Hiding Out (24 page)

“Which means…” His brother prodded.

“She knows I want her here,” he said defensively.

Adam frowned.  “Well.  That’s a start.  But have you told her how you feel, what you want from her, in what capacity you
really
want her here?”

He sighed.  “I don’t know how.”  He looked at his brother with sad eyes.  “I guess I just thought if she were living here with me, even under false pretenses, that everything might just fall into place with us.”  He picked at the green seedless grapes before speaking again.  “I thought if she could fall asleep wrapped in my arms every night and wake up with me every morning, she might grow accustomed to the idea of a relationship.”

Adam cocked his head to the side.  “Huh.  You thought that?”

Sam stiffened.  “Yes.  Why?”

At that moment the front door closed, assuring them of their privacy.  Haley had left for work without even saying goodbye.  It stabbed through Sam’s heart.  He sighed again.

“Well, think about it,” Adam began, chewing his food as carefully as he chewed on this thought.  “Haley has never really dated before.  She’s utterly naïve and inexperienced.”  Sam scowled.  “And her first experience has left her scarred, and scared.”  He looked to see if Sam was paying attention.  Convinced he was, Adam continued.  “Somehow you think that she’s going to magically understand what you want from her when you keep insisting that you aren’t dating because she’s an employee.”

Sam opened his mouth to further rebut the statement, but Adam silenced him with a raised hand.  “It’s crap.  Despite whether you’ll admit it even to yourself, you are dating the girl.”  He scowled again.  “And that’s another thing.”  His hand slapped against the counter to emphasize his indignation and disgust.  “You have been coming up with one pretense after another to spend time with her.”  He mimicked Sam’s deep resonating voice for a moment, “You’ve never experienced the city…go here with me.  I need an escort, come with me.  I could use your help; spend time with me.  Never once have you brought your feelings, your emotions into it.  Is it any wonder she keeps hers so carefully guarded?”

“I get it,” Sam said irritably.

“Are you sure?”  Adam watched as Sam nodded.  “Good.  Then what are you going to do about it?”

“I have no idea,” Sam responded, taking one final swig of his coffee.  He took one last bite of the omelet on his plate, thought wistfully about having her cook for him for the rest of his life, and strode out of the kitchen to drive to the office.

Haley gave him a quiet nod as he entered the office.  Sam paused.  He wanted to speak to her, to clarify the misunderstanding that had created this fissure in their relationship.  He had been trying to give her space, gain her trust, but maybe his efforts had backfired.  Maybe he was actually creating more distrust through his inability to be more direct, more open.  “Good morning, Miss Iverson,” he said seriously as he continued past her.

He needed some grand gesture, some way to show her how he felt about her.  And the more he thought, the more ideas he found fault with.  Flowers and candy were too common for her.  He had already pampered her with spa treatments, and clothes.  He had taken her to fabulous restaurants, Broadway shows, and balls.  He needed something…different, something just for them.  Some chance for her to spend some real time with him, get their relationship back on track.

He glanced at his desk calendar.  Two weeks until Thanksgiving.  And he had a nice long winter in New York to look forward to.  Damn, he hated the cold.  Even Haley seemed to.  Hadn’t she recently threatened to move some place warm once Ellen returned?              

There it was.  He beamed.  He knew precisely what to do.  He frowned.  And once again, he was the only executive in the free world forced to make his own plans.  Sam certainly couldn’t leave Haley to it.

Seconds later, Haley interrupted his reverie.  “I need to go to the art department and check on their progress.  The presentation is in a few days,” she said seriously.  She still secretly hoped that he would offer his assistance, but that hadn’t happened so far.

He studied her for a moment. “Please shut the door, Miss Iverson,” he said in his most formal tone.  He watched as she followed his directions and waited until the latch clicked and she had turned before he moved from his leather chair.

In three strides he had crossed the office to stand before her.  Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders and with his right hand forced her chin up until she had no choice but to look at him.  “You are incredible,” he murmured as he lowered his face to hers.  He heard her inhale sharply as she realized that he was going to kiss her.  A smile formed on his face as he closed the distance and gently brushed his lips across hers.  “I have complete faith in you,” he whispered into her ear.  “Your presentation will be phenomenal.  You’ll win us this account.  And,” he pulled back so she faced him once more, “you will be greatly rewarded.”

Her brow furrowed.  What did that mean?  Did he mean to reward her personally or professionally?  She shook her head to clear away the confusing thoughts.  “I really have to go,” she said quietly.

Sam gazed into her eyes, unsure of what he saw there.  “Okay, Haley.  Just leave your weekend open.  I’m going to need you the entire time.”

She cocked her head to the side, more confused than ever.  “Alright,” she acquiesced.

Haley wandered down the hall, took the elevator to the floor the art department resided on, and slowly made her way to her destination.  He believed in her.  That had to count for something.  But the closer the holidays came, the sadder she grew.  It wasn’t just missing her family.  This year she would have plenty of people to spend her time with.  It was that she was so attached to Sam and the coming of the new year would mean she had to create a new life all over again.  And she liked this one.  She liked working in the advertising agency.  She liked being with Sam.  She liked living in that house, with him.  For the first time in a long time, she was allowing herself to be happy.  She took a deep breath and plastered a serene look on her face.  Taking one final step, she pushed open the art department door.

That was far less painful than he had imagined.  He spoke to a travel agent who helped him plan the perfect vacation for them.  They would be heading to the airport immediately after work on Thursday.  He knew how these accounts were won.  He had spent many weekends agonizing as he awaited a decision.  And rather than have Haley pacing and unsettled, he was taking her some place warm and tropical, some place where she couldn’t help but relax.  At least, that was what he was going to tell her.  He smiled. 

