Before We Kiss (Fool's Gold #14)(58)
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DELLINA WAS UP before six on Saturday morning. The previous evening had gone perfectly. The wine tasting had been a hit and the dinner had gone over well. There had been good food, lots of conversation and most of their guests had gone up to their rooms feeling a little tipsy. She hoped that meant they’d slept well.
Dellina was downstairs by six-thirty, going over preparations. Today was the big busy day. After a morning stretch and yoga class, there was a buffet breakfast on the terrace. Then the vans arrived. The adults would head off to CDS for their obstacle course while the kids went bike riding. At eleven everyone reunited before they all headed to town for lunch and some in-town time during the Summer Festival. At three-thirty the vans brought them back to the hotel.
At four, the kids spent time with Max and his therapy dogs. Angel and the Acorns were going to be there to introduce the new puppies. There would be a demonstration of what therapy dogs could do. For the adults, it was the trickiest part of the weekend—Lark’s lecture. Then there was a big barbecue with the children joining their parents. Dellina’s hope was that, by nine, everyone would be exhausted and make an early evening of it.
She had already confirmed with Josh, Angel and the van company. Although she was itching to make a few phone calls, she resisted. She had to trust the people she’d hired.
At seven, a yawning Fayrene joined her. She wore shorts and a T-shirt and had Caramel with her.
“I’m exhausted,” her sister said as she sat in the chair opposite, Caramel on her lap. “Twelve children is too many. But it went well.”
“Everyone had a good time?”
“Uh-huh. This little girl and Ryan were hits. I was more a background person.” She yawned again. “I need coffee and to rally myself for bike riding.” She rose. “We’re all set, by the way. We have sunscreen and water. Josh is providing the bikes and the helmets. I double-checked that everyone knows how to ride a bike. There’s going to be a short talk on the Tour de France with pictures for the kids to look at.”
“Sounds great. You doing okay?”
Fayrene nodded. “Just exhausted. I appreciate the business but I’m longing for a simple receptionist temp job. Right now sitting down and answering phones for eight hours sounds like a vacation.” She waved and walked toward the coffee cart in the lobby.
Dellina spoke with the catering manager and confirmed the buffet was on track, then went to get herself some coffee. Halfway across the lobby, she saw Lark was already at the cart, waiting for her latte.
Dellina paused, not sure if she should approach or retreat. She hadn’t spoken directly to the other woman since the previous afternoon when Lark had announced that Dellina and Sam had recently had sex. Apparently Taryn’s talking-to had worked because Lark had been charming through dinner, but had steered clear of any questionable topics. Now she collected her latte, turned and saw Dellina. She waved her over.
“Everything is going so well,” Sam’s mother said. “Reggie and I enjoyed ourselves so much last night. We just love Kenny, Jack and Taryn. Spending time with them is delightful. I only wish Larissa had been here.”
“She’s in Los Angeles visiting her family,” Dellina said, then placed her order with the teen manning the cart. “Apparently her sister just found out she’s pregnant.”
Lark lowered her voice. “I’m so sorry about yesterday,” she said quietly. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just so happy to know that you and Sam had been together. He’s been avoiding relationships for a while now and I worry about him.”
Dellina was torn between the obvious concern of a loving mother and clarifying that she and Sam weren’t in a relationship. Not that saying that made things any better. Fortunately Lark didn’t need a whole lot of participation to have a conversation.
“I do have to admit, he has had a rough time with women,” she continued. “His first serious girlfriend turned into a stalker. When he tried to break things off, she slashed his car tires.”
“You’re kidding,” Dellina said. “Was she arrested?”
“She was and that seemed to snap her out of it. She pleaded guilty and agreed to move across the country. Then there was Simone. That ended with the book.”
“A nightmare,” Dellina said, collecting her latte. She and Lark walked toward the outside terrace.
“He was determined to learn from his mistakes, so he kept his next relationship quiet. Too quiet, because she slept with both Kenny and Jack, then asked Sam if he wanted to be in a foursome.” Lark’s mouth drew into a straight line. “I’m as open as the next person when it comes to sex, but I do believe in fidelity to one’s partner. Besides, Sam is hardly the kind of man to enjoy that sort of thing.”
Dellina did her best not to choke on her coffee. A foursome? Maybe it made her boring, but she wasn’t interested in that, either.
“He’s a cautious man,” Lark said. “Rightfully so, I suppose. I just keep hoping he finds the right woman. A partner.” She looked meaningfully at Dellina.
“I hope he finds that, as well,” she murmured, and took another sip so she didn’t have to talk. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on the buffet.”
“Of course.”
She walked toward the restaurant. As she’d already spoken with the catering manager, she didn’t actually have an appointment, but that didn’t matter. Getting away from Lark seemed judicious. She appreciated the apology and Lark’s concern about her son was admirable, but talk of partners wasn’t anything she wanted.