Hiding Out Read online

  He watched her and realized that she was trying to play with him. “My fault? I can’t wait to hear this.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest as though he were angry.

  Haley rewarded him with a true smile. “You see, I knew you had this big presentation today,” she began walking over to his desk. “And I thought you might want to run through it with a practice audience so I could give you pointers.” He chuckled a bit at that. “So, I decided to check out our fine city, instead of rushing directly to work because a very wise man made me see I wasn’t a part of it. That’s when I found this quaint little bakery that makes the most marvelous bagels. I grabbed a couple to share and some coffee for you, tea for me.” She watched him for a reaction, but wasn’t sure what she saw. “Maybe I’m being a bit…presumptuous?”

  Feeling like a huge weight had been lifted, Sam smiled. “Well, let’s have at it, shall we?”

  They sat down and ate together, chatting like old friends, then Sam gave his presentation. Haley applauded and told him that if it were up to her, she’d hire him. And convinced that his world was perfect, he relaxed for the first time in days.

  When he returned from his presentation across town, Sam felt confident that the presentation he and Haley had worked on together was going to be a huge success. He gave her a thumbs-up as he walked in the door. He collected his messages, and collapsed for a few seconds on the couch in his inner sanctum until he realized that the blinking light on his desk indicated he had a missed call on his private line. Slowly, he rose, wondering who would call him on that line. He listened to that message and gulped. He had been so worried about Haley running off that he forgot to call off the investigation.

  Opening the door slowly, Sam gave Haley a serious look. “I have to go out. I’ll be back soon, okay.”

  Nodding curiously, Haley tried to bolster his spirits. “Will you have time to talk to me later about this week’s social calendar?”

  “You’ll really go?” He asked a hint of wonder in his voice.

  “It was an amazing offer,” she said honestly. “How can I turn you down?”

  He squeezed her hand ever so quickly and left the office.

  For some reason, the distance to Jake’s office seemed greater today. When he finally reached the closed door, he flung it open without knocking and began talking rapidly without offering a greeting of any kind. “I need to call it off,” he said loudly and rather out of breath.

  Jake dropped the pen he was holding and folded his hands on his desk. “It’s nice to see you again, Samuel. So good of you to come rushing right over. Can I get you anything? Drink? Snack? Warm towelette? Cold shower?”

  “Sorry,” Sam mumbled. “And I’m good thanks.”

  Jake shook his head seriously. “No, you’re not. What has you so unhinged?”

  Shrugging he said, “I spoke with Haley.”

  “Aha,” Jake interrupted.

  “No, I mean, she made it clear that it was a sign of trust that I was waiting for her to tell me in her own good time and that I hadn’t hired you to check things out.”

  “But you did hire me,” Jake pointed out.

  Sam gave an exasperated sigh. “Yes, but she doesn’t know that.” He looked at his old friend for a moment. “What have you done?” He asked nervously. “You called me for a reason. What have you done?”

  “Whoa,” Jake said annoyed. “Keep in mind I haven’t done anything you didn’t ask me to do. Further more, you made it seem as though this was a priority and I wasn’t moving fast enough.” He leaned angrily on the desk.

  “You didn’t answer the question,” Sam reminded him.

  “Do you want to know what I’ve discovered, or do you think the less known the better?” He leaned back in his chair.

  Sam slouched down and crossed his leg. “I don’t know anymore.”

  “Interesting,” Jake noted. “Flying without a plan. Breaking his big rule. Next thing you know he’ll get all noble on me.” He smirked.

  “Well, we wouldn’t want that now. Guess you’d better tell me.” He tried to act non-chalant, but he ached to help Haley, and knowing was the first step.

  “I tracked her down through her hospital records. Even though she didn’t give a full name, she did give a complete address. I spoke to her old neighbor who told me that Haley was a good person, great friend. When she left, she gave this woman all her worldly possessions, which apparently helped her out a lot. The woman would do anything to protect her.” He glanced down at his notes. “I asked about a fiancé. She said his name was David something, that he was a spoiled little rich kid and she had no idea what Haley saw in him. Haley was apparently pretty quiet; serious about her studies, never had much company. The boyfriend never stayed over and she never stayed with him.”

  Sam’s eyebrows rose at that. “They didn’t…sleep together?”

  “Nope. She said she questioned Haley about that once, but the girl told her she was saving it.” He watched Sam’s jaw set. “I know, man. She was a virgin.” Sam’s fist clenched. “Oh, and one more thing. I asked if she thought this David character was tired of waiting, she said that he wasn’t waiting. She had seen him with other women, but couldn’t break Haley’s heart by telling her. And, he showed up looking all contrite on New Year’s Day.”

  “Does she think David hurt her?” Sam asked, leaning forward with a determined look.

