Sam

I get up early Friday morning and join Cooper for breakfast. Since Shane’s been sleeping in with Beth lately, it’s just the two of us up at this quiet hour. While Cooper cracks some eggs and starts the coffee, I make toast. He’s already dressed for work, but I’m still wearing my fleece pajama bottoms and nothing else.

While he’s standing at the stove, cooking the eggs, I come up behind him and slip my hands around his waist, linking my fingers over his washboard abs. “Don’t forget to pack your hiking boots for the weekend,” I say. “I feel like getting back to nature.”

He laughs. “Will do.”

We finish preparing breakfast together, then sit at the counter to eat. I love being with him like this, quiet and domestic. It makes me think about crazy things, like one day the two of us getting married. It’s so easy to picture him as my husband. Last night he made love to me with such a sense of urgency, which I attributed to him still being worked up over Craig’s unexpected appearance.

I reach over and brush my thumb across the back of his hand, tracing the path of a sexy tendon. “Craig was never more to me than just a friend, you know that, right? I was always planning to come back. I just needed some space.”

His throat works as he nods. He takes in a deep breath, then blows it out. His eyes are pained when he looks at me. “I know I drove you away. I don’t blame you—it was my fault. I deserved it.”

“No, I—”

“No, don’t. Don’t let me off the hook by giving me an excuse. I was a coward, and I let you down. I’m sorry.”

I slide off my barstool and turn Cooper’s seat so that he’s facing me. I step between his knees and bring my hands up to cup his face. “I understand better now where you were coming from, and I don’t blame you for your fears. I know now that they were valid ones. We get a do-over now, all right? We get to start over.”

I kiss him then, and he squeezes his eyes shut.

* * *

After we finish eating, I clean up the kitchen while Cooper finishes getting ready for work. When he’s done, he returns to the kitchen to give me a mint-flavored good-bye kiss. I walk him to the foyer.

“Good luck with your assessment test today,” he says. “Don’t be too disappointed if you don’t pass this first time.”

“Oh, I’m going to pass. You can bank on it.”

He smiles at me. “Good. Then we’ll have something extra to celebrate this weekend.”

I give him one last kiss before he steps inside the elevator. We’re so domestic—I could get used to this. And I really like the idea of going away with him for the weekend—we can play house out in the woods together and get into all kinds of trouble.

“I’ll make arrangements with Jake to borrow his cabin,” he says, just as the doors begin to close. “We’ll leave this afternoon.”

“Perfect.”

Once he’s gone, I head to the fitness room to do some stretching and warm up to get in a couple of good practice sessions. I can crank out the push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups now…exactly as prescribed. And I can do the run, so I’m all set.

A bleary-eyed Beth, still in her PJs, comes to find me in the middle of doing another set of pull-ups on the chin bar.

“Today’s the day,” she says, grinning at me. “Do you think you can do it?”

“I know I can do it. Consider yourself on parole starting around noon today.”

“Can I come with you? We could stop at Clancy’s afterwards. I need to see Erin and check on my books.”

“They’re your books, huh? All seventy thousand of them?”

“Yes, they’re mine.” She frowns. “Besides, I miss my store, and I miss my friends.”

“All right, you can come with me—you’ll be my good luck charm—and afterwards we’ll go Clancy’s.”

Once we’re ready to leave, we stop at Shane’s open office door.

“I’m going with Sam to the office for his assessment. And then afterwards—when he passes—we’re going to Clancy’s for a while.”

Shane looks up from his desk, his brow furrowing as he considers her statement. I don’t think he missed that fact that she was telling him, not asking him. My girl is developing a backbone!

Shane leans back in his chair, looking pensive. “Sounds like a great idea,” he says, and I think he managed to surprise us both.

“Really?” she says.

“Yes, absolutely. Have fun.” He hits a few keys on his laptop and closes the lid. “In fact, I might as well go back to the office. I’ll ride along with you.”

I have to give the guy credit—that was slick. He let her have her way without exposing her to any potential risk in the process. He drives us in the Escalade and parks in the garage beneath the McIntyre Security, Inc. building. Once we’re in the elevator, he presses the buttons for the third and twentieth floors.

