She went to get to her feet. “I’ll come with you.” Once she was in Vegas, she would start bringing her life there to a close.
“No, you stay here. You shouldn’t be flying with a head injury,” he said firmly, surprising her. She’d have thought he’d be eager to get her out of Aspen now.
He cast his half sister a look. “Erica, can you keep an eye on Samantha and make sure she doesn’t stay here too long today? I don’t want her overdoing things.”
Erica looked startled then pleased. “Of course.” It was obvious she valued being asked by her brother to help out, but Samantha was still surprised that Blake wanted her to stay in Aspen.
He nodded. “Thanks. I’ll just grab my stuff.” As he spoke he headed back into his office before coming out with his briefcase and coat. He looked at Samantha. “I’ll be back tonight. I’ll explain everything then.” He started toward the door then hesitated. “You will be here when I return, won’t you, Samantha?”
It hadn’t occurred to her to leave behind his back, though she couldn’t discount that it might have. Then she remembered how she’d thought he might have issues with feeling abandoned over his mother’s death. Did he think she was about to abandon him, too? Tenderness touched a part of her that wasn’t reeling by the latest events. “I promise.”
He looked satisfied then he gave Erica a jerky nod as he passed by. He left behind a meaningful silence.
After a couple of seconds, Erica came toward the desk. “Are you okay?”
“My head’s fine now, thanks.”
She tutted. “You know I mean more than that.”
Samantha grimaced. “Yes, I suppose I do.” Then as she looked at the other woman, she wondered if Blake would eventually discuss her with his family. Would he even tell them she had made a play for him? Her breath caught. She’d never known him to talk about his affairs before to anyone. Huh! Affair? There was no affair. That was the problem.
“He’s concerned for you, honey.”
“He’s concerned for the job.”
“You’re wrong.” Erica paused. “Give him a chance to explain whatever it is he needs to explain.”
The telephone rang then, and Erica said she had to go check on something but would be back later. Samantha answered it and heard Mary Wentworth’s voice, and knew she needed to slow everything down a little. So she apologized to the other woman that she couldn’t talk right now and would call her back tomorrow. By then, she should well and truly know the score between her and Blake. Either way, she still had to leave. It was just a matter of when.
After she hung up, the workday began with the phone ringing, then the mail arrived. Samantha worked through it all, but a part of her mind was on Blake’s reaction earlier. He’d said he was perfectly happy with his old assistant.
Her.
And that made her wonder if he might still want her to work out her contract. Her heart raced at the thought, then came to a shuddering halt when she remembered this morning in the bathroom. She probably couldn’t stay at Jarrod Ridge past tomorrow, but at least on his return tonight she might learn what had turned him off her. It may not be something she wanted to hear, but she needed to know or she would always wonder.
Erica returned an hour later, but Samantha still felt physically fine and convinced her not to worry. She’d decided to work until lunchtime, then she got a ride back to the lodge, where she made herself a light lunch. Afterward she felt tired, so she stretched out on the couch and took a nap.
The front doorbell woke her sometime later. It was a florist with a vase filled with the most gorgeous yellow tulips she’d ever seen. Something flipped over inside her heart. Her family wasn’t into sending flowers, and only one person here knew she loved yellow tulips.
There was a card with them. “Dinner tonight. Pine Lodge. All arranged. See you at seven.”
Her throat swelled with emotion as she carried the vase over to a side table and set it down. They looked so stunning that she was about to race upstairs to get her camera, but then wondered if that was a good idea. Did she really want to take away more memories of Blake?
The telephone rang then.
It was Joel. Oh, Lord. She’d forgotten her date with him tonight. The tulips caught her eye and she knew she’d rather spend her last hours here in Aspen with Blake than go to the movies with Joel.
She opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything, he apologized and told her that his cousin was in town overnight and this was his only chance to catch up with her. Did she mind? No. Could they go to the movies tomorrow night instead? She said she would let him know. She had no idea whether she would still be here tomorrow night. Then he mentioned that he was in town right now and would get the nurse to check on her later today, but she thanked him and said it wasn’t necessary.
More than relieved, Samantha looked at the tulips as she hung up the telephone, Joel already relegated to the back of her mind. Blake might just want to discuss her job tonight, but right now she didn’t care. She needed to know where it had all gone wrong this morning. More importantly, she wanted to know if there was even a slim chance it was something that could be fixed.
Seven
Samantha hadn’t been sure what she should wear for tonight. While the flowers and the dinner were very thoughtful of Blake, and while he’d said he would give her an explanation as to why he walked away from her this morning in the bathroom and that sounded promising, none of that meant he wanted her.
