Cami watched the firm muscles bunch on Vince’s shoulders and back as he dug in the yard. She supposed she must have a bit of a voyeuristic streak to sit back and stare while he had no idea she was there, but she couldn’t help herself. It was July first and the Colorado sun streamed through the trees, dappling Vince’s figure with shade as he dug, though it didn’t seem to be keeping him cool. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead and a V in the front of his shirt, making her wonder why she’d never found it sexy before.
For her first morning back, she thought she couldn’t have ordered up a better view. “That one’s a fine specimen of a man,” a voice said from behind her.
Cami caught her breath and turned to find Sage standing at the kitchen counter. “I didn’t know you were there.” She put a hand to her chest as her heart raced, though part of it was embarrassment she’d been caught staring. “Actually, I didn’t know you were in the area. When did you arrive?” Lana had been there for a few weeks now and hadn’t mentioned Sage’s impending arrival to Cami when she came in a couple of days earlier.
“Late last night. I’m glad I didn’t disturb you.” Sage dipped a tea ball in her huge coffee cup. “You know what he’s working on out there?”
“No. I was thinking about going out to check.” Except she hadn’t put on makeup yet, and she was still wearing pajamas and sipping her first cup of espresso.
Sage glanced at her and grinned. “I bet you’d knock him for a loop if you did. I have to complain though, you shouldn’t look so good first thing in the morning. Other than a lack of makeup—which you hardly need—you’re as beautiful as ever.”
“Speak for yourself,” Cami said, turning back to watch Vince some more. “Even straight from bed, your hair manages to be artfully tousled instead of like a curly mess.” Cami had already combed through her curls before coming down the stairs, or she wouldn’t have considered Sage’s suggestion.
Sage ignored the comment and crossed over to the fridge, pulling out a water bottle. “Heads up.” She tossed it to Cami.
Cami caught it. “And this is for?”
“It’s for him, idiot. Go get a closer peek. I have a feeling about you two.”
Another glance out the window and she saw Vince rub his arm across his forehead. Trent’s words about the men she might find available in the area echoed back to her. That, and the thought that Vince wasn’t at all the kind of guy her dad would have steered her toward, had augmented her natural attraction to the man. They wouldn’t fit for the long-term, but she was feeling a little rebellious right now.
It was only a bottle of water, after all, not an offer of marriage. She smiled. “You know, I think I will.” She paused at a mirror on her way to the door and checked to make sure she didn’t have makeup smears or hair standing on end, then continued out to the porch.
Vince looked over as she approached, her bare feet padding silently on cool stone. A smile slid onto his face and she got close enough to appreciate what day-old stubble could do for a man. Yum.
“Good morning, Camellia,” he greeted her.
“Good morning to you, too. Please, call me Cami. Only my father calls,” she stopped herself and tried again, nearly choking on the change of tense despite the time that had passed, “called me Camellia.” Trent didn’t count. “I thought you might like something cold to drink.”
“I wouldn’t turn it down.” He sliced the shovel into the ground by a hole, one of three holes he’d dug that morning along the deck railing.
She passed the water to him and a shiver shot up her arm as his fingers brushed hers. Another sip of her espresso gave her a chance to center herself again, put on the casual nonchalance she used so often, even when she was far from feeling it. When he tipped his head back and glugged from the bottle, however, she narrowly prevented herself from biting her bottom lip in appreciation. “Have you been out here long?”
“A while. I’ll be putting those bushes in this morning.” He gestured to several potted bushes on the edge of the driveway. “I checked the sprinkler system to make sure nothing’s clogging it, and figured out why the bed down there isn’t getting water. I’ll have it fixed by day’s end. You just get up?”
She put a hand to her hair, all too aware it wasn’t as perfect as she liked. “Yes. It’s been a crazy week, and the extra sleep was definitely needed. Sage and I are going to be around for the holiday. Anything special we should be sure not to miss?” Cami hadn’t asked Sage how long she was staying, but doubted she’d made the trip if she only had a couple of nights free. “Any local excitement?”
“Plenty. I’d be happy to have you and your sister join my family for everything this weekend. We’ll make sure you become familiar with the local sights and businesses.” He leaned a well-muscled arm along the porch railing. “We’re always happy to have extra people join us.”
Family, people, local color, and a gorgeous man to show them around. Could they possibly want for more? She could want to have him to herself instead of bringing Sage along, but Cami decided to take what she could get. “That sounds wonderful and exactly why I came to town. I’ll check with Sage and get back to you. Do you have a business card handy?”
He pulled one from his wallet, snagged a pen from somewhere on his tool belt, and jotted something on the back. “The office might close up early on Thursday—before events since everything really gets started on the third around here, but you can reach me on my cell. I think I’ve got yours somewhere in the sheaf of papers Alex gave me, but if I could get it again?”
She rattled off the number while he programmed it into his phone. “How long are you going to be in town?” he asked.
