Chapter Three

  “So...tell Aunty Lauren. Did you talk to Freddie?” Her friend was waiting when she got to the coffee shop the next morning, asking the question before she even sat down.

  “Whoa!” Lauren’s eyes widened. “What’s that on your neck?”

  Samantha’s hand went to cover the offensive spot. “Cody can get carried away sometimes.” He’d been almost frantic in his efforts to please her last night.

  “For God’s sake, nobody does hickeys any more. That’s so juvenile!”

  Samantha shrugged. “I’ll dab on a bit more makeup when I get to the office.”

  “Good idea. So back to Freddie. Did you talk to him? Did you check him out? You know, about the nickname?”

  “Yes and no. I honestly forgot to look at his...you know. But I did talk to him. As a matter of fact we walked a couple of blocks together.”

  “So what did you find out? Really, Samantha, do I have to drag it out of you word by word?”

  “There’s not much to tell.” Unless you count the gorgeous eyes and the charming, old-fashioned manners. But there was no way she was going to tell Lauren about that. Not yet, anyway. “He says he’s in IT.”

  “Him and a million other guys.”

  “That’s what Cody said.” Samantha turned thoughtful. “You know, I mentioned him to Cody and it seemed to turn him on. He couldn’t wait to get me home and in the sack. What’s up with that?”

  “Can’t stand the competition, I guess.” Lauren thought for a moment, nodding to herself. “It’ll do him good.”

  “Well he might have been turned on, but it definitely turned me off.”

  Lauren toyed with her coffee. “Why do you do this to yourself, Sam? Why do you stay with a guy who doesn’t treat you well? You deserve better.”

  Samantha couldn’t look into her friend’s eyes. She allowed her gaze to wander outside, where people strode by purposefully on their way to work. “It’s my father.”

  Lauren gave her an odd look. “Sorry to break this to you, kid, but your father died about twenty years ago.”

  Samantha brought her focus back to her friend. “No he didn’t. I made that up and for some reason my mom let me carry on the little charade.”

  “Jeez, Samantha. Why would you do a thing like that?”

  “Because he left us, that’s why. He walked out and left us when I was just six years old.” Her eyes brimmed with tears. “He used to call me his princess and then he left me.” She dabbed at her eyes with a napkin, embarrassed to be seen crying in public. “I know now that I was just collateral damage in the fight between my parents, but somehow I never got over the feeling of abandonment. I haven’t had a lot of relationships, but I’ve always gone out of my way to please.”

  Lauren nodded. “So they won’t leave you.”

  “Yeah, and look where it’s got me.”

  “Well I still think a little competition would be good for Cody.”

  * * *

  Samantha recalled Lauren’s words when she got home that evening. A bouquet of flowers was propped up in the sink, waiting for her to find a vase. They were inexpensive flowers from the corner store, but it was the thought that counted...wasn’t it?

  Cody came out of the bedroom, a towel around his waist, hair still damp from the shower. “Just in time,” he murmured, leading her into the bathroom. He must have moved every candle in the apartment into the bathroom. They were all lit, and bath water was running. She glanced at her expensive bottle of bath salts. It had been full yesterday, but now it was half empty and the bathroom was heavily perfumed with the scent of freesia. She almost gagged.

  For one brief, contrary moment she considered telling him she wasn’t in the mood. That would pay him back for yesterday. But all thoughts of revenge flew from her head as he started to undress her, helped her into the tub and then offered to wash her back. If this was the way he acted when he felt threatened, maybe she should think of more ways to make him jealous.

  * * *

  An hour later, she lay exhausted on the bed. Nothing much had happened for her, but Cody seemed very pleased with himself. He’d been rough and demanding, as though he was trying to dominate her. A tear rolled down the side of her face and she wiped it away, looking at the telltale moisture on her fingers. Thank goodness he was in the kitchen, heating up the ready-made dinner he’d brought home. She was in no mood to explain the sudden sadness that had overcome her. She rolled over onto her side, searching for something good to think about.

