I sighed. Maybe Shelly was right, and it was just some glitch with their machine or the credit card company’s system. Or maybe Korey was more stressed than I’d realized, and he was starting to let things slip through the cracks.
A wave of guilt washed over me. I should be taking a more active role in those things instead of leaving it all on Korey’s shoulders. It wasn’t fair to him and was probably the reason he’d been so crabby lately. Determined to sort things out with him, I started the car and merged into traffic.
Korey was on a business call when I got there and then I was whisked away to get my hair and makeup done. I watched him slip out the door just before we broke for lunch and he didn’t return until the end of my shoot. It was getting late then, and I just wanted to get home, take a shower, and curl up on the couch with Samuel, but I knew I needed to talk with Korey first.
“Hey! I just saw some of the photos from today and you looked great,” he said as I was shoving my things in my bag.
I grinned at him over my shoulder “Thanks. Greg has a great eye for detail and he knows exactly what he wants from each shot. I like working with him.”
“Good. Maybe we can pair the two of you up on some future projects. It’s been a long day though and I don’t feel like cooking. You want to grab a bite to eat before you go home?”
“Sorry, I can’t. I have plans already,” I told him. I finished shoving everything in my bag then swung it over my shoulder and turned so I could face him.
Korey narrowed his eyes at me. “You have plans? Is it that same guy you’ve been mooning over for the last few weeks?”
I frowned. “I’ve told you his name several times already. It’s Samuel and if you must know, yes, he’s who I have plans with.”
“Whoa!” he said, holding his hands up. “I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just, you’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately. What all do you know about this guy?”
I clenched my jaw, trying to rein in my temper. I knew Korey was only concerned about me because he was my friend. “I know enough to tell that he’s a really great guy and he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.”
“Fine. I hope you’re right.” I cocked my head at him. “What? I’m being serious. You can never be too careful, Oliver. There are a lot of crazies out there.”
“Yeah, well you would know,” I deadpanned. He looked startled at first, but then he laughed as I lost the ability to hide my smirk.
“Whatever. All I’m saying is you should really get to know this guy before you let him get too close.”
“Yes, Dad,” I responded, rolling my eyes.
Korey let out a long-suffering sigh but walked me out to my car. I debated whether to bring the credit card issue up right then, but it had been so long since I’d seen him being anything but completely uptight and I didn’t really want to rock the boat. Maybe I’d just look into things myself. That way he wouldn’t have to worry about it. Especially if it ended up being something as simple as a computer error. We said goodnight and I climbed in my car. My phone rang just then, and I hurried to answer when I saw it was Samuel.
“You better not be calling to cancel,” I joked.
“Not on your life,” he responded. The deep timber of his voice sent a delicious shiver down my spine. “Are you done working for the day?”
“Yes, thankfully,” I sighed.
“Uh oh. Bad day, baby?” My breath caught as I wondered if he’d meant to call me that, but then warmth bloomed inside my chest when he made no apologies or excuses.
“Umm, it wasn’t bad so much as it was a long day.”
“Well, you go on home and take a hot shower to relax yourself. I’ll pick up some dinner for us and head on over.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a prince?” I said teasingly.
“A god, yes, but a prince, no,” he joked back. I laughed, loving the back and forth between us. This was just what I needed after a long, tiring day.
“Well, I’m telling you, you’re a prince. We’ll need to do a little more exploring before I’ll know if you’ve reached god status or not.”
“Oh, I do love a challenge.”
We hung up and I hurried home and jumped in the shower. I had just finished pulling on some clothes when the doorbell rang. I looked in the mirror and ran my fingers through my still-damp hair. I wished I’d had time to do something with it before he got there. I hadn’t even had time to apply any makeup.
I shrugged at my reflection. I suppose he was bound to see me that way eventually. At least if everything kept going as I hoped. I rushed out to the living room and pulled the door open. Samuel was standing there, balancing three white paper bags in his arms and wearing a broad grin.
“I got Chinese. Only I wasn’t sure what you liked so I ordered a variety to choose from,” he said.
I chuckled as I grabbed a bag from him and led him into the kitchen. “Are you sure you just got a variety and not one of everything off the menu?” I joked. I had just set my bag down when a strong set of arms slid around my waist.
