Sam stopped twirling. “Huh?”
“You know, the other guy who showed up, wanting you to look at some plans or something.”
“Oh…that guy.” Sam pinched the bridge of her nose, reminding herself that Carley thought she’d been talking about her neighbor. “He’s the foreman on the library job site.”
“Oh, well I guess you couldn’t hook up with him even if hewasavailable, seeing as how you work together. But who cares about a sweaty construction worker when you’ve got an attorney who makes love like a porn star?”
“My thoughts exactly,” Sam murmured, feeling miserable.
“What’s his name?”
“Who?”
“The horny attorney—who do you think?”
“Oh. Uh, Stewart.”
“Well, I’m really happy for you, Sam. I hope that what you and Stewart have will blossom into true love.”
Somehow Samantha doubted it, considering Stewart had been walking by her door when Teague had left last night and she’d been wearing a robe. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the plans Teague had been holding weren’t the only thing that had been rolled. And the strange thing was, she hadn’t cared.
Sam’s lips parted in sudden realization—she was in love with Teague Brownlee.
“You were right, Sam,” Carley said. “All you had to do was decide not to waste time on any more unsuitable guys, and next thing you know you’re having a wild fling with a guy who’s not only great in bed, but successful, too.”
Sam massaged the sudden discomfort behind her breastbone. “Right,” she said weakly. Good God, what had she done? Fallen for a man who could never make her happy.
Yet he did, she realized in a wondrous split second of revelation. There was no denying that she just wanted to be around Teague, that he dominated her thoughts day and night. And no matter what he’d chosen to do with his life, he was the only man she’d ever known who could make her body come alive, who could talk about her work and who made her feel confident.
“Sam?”
Besides, digging ditches was not only an honest way to make a living but was essential for a project like hers to be completed. How could she have been such a snob? She’d almost closed her heart to Teague because he didn’t aspire to a flashy, high-stress corporate job…because he wasn’t chasing the almighty dollar, because he chose to do what he enjoyed and to lead a simple life.
“Sam? Are you there?”
A rap sounded on her office door, then Price stuck his head inside. “The inspector is on the phone.”
Samantha’s heartbeat picked up. “Carley, I hate to run, but I have to take this call about the library job site pre-closing inspection. Wish me luck. This could make or break my career.”
“You have it. A man in your bed and a feather in your cap—sounds like you’re having a banner week, Sam. Let me know how it goes.”
Samantha said goodbye and disconnected the call. Price held up crossed fingers and backed out, closing the door. Sam sent a quick prayer heavenward, then pressed the button for the call on hold. “This is Samantha Stone.”
“Ms. Stone, this is Daniel Fenton with the city inspector’s office.”
“Yes, Mr. Fenton, I’ve been expecting your call.”
“I’m afraid we’ve got some problems on the Carlyle Library site.”
Her stomach plummeted. “Problems? What kind of problems?”
He started reciting items, including permits that hadn’t been applied for and ending with the more serious allegation that foundations for neighboring buildings hadn’t been reinforced properly to ensure they weren’t compromised structurally from the amount of dirt being displaced for the library foundation. There were concerns about water runoff and even soil samples that indicated they might need to dig deeper to reach more bedrock. The longer the list grew, the lower Sam’s heart sank. “Did you review these items with my foreman, Mr. Brownlee?”
“Sure. He didn’t seem concerned.”
She sighed in relief. “So there won’t be a problem addressing all these items before Monday?”
The inspector’s dry laugh sounded on the line. “Monday? No way. Maybe aweekfrom Monday if you can get your permits expedited and if your foreman and crew break their backs between now and then.”
