew out of the picture had ultimately proved a very simple thing, just as Sam had suggested.

  Sam and Mindy were at the Mercer late Saturday morning to check out the progress. The first floor had been completely cleaned out and had all-new industrial lighting and a fresh coat of paint. Soon enough they would start moving the printers in, as well as the shipping department. The second, third and fourth floors were also well under way with refinished floors and a more open layout after knocking down many walls. But Mindy was most excited to see the top floor. Where her office would be. They reached number five and, although it was still weeks away from being complete, Mindy could see the space taking shape. They’d installed glass walls for her office, right in the sunniest corner. It would be a very cheery place to work.

  Sam put his arm around her while they surveyed her little kingdom together. “You must be proud,” he said.

  “Still a long way to go, but yes. I’m feeling a big sense of accomplishment right now.”

  To Mindy, this felt like a very full-circle moment. This old building that had once seemed like nothing more than a pawn in a complicated game of business had really brought her and Sam back together again. She might hate Matthew Hawkins for what he tried to do, but she had to appreciate him on some level. If he hadn’t tried his underhanded trick, there was no telling if Mindy would have ever been smart enough to try again with Sam. She worried that she wouldn’t have dared to cross her sisters. Now she was so glad she had.

  “And maybe a little bit of relief?” he asked.

  “More like a whole lot. The Matthew thing is resolved. Sophie backed off the bet. Technically, I’m free to do whatever I want in a year.”