“She hasn’t made any deals that I know of.” Had Chloe put Hailey up to this?

  “Not yet. But she will, and when she does, you’re going to feel pretty small.”

  Sam stopped dancing and peered at her. Was Hailey drunk? He was still her boss, whatever she thought of him. He opened his mouth to say so, but she didn’t give him the chance. She stopped dancing and faced him.

  “You should make her a partner. We all feel that way.”

  “What’s in it for you?” The words left his mouth before he thought them through, but they seemed to hit home nonetheless. Hailey backed off.

  “No more than I deserve.” She turned and darted through the crowd of dancers, leaving him standing there looking after her, trying to process what had just happened. Had Chloe bribed people to back her in this endeavor of hers to take over his company?

  As he made his own way off the dance floor, he reminded himself she’d spent a mint on this trip. He’d thought she’d done it to soften the blow to her work friends if she got promoted to partner, but maybe she was being far more proactive than he thought.

  What had she promised Hailey and the others? Had she told them there’d be bonuses if she got the shares in the company she wanted? Perks? Promotions? After all, she was pretty sure she’d be running the place soon.

  The knowledge she was outmaneuvering him didn’t sit well. Sam didn’t bother to let the others know he was leaving. He’d find his own way to the Blue House.

  And then he’d figure out what to do next.

  Ava was sitting on her balcony when she heard a sliding glass door rumble open below her and knew Sam was home. She hadn’t heard the passenger van park outside, nor were there sounds of anyone else in the house. Either the others were tiptoeing to their bedrooms, or Sam had come back alone.

  “Ava?” his voice asked.

  Should she answer him or pretend she hadn’t heard? “I told you I’d give you my answer in the morning.”

  “It’s past midnight,” he pointed out.

  “That’s cheating.”

  “I know.” There was a long silence. “What if we call a timeout for the rest of the night? I’ll come join you, and we’ll be two strangers looking at the stars having a chat. I could use the company.”

  Was this a ploy to lull her into a false sense of security? Ava stood up from the deck chair she was sitting on and came to the railing. “No touching?”

  “No touching,” he agreed.

  She turned the idea over in her mind, pretending she hadn’t decided yet.

  “Okay, you can come up.” She turned to let him in her door, knowing he’d have to get through the house, outside and around to her stairs, but when she heard a chair scrape across the balcony below hers, she retraced her steps to find Sam clinging to the railing. Before she could protest, he swung one leg over the edge, levered himself up and dropped to stand in front of her.

  “What are you doing?” she squeaked.

  “Coming to join you.” He plopped down in a chair. After a moment, shaking her head, she took the other one.

  “And here I thought I was safe from intruders on the third floor. I’m going to have nightmares now.”

  “I could stay with you. Keep you safe.” He stopped himself and made a face. “Sorry. Can’t help myself.”

  “We’re supposed to be strangers,” she reminded him. “Strangers don’t proposition each other.”

  “You’d be surprised. People do all kinds of unexpected things.”

  She wondered what had happened tonight. Sam was a little disheveled, like he’d run his hands through his hair a hundred times. “Want a beer?” she asked him.

  “I’ve had enough to drink.”

  She fetched them both tall glasses of water and sat again. “Want to talk about it?”

  He grunted. “Is it that obvious I’ve got something to talk about?”

  “Something’s wrong.” She took a sip of her water, set it on the ground and leaned back in her chair. Above them the stars were clear, but fog was moving in. She knew in an hour the little pinpricks of light would be obscured.

  “Hailey gave me a talking-to tonight—at the club we went to.”

  Ava remembered her, a glossy blonde who seemed like she’d be far more comfortable in a suit than in the sundress she’d worn when she arrived. “Isn’t she one of your employees?”

  “Exactly. She’s also one of Chloe’s good friends. She let me know I was messing up. She thinks Chloe should be in charge. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chloe has told everyone she’ll give them a kickback when she secures shares in the company.”

