Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)

“Sounds great. You doing okay?”


Fayrene nodded. “Just exhausted. I appreciate the business but I’m longing for a simple receptionist temp job. Right now sitting down and answering phones for eight hours sounds like a vacation.” She waved and walked toward the coffee cart in the lobby.

Dellina spoke with the catering manager and confirmed the buffet was on track, then went to get herself some coffee. Halfway across the lobby, she saw Lark was already at the cart, waiting for her latte.

Dellina paused, not sure if she should approach or retreat. She hadn’t spoken directly to the other woman since the previous afternoon when Lark had announced that Dellina and Sam had recently had sex. Apparently Taryn’s talking-to had worked because Lark had been charming through dinner, but had steered clear of any questionable topics. Now she collected her latte, turned and saw Dellina. She waved her over.

“Everything is going so well,” Sam’s mother said. “Reggie and I enjoyed ourselves so much last night. We just love Kenny, Jack and Taryn. Spending time with them is delightful. I only wish Larissa had been here.”

“She’s in Los Angeles visiting her family,” Dellina said, then placed her order with the teen manning the cart. “Apparently her sister just found out she’s pregnant.”

Lark lowered her voice. “I’m so sorry about yesterday,” she said quietly. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just so happy to know that you and Sam had been together. He’s been avoiding relationships for a while now and I worry about him.”

Dellina was torn between the obvious concern of a loving mother and clarifying that she and Sam weren’t in a relationship. Not that saying that made things any better. Fortunately Lark didn’t need a whole lot of participation to have a conversation.

“I do have to admit, he has had a rough time with women,” she continued. “His first serious girlfriend turned into a stalker. When he tried to break things off, she slashed his car tires.”

“You’re kidding,” Dellina said. “Was she arrested?”

“She was and that seemed to snap her out of it. She pleaded guilty and agreed to move across the country. Then there was Simone. That ended with the book.”

“A nightmare,” Dellina said, collecting her latte. She and Lark walked toward the outside terrace.

“He was determined to learn from his mistakes, so he kept his next relationship quiet. Too quiet, because she slept with both Kenny and Jack, then asked Sam if he wanted to be in a foursome.” Lark’s mouth drew into a straight line. “I’m as open as the next person when it comes to sex, but I do believe in fidelity to one’s partner. Besides, Sam is hardly the kind of man to enjoy that sort of thing.”

Dellina did her best not to choke on her coffee. A foursome? Maybe it made her boring, but she wasn’t interested in that, either.

“He’s a cautious man,” Lark said. “Rightfully so, I suppose. I just keep hoping he finds the right woman. A partner.” She looked meaningfully at Dellina.

“I hope he finds that, as well,” she murmured, and took another sip so she didn’t have to talk. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on the buffet.”

“Of course.”

She walked toward the restaurant. As she’d already spoken with the catering manager, she didn’t actually have an appointment, but that didn’t matter. Getting away from Lark seemed judicious. She appreciated the apology and Lark’s concern about her son was admirable, but talk of partners wasn’t anything she wanted.

She and Sam weren’t even dating. Not really. She liked him—a lot. He was a great guy. Handsome and caring and surprisingly funny. He was competitive without being a jerk about it. And the things he could do in five minutes of hot, hungry sex stole her breath. She desperately wanted to see what he had to offer with a whole hour at his disposal. Because while their February encounter had been great, she hadn’t known him. And knowing Sam made being with him intimately all the better.

Maybe after the weekend, she thought wistfully. She would like that a lot. But as to the rest of it...

At the end of the hallway, she saw Ryan and Fayrene. He had his arm around her and whispered something that made her laugh. For all her sister’s craziness about the proposal, she was obviously wildly in love with Ryan. Ana Raquel had also found happiness. Being a part of something, being connected and in love, appealed. Sort of. Only she wasn’t sure she really wanted that. Not that she was looking forward to spending her life alone.

“A problem for another time,” she told herself as she glanced at her watch. She had a yoga class to get started.

* * *

BY SEVEN-THIRTY, the stretching-yoga class was going strong. Dellina walked back into the hotel and nearly bumped into Bailey.

“I was looking for you,” the other woman said. “Your phone is turned off.”