The Tycoon's Tender Triumph Page 0,12
bad,” Sam said, pushing away from the dresser and walking back to the bedroom doorway. “Get dressed, honey,” he said. “Just follow the smell of Jessy’s cooking to the kitchen,” and he disappeared as the door closed behind him.
Chloe looked around. The bedroom was beautiful, done in soft shades of pink with the same shabby country style as her own bedroom, but the furnishings were obviously much more expensive. The sheets under her fingers felt like silk but they were just extremely fine combed cotton and the comforter was thick and fluffy with down, unlike her own polyester comforter that offered little warmth during the coldest winter months.
Her hand was warm as she held the coffee so she took a sip, hoping the caffeine would jump start her brain. She sat back against the pillows, letting the coffee seep into her bloodstream. Okay, it was coming back to her now. Her father was hurt, he couldn’t fly up to New York, her job was on hold, Sam had…she skipped that part about the kiss….the last thing she remembered was watching Sam as he discussed something on his cell phone. Everything after that was a blank. Lots of warmth, but no specific memory.
She looked down and noticed that her slacks were neatly folded on the opposite side of the bed but her silk blouse was still on. That was something at least. Her shoes were to the side of the bed, she noted as her eyes moved about the room.
A shower. That would definitely clear out the rest of the cobwebs. She slid out of the bed, carrying the coffee with her into the gorgeously appointed bathroom with yellow walls and white marble everywhere else.
Fifteen minutes later, she felt significantly better. As she dressed then applied mascara and a bit more makeup than normal, she felt more confident and in control. For work, she would pull her hair back but today she decided that just blowing it dry so it was soft and fluffy would be a better choice. It had nothing to do with wanting to show Sam that she was a woman now and not a kid who used to run around the ranch during the summer months, or a college student to be humored as she gushed on and on about her art classes.
Twitching her bangs into place and dabbing her lipstick slightly, she hoped that Sam would treat her a bit differently.
No! She didn’t care how Sam treated her. He was the past! He wanted the more sophisticated kind of woman, someone she could never be. The women in those pictures all those years ago were brittle, hard looking and so thin it looked as if they ate maybe one or two pieces of fruit a day.
This was who she was, she told her reflection in the mirror. He hadn’t wanted it before, he won’t want it now and she’d be so much better off to just accept that fact. Mooning after Sam was pointless and heartbreaking.
Walking downstairs, she followed his instructions and simply followed the smell of breakfast. It was a huge house but the smell of bacon and hot, pungent coffee drifted through the air. By the time she found the enormous kitchen, Chloe’s mouth was watering hungrily.
“Good morning, miss,” an elderly lady said from the stove. “You must be Chloe,” she said, wiping her hands on her apron as she walked across the ceramic floors. “I’m Jessy,” she explained, extending her hand. “You’re dad just went back to bed for a rest, silly old coot. He’d been up since dawn trying to give me orders but he learned that wasn’t going to work very well. I’ll make sure he’s awake after your breakfast.”
Jessy bustled over to the oven to peek inside, then closed it with a satisfied look in her face. “You just sit down over there and get yourself settled. I can’t believe you’ve finally arrived,” she said and made her way back to the stove and pulled out a plate with a dishtowel. “I’m guessing by your presence here this morning that the old goat didn’t give you any choice this time, eh?” she snickered. “He can be pretty convincing when he wants to be, can’t he?” she asked, setting a plate down at one of the kitchen chairs.
Chloe sat down in the chair offered to her, staring at the huge pile of food in astonishment. Did the woman expect her to eat all of this? There was a mountain of scrambled