Ryan had gotten stuck at work. He had texted to let her know he would be a few minutes late. She’d reminded him to stop by her apartment and pick up Caramel. She’d left the dog home alone for a few hours, but now that everything had been delivered to the hotel, she planned to have the little Pomeranian spend the weekend with her. Because right now Fayrene could use a friendly face.

Twelve children of varying ages all stared at her. They didn’t know one another and they didn’t know her. The extra babysitters, the ones who did this sort of thing on a regular basis, were checking on dinner, which meant Fayrene was alone in a room that was way too quiet.

“I want my mom,” a little girl of maybe seven or eight said. “Why does she and my dad get to go to a nice dinner while I have to stay here? It’s not fair.”

“This is stupid,” one of the boys said. “We’re supposed to be having fun and we’re not.”

Fayrene swallowed against rising panic. She’d taken the job with the kids for a number of reasons. For one, she wanted to help her sister. For another, the reference and experience would be good for business. But more important, she’d hoped that hanging out with a bunch of kids would allow her and Ryan to talk about what it would be like when they had their own children. Which would lead to a conversation about getting married. Which would mean he would finally propose.

But none of that was going to happen if she had a mutiny on the very first night. Dellina would not be happy if the kids broke ranks and sought out their parents.

Fayrene looked around the large room they were using for their first event. There were balloons and a working jukebox and tables with ingredients. But no activity and no conversation. She didn’t know what to do or how to make it better, but she’d best come up with something fast.

Ana Raquel strolled in. Fayrene rushed to her.

“Help. They’re not having fun. Do something.”

Her twin raised her eyebrows. “I’m a chef, not an entertainer.”

“Give them food, then. That will distract them.”

“We’re supposed to have the mixology class in a few minutes, and make appetizers. Greg is bringing the rest of the ingredients before he heads off for the wine tasting. We can’t start until he brings the rest of the food.”

“We have to do something.”

“You know this is your gig, right? There’s technically no ‘we.’”

Fayrene was about to beg when Ryan walked in. He held Caramel in his arms. When she spotted Fayrene, she wiggled to get free and rushed over to greet her.

Fayrene picked up the happy dog and held her close. Protection at last. Ryan gave her a brief hug and kissed her cheek.

“It’s quiet in here,” he said. “Too quiet.”

“I know. I thought they’d be more interactive. We have to do something.” She’d figured they would supervise, not be in charge of helping them get along. Weren’t kids supposed to be friendly and outgoing? She remembered having tons of friends when she’d been young, and talking to virtually anyone who would listen.

Ryan picked up a pen and wrote his name on a tag, then put it on his shirt. “No worries. Watch the master at work.”

He took Caramel from her and carried the dog over to the milling children.

“Who here likes dogs?” he asked.

A few hands went up.

“Who’s afraid of dogs?”

Fayrene saw one of the littler girls stare at the ground, but no one said anything.

“Can you tell me what kind of dog this one is?” Ryan asked.

There were blank stares.

“A Pomeranian. Her name is Caramel. She’s got a lot of fur, but underneath, she’s tiny.”

“She has really little feet,” a young girl said. “But she’s pretty.”

“She is. She’s also friendly and loves people.” He winked at a blonde girl in sandals. “She likes to lick toes.”

The girl giggled.

“I’m going to put her down and let her get to know all of you. While we’re doing that, let’s get on our name tags. We don’t have much time before the activities start.”

“What activities?” one of the older boys asked. “Because it’s not fun yet.”

Ryan patted him on the shoulder. “Patience, my man. You know what a cocktail is?”

The kid grinned. “We get to have them?”

“Almost. We’re making mocktails—cocktails without the alcohol. And appetizers. Oh, and there’s going to be a band later.”

“A live band?” one of the girls asked.

“Yup.” He put down Caramel and pointed to the table. “Let’s figure out who we are and then we’ll get going on the fun.”

Fayrene breathed in deeply, then exhaled with relief. This was going to be okay. Ryan was here and, as far as she was concerned, he was her hero. She would reward him later, but for now, she had a dog-wary little girl to help out.

She crossed to the petite brunette and smiled at her. “What’s your name?”

“Sally.”

Fayrene sat on the floor in front of the girl. “Do you have dogs at home, Sally?”

“No. My dad’s allergic. I’ve never been around dogs before.” Sally watched Caramel move around the room. “Does she bite?”

“Not at all. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll introduce you. It’s easier to make friends after you’ve had an introduction.”

Sally’s hair was in a thick braid down her back. Her eyes were big and solemn. She hesitated, then dropped to the floor. Fayrene called Caramel over.

The little dog came running and jumped gracefully over Fayrene’s crossed legs, then sat facing Sally. She was panting a little, which made her look as if she was grinning.

“The best thing to do with a dog you don’t know is ask the owner if it’s friendly. If the owner says it is and you can pet it, you want to introduce yourself first.” She petted Caramel. “Now close your hand into a fist and let her sniff you. That’s dog for saying hi.”

Sally bit her lower lip, then slowly extended her small fist to the dog. Caramel leaned in and sniffed delicately before giving her a quick lick.

Sally jumped, then looked at Fayrene. “Does that mean she likes me?”

“It does. You want to pet her?”

Sally nodded. She inched closer and reached out to touch Caramel’s back.

“She’s soft!”

“I know. And feel how much fur there is. She’s really small underneath.”

