white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are just as delicious.” A smile crossed her lips. “And even better, there’s absolutely no danger of falling in love if you eat one.”
Before he could tell himself that it was far smarter to resist, to ignore whatever silly, impractical feelings Sam had awakened in him, Flynn found his lips parting and his mouth accepting the sweet morsel.
The minute the cookie hit his palate, Flynn knew this interview would be unlike any other.
And that would be a problem indeed.
CHAPTER FIVE
S AM CHANGED into a dress. Out of a dress. Into jeans. Out of jeans. Into a skirt. Out of the skirt and back into the jeans. Finally, she settled on a deep green sweater with pearl beading around the collar and black slacks, with pointy-toed dress boots. Nothing too sexy, or that screamed trying to impress the guy.
Even if she was.
Though she couldn’t say why. Flynn MacGregor had been incredibly disagreeable, and not at all her kind of man. Even if he did have nice hands. Deep blue eyes. Broad shoulders. And a way of entering a room that commanded attention.
All that changing and fussing over her appearance made her ten minutes late. She entered Hall’s Steaks and Ribs, brushing the snow from her hair and shoulders, half expecting Flynn to make a note in his notebook about the Joyful Creations’ owner’s lack of punctuality. Instead, he simply gave her a nod, not so much as a smile, and rose to pull out her chair. “Is it still snowing?”
Okay, so she was a little disappointed that he hadn’t said she looked pretty. Hadn’t acknowledged her one iota as a woman.
She was here for an interview, not a date. To grow her business. “It’s a light snow now. The weatherman said we’ll only get another inch or two tonight.”
“Good. Hopefully Earl has my car fixed and I can get back on the road in the morning.” Flynn took the opposite seat, then handed one of the menus to Sam.
She put it to the side. “Thank you. But I already know what I want.”
“Eat here often?”
“When there’s only one restaurant in town, this is pretty much the date hot spot.” Sam felt her face heat. Why had she mentioned dates?
“Are you here often? On dates?” He glanced around the dark cranberry-and-gold room, decorated in a passably good imitation of Italianate style, considering the building was a modern A-frame. The restaurant was crowded, the hum of conversation providing a steady buzz beneath the instrumental Christmas carols playing on the sound system.
“Me?” Sam laughed. “Yeah, in all my spare time. Like those five minutes I had back in 2005.”
He let out a chuff. “Probably the same five I had.”
A waitress came by their table—a willowy blonde on the Riverbend High School pep squad whose name temporarily eluded Sam’s memory—and dropped off two glasses of water, but didn’t pause long enough to take their orders.
“You must travel a lot for your job,” Sam said.
Flynn took a sip and nodded. “About half the year I’m on the road. The other half I’m behind a computer.”
“So I’m not the only workaholic in the room?”
“My job demands long hours.”
Sam arched a brow. “Oh, I get it. You’re a special case. Whereas I’m…” She trailed off, leaving him to fill in the blank.
“Ambitious, too.” He tipped his glass toward her, in a touché gesture.
“Exactly. Then you can understand why I want to expand the shop.”
“I do. I just think you should understand what you’re getting yourself into when you start pursuing fame, fortune, the American dream.”
“I do.” The way he’d said the words, though, made Sam feel as if what she wanted was wrong. That she was being self-serving. Had she expressed her dream wrong? No, she hadn’t. He’d simply misinterpreted her.
Besides, Flynn MacGregor didn’t know the whole story, nor did he need to. She had to get out of Riverbend. Away, not just from this town, but from things she couldn’t change, things
Before he could tell himself that it was far smarter to resist, to ignore whatever silly, impractical feelings Sam had awakened in him, Flynn found his lips parting and his mouth accepting the sweet morsel.
The minute the cookie hit his palate, Flynn knew this interview would be unlike any other.
And that would be a problem indeed.
CHAPTER FIVE
S AM CHANGED into a dress. Out of a dress. Into jeans. Out of jeans. Into a skirt. Out of the skirt and back into the jeans. Finally, she settled on a deep green sweater with pearl beading around the collar and black slacks, with pointy-toed dress boots. Nothing too sexy, or that screamed trying to impress the guy.
Even if she was.
Though she couldn’t say why. Flynn MacGregor had been incredibly disagreeable, and not at all her kind of man. Even if he did have nice hands. Deep blue eyes. Broad shoulders. And a way of entering a room that commanded attention.
All that changing and fussing over her appearance made her ten minutes late. She entered Hall’s Steaks and Ribs, brushing the snow from her hair and shoulders, half expecting Flynn to make a note in his notebook about the Joyful Creations’ owner’s lack of punctuality. Instead, he simply gave her a nod, not so much as a smile, and rose to pull out her chair. “Is it still snowing?”
Okay, so she was a little disappointed that he hadn’t said she looked pretty. Hadn’t acknowledged her one iota as a woman.
She was here for an interview, not a date. To grow her business. “It’s a light snow now. The weatherman said we’ll only get another inch or two tonight.”
“Good. Hopefully Earl has my car fixed and I can get back on the road in the morning.” Flynn took the opposite seat, then handed one of the menus to Sam.
She put it to the side. “Thank you. But I already know what I want.”
“Eat here often?”
“When there’s only one restaurant in town, this is pretty much the date hot spot.” Sam felt her face heat. Why had she mentioned dates?
“Are you here often? On dates?” He glanced around the dark cranberry-and-gold room, decorated in a passably good imitation of Italianate style, considering the building was a modern A-frame. The restaurant was crowded, the hum of conversation providing a steady buzz beneath the instrumental Christmas carols playing on the sound system.
“Me?” Sam laughed. “Yeah, in all my spare time. Like those five minutes I had back in 2005.”
He let out a chuff. “Probably the same five I had.”
A waitress came by their table—a willowy blonde on the Riverbend High School pep squad whose name temporarily eluded Sam’s memory—and dropped off two glasses of water, but didn’t pause long enough to take their orders.
“You must travel a lot for your job,” Sam said.
Flynn took a sip and nodded. “About half the year I’m on the road. The other half I’m behind a computer.”
“So I’m not the only workaholic in the room?”
“My job demands long hours.”
Sam arched a brow. “Oh, I get it. You’re a special case. Whereas I’m…” She trailed off, leaving him to fill in the blank.
“Ambitious, too.” He tipped his glass toward her, in a touché gesture.
“Exactly. Then you can understand why I want to expand the shop.”
“I do. I just think you should understand what you’re getting yourself into when you start pursuing fame, fortune, the American dream.”
“I do.” The way he’d said the words, though, made Sam feel as if what she wanted was wrong. That she was being self-serving. Had she expressed her dream wrong? No, she hadn’t. He’d simply misinterpreted her.
Besides, Flynn MacGregor didn’t know the whole story, nor did he need to. She had to get out of Riverbend. Away, not just from this town, but from things she couldn’t change, things
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