  Freddie. She felt her lips curl up in a smile. Freddie, with his too-long hair and his dishevelled appearance. With his soulful brown eyes and generous lips.

  No! She swung her feet onto the floor and dressed quickly. No, no, no. She was insane to be thinking of him at a time like this. Or any time, for that matter. Freddie Howard was not for her. He was from her past, and she’d make sure he stayed there.

  * * *

  She arrived at the coffee shop a few minutes late the next morning, surprised to find that Lauren hadn’t arrived yet. She was taking her first sip of coffee when the cell phone in her pocket vibrated. She recognized Lauren’s number.

  “Where are you?” she asked.

  “I’ve got a terrible cold.” Her friend sounded like she was underwater. “I’m going to stay home.”

  “Drink lots of fluids, and take it easy.” She looked up to see Freddie coming in the door.

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “I’ll talk to you later.” Flummoxed by Freddie’s arrival, Samantha wasn’t aware of disconnecting. Was it possible for her heartbeat to double in the space of a few seconds? It sure felt like it.

  “Lauren’s not here?” He looked around the shop, as though expecting her to materialize.

  “That was her on the phone. She’s sick.”

  Concern clouded his eyes. “Is she okay? Should we do anything?”

  She liked the way he said “we”. Cody would be running for the nearest exit.

  “No, I think she’ll be fine. It’s just a cold.” She smiled up at him.

  “May I join you then?”

  “Sure. I just got here.”

  She watched him walk to the counter. He didn’t look like a loser. His walk was self-assured and he quietly ordered his coffee, putting a two dollar coin in the tip jar. He exchanged pleasantries with the barista, and she gave him a brilliant smile, obviously pleased about something he’d said. A twinge of jealousy caught Samantha by surprise. Everything about him was surprising her this morning. What next? She couldn’t wait to find out.

  “How are you this morning?” He looked at her as though he really cared.

  “I’m fine.” She picked up her mug and braced both elbows on the table, leaning toward him. “And how are you?”

  She could tell the moment he spotted the bruise on her neck. Damn! She’d forgotten to cover it up this morning. He made a good show of pretending he hadn’t seen it, but she saw the fleeting flash of disapproval in his eyes.

  “I’m fine, too.” He stared into his coffee. “Hey, I got an invitation to Ashley’s wedding.” He looked suddenly uncomfortable. “You got one too, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. Lauren and I each got one.”

  “Phew! I don’t know why I would think that I got one and you didn’t, but, you know, I all of a sudden thought how embarrassing it would be if you didn’t.” He stopped, grinning foolishly. “None of that made sense, did it?” He shrugged. “I tend to babble when I’m nervous.”

  She didn’t know what to say, so she kept her mouth closed. He was adorable when he was flustered.

  “I put it down on my calendar, but I’m not really sure if I’ll go.” He looked up at her. “Are you going?”

  She nodded. “I think so. You know, you’re supposed to RSVP fairly quickly. By next Friday, I think it was.”

  “I noticed that. I wonder if there’s time.” He looked off into the distance.

  “It was a Vancouver address. If you mail it in the next couple of days it’ll get there in plenty of time.”

  “I didn’t mean that. I was thinking that if I’m going to be socializing with all those successful people from school I should really pay more attention to my appearance. You know, a makeover...the way they do on television.” He grinned a self-deprecating grin. “I’ve seen them work wonders with guys who look like me.”

  “Don’t put yourself down. You’re not so bad.”

  “Damned with faint praise. Isn’t that the expression?”

  She sat back and looked at him. Really looked at him. “Something like that.” She grabbed her coffee mug and took a gulp before she said something incredibly stupid.

  Too late. “Is there someone in particular you’re trying to impress?”

  He made a show of thinking. “I’ve often wondered how Brianna turned out. Remember her?”