  “Nope. I asked. She said that he was completely unscathed, except he was wearing a turtleneck and fingering it like he was hiding a hickey or something.”

  Sam sat quietly for a moment, thinking about what he had learned. “Thank you for all of your work,” he said quietly. “I don’t want you to do any more, though.” He paused for a moment. “Does this neighbor know who contacted her?”

  Jake looked uncomfortable for a moment. “I may have given her my business card in case she remembered anything else.”

  Sam stared at him. “Meaning you did, in fact, leave a business card.” He sank down in the chair. “This is going to bite me in the ass. I can feel it.” He sighed and sat pensively for a moment. “Now I have to find the courage to go back and face her. And I was having such a nice day.”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself, man. If it comes down to it, I’ll tell her it was part of my job, doing background checks on new hires. She never has to know it was you.” He wanted desperately to comfort his friend.

  “Thanks,” Sam said, prying himself from the chair. “We’ll talk soon.”

  Smiling as he walked through the door, Haley waited for him to get within arm’s reach before she slid his missed message across her desk. She was watching with anticipation for him to read it.

  He started to walk into his office without even glancing at it when he noticed the disappointed look on her face. Instantly, Sam paused. How is it that he had so quickly grown aware of her moods, and cared how he impacted them? It was unsettling. “What, Haley?” And instantly he realized he was too familiar. “I mean, Miss Iverson.” He still found himself struggling and bungling his words. “Could you come in here, please?” He walked in first and left the door open for her to follow.

  Her heart beat rapidly in her chest. Grabbing her appointment book, Haley walked through the door. She found him standing near the window. He looked…sad? She couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. She almost wanted to touch him. Almost. She hugged herself to keep from taking action.

  At last he turned and saw her standing there, looking torn. He walked over to the door and closed it. “Oh, Haley. What have I done to you?” He asked sadly.

  Confused, she said, “Nothing. I’m fine. We’re both overreacting, when we should be celebrating. Read your message.”

  Walking back to his desk, Sam grabbed the slip of paper he had tossed there. “We did it!” Without thinking, he rushed over to her, picked her up and twirled her around. “They selected our campaign.”

  Shaking her head, Haley said seriously, “No, it was all you.”

  “And she’s mode
st, too,” he said hugging her close. Suddenly, gripped with the fear that he may have frightened her, he gently set her back on her feet and tried to return to business. “So, shall we plan those outings the rest of the week?” He asked.

  “Yes,” Haley said slowly.

  “You’re hesitating,” he said nervously.

  “I had an idea,” Haley said shyly. He just watched for her to finish giving her idea, so she continued. “Labor Day is only a few weeks away, and I thought maybe we could plan an employee appreciation day.”

  Sam studied her. It was plain to see this woman didn’t realize how much power she had over him. All she had to do was dangle a few moments together in front of him and suddenly he would agree to even experimental surgery. But as ideas went, this one truly had merit. Morale was at an all time low and had been ever since his father, the owner of the company had ceased working about four years ago when his wife was diagnosed with cancer. Quickly, it had metastasized throughout her body, and she was dead within six months.

  On her final days, she had summoned her family to her side and bequeathed various items. Sam’s gift was still in the top drawer of his dresser. When he had sat on the bed beside his mother’s frail form, she had pulled her wedding set off her finger, laid it in the palm of his hand, and closed his fingers around it. “You are the eldest son. This belongs to your true love.”

  He had tried to protest, had always imagined she would be buried with that symbol of love his father had passed on to her so many years ago. He couldn’t imagine them ever belonging to any other woman. He had just started dating Gabriella, but knew instinctively that The Davenport Diamonds were not for her. And when he had asked her to marry him, he had bought a new ring from Tiffany’s.

  “You’ll find her,” his mother whispered assuredly. “When you are least expecting it, when you aren’t even looking, there she will be. You will have a love like the one that your father and I share.”

  But he didn’t believe it. Theirs was a love unlike any other he had witnessed. His father never had eyes for any other, despite the string of young and beautiful personal assistants that were hired for him. Theirs was a peaceful and harmonious household. How could he ever hope to replicate that? And after Gabriella, he just sort of gave up. Now, there was Haley. And he could almost picture the rings on her delicate finger. What his father would have said about that. A smile played on his lips at the memory. But of course he would never know for sure, since his father had passed away soon after his wife and never saw the broken engagement, or Adam leaving the agency, or any of the sad lonely years since.

  “What did you have in mind?” He asked, lost in his memories.

  Haley sensed there was much going on beneath the surface, but decided not to pry since he wasn’t allowed to do so with her. “Well, what if on the Friday before the long weekend, we have an employee appreciation event with a day of activities for the body, mind, and soul. They will then come back from the long weekend rejuvenated and ready to work.”

  Suddenly, he was intrigued. “Give me some examples.”

