She’d never looked at Sam that way.
He would’ve expected that realization to send him spiraling into misery. But instead he felt a twinge of happiness for his cousin. Even for Amanda, because she seemed different—kinder, softer somehow—than she’d been when Sam had dated her. Tagseemed to have brought out the best in her. And who was Sam to begrudge them that?
He mulled over the situation whileThe Firmplayed out on the TV screen. Troy had been asleep for a long while by the time Sam grabbed his phone off the nightstand and texted Tag.
Twenty-Eight
Your character’sinternal goalis a want or need that has been denied her because of aninternal obstacle, resulting from a previous negative experience. The events of your story should force her to realize and confront this obstacle so she can finally attain her goal.
—Romance Writing 101
Sadie might as well have watched the serial killer show. She tossed and turned all night—but it wasn’t because she feared someone would slip into her second-story hotel room and murder her in some heinous way.
No, it was something much more pleasant—yet somehow just as scary—that had her counting sheep well into the night. Had she and Sam not been interrupted by that knock on the door, he would’ve kissed her. A part of her thrilled to that knowledge. Longed to have his gaze sweep sensuously over her again. And soon. He was all too tempting.
But she’d already determined their relationship was a dead end—her specialty, apparently. In a city of more than eight million people, why couldn’t she find one nice guy who shared common goals and to whom she was attracted?
She’d have to untangle that knotted rope another day. For now she just had to prevent the romance of this tropical wedding from going to her head so she could stay focused on her summer goal: writing her novel.
By the time she finished dressing in a sleeveless fuchsia top and white skirt, her pep talk had worked. First the brunch, then an entire day of hanging out by the pool—with Sam, his darling dimple, and his perfect physique.
Oh dear. She fanned her face.
A knock sounded on the entry door.
She took one last glance in the mirror before crossing the room, Rio underfoot and yapping. “Hush now. Be a good girl and no chewing on the drapes. Here’s Mr.Mouse. I’ll be back and we’ll go for a nice walk around the town.”
At her favorite word the dog’s ears perked and her entire rear end wagged.
“Not right now but in a little while. Mommy will be back soon.” She tossed the toy across the room and while the dog was distracted, she slipped into the hallway.
When she turned, there was Sam, looking very handsome. His white polo set off his tan, and his black shorts made the most of his muscular legs. The hair at his nape was still damp, and her fingers itched to comb through those curls.
“Morning,” he said.
“Good morning.” She cleared the frog from her throat. Heat flared in her cheeks.
His gaze swept over her casual outfit and chic ponytail. “You look nice.”
“Thank you.” She opened her mouth to return the favor, then figured her ten-second ogle had probably been sufficient.
“I didn’t think it would be possible to be hungry this morning,” she said as they headed toward the elevator. “But I was wrong.”
“Should be a nice spread.” When they reached the elevator he punched the Down button. “Listen, Sadie, about this afternoon...”
The elevator doors opened. They stepped inside, joining a middle-aged couple and two teenagers.
The button for the first floor was already lit, so Sadie settled into the front corner next to Sam. The doors swept shut, closing their occupants inside the hushed confines, and the elevator gave a small jolt as it descended.
She wasn’t about to continue their conversation in the quiet. Was he about to ditch her for the afternoon? Was he avoiding her because he regretted their almost-kiss?
Possibly so. And that would probably be for the best.
Her weighted stomach belied the thought. But the last thing she needed was more time with an attractive man who wasn’t right for her. This was why she always cut things off as soon as she realized a man wasn’t right for her. There was no reason to tempt fate.
That’s exactly what had happened to her parents. They’d met on a mission trip to Ecuador and lost their hearts to one another with no thought to how they’d reconcile their very different lifestyles. Her mom left her dream life in New York City and moved to Scranton to marry her father.
And see how that had turned out.
