Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)(33)

For several heartbeats there was only silence and the world spinning and spinning. He knew he was in trouble, but he didn’t have time to consciously react. Trees came up hard and fast and when he hit there was a blinding light, followed by nothing at all.

* * *

DELLINA HAD KNOWN the panic would come. It was inevitable with a project this big. The trick was to hold it off for as long as possible. To stay in the moment and be focused on her list. Because in the end, good planning would save her.

Only she’d woken up that morning with what felt like a giant clock ticking in her head. They were less than two weeks away from the weekend and she didn’t have finalized menus or a completed schedule or goodie bags. She had to get the decisions made so she could lock it in with her vendors. Why didn’t Sam understand that?

She sucked in a breath and crossed to her front door. She pulled it open, glared at the handsome man standing on her front porch, then announced, “You’re not making this any easier.”

Sam’s eyebrows drew together. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m panicking. We have to make some decisions. There isn’t enough time.”

“What has you freaked out specifically?”

“Everything. Pretend it’s tax season.”

His frown deepened, then cleared. “Finance,” he told her. “Not accounting. I don’t do tax season.”

“Okay, whatever. I need you to make decisions.”

He stepped into her place. “Absolutely. Where do you want to start?”

“Goodie bags.”

She led the way to her small dining alcove. There she’d set up all the samples. There were bottles of lotion, scarves, barbecue tools, Lark’s book, an NFL computer game and a print of all three of the guys from Score. She picked up the print.

“You’d all sign the copies of this,” she said. “I wasn’t sure about leaving Taryn out, but she’s not a famous former NFL player.”

“She’ll be fine with it.”

She went through the items she’d chosen for the kids, then stood back as he walked around the table.

“We need more splash,” he announced

It was really good there wasn’t a decorative sword on the table, because she probably would have attacked him with it. As it was, she drew in a breath and spoke slowly.

“Can you define splash? I’m assuming you don’t mean an inflatable pool of some kind.”

Sam flashed her a grin that had her girl bits sighing. “You’re really stressed.”

“Thanks for the news flash. Yes, I am. Now do you have specifics in mind?” She held up her hand. “If you tell me you’ll know it when you see it, I’m going to have a very large man sit on you until you whimper like a little girl.”

The grin stayed in place. “You don’t know anyone who could do that.”

She crossed her arms over her chest and raised her eyebrows. “Have you met Kenny Scott? Because I’m pretty sure he could crush you like a bug.”

Sam’s good humor stayed in place. “Point taken. I’ll be specific. Mind if I use your computer?”

She thought about the state of her office and decided she wanted the information more than she cared what he thought about her lack of filing system. She motioned for him to follow her, then walked down the hall and into the spare bedroom.

There were the usual piles times five hundred. Invoices were scattered across her desk. As she really needed to keep track of those, she collected them and put them in her “superimportant” box.

“We’ll be talking about those later,” she told him. “When I get them figured out.”

“Billing issues from vendors?” he asked.

“Yes. I can’t get my books and estimates to balance with theirs. But not a problem for today. Find me something splashy.”

He sat in her chair and started typing. She blinked a couple of times when his first destination turned out to be Tiffany & Co. Before she could even ask what he was thinking, he’d brought up a picture of diamond earrings that made her think with that kind of cash she could get a new car.

“These are nice,” he said.

“Yes, they are.”

“Order them with gift receipts so if any of the women don’t like them, they can return them.”

She thought about the scarves she’d chosen and realized she should have had a clearer understanding of his budget.

Sam’s next internet stop was for handheld games for the kids, then fancy compass watches for the guys. In a matter of minutes, he spent more than the GDP of several small nations. She pulled up an extra chair and sat down.

Sam was generous, which shouldn’t have been news. Dellina might not admit it to him, but she’d been busy reading the book Taryn had given her. The one written by Sam’s ex-wife, Simone. In it she’d shared a lot of personal information—the kind that would make Sam cringe. But what came out in the pages was that Sam was a great guy. Dellina was left with the impression that Simone had been a fool to let him go. She had a feeling she wasn’t the only one who had thought that after finishing the book.

He ordered a few more things, then turned to her. “Done. What else can I help with?”

She motioned to the menus posted on the walls. “Let’s talk about those.”