His Off Limits Best Friend - Vivian Wood Page 0,36

what I expected,” she said as she craned her head to watch it while they passed.

“What did you expect? Pink plastic flamingoes in the yard?”

“I don’t know. More of a bachelor pad, I guess. A loft in the city.”

“I’m full of surprises,” he promised her.

16

Sam

“Well, this is a change,” Connor said as he escorted her through the United States Botanic Garden. The setting sun was a swirl of pastel colors visible through the bubbled glass entry. “You’re taking me out as arm candy for once.”

“Oh shush,” she said, but had to admit he was right. Her agency’s annual summer celebration wasn’t anything she’d looked forward to. However, when she’d realized Connor would be happy to use the opportunity for publicity, she started to look forward to it.

“What kind of look are you going for?” James had asked her via email. It was the first time she’d had any kind of say in her ensemble.

“Sleek, chic, but natural,” she’d told him.

And he’d nailed it. She was draped in a knee-length yellow linen dress with artfully embroidered eyelets. It toed the line between sensual and feminine.

Sam took one of the walking appetizers and encouraged Connor to do the same. “What do you think?” she asked him. He finished the smoked salmon and violet tea delicacy in one bite.

“Delicious,” he admitted.

She smiled. “That was my doing.”

He raised a brow at her. “I’m impressed. Let’s see what else you can do.”

Sam made her rounds and got a little thrill every time she introduced him as her fiancé. For awhile, she’d resisted bringing the charade into her own life, but it was futile. There was no way she could keep up with the lies and stories. It was simply easier to let the worlds collide. Otherwise, she was sure she’d mess up, given how often Connor pulled her away for luncheons. Plus, when she’d found out Jenny couldn’t make it, the situation became the perfect opportunity to show off.

Besides, what would happen if his family or business partners dug into her background and found out nobody in her life knew she was “engaged?”

“Sam, dear, your fiancé is a dream,” Mrs. Whiteworth told her. “Though the name is familiar—”

“Everyone says that,” he said quickly. “My family hosts a lot of events, but primarily business and personal affairs. I’m sure my mother’s used your services before.”

“That must be it,” Mrs. Whiteworth said as she finished her glass of Prosecco.

Sam burned a bright red, touched his hand and scanned the crowd for an exit. “There are some clients I’d like to say hello to,” she said to Connor. “Do you mind?” she asked Mrs. Whiteworth, who waved her away.

“I see you haven’t built a foolproof backstory at work on how we got together,” Connor said with a smile. “Is that frowned upon? Swooping in on heartbroken clients and snatching them up for yourself?”

“I don’t recall anything about it in my contract,” she said as her heart started to slow down.

“Hey, where are you actually taking me?” he asked as they left the crowd behind.

“I don’t know.”

The gardens seemed different at night, as the evening event lights worked their magic. The last time she’d been here, it was to survey the grounds and help plan this “little gathering” as her boss called it.

They moved from the lawn terrace and rose garden past the butterfly garden and toward the amphitheater. “I don’t think I’ve been here since I was a kid,” he said.

The two of them circled the empty amphitheater, drawn toward a hothouse. “Your mom used to bring you here?” she asked.

He laughed. “My mom? No. It was a school field trip. I don’t recall my parents taking me anywhere that didn’t serve them in some regard.”

Connor tried the door of the greenhouse and looked at her with wide eyes when it opened.

“Should we?” she asked, and looked around.

“I think it’s a sign.”

Dim lights automatically flickered on when they entered, but they were so slight it was like being draped in moonlight. She could swear she could almost hear the plants sigh in their sleep. Do plants dream? And if they do, what are we to them?

She watched Connor explore the little nursery. He looked somehow both drastically out of place and just right in the tailored navy blue suit amidst all the greenery. “I used to come here quite often,” she said. Sam wandered down the narrow aisle opposite of him. He looked up and caught her gaze over the sprawling leaves and beautiful blossoms.

“I can see that,”