She fingered the card, which had the landscaping company’s logo on it, but not his name. “I should be around most of the time from now on, though I’ll have a few things to handle back in Chicago. Since we’ll probably be bringing in staff from out of the area, at least for my concierges, I figured I’d better become familiar with local offerings and make some contacts before we open for business.”
“Sounds like a good idea, but is it going to take two months or will you have some free time?” His lips curved and his eyes stayed on her, glinting with interest.
Excitement fluttered in Cami’s chest. “A good concierge can get almost anything for anyone at any time of the day or night, which means my staff will need a list of contacts from day one. We start interviewing applicants in a couple of weeks, so I’m already going to be short on time.” She smiled as she considered the end of his question. “But yes, I do anticipate having some free time, at least until the last half of August.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
He finished off the water in the bottle and she put out a hand for it. “I’ll stick it in the recycling bin. Sage will have my head if it goes in the garbage can.” She remembered the way Sage had taken Delphi to task for throwing a soda can in the garbage that first night.
He laughed. “Thanks again; it hit the spot. I’ll give you a call tonight.”
“I’ll look forward to hearing from you.” She turned back to the house, her grin nearly permanent. The coating on the windows made it easy to see out, not so easy to see inside, but Sage’s silhouette stood out against the window on the other side of the room where the blinds were open. Cami was willing to bet she’d watched the whole thing.
When the door shut behind her, Cami detoured by the recycling bins set up under the kitchen counter. She crossed over to Sage, feeling rather pleased with herself, and grateful for the brunette’s nudge. “He invited us to join his family festivities for the Fourth, said he’d show us around and make sure we don’t miss anything. You game?”
“Sure, why not. Unless you’d rather be alone with him?” Sage pulled her tea ball out of her cup and set it on the side of her plate. She always used some private loose tea mix she’d brought herself instead of the baggies in the cupboard.
“I barely know the man.” Cami turned, took one more long look as he bent over to lower a bush into the hole he’d dug, and she let out a sigh of appreciation. She thought getting to know Vince might make the following year considerably more interesting than she’d expected—if she had correctly interpreted his interest.
Then, determined to forget about men for a while, especially one she was barely on a first-name basis with, Cami focused on Sage. “I didn’t expect you to be up here. How long are you planning to stay?”
Sage shrugged and took a sip of her tea. “I’m here full time from now on. I want to keep an eye on construction in the spa and make sure everything is perfect. Besides, they’ve already hired my replacement back home.” She pulled the mint leaves out of the tea ball and tossed them, before rinsing it out. “You?”
“The same. I need to start making contacts.” She finished her now-lukewarm espresso and washed the cup. “I guess I ought to start with a shower.” When she was ready, armed with maps, she would go for a drive.
~*~
When Cami came down an hour later, ready for the day, she found Mrs. Grady running a vacuum in the great room.
The woman turned the machine off and smiled. “Cami, good morning. I hope I didn’t disturb you.”
“Not at all. I didn’t hear you out here. How are things going this morning?” She moved to the kitchen to grab a bagel. Now she was fully awake, her stomach demanded sustenance.
“Fine. Lana left for the airport an hour ago and Sage just took off. What are you three doing here already? I thought your home was mostly going to be empty for another month.” She pulled a feather duster out of her back pocket and swiped it along the fireplace mantle, checking for stray specs.
“I’ve got businesses to visit, restaurants to try, tourist locations to check out. I’m going to use the next couple of months to become familiar with the area so I can put together a full list of resources for guests.” Cami pulled the tub of strawberry cream cheese from the fridge and slathered her bagel with some of the contents.
“Sounds like quite a tall order. And maybe a bit more vacation than real work at times.”
Cami chuckled. “Yeah, I suppose it does. I intend to enjoy myself while I do my research.” She grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. “Now, how’s your husband doing?” She’d learned about Mr. Grady’s health problems during the previous visit to Juniper Ridge.
Mrs. Grady’s mouth tightened slightly and appeared worried. “He’s still in for dialysis three times a week. We keep hoping for a miracle kidney—though that sounds terrible, doesn’t it? Chances are someone will have to die before he gets one at this point.”
The sadness in Mrs. Grady’s eyes nearly broke Cami’s heart. “Have you checked to see if any of your friends or relatives can provide a kidney?”
“Everyone we can think of has been typed, but we can’t find a good match. It’s not as easy as you might think.” Mrs. Grady continued to dust, as if she needed something to do with her hands to keep from crying.
Cami crossed the kitchen and gave Mrs. Grady’s shoulder a squeeze. “I hope something comes available for him soon. It must be so hard watching him be sick.”
Mrs. Grady nodded, but didn’t say anything more.
With a lump in her throat, Cami collected her breakfast, her bag with her laptop and notes, and said goodbye. If throwing money at the problem would make it go away, she’d make it happen, but some things even money couldn’t fix. If she hadn’t already known that, George’s cancer would have brought the truth home loud and clear.
She took a deep, cleansing breath of the fresh mountain air and pushed the thoughts back. For the next few hours, at least, she needed to focus on work. She would come back to ideas about how to help the housekeeper later.