CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“CONGRATULATIONS!” Carley’s voice rang out over the phone. “I’ll bet your dad is so proud.”
“Yeah,” Samantha said, fingering the silky petal of a white lily in the huge flower arrangement her father had sent to her office with a card that read “I knew you could do it—you’re a Stone!”
And, true to form, Packard had also left a voice message on her phone, telling her to let him know when she was ready to move forward with the patent on her retaining wall system. She smiled and shook her head, but she couldn’t hold a grudge against him—everyone was wrong sometimes. Only sometimes it cost a person more than she could have imagined.
Teague’s face popped into her mind as it had so often in the past week since he’d walked off the job site and driven away. It had been the longest week of her life.
“So, are things still hot and heavy with the attorney?” Carley asked.
Samantha pressed her lips together, thinking that the only good thing about Teague dumping her was that thegirls would never know that she’d reneged on their pact. “Uh, well, things have cooled down a bit.”
“Oh, no! What happened?”
A rap sounded on her door, and Price stuck his head in, his eyes as round as coasters. “You have a visitor,” he whispered in a rush. “It’s yourforeman,but he looks…different.”
Her vital signs went haywire. “Carley, I have to go.”
“Wait—tell me what happened!”
She hung up the phone while her friend was still protesting.
Teague walked in, breathtaking in a dark olive suit that complemented his dark skin and deep green eyes. He carried a small box. Price pointed at Teague’s jacket and mouthed, “Armani,” then backed out and closed the door.
Despite his impeccable grooming, Teague looked uncomfortable. “Did I come at a bad time?”
She stood but averted her gaze, afraid that she would telegraph the feelings she still had for him. “No, this is fine. Um, won’t you sit down?”
“Thanks, but I only came by to give you this.” He extended the box stiffly.
Sam frowned but took it and opened it, then smiled in surprise to see a replica of the crystal miniature that had been shattered when they’d knocked it off the counter in her condo. “The Barcelona Pavilion. You didn’t have to replace it, but…thank you.” Her cheeks flamed when she remembered what they had been doing at the time.
“Actually,” Teague said, “I wanted to thankyou,Samantha.”
“F-for what?”
“For showing me what a hypocrite I was,” he said quietly. “I did exactly what I accused you of—I misjudged you because of your circumstances and your appearance. I assumed you were still daddy’s little girl, getting ahead on your father’s reputation and money.” He shifted foot to foot, then made direct eye contact. “You’re a talented architect, and your retaining wall design is brilliant. You have my utmost respect, and I know that the Carlyle Library will be the first of many successes.”
She blinked in astonishment at his speech, tamping down the emotion that crowded her chest. “That means a lot to me, Teague.”
“I’ll be going now,” he said, moving toward the door.
Her heart sank, but she nodded, smoothing her hand over the tiny details of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona Pavilion. She had always wanted to see it in person, but now it would only remind her of Teague.
“Samantha?”
She looked up to see him standing with his hand on the doorknob.
“When you came to my house, you said you loved me.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Did you mean it?”
She set down the miniature and nodded, no longer caring if she looked foolish. If he needed to hear how completely he’d conned her, it was a small price to payfor him delivering the site excavation on time. “I didn’t tell you sooner because…I didn’t want it to affect our working relationship.” A dry laugh escaped her. “Considering everything that’s happened, that’s pretty laughable, huh?”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “No.” He walked back to her desk, his expression sending her heart pounding against her breastbone. “The thing is…I mean, what I should have told you sooner…and I don’t expect you to believe me, but…”
She squinted. “But?”
He looked like a tortured man as he struggled for words, then it seemed as if something inside of him broke loose as his gaze met hers. “I love you, too, Sam. I always have, since we were kids.” He exhaled noisily. “But after what I did to you,” he said, his voice shaking, “I’d understand if you wanted me to just…go away.”