“Good luck, Sam,” Shane says, when the elevator doors open on the third floor, and Beth and I step out. “I would say ‘break a leg,’ but under the circumstances, I don’t think it would be wise.”

Shane leaves us as he heads up to the floor where his office is located. Beth follows me into the martial arts studio, and we find Liam on the mats with a small group of female employees. He’s barefoot, dressed in a pair of black cross-trainer shorts and a gray McIntyre Security T-shirt. The women, all ages and levels of fitness, are going through some repetitive motions.

I’m a few minutes early for my appointment, so I steer Beth to sit in the row of chairs at the side of the room while we watch Liam conclude what appears to be a self-defense class.

“You should take a self-defense class,” I whisper to Beth.

“I tried that once. Shane freaked out every time someone threw me down onto the mat.”

I laugh. “Why does that not surprise me? Maybe he’d be okay if Lia taught you some moves.”

“She did teach me a few things.”

Liam’s class finishes up then, and the women head for the locker rooms to change.

Liam joins us. “Hi, sis,” he says, kissing Beth’s cheek. “Hi, Sam. You ready?”

I rise from my chair, leaving Beth to sit and watch. “Yes. Let’s do this.”

“What do you want to do first? Run or the mat work?”

“The mat work.”

“Okay.” He motions me toward the mats. “Go for it.”

I shuck off my sweatpants, leaving me dressed in workout shorts and a T-shirt. I take a seat on the mat, and Liam crouches at my feet.

“I’ll hold your feet,” he says, gripping my ankles. He’s got a stop watch suspended from a chain around his neck. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Go, Sam!” Beth yells, offering some inspiration. “You can do it!”

Liam glances at Beth, grinning. “You brought your own cheerleader?”

“Yeah.”

I crank through the sit-ups and push-ups with a few seconds to spare each time. Then I move to the bar anchored to the wall and power through the required number of pull-ups.

“Great job,” Liam says when I drop to the ground. “Ready to run?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I head for the oval running track that hugs the perimeter of the room. I have ten minutes to run a mile-and-a-half, which is 18 laps around the room. Liam gives me the go-ahead, and as I start running, he goes to sit with Beth, the two of them chatting as I run my ass off.

I’m tired from the mat work, but also energized that I’m close to being able to get back to work. I power through the run, digging hard for the speed and stamina I need to beat the clock. Beth follows my progress with her gaze, waving at me every time I run past her position. There’s a large digital timer on the wall I can use to measure my progress. Finally, with thirty seconds to spare, I hit my target and jog over to Beth and Liam.

Liam stands and offers me his hand. “Good job. Welcome back to work, dude.”

Beth jumps to her feet and gives me a hug, despite the fact that I’m a hot mess. I leave them to their conversation as I head for the men’s locker room for a quick shower and to change back into my street clothes.

After I’m changed, I say my good-byes to Liam, and Beth and I take the elevator up to the twentieth floor.

I pull out my phone and send Cooper a quick text.

I passed.

Cooper sends me a prompt reply.

I knew you would. We’ll celebrate tonight at the cabin. Your ass is mine. Be ready.

She watches me out of the corner of her eye. “What are you grinning about?” she says.

“Nothing.”

She pokes me with her elbow. “Liar. Did you get a text from your boyfriend?”

I try to hold back my smile, but I fail miserably. “Yes.”

“Is he proud of you?”

I nudge her with my hip. “Yes. He’s taking me away for a romantic weekend. We’re going to spend the weekend up at Jake’s cabin.”

“Oooh, I love Jake’s cabin. You’re going to have so much fun, just the two of you rolling around in the leaves.”

When the elevator stops, we step out into the corridor in front of the administration suites. A glass wall has the McIntyre Security, Inc. logo etched into it. I hold the door for Beth, and we head to the desk belonging to Shane’s executive assistant—a sweet little lady with short, curly white hair and softly wrinkled skin.

“Hello, dear,” Diane says, beaming at Beth. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, thanks,” she says.

