“Hell.”
The moment Sam pushed Rae from his thoughts, Harper was waiting in his mind’s eye. He could name a dozen reasons not to pursue the attraction. Unfortunately none of them snuffed his desire. Anxious to divert his thoughts, Sam immersed himself in basic repairs. The actual carpentry and painting would come later.
Time flew.
He checked on Mina twice, and both times she was lost in a movie. Once she peeked in to ask him for a glass of water and notified him that she still hadn’t seen a ghost (“Drat!”). Other than that she was true to her word. She didn’t bug Harper. She didn’t bug him. She kept herself entertained, which surprised him a little. She’d been so clingy earlier in the day.
Before he knew it ninety minutes had passed and Sam had a question regarding the lighting. He’d probably have to interrupt some phone call or Skype session or whatever Hollywood gossip show Harper was immersed in, but he didn’t want to assume and all he needed was a quick answer.
He smiled at Mina as he passed but she was focused on her DVD player. He scaled the stairs and moved down the hall and into Harper’s room—just as she dropped the bath towel she’d had clutched to her body. A body still glistening with water droplets. She was reaching for the underwear laid out on her bed. A lacy black bra and thong. Oh, yeah. Sam was close enough to make out details. Close enough to smell the remnants of her shampoo. It was a blip of a moment—maybe two seconds max—but the image of Harper’s lush naked body was burned on Sam’s retinas forever.
She sensed him, turned, and gasped. “Don’t you knock?” she asked, clutching her undies over her sexy assets, not that they covered much.
“The door was open.”
“No it wasn’t.”
It wasn’t?
She grappled for the towel and Sam raked his memory. Had he really waltzed into this room like he owned the place?
“How come Miss Day gets to walk around in her birthday suit and I don’t?”
For the love of … Sam turned and ushered his daughter out of the room. “We’ll talk about it later.” He imagined Harper throwing a shoe at his head. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this flustered. Flustered was not in his vocab. At least not until this moment. He couldn’t even remember why he’d come up here in the first place. His brain was scrambling. How was he going to explain to Mina why he was in the bedroom with a naked lady?
While he urged his daughter to pack up her gear, Sam gathered his coat then paused and plucked his Blackberry from his pocket. Knowing Harper’s phone was always nearby, he thumbed an apology.
SORRY ABT THAT.
The response was immediate. NOT AS SORRY AS ME.
LEAVING NOW.
GOOD. WAIT. CUPCAKES IN FRIDGE. TAKE 4 KIDS.
Sam blinked at the message. What the … B BACK L8R 2 CLEAN MESS IN KITCHEN. He waited a heart-pounding three seconds before she texted …
BRING WINE.
TWENTY-THREE
Rae spent the majority of Monday morning and a good part of the afternoon trying not to think about Luke. He’d spent the night with her twice now and she was hooked. The sex was amazing, but it was more than that. She liked falling asleep and waking up in his arms. She liked his company. The conversation—although so far they’d kept it relatively light.
She knew he was itching to know more about her past, specifically regarding her relationship with her mom and Geoffrey. So far Rae had managed to dodge that conversation. It was too personal, too painful, and she was trying very hard to establish her happy place here in Sugar Creek. With Luke. If she didn’t feed the drama, maybe it would fade away. She wasn’t running from it exactly, or maybe she was. All she knew was that she’d given it her best and last shot with her mom. As for Geoffrey, clearly the best course was to heed his threats and to stay silent regarding his transgression. Another reason not to share certain aspects of her life with Luke. She was pretty sure he’d be hot to confront Geoffrey.
In which case Geoffrey Stein, of Stein & Beecham Industries, would use his wealth, power and influence to squash Rae like a bug. Or worse, to ruin the lives of the people she cared about most. Those people, starting with Luke, were right here in Sugar Creek.
“Okay,” Chloe said. “Everyone’s out. Locking the door.”
“Closing the blinds,” Daisy said.
Rae sat tight as the women hurried their daily ritual of closing up their café. She couldn’t help smiling as she noted the eclectic décor. The mismatched antique furniture was charming. Even the salt and paper shakers and napkin holders were mismatched. What tied everything together were the scattered accessories featuring the glory of Vermont’s wildlife—the moose. Embroidered pillows, various clocks and paintings, and assorted chatkas—all featuring a moose in some form or fashion. They’d also created a cartoon logo that was painted on the window and featured on coffee mugs. Rae easily saw why Moose-a-lotta was such a huge draw for locals and tourists alike. Cozy atmosphere, great food, gourmet java, and—something you didn’t find a lot of in these parts—free Wi-Fi access.
Rae sipped her decaf cappuccino, while Chloe and Daisy slipped off their aprons and joined her at her cozy table.
“Spill,” Daisy said.
“Your news, not your coffee,” Chloe said.
“Don’t leave anything out,” Daisy said
“Feels strange talking about a CL project without the rest of the CLs being here,” Rae said. “Especially Rocky.
“We’ll catch everyone up,” Daisy said. “As for Rocky, she’s busy giving my crazy son what for.”
“That’s if she can get a word in over Dev,” Chloe said. “He was fit be tied when he left this morning.”
“Luke was worked up, too,” Rae said. He’d called her when he’d landed in Miami, to let her know he’d arrived safely and to make sure she was okay, but she hadn’t heard from him since.
“Between the three of them and Jayce, they’ll make Jerome see reason,” Daisy said.
“I feel awful for Rocky,” Chloe said. “She’s waited so long for her happy ending with Jayce.”
“They’ll get their happy ending,” Daisy said. “Just like you’ll get your happy ending with Dev as soon as you set a date,” Daisy said.
“Can we not go there?” Chloe asked. “I don’t want to take away from Rocky’s wedding day. As soon as she’s married to Jayce, I’ll settle on a date with Devlin.”
“Chicken shit,” Daisy said.
“I’m not…” Chloe nailed Rae with a desperate gaze. “Would you please share what you learned about the book deal?”
“Sure.” Honestly she’d been dying to tell someone all day, but she’d had a crammed schedule and everyone had been busy with work. But then she’d stopped by Moose-a-lotta for a late-afternoon snack and Chloe and Daisy had begged her to hang out until they’d closed the café.
“I’m sure I’ll know more by the time the club meets on Thursday, but I can at least fill you in on the preliminary discussion.”
“Did he believe you right off when you told him who you are?” Daisy asked. “Or did he ask for some sort of proof?”
“I’m pretty sure he was fact-checking on his computer while we chatted,” Rae said. “You have to admit it’s kind of a tall tale. Why would a socialite, the daughter of a Hollywood celebrity, hide out in Sugar Creek for a year under an assumed identity?”
“How much did you tell him?” Chloe asked.
“Only as much as I had to.” Rae flushed thinking about the way she’d manipulated the conversation. She’d never been one for playing games, but in this case she’d definitely danced around the truth. “I told him that I’d elected to live a year incognito and by my wits in order to test myself. I wanted to know what it felt like to live a more normal life, without the benefits of a hefty allowance, my stepfather’s influence, and my mother’s fame. That’s why I refused to participate in the photo session and video shoot arranged by the publishing company. I didn’t want to risk blowing my cover. I told him things had changed now and my experiment was over.” All of which was true.