Page 88 of Breaking the Ice

“Well, that’s a very generous offer, Steve,” she heard Nick say. And then, “I’m not sure I’m there yet…” Followed by, “I’ll think about it.”

She realized she was eavesdropping and picked a random book off the shelf and concentrated on the blurb until Nick said goodbye. Replacing the book she wandered out from the shelves. “Who’s Steve?”

“An ESPN executive. Sounding me out about a sportscaster gig.”

“Oh.” She blinked. “Wow.”

He shrugged. “Yep.”

“Why would he do that when you’re still playing?”

“It’s not the first offer I’ve ever had. You hit a certain age and the sharks begin to circle. Add in an injury and…”

“But you’re not interested, right?”

“I’m not ready to hang up my skates just yet.”

Samantha realized she’d been holding her breath hoping that he might be having the same kind of doubt over his direction as she was over hers but his response was quick and definitive.

Of course.

Just because they’d slept together and her eggs had decided he wastheone, didn’t mean it was reciprocated. They’d been having fun until their lives took them in a different direction.

Period.

And suddenly she was exceptionally grateful to be heading back to her old job. She was going to miss him like crazy so the distraction of sorting out Ray’s mess would be perfect. The next month or so in particular would require a lot of dedication and hard work, a lot of long hours and frankly, it couldn’t have happened at a better time.

She’d use the guise of work to undertake a gradual withdrawal from Nick. A slow wean so when he wasn’t here anymore the pain wouldn’t be so bad.

And she wouldn’t do something crazy like ask him to stay.

Everyone greeted her warmly as she alighted the elevator on the twelfth floor, and there was a huge bouquet of flowers waiting for her on the desk in her new office. There was a brief moment of triumph as she fingered her new Porsche key ring, standing at the full-length window. Her corner office gave her a 180-degree view of the city.

She had done it. She’d really done it.

Bob’s office was her next port of call and after much sucking up they got down to business. Samantha had to hand it to Ray. Even she hadn’t thought he’d screw up this badly.

She threw herself straight into it, preferring to work and let her mind be absorbed by figures, profit and loss, tax laws and company policy rather than Nick and the shop. Which worked really well until she reached for a Post-it-note pad to find it was one of the personalized ones Nick had bought for her birthday and the floodgates opened on her Nick memories.

Suddenly the million-dollar views and her new sports car and the ego-inflating devotion Bob was showing faded into insignificance. But she determinedly pushed the thoughts aside as she swapped out the pad for a plain orange one bearing the company logo.

She didnothave time to daydream about Nick.

By the time five o’clock came around however, she could ignore her Nick thoughts no longer. He’d called after lunch to tell her about a Rita Summers that had come into the store and he’d soundedsogood she hadn’t been fully able to concentrate on work ever since.

She knew she should stay behind. God knew there was enough work to keep her in the office until midnight for at leasta month so she should be responsible. Reliable. The person Bob was depending on, but shecouldn’t.

Yes, she was using work to wean herself off Nick, but it was pointless going cold turkey on her first day. Right? She could start the wean tomorrow.

Nick glanced up from the till as the door opened and there she was in her designer suit and her slicked back hair.Hell,he’d missed her.

Meeting her halfway across the floor, he welcomed the impact as their bodies collided. He wanted to hold her and never let her go. Never let her leave the shop or his side. He had missed her every second. Her laughter, her perfume, her banter and conversation.

The customers had missed her as well. Dulcie had lamented her absence and both Kelly and Sally had been disappointed to find only Nick manning the shop in their lunch break. They had all sat with their coffee chatting about Samantha.

It had felt like a wake.

And then she kissed him and it was all he could do not to back her onto the chaise lounge and take her right here in the shop. The windows were tinted and they could lock the door and he wasachingto be inside her. And not just physically.

---