“And Sam, it’s so good to see you back again. How’s your leg?”

“Right as rain,” I say. “I’m officially recuperated and back to work.”

“Do you know if Shane’s busy right now?” Beth says.

Diane’s face lights up, her blue eyes crinkling at the corners as she smiles. “Beth, honey, he’s never too busy for you.” She picks up her landline. “Hold on, sweetie. Let me tell him you’re here.”

Barely a moment later, Shane’s door opens, and he walks out of his office looking all GQ in his gray suit, white dress shirt, and black tie. Damn. I’m certainly not coveting my best friend’s husband, but even I have to admit the man is smoking hot.

“Hi, sweetheart,” Shane says, pulling her into his arms for a quick kiss. Then he extends his hand to me for a handshake. “Liam just called. He told me you passed with flying colors. Congratulations, Sam, and welcome back.”

“Thanks. It’s good to be back.”

“And now that my bodyguard is back, we’re free to roam the city,” Beth says.

Shane raises an eyebrow as he shakes his head. “Roam the city? I don’t think so. You can go to Clancy’s and that’s it. Until further notice, all right?”

“All right, fine,” she says, tugging on my arm. “Come on, let’s go. I need to see my store.”

Shane gives Beth a light kiss on the lips. “Have fun.”

* * *

Beth and I catch a taxi to the bookstore, which is little more than a mile from the McIntyre Security, Inc. building on N. Michigan Avenue, right in the middle of shopping heaven, just blocks from Water Tower Place and other iconic Chicago shopping destinations.

Her enthusiasm for getting back to a sense of normalcy is contagious. It’s been over three months since I’ve been able to escort her to Clancy’s. I guess we’re both ready to get back to our familiar routine.

When we walk through the front doors, we’re greeted by a cheering crowd.

Erin is right in front of said crowd, and she practically launches herself into my arms. “Sam! You’re back!”

Mack shakes my hand, as does the dozen Clancy’s employees gathered around. I recognize some of them from the business offices upstairs, and some from the customer check-out lanes. I’m surprised to see Cameron Stewart here, too—I guess he’s part of the temporary increase in security. It’s quite a festive environment with clusters of colorful helium balloons perched on almost every table top.

“Thank God you’re back,” Mack says. “I’ve been so outnumbered.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can hold your own against the ladies,” I tell him, glancing pointedly at Erin, who’s currently deep in conversation with Beth. I nod toward Cameron. “And it looks like you have some extra help.”

Mack nods. “Cameron and Killian are both helping out here for the time being, until your fugitive-from-the-law friend from down south is captured.”

Erin and Beth start walking away, arm in arm, heading deeper into the store. “If you’ll excuse me,” I tell Mack, pointing at the girls, “duty calls.”

I’m still high from passing my physical assessment—thank God I passed the first time. Cooper would never have let me live it down if I’d failed. Everything just seems to be coming together. Cooper is opening up to me, I’m back to work. My sexy guy is stealing me away to a remote cabin in the woods for the weekend. I can see it now—long, romantic hikes in the woods followed by wild make-out sessions in front of the fire. God, I hope there’s a fireplace.

I follow the girls at a respectful distance, giving them a little privacy to catch up on all the girl time they’ve been missing. They seem deep in conversation, although Erin’s doing most of the talking. She’s probably catching Beth up on what’s been going on here at the store, and maybe throwing in a little bit of gossip about what Mack’s been up to.

Poor Mack. I sympathize with the guy. Erin is one adorable little female—yeah, adorable. That’s the best way to describe her, adorable like a favorite little sister. Petite, dark hair, blue eyes and freckles. She’s twenty-two, but she looks younger, which just adds to both her frustration and his. And while Erin looks like a little woodland fairy, Mack is built like a tank, six-six with muscles to spare. My God he’d crush her in bed. Which is partly why Shane put the fear of God into Mack, threatening him with bodily harm if he ever did anything to hurt little Miss Erin O’Connor.