Tuesday afternoon he sent her shopping.  “I need you to pick some business casual suits and some more cocktail dresses,” Sam ordered. 

“Why?”  She asked seriously.

He looked at her very patiently for a moment.  “Can you look me in the face and tell me you have anything to wear for your presentation in two days?”  He studied her reaction.

Suddenly it was dawning on Haley that while she felt very different, she really hadn’t significantly changed her wardrobe.  Sam had bought her some eveningwear, and some dress casual, but her work attire had remained the same.  She still sported her voluminous dresses.  She still hid.

Haley swallowed hard.  “You’re right,” she admitted.  “I really don’t have any clothes to wear for that occasion.”

He leaned across the desk at her.  “It’s more than that.  You need to have clothes that will help you be taken more seriously.  If you want a future in this business…” His voice trailed off. 

“I do,” she assured him.  “I want that more than anything.”

Sam stared at her in silence.  “More than anything?”  He wasn’t sure how to take that.  He wanted to be more of a draw than what he could offer.  He knew she wasn’t interested in him for his money.  She had made that abundantly clear, but he needed to mean more than the jobs or the contacts he could offer her. 

“So, I should go now?”  She asked, interrupting his thoughts.  Quietly he nodded.  And she rose to leave.

Moments after she departed, Sam made his decision.  Heading down the hall, he made his way once more to Jake’s office.

“Huh,” Jake remarked as Sam entered the room.  “So, I take it you’re finally speaking to me again.”

Sam scowled instantly.  “I was never not speaking to you, Jake.  I’ve just been a little overwhelmed.”

“Apparently not so overwhelmed you couldn’t make an ass of yourself.”  He still steamed over the perceived mistreatment of Haley.

“Listen.  I’m trying to make things right with her.  I need your help for a part of that.”  He lowered himself into his usual chair.

“Doing what?”  Jake’s eyes narrowed.

“I need you to do more investigative work for me,” he began seriously.  “I need you to find this guy that hurt her.  He needs to be brought to justice so that she can stop running, so she can stop looking over her shoulder, so she can have a shot at a life.” 
A life with me,
he thought to himself.

“Okay,” Jake said slowly.  “I’ll do this for her.”  He saw Sam’s eyebrow arch dangerously.  “And because you pay me to.”

“That’s more like it,” Sam said angrily.  He knew where he stood at the moment with Jake, but he wasn’t going to let the man forget who was in charge.  He rose to leave.  As he glanced over his shoulder, he paused.  “Oh, and Jake?  The sooner the better.”  Without waiting for so much as a nod, he walked the hall back to his office. 

Wednesday he was determined to help her relax.  Sam knew what a daunting task it was giving a presentation before the board of a prospective company.  He knew that as prepared and qualified as Haley was, if she was tense or timid, she could still lose the account.  She had to be bold and confident, and he was certain he could assist in that department.

“Nervous?”  He asked as the day drew to a close.  For the past hour, he had purposely left the door ajar so that he could watch her.  She had been squirming in her seat, unable to get comfortable, sorting through all of her materials for her big day.  He could tell that she had been mentally rehearsing.  Just watching her brought a smile to his face.

She shrugged, embarrassed at being caught.  “I’m fine.  I mean, I did my best.  I think the concept is great and the art department even exceeded my expectations.  I just…”  She swallowed and took a deep breath.  “I’ve never done this before. Nothing in my past has prepared me for this.”  She stared into his warm eyes for a moment, wondering at what she saw there before continuing.  “I don’t want to embarrass you, or the agency.”  She lowered her gaze until she was staring at the floor.

“I’ve been watching you,” he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear him.  “I’ve been admiring the way you have handled all of the responsibilities you’ve been saddled with recently.”  He reached over to caress her cheek.  Immediately, her eyes darted to his face and she inhaled sharply.  “Tonight I want to take your mind off of all this.”  He waved his hand in the air to encompass their surroundings. 

Sam stood and walked over to his secret closet.  He pressed on the panel to expose the contents of the space and produced a garment bag, a box of shoes and a bag of accessories.  “Try this on,” he suggested.  “If it looks as great as I imagine it will, then we will go out on the town to celebrate.”

Haley cocked her head to the side.  “But I haven’t even won us the account yet.”

He smiled widely at her.  “That’s not what we’re celebrating,” he said lovingly.

“I’m more confused than before,” she mumbled as she rose to leave the room.

Chuckling, Sam said, “We’re celebrating your successful completion of the campaign.”  He watched her pause and turn to face him.  “I would love to have the business,” he admitted with a slow nod, “but we’re not desperate for it.”  He watched her relax some.  “This is about your growth and development in the agency, about your proving what you are capable of.  You selected the account you wanted to go after, you assembled a team, created a pitch, and earned the respect of those you worked with.”  Haley leaned against the doorway as she continued to listen to his spiel.  She had never thought of the experience in those terms.

“No one came running to me complaining or in a panic.  That is a rare and beautiful thing in this company.  I didn’t have to put out any fires or do any mediation.  It ran so smoothly that I could concentrate on more important matters, like being with Adam.”  He smiled at her.  “Whether we win or lose this campaign, Haley, you were successful.  And you have earned yourself another shot at an account either way.”

A smile spread over her face as she mulled over everything he had said.  Sam wouldn’t measure her success in wins and losses.  He was just pleased with the way she handled everything.  And suddenly all the pressures just melted away.  Slowly, she pried herself off the doorway and turned toward the executive bathrooms.  In an instant, she paused.  “What if it doesn’t look great?”  She asked out of curiosity.