  “Well, we have this little used gym downstairs,” she began. “We should use the day to encourage healthy living. Everyone could sign up for different events. We could have a cooking demonstration, followed by lunch. We could have Pilates or other exercises…”

  He could see the possibilities. “We could have self-defense experts offering tips for employees. Many of us work late,” he added.

  Haley went still, but she nodded. “It makes sense.”

  Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for rejection. “Are you willing to work long hours by my side to make it a reality?” He studied her.

  “Somehow I will suffer though it,” she said with a smirk.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, he began planning their time together.

  Friday came too quickly for Sam’s liking. Now that he looked forward to working with Haley every day, he hated the weekends. He feared that something terrible would happen, something that would prevent her from returning the following Monday. If only he could replicate the previous weekend. How he longed to see Haley waking up in his bed again. The pain of sleeping in the chair was more than worth it.

  With painstaking efforts, he managed to meet Haley for a jog after work, escort her home to get ready for the Charity Ball, take her to dinner and the event, and ensure she was adequately exhausted so that she would fall asleep on the long drive home. He smiled as he removed the pins from her hair and dropped them into her purse. She was sound asleep in his lap with his coat once again covering her. With one pin to go, he anxiously waited to run his hands through her hair when the partition came down. Adam was sitting in the front seat with the driver.

  “Just thought I’d hitch a ride,” he explained a little too loudly.

  Sam shot him an irritated glance. “You’re going to wake her,” he hissed.

  “And that would just ruin everything, wouldn’t it?” Adam grinned.

  “This is the only way I get to spend some time with her,” he admitted quietly. “Please, Adam.”

  Something in the way he said ‘please’ touched Adam. “You really do care about her, don’t you?” Sam nodded while running his fingers through her hair.

  “Let me get her tucked in, then I’ll explain,” he whispered.

  “I’ll hold you to that,” Adam warned. And then the divider slid up.

  Haley stirred slightly and Sam held his breath. If she woke up, he would have no excuse for not taking her home. He watched and waited and caressed her ever so gently. At last she settled in. Moments later he was wrapping his arms around her small form and carrying her up the stairs to his room.

  Adam watched in fascination. He had never seen Sam like this. Could his brother be in love? He waited in the library, pacing, until Sam joined him.

  “I can’t stay long,” he said anxiously. He left the door open and hovered near it, ignoring his brother’s questioning look.

  “What is going on?” It was a simple phrase intended to cover every aspect of the situation.

  “She’s had a rough past year. Sometimes she has nightmares. She doesn’t know I know because she doesn’t wake up entirely, but I can’t leave her alone.” He stuck his head out the door to listen intently.

  “She’s alone the other six nights a week,” Adam pointed out.

  “And I would change that if I could,” Sam admitted. He couldn’t stand knowing she was in his room alone and could wake up any moment. “I have to go back up there,” he said, nearly in the hall.

  “So, do you sleep with her?” Adam asked, trying to understand the situation.

  Giving him a stricken look, Sam said, “No, I sleep in the chair next to the bed.” And then he jogged up the stairs before Adam could question him further.

  “I’ll just let myself out,” Adam called after him. But Sam didn’t even look back.

  Sam finished changing and cleaning up just as the rustling started. He headed immediately for the bed. She was shaking and shivering, crying out. He paced nervously beside her. Suddenly, he couldn’t handle just being the passive observer. Unsure of how this might work out, he sat beside her. “Haley,” he said in a low voice. She didn’t respond. She was too deeply enthralled in the dream. He touched her arm, but she jerked it away and shrieked. Balling his hands into fists, he watched and waited.

  This time it was different. As he waited for her dream to subside, she mumbled one word over and over. “Chase.” Was that why she ran? Was she chased? His heart ached as he waited for everything to play out. Finally it was over and she was a quivering, shaking, sweaty mass in the center of his bed. And he was spent. He sat down in the chair, only this time, he reached out and took her hand in his. It felt right. He traced her veins and leaned over to kiss her wrist. When he opened his eyes a moment later, he found her eyes open, staring at him.

  He jumped. “Jesus, Haley. How long have you been awake?”

  She looked at her hand in his. Self-consciously, he reluctant
ly let go. “What time is it?”

  He glanced at the clock. “It’s nearly one,” he answered quietly.

  Painstakingly, she sat up. “I thought so. Same time as always.”

  “You didn’t wake up last time,” he said.

  “So, you watched me have that dream before?” He looked down. “Is that why I’m here? You feel sorry for me?” She spit out those words like they were poison.

  Looking at her with a wounded expression, he said quietly, “You are here because I care about you. It has nothing to do with pity.”

  Haley looked surprised. “Promise?”

  He nodded. Then he caught her looking at the door. “It’s too late to go home,” he said quietly. “The driver is asleep for the night.”