Free A Promise to Cherish by Lavyrle Spencer Page A

her further, but just then the waiter arrived and laid a small tray at Sam Brown’s elbow and handed him a silver pen.
    “Excuse me, Mr. Brown, your tab.” Sam scrawled a quick signature and rose to his feet.
    “Come on, I’ll show you the office.”
    Lee breathed a sigh of relief at the interruption, for the subject of St. Louis was not one she wanted to pursue.
    As they moved past the tables toward the doorway, they were interrupted by an impeccably dressed man who leaned back in a chair, half turning to extend a hand. “How’s it going, Sam?”
    “Fine. Took a job in Denver last week.” Brown released his hold on Lee’s elbow to shake hands, then politely performed introductions.
    “Cassie and Don Norris . . . Lee Walker, my newest estimator.”
    Lee considered spouting a denial aloud, but instead she politely shook hands with the Norrises.
    “Well, congratulations, Lee. You’ve chosen a damn fine company there,” Don Norris offered. She murmured some comment, surprised at his unsolicited praise and hoping it was true. A moment later Sam urged her toward the door again.
    As they moved through the lounge, she couldn’t resist glancing up at Sam. “Your new estimator? Aren’t you being a little presumptuous?”
    Sam smiled and shrugged. “It eliminated a lengthy explanation. I could have said you were the woman who stole my suitcase in the Denver airport. Would that have been better?”
    Lee turned to hide her grin as they reached the main lobby, crossed to the door, and stepped outside.
    “You can ride with me,” he suggested. “It’s not far, and I can bring you back to your car afterward.”
    He led her to a classy, off-white Toronado. Inside, the car smelled like him—the agreeably masculine and tangy scent of what she took to be Rawhide cosmetics. The front seat was luxurious, equipped with a stereo that filled the void while they drove in the waning summer evening.
    It had been a long time since Lee had been in a car with an attractive man—and Sam Brown was certainly that! She watched the contour of his wrist draped over the steering wheel, the gleam of a gold watch peeking from beneath his sleeve, the relaxed fingers with dark skin and well-kept nails. She recalled the pleasant meal they’d just shared, his easygoing camaraderie with everyone at the club, the compliment Norris had dropped in passing, Brown’s glib sense of humor. She ventured a brief study of his hair, an ear, the side of his neck, but then his face swung her way and she looked quickly out her side window.
    No doubt about it—she was beginning to like Sam Brown.
    The office complex was new, modern, and pleasing to the eye. The late sun, slanting across its cinnamon-colored brick walls and smoked-glass windows, created deep triangles of shadow, accentuating the beauty of the buildings’ architectural design. In keeping with Kansas City’s claim that it had more fountains than any other city in the world except Rome, the buildings had been designed around a charming esplanade whose main attraction was a fountain whose running water created a design reminiscent of a dandelion gone to seed.
    Sam guided Lee along curved concrete walks past cherry trees, and yews and more, every shrub so well-kept it appeared they were tended by a beautician instead of a gardener. The sprinkler system had come on, and as they sauntered between the buildings Lee breathed in the pungent scent of wet cedar chips clustered at the base of the decorative plants. Redwood benches had been placed strategically along the walks, and even the trash depositories were built of redwood, blending pleasantly into the environment. Tall ash trees had been planted alongside each building.
    Sam unlocked the lobby door and held it open while Lee entered a spacious foyer carpeted in burnt orange. The stairs were carpeted as well and seemed to drop out of nowhere into the center of the lobby. A rich walnut handrail was smooth beneath Lee’s palm as she ran her hand