Free When Darkness Falls by Jennifer Youngblood, Sandra Poole Page B

Valley. Chloe, this is Sam Lowden, a business associate of mine.”
    “Nice to meet you,” she said mechanically.
    The man’s cold eyes swept over her. “Likewise.”
    “We’re just getting ready to eat. Do you want to join us?” Garrett said.
    Chloe could only smile, hoping the man would refuse.
    “No, I’ve just eaten. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow morning at eight. Right?” There was an unmistakable warning in his voice.
    “Sure thing. See you tomorrow.”
    Garrett’s voice was cheerful, but it sounded forced, making Chloe wonder what business Garrett was conducting with a man like that. The man left just as the waiter arrived with their drinks. Chloe squeezed the lemon into her water and took a sip, not tasting a thing.
    Garrett gave her a puzzled look. “You okay?”
    “Yes, I’m fine.” But she wasn’t fine. Something about that man had set her on edge. It was a jolting reminder that she was on a date with a virtual stranger. She was way out of her league.
    Garrett studied her. “What’re you thinking? You have an odd expression on your face.”
    Before she could answer, the waiter arrived to take their order. Their appetizer arrived a few minutes later. They ate in silence until Garrett spoke. “Don’t let Sammy get under your skin.”
    She frowned. “Sammy? That man looked nothing like a Sammy .” She suppressed a shiver.
    “Yeah, he goes by Sam now, but when we were kids, he always went by Sammy . To me, that’s what he’ll always be. He comes across as a hardnosed business man on the outside, but he’s really quite likable once you get to know him.”
    “I doubt that,” she quipped.
    Garrett started laughing. “Enough about Sammy. I want to talk about you.” He reached across the table and placed a hand over hers. She had to fight the impulse to snatch her hand away. This was moving way too fast.
    “Your hand is like ice. Are you cold?”
    “No.” She pulled her hand away.
    Her reticence seemed to amuse him as he leaned back in his seat. “Tell me more about how you came to be in Salt Lake.”
    She took a sip of water and crossed her legs and then gave him the short version of her life up to this point—leaving out Dan, of course. She told him about graduating from AIA and about all of the odd jobs she’d worked at since, ending with how her last job was a consultant in a paint store. “After graduating, I sent out over a hundred résumés. I think I got five interviews—four of the places were looking for someone to sell paint.”
    Garrett laughed. “You’re kidding.”
    “Well, I guess it wasn’t quite that bad but almost.”
    “And now?” he prompted.
    “The only legitimate interview for an interior decorator was for Marsh Interiors, and you know how that turned out.” Chloe wiped her mouth and then folded her napkin. “You can’t blame the guy who interviewed me. I wouldn’t hire someone who couldn’t make it to the interview fully dressed.”
    “Well, if you put it that way, I guess you’re right. What would you say about giving it another try?”
    Chloe shook her head vigorously. “There’s no way I’m going back there and humiliating myself in front of those people. I could tell they thought I was the scum of the earth.”
    The waiter arrived with their food. Chloe’s steak and loaded baked potato looked mouthwatering. Garrett’s tilapia with stuffed crab looked good too.
    “What do you think?” Garrett said after she’d taken her first bite.
    “Delicious.”
    “Would you like to try a bite of my stuffed tilapia?”
    She wrinkled her nose in response. “No, thanks.”
    He laughed. “You’re missing out.”
    They ate for a few minutes in silence until Garrett said, “This Marsh Interiors thing. It couldn’t have been that bad.”
    “Oh yes it was.” She hoped that he would be able to tell from the tone in her voice that she was done talking about the interview. “I’m tired of talking about me. Tell me about you.”
    “What do you want