  Samantha couldn’t believe her ears. Gossip had it that Brianna had been with every boy in the class, and then some.

  “You want to impress her?” Samantha’s voice came out as a squeak.

  He gave her an odd look. “She was a nice girl, Samantha.”

  Was he kidding? “If you say so.”

  “No, seriously.” He took a deep breath, and his jaw muscles tensed. “High school kids can be awfully cruel. I know there were terrible stories going around about her.” He paused. “About her and the entire football team, as I recall. But they weren’t true.”

  “They weren’t?” She was getting a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I always thought... Oh my God.” She frowned. “How did all that get started?”

  “You remember Luke? The jock?”

  She nodded.

  “Well I guess he took her out, and when she wouldn’t sleep with him he decided to start a rumour.” His eyes were flinty with anger. “I tried to counter it, but nobody ever listened to me.”

  She gave her head a quick, angry shake. “Do you think she’s still around?”

  “I’m not sure, but she was a friend of Ashley’s.”

  “And you’d like to impress her.” She said it as a statement.

  “Not really.” Was he teasing her? She couldn’t tell. “But I meant what I said about changing my image. Do you think there’s hope for me?” His eyes were laughing behind those glasses.

  She relaxed. “Of course. I could do it myself if you really mean it. You’ve got all the raw...um...the basic stuff.”

  “Seriously?” He leaned forward. “That would be terrific.”

  What had she done? What had possessed her to make such an offer? Was it the way his shoulders filled the jacket when he sat like that? Or the way he pushed up his glasses, like Clark Kent? She was in big trouble.

  “Sure.” Someone had taken over her body and was speaking for her. “We have two weeks until the wedding. I think we could make a definite improvement in that time.”

  He took out his Blackberry. “When should we start?”

  “Well...” His eagerness was touching. “Look, we have plenty of time to do this, so if you don’t mind, our first step should be to get together and talk about what kind of changes you want to make. Then we can see where we want to go from there.”

  He nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” He called up his calendar and looked at it. She couldn’t help but notice that it was rather full. “I’ll make myself available any time you’re free. Tonight after work. We could have a drink, or dinner...” He stopped abruptly. “Or I could meet you here again tomorrow for coffee, if you prefer.”

  “Yes, I think coffee would be best.”

  There was a flash of disappointment in his eyes, but he recovered quickly with a smile. “Sounds great. I’ll get here a few minutes earlier than usual and wait for you.”

  “Don’t worry about it being a threesome. The way Lauren sounded, she’ll be off for a few days.” She rose, and he scrambled up as well. “Think about what sort of an image you want to project, okay?” He nodded. “And I’ll think about it too.”

  He walked with her as far as the first intersection. As she stepped up onto the curb on the far side she turned; he was still watching her. He smiled, hiked his chin in her direction and then crossed in the other direction.

  Chapter Four

  Freddie walked down the ramp into the basement of his condo and removed his bike from the rack. It wasn’t a long ride to the office, but it was better than no exercise. Recently he’d been feeling the lack of activity. It was that in-between time of year...no snow on the mountains, and the ground was too soggy for mountain biking.

  In the winter he blended in with the younger riders at Whistler. He’d started snowboarding late in life–around fourteen–but he’d picked it up quickly, and like the other hard-core riders, he’d never gone back to skiing. During the summer months he stayed in shape riding his mountain bike down the challenging trails on the same mountain. That reminded him...he hadn’t checked on his chalet for over a month. He paid a caretaker to look in on it, but as with his business, he tried to be a hands-on owner.

  He stored his bike in the special area he’d created for his employees and took the elevator to the top floor. Chloe as usual offered to bring him coffee and he accepted with a distracted nod of his head. He couldn’t believe that he’d been so bold with Samantha, but what really blew him away was the fact that she’d agreed to his hare-brained scheme.