Of course, I guess you could say Shane’s being a bit hypocritical, as he’s the same age as Mack, and Beth’s just two years older than Erin. So, it’s definitely a case of the pot calling the kettle black, if you ask me. And Mack, well he’s a good guy. Very chivalrous. And that’s why little Miss Erin makes him so nervous. When she bats those baby blues at him, fluttering those long dark eyelashes, he gets hives.

As I follow the girls through the magazine section, I grab the closest thing that looks interesting—Modern Gun—so I have something to read while they’re catching up on whatever important things they need to catch up on. With these two, there’s no telling. It could be work, or it could be the latest viral video of a cute baby or a cat.

After they make a complete circuit of the first floor of the bookstore, they head up the curved staircase to the second floor. I follow a dozen yards behind them, close enough to step in should I need to, but not close enough to eavesdrop on their private talk. They turn right and disappear down the hallway that leads to the administrative offices, and I join them in Beth’s office.

“I knew you would do great,” Beth says to Erin. “Didn’t I tell you? The store’s running perfectly, like a well-oiled machine. You’re a natural leader.”

Erin’s pacing like a nervous sparrow.

“Just like old times, eh?” I say. My comfy sofa is right where I left it, in front of a large picture window that overlooks N. Michigan Avenue. Ah, yes, it’s good to be back.

Beth gives me a pleading look. “You tell her.”

“Tell her what?”

“Erin doesn’t think she can manage the store when I go on maternity leave this summer.”

I put my arm across Erin’s shoulders and pull her close. “Of course, you can do it, Erin. You’re a natural, and everyone here loves you.” Including the head of security.

“You’re doing great,” Beth tells her. “And you have three more months to get used to the idea. I’ll help you.”

Erin doesn’t seem convinced, but at least she stops fidgeting.

Now that the drama seems to have died down somewhat, I plop down on my favorite sofa and put my feet up on the coffee table. “Who’s hungry? I just busted my ass at McIntyre Security, and I’m starving. Let’s order something in. Who feels like Chinese?”

Beth drops down onto the sofa beside me and pats my leg. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

“Me, too, princess. Now, let’s call in some food.”

I phone in an order for delivery from our favorite Chinese restaurant, while Beth and Erin go over the new book orders for the next couple of weeks. While the girls are talking numbers and new releases and book clubs, and all that shop talk, I entertain myself catching up on my favorite YouTubers. Half an hour later, Mack knocks on Beth’s door, then walks in carrying our lunch order.

“Somebody ordered Chinese?”

“Yes!” Beth says. “Thank goodness, because we’re starving.”

There’s plenty of food here, so we talk Mack into joining us for an impromptu lunch. We grab our beverages of choice from the refrigerator in Beth’s office, then sit down to enjoy our food.

Beth sits at her desk to eat, while the rest of us sit on the sofa. Erin sits between me and Mack, and I watch her nibbling on her Veggie Delight—barely eating enough to keep a bird alive. Mack makes up for her slack by eating a mountain of food, but I guess it takes that much food to power his big body.

I watch Mack out of the corner of my eye and can’t help noticing that he spends most of his time watching Erin, offering her a veggie spring roll or a napkin or more rice. I’m sure she has absolutely no idea of the power she has over him.

When we’re done eating, Mack heads back downstairs to work, and Erin goes off to place the book orders that she and Beth poured over. Beth comes to sit beside me on the sofa.

She leans her head against my shoulder and sighs. “We should get going. You need to go home and pack for your getaway weekend. Do you know what you’re going to bring with you?”

“Beth, we’ll probably spend the entire weekend hiking, so all I need are jeans, sweatshirts, and hiking boots.”

She gives me a lewd grin. “I don’t think hiking is the only thing you’ll be doing. Besides, you might want to go into town to eat. There’s a nice diner there, and Lucky’s Tavern serves great food. The owner, Hal, is really nice, and he’s friends with Shane.”

“Isn’t that the bar where Lia and Jonah nearly got their asses kicked?”

“Hardly,” Beth scoffs. “Nobody kicks Lia’s ass. It was the other way around. Now, come on, back to what you’re going to pack.”

“Hey, as long as we have plenty of lube, I’m good to go.”