“Sure I understand that now. I’ll let you get on with sending that email to Jeremy. I have a certain young lady to offer my legal services too.”
“Good luck, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.” Ben smiled and waved as Adam left his office.
* * *
Lena dragged the tub of salad out and heaved it onto the counter. It’d already come washed from the supplier. After last week’s scare, everything was getting an extra clean. Even though Cole had admitted he was the cause of the poisoning, she still couldn’t help the way she found herself reacting. Better to be safe than sorry anyway in this game.
She tipped it all into the sink and turned on the cold tap, watching it flow over the leafy greens until the water level topped the salad. Lena flicked off the tap and swished the contents of the sink with her hand for a moment and then left them alone.
The Buddha jar had been taken away, emptied, and stored in the shed at home. There it would sit until she felt relaxed enough to collect mushrooms again. She’d offered diners a complimentary meal tonight to make up for the night she was closed due to her father’s car accident. Hopefully they would take away only good impressions and spread the word.
All she needed to do now was to work out what to do about the people that fell ill. Hopefully her father could advise her now that Cole had admitted it. The message left a sour taste in her mouth. Sure it was great he admitted it, but the way he talked down to her and the comments about Kyle turned her gut. Had she ever meant anything to him or was she a convenience?
The back door opened and in walked Adam with Spencer running ahead of him. The little dog hurried around sniffing until he found Lena and jumped up her legs in excitement. She leaned down and picked him up, scratching his fluffy tufted ears. “Well, hello you. Missed me hey?”
“I don’t know about him but I have. Hope you’re not too busy for a business slash social visit.”
She smiled, tempted to come up with a smart assed answer. “I guess I can take a break. Coffee?”
“No, this though.” He slid his arm around her waist and laid his lips on hers. She grinned as Spencer wriggled in her arms, his tongue flicking out trying to connect with her chin. Lena laughed and put him down before reaching for Adam’s mouth again. She melted into the kiss, enjoying the warmth that raced through her body.
“Hmm, that was the business side of things, right?” Business before pleasure.
“If you say so.” His eyes twinkled and he dipped his head again, holding her close for another plunder of her mouth. “What you do to me, Lena. It makes my head spin.”
Thank goodness. “Sorry. I don’t mean too.” Yes I do. She ran her finger over his bottom lip, snagging the fullness with her fingernail. When flesh moved and he opened his mouth, she dipped her finger inside. He closed his teeth, capturing her finger, and twirled his tongue over it. She gasped and watched the way his pupils changed. It was with regret—not common sense—that she withdrew her finger. “I think this business conversation should be continued once I close the doors. What do you think?” Late night make up sex sounds like just what I need.
“I would have to agree with you. I’ll be here for dinner tonight and will be walking you home once you lock up. You and I have things to discuss.”
“Sounds like a wonderful idea.” She stepped away, fanning her face with her hands. “I think I need a coffee.” Or a cold shower. The coffee machine became incredibly interesting as she made herself a hot beverage. Anything to dampen down the emotions rushing through her body and brain. “Tell me, what’s happening in the animal world. I see you’ve had a few visitors lately looking at your deer.”
Adam pulled out a chair and swung it around, sitting down facing her. “You are the observant neighbor. I’ll take that as a compliment.” He winked and her stomach flipped over. “I thought I should carry on with the original plan even though I had that setback. Several stock agents have expressed an interest in helping me secure another herd, and one in particular is savvy with a couple of well-known breeders. They know how I want to approach this now I’ve been burned, and the sellers are prepared to go along with me and do the required testing. It makes sense for them to find out if their stock is contaminated in any way.”
Lena clutched her hands around the mug. Brilliant. “That’s good news. It would’ve been a shame to stall just when you were getting into the swing of things.” I want to see you happy with your life too.
“Exactly. One setback shouldn’t be enough to derail me like it did.”
It’s amazing how much one can though. “I understand. It knocks your confidence.” She shrugged. “Look at me. Hell I was just about ready to throw it all away until Kyle did his spiel on me. I would have, you know. I can take so much, then it’s easy to let things get on top of you.” But nowhere near as rewarding.
“He’s a great kid. You did a wonderful job bringing him up, Lena.”
“Thanks. It wasn’t easy at times although I can’t complain. He’s never given me any cause for worry, regardless of what Cole had to say about him.” And that wasn’t as much as you praise him.
Adam stood up and stepped over to her, placing his hands on her hips. “He didn’t deserve either of you. Don’t let the experience with him scar you for what could be between us, okay?”
She glanced into his eyes, searching for something, anything that would tell her she wasn’t going to get hurt if