  “Wow,” Ava said. “Do you think they’re all going to take her side?”

  He nodded glumly.

  “There’s nothing they can do to force your hand, though, right? You’re the boss.”

  “So is Ben. And he’s siding with Chloe.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “I wish I’d been here with you instead. All night I was thinking of holding you in my arms like when we danced before.” He took a long drink, then drained the rest of his glass. “I wish you lived in Chicago,” he said, setting it down.

  “I wish you lived in Seahaven.”

  Their words hung in the air, pregnant with all the things they weren’t saying. She hadn’t asked him to think about moving to join her here.

  And he hadn’t asked her to come to Chicago, either.

  Which made sense, given they’d known each other only a few days.

  “I can’t figure out why this is happening,” Sam burst out. At first Ava thought he was talking about Chloe’s machinations, but then he added, “Why would I meet someone I can’t even be with?”

  “Fate?” Ava hazarded.

  “I don’t even know if I believe in that. My sister Leena, does. She’s always talking about it. Follow your heart. You’re being guided to your best life. So if this”—he gestured from her to him—“is fate, what’s the point? Is our time together supposed to motivate us to keep looking for the right person close to home? Or drive us crazy with the knowledge that the right person is out there, but we can’t have them?”

  Maybe Fate is telling you to move to California, she thought but didn’t say it out loud.

  “I don’t know,” she finally said when it was clear he’d run out of possibilities. She wished she could urge him to move to Seahaven permanently, but he’d told her about his family, and she could picture him at Sunday dinners at his folks’. Three sisters bossing him around lovingly. Parents doting on him. Surely it would be wrong to try to tempt him away from all that. It made no difference if she was physically close or far away from her family. They probably barely noticed her absence.

  Marie was the only one who ever called her.

  “I’m kind of tired,” she heard herself say, even though every fiber of her being immediately protested the idea of losing any time with Sam. “I should get some sleep.”

  “Let me guess. You don’t want me to stay and guard you from intruders,” he asked glumly.

  “Not tonight. Seems like you have some thinking to do, anyway.”

  “I guess.” Sam stood up. Took her hand and pulled her to her feet, then gently into his arms. She stiffened, but he only said, “Good night, Ava,” kissed her on her cheek and then walked through her suite and let himself out the door.

  Ava watched him go, her heart aching to follow him and call him back. She’d done the right thing, she told herself.

  Even if it felt so wrong.

  The next morning Sam meant to join Ava for her daily walk again, but when he heard a quiet knock, he opened his door to find Hailey outside.

  “I’m just here to say I was drinking last night, and I don’t want you to misconstrue anything,” she said stiffly. “Chloe hasn’t made me or anyone else any promises. I stood up for her because I know she’s going to do great things for Scholar Central. You need her. We all do.” She slipped away down the hall before he could answer.

  Had Chloe coached her about what to say? It seemed likely. Sam considered retreating to his room and locking the door until everyone else left for the day, but he decided he needed to show he wouldn’t be cowed by a mutiny.

  He met Chloe and Ben on the stairs.

  “Everyone’s up early,” he said a little gruffly. He still wanted to catch Ava and her friends before they left for their walk. Ben and Chloe blocked his way, though.

  “Don’t you ever look at the itinerary?” Chloe asked. She wore a stylish dress and heels today. Something upscale and name brand, he figured. “We’re going to San Francisco. We’re leaving in half an hour. Everyone needs to eat first.”

  “I hope you’re coming with us today,” Ben said. “I think it’s important everyone sees us together. People were talking about the way you ditched us last night.”

  Sam just bet they were. Had Hailey told them all what she’d said to him? Had she been triumphant about the way she’d set him down a peg?

  He wished he could walk out the door, but he needed to know what Chloe was up to. He had a feeling she was expecting him to duck out again and that she would welcome it. Despite Hailey’s muttered protests to the contrary, he was confident he’d guessed the truth last night. Chloe was paying people to take her side. What was her next move?

