Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)

Why was that? he wondered. Why would people who didn’t really know her help? He thought about all the people who had shown up with carriers and food and offers to drive to pick up cats. It was this town, he thought. This same damn town that didn’t talk to Simone and had made the entire Score family feel welcome.

He turned at the corner and walked to the office. When he got there, he went directly into Taryn’s office and shut the door. She was on the phone but when she saw him she told her caller, “I need to get back to you....Later today....Yes, of course.”

When she hung up, she motioned for the seat opposite her desk. “What’s up?”

He put down his briefcase, but couldn’t sit. He had to keep moving. “I don’t know. This town.”

“What about it?”

“Everyone’s so nice.”

She laughed. “Yes, I found that annoying at first, but now I go with it. It beats the alternative.” She stood and crossed to him. “Sam, what’s the real problem?”

She stared at him with her beautiful violet-blue eyes. She was lovely. Smart, bitchy, gorgeous. Why hadn’t he fallen for her? He understood her. He trusted her. Only she’d been married to Jack once and there’d never been any chemistry and he knew in his gut he would be having the same doubt regardless of who the woman was. Because he was the problem.

“How did you know?” he asked.

He expected her to ask about what, but this was Taryn and she understood her “boys” better than anyone else.

“About Angel? I just did,” she told him, taking his hands in hers. “It’s a feeling in your gut and your heart. It’s more than attraction and more than need. It’s about connecting. It’s about wanting to share everything for as long as you have on this earth.”

Her words made him ache. Yes, he thought. He wanted that with Dellina. But how could he believe?

“Trust is hard,” he said.

“It is.” She led him to the sofa in her office and sat angled toward him. “We were all betrayed in different ways. The four of us. We’re so messed up. You with all your disasters. Kenny with, well, we know what happened there. Me with my father.” She paused. “He used to hit me.”

Sam hadn’t known. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I got away and he’s gone now. And Jack with his brother. Each one of us had been betrayed or hurt and that made us scared. Which means it comes down to a choice. What do you want, Sam? Do you want to be ruled by that fear? Or do you want to take a chance on a wonderful woman who’s fallen madly in love with you?”

“She told you?”

“No. I could see it. We can all see it.”

“I couldn’t.”

“You’re an idiot.” She spoke the words kindly. “I love you, Sam. You’re my family. So I see the good and the bad in you. You’re stubborn and set in your ways.”

So much for expecting compliments. “Those sort of mean the same thing.”

“Yeah, which is my point. Get that stick out of your ass and go tell her you love her back. Marry her and make beautiful babies together.”

Was it as simple as that? Did he just decide to trust? Did he believe in Dellina because...because...

“I’m in love with her.”

Taryn rolled her eyes. “Hallelujah.”

He stared at her. “You knew?”

“Yes. I knew. You escaped to her house when your parents were in town. You were upset when you missed the cat rescue and you’ve never cared much about Larissa’s causes before. Dear God, Sam, you’re helping local businesses on purpose. It’s all Dellina.” She patted his cheek. “Don’t worry. Men are emotionally simple. You can’t help it.”

He grabbed her by her upper arms. “You don’t understand. She told me she loved me and I walked away. How do I make that right? How do I fix it?”

Taryn sighed. “Wow. That was really stupid. You’re going to have to go all out to make it up to her.”

“Is it fixable?”

She smiled. “Of course it is. Angel did the same thing to me and I forgave him. Dellina loves you, you idiot. She’s not going to lose you now. But we’re going to need a plan.”

* * *

DELLINA SMILED AS she walked through the crowd. Faking normalcy wasn’t too difficult. As long as she didn’t think about Sam or missing him or how they were never going to be together, she could fake it pretty well.

She’d decided to make an appearance at the Book Festival so that no one would suspect she was breaking on the inside. Two hours, she’d told herself. Just two hours. Then she would retreat to her small house and sit with her cats and wait for her heart to stop hurting so much.

She crossed the street and headed for the park. There were booths everywhere—as there were at most festivals. Usually she indulged in something yummy, but these days she couldn’t eat. Instead she concentrated on smiling and calling out greetings.