“Done.”
“What about the designs for the Fahey addition? The master closet needs—”
“Done.”
“And the—”
“Done, done, and done.” He crossed his legs. “It’s all done.”
Paige opened her mouth, then closed it without saying a word. She joked that she had to limit her compliments lest he get an even bigger head, but the fact was, her assistant was far too talented to simply be her assistant. Not anymore at least. Paige had hired him right out of college. At the time, the job had suited him, but now he was more than ready to spread his wings. If she was honest, he’d been more than ready for a while. And if she was really honest, she’d admit that she was too selfish, or maybe too scared, to lose him. Paige was a one-woman company. She didn’t have any way to promote him to a better job. Moving up meant moving on. Unless…
An idea flickered to life in Paige’s mind, but Sammy interrupted her train of thought before the spark could catch.
“Want me to tell you what you’re thinking right now?” he asked. “Aside from how devastatingly handsome I look.”
Paige leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. This ought to be good. “Do tell.”
Sammy narrowed his eyes as though decoding a puzzle. “You’re thinking that you’d like an Asian sesame salad for lunch.”
“That’s not mind reading. It’s a lucky guess. I order that salad at least twice a week.”
He held up one finger. “I wasn’t finished. You’ll want the dressing on the side—even though we both know you’ll end up dumping the whole thing in the bowl—and have them leave off the wonton strips, but then you’ll bitch about not having them the entire time you’re eating.”
He was right, of course, but she didn’t have to admit it. “What else?”
“That you need to remember to pick up cat food on the way home.”
“Oh, please.” She snorted. “You read that reminder on my phone.”
“And that you need to call your mother.”
“It’s her birthday tomorrow,” she countered. It was looking like Sammy’s special skill wasn’t quite so special after all. But he wasn’t deterred.
“And that despite the fact that you have thrown yourself into your work, there’s nothing you’d rather do than fly back to Love Island and into the arms of the sexy innkeeper.”
Game over. “Now that you mention it, that salad sounds pretty good. Would you mind placing the order for delivery? I’m going to work from my desk.”
“It’s only 9:45.” He didn’t even bother looking at his watch. Smug bastard.
“I skipped breakfast.” She opened her email, staring blindly at the list of unread messages.
“Fine,” he said.
That was easy, Paige thought. Too easy.
“I think I’m going to order a salad today too. But which one?” He tapped his fingers on the arm of his chair. Sammy never needed time deciding what to order. He had his standing favorites for every restaurant in the Loop. “Maybe the warm quinoa salad?” he asked of no one in particular. “Oh, I know! I’ll get the Southwest. Hold the tortilla strips but extra…” He paused, then lowered his voice for dramatic effect. “…avocado.”
Paige knew what he was up to, but she fell for it anyway. As if on instinct, her gaze shifted to the stuffed avocado that now graced the corner of her Norwegian sofa. Of course Sammy had noticed the unusual addition the moment it appeared. Hard to miss really. When he’d walked into the room that first morning back, he’d immediately started singing a song she recognized from a childhood spent watching Sesame Street. “One of these things is not like the others.”
Part of her still couldn’t believe Maddie had insisted she take one of her favorite toys. Paige had held it on her lap during the flight back to Chicago—a fact that drew some interesting expressions from the other passengers seated in the first-class cabin—and Stanley had been her daily companion ever since. It had been a month, and yet the sight of the little green blob never failed to make her smile. Of course, with that came the sense of loss that always crept in once she opened that door. Which was why, after spilling her guts the first day she was back, Paige told Sammy that the subject of Lucas was officially off-limits. That went for the avocado as well.
“Don’t,” she warned.
“Don’t get the salad?”
“Don’t bring up Stanley,” she said, referring to the toy by the name Maddie had given him. “And don’t play dumb. It’s beneath you.” Samuel Lee was far too clever to play such an obvious game. She knew it, and so did he.
Sammy’s shoulders sagged on an exaggerated exhale. “Fine. But I’m still getting the salad.” He picked a piece of lint off his sleeve, then circled back for one more try. This time he pulled out the big gun: total sincerity. The mischievous twinkle was gone from his eyes, and the sarcasm that normally laced his voice was nowhere to be found. “I’ve known you what, three years?”
It was a rhetorical question. If pressed, he could probably pinpoint when they first met down to the hour.
“And in that time, I’ve seen you go from a brokenhearted, insecure woman who had to pull herself up by the bra straps”—he waved his hand toward her—“to this confident, take-no-prisoners badass.”
It was obvious he was on a roll.
“But through all the highs and lows, I have never seen you smile the way you do when you look at that silly vegetable. Not even when we closed the Sullivan deal. And since I have never in my life seen you eat an avocado, I can only assume that the look on your face has nothing to do with Stanley and everything to do with Lucas and Maddie.”
No nicknames. No smirks. Not even a Ryan Reynolds reference. This version of Sammy was disarming and genuine and, much to her dismay, far more effective.
“Sammy, I—”
He held up his hand. “You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to think about this: being in love isn’t a weakness.”
The words hit her like a physical blow. Not only because of their truth, but because they echoed the words Lucas had spoken to her that night at the inn. Maybe what you need is to let your guard down.
Paige swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “Thank you, Sammy,” she said. Her sincerity matched his, but they both knew that this momentary departure from their norm had to end. A beat of unspoken affection passed between them before Paige set them back on course. “Now get out of my office so I can get some work done.”