  “I’ll be ready to go when you are,” he said and got the satisfaction of seeing Chloe’s frustration. He’d keep an eye on her today, but he was frustrated himself; he’d much rather spend time with Ava. He followed the couple downstairs, grabbed a couple of pieces of toast and a cup of coffee and hurried back to his room, hoping to catch Ava on her balcony when she returned.

  When Chitra called, he was grateful for the distraction. There was no sign of Ava yet, so he filled her in on everything that had happened since their last conversation.

  “Invite Ava along to San Francisco,” Chitra suggested. He could hear the sound of people talking in the background. She must be at work, heading from one meeting to another.

  “I can’t ask her to an event I didn’t plan.”

  “Sure you can. There’s room in the van, right?”

  “Definitely.” Sam had no idea why Chloe had gotten one that seated so many more people than were in their party.

  “Ask Ben. I bet he’ll say yes. Anything to distract you from the fact he’s shacking up with your ex-fiancée.”

  “I’m not sure Ava will go along with it,” he pointed out. “She sent me to bed pretty early last night.”

  “She told you she wasn’t going to decide until today. You were pushing her. She was setting healthy boundaries. I’m telling you, Sam, you have to go after her—”

  Priya interrupted her. Her line was full of noise, too, and he could picture her hurrying through the halls of the hospital. “Haven’t you given up this foolishness yet? This girl isn’t for you. When you get home, I’ll find you someone local. Someone you can settle down with.”

  Sam was beginning to wonder how his sisters found time to work when they spent so much of it ganging up on him. “What if Ava is the woman I want to settle down with?”

  “You’ve known her three days! Three days!”

  “Nearly four,” Sam broke in.

  “And you want to uproot your life for her? What about your business? What about your condo? What about Mom and Dad—and us?”

  “I’m just saying—”

  “You’re saying nonsense, that’s what you’re saying. All that sunshine has gone to your head!”

  “Have you seen any signs?” Leena asked. Her line was quiet. She was probably in her office at the university.

  “Signs?”

  “There are always signs to tell you what to do if you look for them. Does the sun come out every time you see Ava? Is there a shooting star when you’re out together at night?”

  “It’s California. The sun is almost always out.”

  “Keep looking. You’ll be guided by what you see.”

  Every time he saw Ava his whole body sprang to life with desire. Wasn’t that sign enough?

  “Invite her to San Francisco,” Chitra said. “Spend the day with her and just have fun. You need to lighten up.”

  He supposed that was good advice. “Okay. Talk to you all later.” Ava still wasn’t home from her walk as far as Sam could tell when he ended the call, so he went downstairs and found Ben in the kitchen, pouring himself a second cup of coffee. He looked tired; Sam wondered if he and Chloe had been fighting. “Hey, I want to bring Ava along today if she’s game to go.”

  Ben set his cup on the counter. “Chloe doesn’t like last-minute alterations to her plans,” he said carefully.

  Sam’s anger flared. “At this point I don’t care much what Chloe likes and doesn’t like. I’ve got a limited amount of time to spend with Ava, and I want her to come with us.” He met Ben’s gaze, holding it until his friend backed down.

  “Fine. You settle it with Chloe, though.”

  Sam thought it didn’t bode well for Ben’s marriage if he couldn’t talk to his wife-to-be about such a small matter, but he didn’t say so. Instead of searching out Chloe, Sam went outside, spotted Ava’s car in the parking area and continued around the house to the stairs to her apartment.

  Ava opened her door when he knocked. She wore a sundress that set off her figure nicely, and he stifled the urge to reach for her, remembering he was still awaiting her verdict. “I was wondering if you’d come with us to San Francisco today? I think we’re going to some garden and shopping, and we’ll get lunch and dinner somewhere.”

  “I’m not sure.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze. Sam’s gut twisted. She’d decided against being with him, hadn’t she?

  He wasn’t ready to face that reality, so he pushed on. “We’ll just be two adults spending a day together touring a culturally rich city.”