  He thanked the receptionist for the coffee and sat back to think. What had he let himself in for? He was comfortable in his own skin and he sure didn’t want Samantha pressuring him to become one of those slick guys he saw around town. He’d be the first to admit that he could use some pointers when it came to his clothes, but he could easily afford to hire a stylist. He looked down at the baggy cargo pants he wore to work almost every day. None of the girls he dated seemed to mind that he was sartorially challenged, but then he’d never been sure if they were dating him or his wallet.

  So why now? He stared into his coffee. Because it was the only way he could think of to spend time with Samantha. He’d take her any day over a stylist...even with that damned hickey on her neck. His fingers tightened around the mug. He had no idea who’d done that to her, but he hated him already. A man foolish enough to try to brand a woman in that manner obviously had no confidence in himself. He’d just have to hang onto that thought.

  * * *

  “You what?” Lauren struggled to sit upright. She’d moved half of her bedding out to the living area, where she was lounging on the sofa. “Did I hear you right?”

  Samantha shook her head. In spite of having a miserable cold, her friend was determined to hear every last detail of this morning’s encounter with Freddie. “You heard right.” She gave her head a toss. “I think it could be fun.”

  “Whatever possessed you? He must have really done a number on you.”

  Samantha bristled. “He did not. He was very sweet, actually and I happen to think he could use some help.” She had a sudden thought. “You won’t believe who he mentioned when I asked him if there was anyone in particular he was trying to impress.”

  “Who?” Lauren pulled the comforter up around her neck.

  “Brianna.”

  “Brianna? I don’t believe it. She’s been down on more men than the Titanic!”

  “For heaven’s sake, Lauren. Does everything have to revolve around sex?”

  Her friend gave her a puzzled look. “Well, doesn’t it?”

  “Not always, no. Besides, Freddie says it was just a rumour. That guy Luke started it because she wouldn’t sleep with him. Everyone piled on and pretty soon no one questioned it.”

  “Jeez, that’s so unfair. I know I believed it.”

  “Me, too.” Samantha still felt guilty.

  Lauren narrowed her eyes, deep in thought. “So, he’s doing this for her.”

  “No, somehow I don’t think so.”

  “But he got your attention.” Lauren gave her a sly look. “How did you feel when he mentioned her? A little jealous, perhaps?”

  Samantha rolled her eyes. “One day at home watching talk shows and you’ve turned into a shrink. Give it a rest, Lauren.”

  “Oh, all right.” She lay back and closed her eyes. “Bring me a glass of juice before you go, will you? And I want a complete report tomorrow after work.” She opened one eye. “Complete.”

  * * *

  Samantha wasn’t surprised to find Freddie waiting for her the next morning. As she opened the door he nodded to the barista behind the counter.

  “Here, sit down.” He pulled out the chair across from his. “I’ve ordered for you; the coffee will be here in a sec.” She could get to like this kind of attention.

  “Okay,” she said, stretching out the word. “But how do you know what I want?” She shrugged out of her coat.

  “Decaf tall caramel latté.” He frowned. “That’s right, isn’t it? It’s what you had yesterday. I noticed the label on the cup.”

  “Of course. For a minute there I thought you were psychic.”

  “If I were psychic I’d hopefully be a better dresser.”

  “You’re not so bad.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I said that yesterday, didn’t I?”

  He just smiled. “Speaking of yesterday, I’d like to say something.” One of the staff placed her coffee on the table and he paused. “If you’d rather not do this, I’ll understand completely.”

  A sharp pang of disappointment took Samantha by surprise. When had she gone from regretting her sudden offer to looking forward to it? She took a tentative sip of her drink. “Fired already, before I’ve even begun?”

  “No, not at all.” He seemed stunned by her words. “But let’s be honest. It was a quick thing, and it seems only fair to give you some wiggle room if you’ve had second thoughts.”

  How could she tell him that she’d thought of little else all night? Especially since Cody seemed to be back to his usual tricks. She looked across the table. “Actually, I was sort of looking forward to it.”