In the end she decided to keep it fairly low-key, just like she would if she were dining with him for business reasons. She wore a thin brown sweater over cream slacks and a pair of low-heeled pumps, adding a gold chain at her neck to make it a little more stylish.Just after six-thirty one of the hotel staff arrived as sunset spiked through the lodge. He placed a cooked casserole in the oven to keep warm, dessert in the refrigerator, then lit the log fire before beautifully setting the table in the small dining alcove. Had Blake requested the two candles on the table? She was about to ask the young waiter when Blake came in the front door.
“Blake!” she exclaimed, her pulse picking up at the sight of him. Realizing she might be giving herself away, she pulled herself back and toned it down. “You’re early,” she said more sedately. “I didn’t expect you quite so soon.”
“We had a tailwind.” He nodded at the waiter. “It looks good, Andy. Thanks.”
Samantha wasn’t surprised that he knew the man’s name. Blake was good with people—as long as you did the right thing by him.
“No problem, Mr. Jarrod.” Andy’s smile encompassed them both. “I’ll come and collect everything tomorrow.” He nodded good-night, then went through to the kitchen.
Blake stood there for a minute looking at Samantha, his eyes flicking down over her outfit then away. “I could do with a shower,” he muttered, and made for the stairs.
She felt nervous all of a sudden. She twisted away herself. “I’ll just make sure the food’s okay.” She left the room and went into the kitchen, glad that Andy was still gathering a couple of things together before he left. It brought the world back into focus and took it away from her and Blake. She needed the balance.
Andy left and she busied herself unnecessarily checking on the casserole, then poured herself a glass of water and stood there sipping it to calm her nerves. She could only stay in there so long, and soon she wandered back into the lounge area and drew the drapes against the encroaching night, before switching on the lamps.
It was too quiet, so she put on a CD to fill the silence and sat down on the couch to wait. The wood scent from the burning logs in the fireplace wafted throughout the room, and after a few minutes, she could feel the soft music begin to ease the tension inside her. And then it hit her and she realized how romantic the whole place looked. She groaned slightly. It hadn’t been intentional but would Blake believe that? It all looked so intimate.
Panicking that he might think she was trying to seduce him, she was about to about to jump up and turn off the music when she saw Blake coming down the stairs. He wasn’t looking at her and she ate up the sight of him. He was so handsome in light gray pants and a navy crewneck sweater, but it was his magnetic aura of masculinity that caught her breath.
He reached the bottom step and all at once he glanced up and his gaze quickly summed up the ambiance in the room. She could feel warmth steal under her skin. This guy never missed a trick.
“You must be tired,” she said, hoping to ignore what he might think was obvious.
“A little. It’s been a long day.”
And then their eyes met—memories of this morning between them.
She moistened her mouth. “Blake, I—”
He shook his head. “Not yet, Samantha. Let’s eat first. I’m starving and I need to relax a little.”
“Of course.” She swung toward the kitchen. “I’ll serve the dinner.”
“I’ll pour the wine.”
She hurried away, expelling a shaky breath once she reached the privacy of the kitchen. Blake wouldn’t discuss the matter until he was ready, so she would just have to have a little patience. Perhaps it would be best if she had some food in her stomach first.
When she came back carrying the plates of chicken casserole, he was sitting at the table, having poured the wine. He stood up as she approached and took the plates from her. He’d always been a gentleman where she was concerned, holding out her chair or opening doors for her. She knew it was something he did on autopilot.
“You lit the candles,” she said for something to say. “They look really nice.”
He put the plates down on the table. “Andy knows his job.”
She wasn’t sure if that meant Blake had asked for them or if Andy had merely improvised. Did it matter, she asked herself as he held her chair out just as she’d expected.
As she sat down, she glimpsed the tulips on the side table. That was probably why he’d looked at her strangely before going upstairs to change. He must think her so ungrateful.
“Oh, Blake, I should have said something earlier. Thank you so much for the tulips. They’re absolutely gorgeous.”
“You like them, then?” He looked pleased as he sat down opposite her.
“I love them.”
He considered her. “You getting hit on the head was very good for me.”
She blinked. “It was?”
“I learned two things about you. What your favorite flower is, and your favorite color.”
“Want to know my favorite perfume, too?” she joked, touched by his words.
Only he didn’t laugh. “It’s Paris by Yves Saint Laurent,” he said with an unexpected thickness to his voice that made her nerves tingle.
“You know?”
“You bought some the first time we went to Paris together, remember?” He made it sound like they’d been together in Paris for something other than business.
Surprised he remembered that time two years ago when she’d first gone to work for him, she dropped her gaze and fanned her napkin over her lap, though she rather felt like fanning her face instead. “This looks delicious.”