  “But—”

  Sam stopped her. “Come on, Ava—it’s a day trip. There will be people around us at all times. I won’t try anything.” He was stalling, and he was sure she knew it. He braced himself, expecting her to turn him down.

  “Fine, I’ll come to San Francisco, as an adult touring a culturally rich city with a friend,” she said, making clear she knew just how far from his real intentions that was, “but what about Chloe? Are you sure she wants me along?”

  He let out the breath he’d been holding. “I’m not sure about that at all,” he admitted. “But it’s not going to stop me from bringing you. Can you be ready in fifteen minutes?”

  Ava sighed. “I’ll be there.”

  “Good.”

  Fifteen minutes later they were in their seats when Chloe climbed aboard the van, spotted Ava and frowned, just as each of the other passengers had done when they’d entered it. It was clear everyone thought Sam was deliberately trying to rock the boat. The other couples whispered among themselves or closed their eyes and feigned sleep. Were all of them anticipating a confrontation the way he was?

  “I didn’t know you were bringing a friend.” Chloe looked down at her clipboard as if trying to find Ava’s name on her list.

  “I didn’t know either until just a few minutes ago. You’re so good at rolling with the punches, I knew you wouldn’t mind.” He brazened it out, wondering what Chloe would do. Chloe did not as a general practice roll with punches. She struck back at anyone or anything interfering with her game plan hard enough there wouldn’t be a second attempt.

  It was clear she was unhappy with Ava’s presence but equally evident she couldn’t say so without causing a scene. She pinched her lips together, nodded and took her seat up front, just behind Ben, who always drove the oversized vehicle. Sam could almost feel the relief of the other couples sitting around them.

  “So, Ava, have you always lived in California?” Naomi asked when they were underway and the silence grew too long. She was the director of marketing at Scholar Central, a heavyset woman with an auburn bob who was always ahead of the social media curve. Sam appreciated her dry sense of humor, especially when she used it to cut the tension in difficult meetings. Maybe she could relieve the tension in the van.

  “No.” Ava explained how she’d traveled for years, had settled down only recently, and would be teaching this fall.

  “What about family? Where are they?”

  “Near Philadelphia. Bryn Mawr, actually. My parents and brother all teach at the University of Pennsylvania.”

  Naomi’s partner, Julian, leaned forward in his seat. “Why don’t you teach there?”

  “I prefer the elementary-school level,” Ava said.

  “Doesn’t being a professor pay better?”

  Ava shrugged. “It’s not about the money for me. Is it for you?”

  “It’s a little bit about the money.” Julian hammed it up, eliciting a chuckle from several of the others. Chloe kept her head turned decidedly away.

  “I looked you up when Chloe booked this place,” Naomi said. “The Blue House doesn’t have a very large online presence. Are you doing all your marketing yourself?”

  Ava nodded, and soon the two were chatting about different social media channels and how she could maximize exposure on them. Other people chimed in from time to time as the conversation broadened.

  Sam was pleased to see how well Ava fit in with the group, and as time passed and her comfort level with the rest of them increased, he wondered if he’d been making all of this too complicated. Chloe was the only one shunning her. Everyone else was doing their best to be friendly. Maybe Chloe didn’t have the influence she thought she had. Maybe there was a possibility his relationship with Ava could extend beyond this trip. What if they did things long distance for a while? If all went well, he could ask her to consider moving closer to him. She obviously meshed with his crowd.

  Maybe this was the sign Leena had talked about.

  Maybe Ava was meant to be his.

  CHAPTER 7

  Ava couldn’t wait to get home.

  It wasn’t that she disliked San Francisco. She just didn’t care for the activities Chloe had planned—or the way Chloe bossed them all around. When she’d heard they were including a trip to the botanical gardens in their itinerary, Ava had perked up, but it turned out more like a forced march than an enjoyable outing, in and out of the enormous grounds in less than an hour.