“What did she say?”
“Just that she thought she saw someone in the backyard the other day. But the system is still armed and nothing has been messed with, so I’m sure she just imagined it. But I’m changing the code anyway.”
“Good thinkin.’ Just write down what you change the new code to or text it to yourself so you don’t forget,” I laughed.
She snorted. “I’ll send you a text with it, too. Are you busy?”
I leaned back in my chair and looked up at Sam. She was standing in the doorway, her arms wrapped around a couple of spec books. She smiled as our eyes met and I looked by her, out the window. “Yeah. There are a couple of items on this job I’m working on that I can save a lot of money on if I can outsource them right. So I’m looking up suppliers.”
“I won’t keep you. I just wanted to hear your voice more than anything, I think. You calm my nerves.”
I smiled. “I’m glad. I’ll be home as early as I can. Be careful and don’t wear yourself out too much today. You’re gonna need some energy later.”
She giggled, the sound music to my ears.
“Love ya, sweetheart.”
“Love you, Max,” she whispered. Those words out of her mouth could turn any day right around. She didn’t say it a lot, but when she did, it made my day. It meant more to me to hear it from her lips than anyone I’d ever heard it from before.
Maybe because she’s the only one that I’ve ever really loved.
I shut the phone off and turned back to Samantha. She had just gotten back from her lunch break and stopped by my office on her way to the front. I had asked her to look up a few suppliers for me if she had time.
“So just those three,” I said, getting back to our earlier conversation. “If you can email me the contact name and phone numbers, that’d be great.”
“No problem, Max.” She didn’t seem to be in a hurry to move. “Thank you again for giving me this job. I appreciate it.”
She threw me one of her killer smiles and I nodded. “It was just good timing,” I said, looking down at the papers in front of me.
“I would like to thank you somehow.”
“You don’t owe me anything, Sam. Just do a good job until Lucy gets back. Stay away from Cane and everything will be fine,” I laughed, looking back to her again.
“Will do. Oh my God, he’s like a whirlwind.” Her eyes were wide as she said it and I couldn’t help but be amused. Sam normally got attention from whomever she wanted, but she never got it from Cane.
“He’s a bull in a china shop, that’s what he is.”
“I can see that,” she laughed. “But really, I do appreciate it. Let me make it up to you somehow. We could go to that place in Cave Creek. The one your dad took us to when he was trying to ‘straighten up’ Bri and me,” she said, using air quotes. “We could have a picnic and take a couple of horses out for the day. It’ll be fun.”
I sat my pen down on the papers. “Look, Sam. I appreciate you wanting to do somethin’ nice for me. I really do. But it’s not necessary.”
She pouted her lips and tossed her hair off her shoulder. “It is to me. I feel like I owe you. It’ll be good for both of us because you seem pretty stressed.”
I rolled my eyes. “You owe me? Right.” Our eyes locked and her face fell, knowing what I meant.
“Don’t go there.” She batted her eyelashes. “Go horseback riding with me with instead.”
“I just want to be real clear about something, okay?”
She nodded hesitantly.
“We had a job opening here when you asked for one. It was good timing, like I said, and I’m glad it worked out. But that’s all it is—employment. We might see each other at family stuff like always, but we won’t be seeing each other outside of that. And I know you didn’t mean anything by calling me last night, but that type of thing bothers Kari, so I’d rather you didn’t anymore.”
She stood straight, her eyes darkening. She painted a smile across her lips that I knew wasn’t genuine. “I get it. I didn’t mean it like that,” she said, softening her features. “Kari seems adorable and I would never want to cause any problems between you two. Forget I said anything but thank you.”
“I know you didn’t. I just wanted to be clear. If things go right, I’m gonna ask Kari to marry me soon.” My heart skipped a beat in my chest at the thought. I had been asking her informally for a long time and she always turned me down. But we’d been together for a long time and the more time I was with her, the longer I wanted to be. I couldn’t imagine doing anything without her by my side and I didn’t want to. Kari was my girl. I just had to figure out a foolproof way to get her to say yes. I had already called Thomas, her father, and secured his blessing. It was just on me to figure out how to make it happen.
It would happen.
It had to happen.
“Really?” She seemed surprised.