Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)(54)

“She only has a few more weeks,” Shelby told him. “I can stand it.” She pressed the back of her hand against her cheek. “Normally I stay out of his way, but she’d had a bad night and he caught me sleeping.”

Kipling closed his eyes against the image of his father hitting Shelby while she slept. He swore. Normally he would fly to Colorado and go see his father himself. Those ugly visits usually kept Shelby safe for at least a couple of months. But he wasn’t going anywhere for a very long time.

She took his hand again. “I’m okay. I’ll be fine. The second she’s gone, I’ll leave. You know that, right? I’d never stay there if it wasn’t for her.”

He nodded because he believed her. Fortunately Nigel had never hit his second wife. Kipling didn’t have a clue as to why she was immune, but what the hell.

She bent down and kissed his cheek. “I love you, Kip.”

“I love you, too.”

She was his family, his heart. She was the best of him—of all of them.

She settled back in the chair and pulled an issue of People magazine out of her bag. “So, you ready to get caught up on the latest gossip? I hear Katy Perry has a new boyfriend. You always had a thing for her.”

“It was the blue hair,” he said, closing his eyes. “How could anyone resist that?”

* * *

DELLINA ARRIVED AT the hotel behind the big van. Her heart was pounding and she was pretty sure she was shaking all over. The thing was, her reaction had nothing to do with the upcoming weekend and everything to do with her close encounter with Sam.

Talk about amazing. The things he did to her body. She wanted to believe it was all about technique, but she had a feeling there was more to it than that. Obviously they had chemistry. Their first time together had been spectacular, too. But this time had been different. There’d been a little extra oomph—probably because she now knew him and liked him. Connection made a difference.

“Connection isn’t a relationship,” she told herself as she parked. “And I can’t deal with this now.”

There would be plenty of time for introspection after the weekend party. For now, she had to get her act together and take care of business.

“If only clichés paid in cash,” she murmured as she grabbed her bag and headed for the van.

An hour later, the goodie bags were unpacked and she’d gone over the list of rooms with the front desk manager. She settled herself in a quiet corner of the shaded porch and called all her vendors to get last-minute confirmation.

“You know this is the third time you’ve called me,” Angel said when he picked up the phone. “I’m ready. You’re kind of a nightmare to work with.”

She grinned. “You’re lying. I’ve met your fiancée so I happen to know you like it when a woman takes charge.”

Angel chuckled. “Don’t tell anyone. Yes, the obstacle course is ready. I’ll have plenty of water on hand for hydration. There’s a first aid kit, everyone who works here knows CPR and the weather is good. Now can we be done?”

“We can. Thank you.”

She called Ana Raquel next.

“The wine is delivered, the food all came in this morning and looks great. Greg and I are prepping, we have our schedule and I’m thinking I might make a banana layer cake because I’m in the mood. How are you?”

Dellina smiled as she curled up in the chair. “You are one of my two favorite sisters. Have I said that recently?”

“No, but it’s always on your mind. I can tell. Sis, you gotta relax. We’re all ready. It’s going to be a great weekend.”

“Planning makes that happen.”

They chatted about a few more details, then hung up. Dellina moved on to the next call.

Close to noon, she and a bellman delivered the goodie bags to the guests’ room. There was a schedule of events, but she wanted to hand those out personally during check-in. She adjusted temperatures, checked linens and made sure each minibar was stocked. By two she’d taken her suitcase to her own room and changed into a pretty summer dress and slightly nicer flats. She was going to be on her feet until around midnight. She had to be sensible.

As she touched up her makeup, she found herself remembering being in a different bathroom that morning. With Sam. Her body shuddered slightly as she flashed back to how he’d touched her and how she’d reacted to that touch. She wanted a repeat performance. Or fifty. She was still smiling as she made her way downstairs.

On the main level, she confirmed that no guests had checked in yet. She made sure she had the welcome packets set up at the small desk the hotel had provided.

“You look official.”

She saw Jack and Kenny approaching. At the sight of the two handsome football players, she felt her stomach drop a little. Not in reaction to them, but if they were here, then so was Sam.

“I don’t have a name tag,” she told him. “It’s not official without a name tag.”

Kenny shook his head. “We forgot that. Talk about stupid.”

“You know, sometimes we’re just a bunch of football jocks.”

Taryn hurried over to them. “Did I miss it? Where’s Sam? Is he late? I swear, if he’s late to this party, I’m going to beat him with a stick.”

“I’m here.”