Sally continued to pet her. Caramel jumped over Fayrene’s legs again and moved next to the girl. She flopped onto her back, exposing her tummy. Fayrene showed her how to rub her chest and her stomach. Caramel sighed in contentment.

Sally laughed. “Dogs are funny,” she said. “But I like this one.”

Fayrene silently thanked her temporary pet and mentally promised bacon every morning for a week. One kid won over, eleven to go, she thought. But with a little more optimism than she’d had before.

* * *

DELLINA WAS UP before six on Saturday morning. The previous evening had gone perfectly. The wine tasting had been a hit and the dinner had gone over well. There had been good food, lots of conversation and most of their guests had gone up to their rooms feeling a little tipsy. She hoped that meant they’d slept well.

Dellina was downstairs by six-thirty, going over preparations. Today was the big busy day. After a morning stretch and yoga class, there was a buffet breakfast on the terrace. Then the vans arrived. The adults would head off to CDS for their obstacle course while the kids went bike riding. At eleven everyone reunited before they all headed to town for lunch and some in-town time during the Summer Festival. At three-thirty the vans brought them back to the hotel.

At four, the kids spent time with Max and his therapy dogs. Angel and the Acorns were going to be there to introduce the new puppies. There would be a demonstration of what therapy dogs could do. For the adults, it was the trickiest part of the weekend—Lark’s lecture. Then there was a big barbecue with the children joining their parents. Dellina’s hope was that, by nine, everyone would be exhausted and make an early evening of it.

She had already confirmed with Josh, Angel and the van company. Although she was itching to make a few phone calls, she resisted. She had to trust the people she’d hired.

At seven, a yawning Fayrene joined her. She wore shorts and a T-shirt and had Caramel with her.

“I’m exhausted,” her sister said as she sat in the chair opposite, Caramel on her lap. “Twelve children is too many. But it went well.”

“Everyone had a good time?”

“Uh-huh. This little girl and Ryan were hits. I was more a background person.” She yawned again. “I need coffee and to rally myself for bike riding.” She rose. “We’re all set, by the way. We have sunscreen and water. Josh is providing the bikes and the helmets. I double-checked that everyone knows how to ride a bike. There’s going to be a short talk on the Tour de France with pictures for the kids to look at.”

“Sounds great. You doing okay?”

Fayrene nodded. “Just exhausted. I appreciate the business but I’m longing for a simple receptionist temp job. Right now sitting down and answering phones for eight hours sounds like a vacation.” She waved and walked toward the coffee cart in the lobby.

Dellina spoke with the catering manager and confirmed the buffet was on track, then went to get herself some coffee. Halfway across the lobby, she saw Lark was already at the cart, waiting for her latte.

Dellina paused, not sure if she should approach or retreat. She hadn’t spoken directly to the other woman since the previous afternoon when Lark had announced that Dellina and Sam had recently had sex. Apparently Taryn’s talking-to had worked because Lark had been charming through dinner, but had steered clear of any questionable topics. Now she collected her latte, turned and saw Dellina. She waved her over.

“Everything is going so well,” Sam’s mother said. “Reggie and I enjoyed ourselves so much last night. We just love Kenny, Jack and Taryn. Spending time with them is delightful. I only wish Larissa had been here.”

“She’s in Los Angeles visiting her family,” Dellina said, then placed her order with the teen manning the cart. “Apparently her sister just found out she’s pregnant.”

Lark lowered her voice. “I’m so sorry about yesterday,” she said quietly. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just so happy to know that you and Sam had been together. He’s been avoiding relationships for a while now and I worry about him.”

Dellina was torn between the obvious concern of a loving mother and clarifying that she and Sam weren’t in a relationship. Not that saying that made things any better. Fortunately Lark didn’t need a whole lot of participation to have a conversation.

“I do have to admit, he has had a rough time with women,” she continued. “His first serious girlfriend turned into a stalker. When he tried to break things off, she slashed his car tires.”

“You’re kidding,” Dellina said. “Was she arrested?”

“She was and that seemed to snap her out of it. She pleaded guilty and agreed to move across the country. Then there was Simone. That ended with the book.”

“A nightmare,” Dellina said, collecting her latte. She and Lark walked toward the outside terrace.

“He was determined to learn from his mistakes, so he kept his next relationship quiet. Too quiet, because she slept with both Kenny and Jack, then asked Sam if he wanted to be in a foursome.” Lark’s mouth drew into a straight line. “I’m as open as the next person when it comes to sex, but I do believe in fidelity to one’s partner. Besides, Sam is hardly the kind of man to enjoy that sort of thing.”

Dellina did her best not to choke on her coffee. A foursome? Maybe it made her boring, but she wasn’t interested in that, either.

“He’s a cautious man,” Lark said. “Rightfully so, I suppose. I just keep hoping he finds the right woman. A partner.” She looked meaningfully at Dellina.

“I hope he finds that, as well,” she murmured, and took another sip so she didn’t have to talk. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on the buffet.”

“Of course.”

She walked toward the restaurant. As she’d already spoken with the catering manager, she didn’t actually have an appointment, but that didn’t matter. Getting away from Lark seemed judicious. She appreciated the apology and Lark’s concern about her son was admirable, but talk of partners wasn’t anything she wanted.

She and Sam weren’t even dating. Not really. She liked him—a lot. He was a great guy. Handsome and caring and surprisingly funny. He was competitive without being a jerk about it. And the things he could do in five minutes of hot, hungry sex stole her breath. She desperately wanted to see what he had to offer with a whole hour at his disposal. Because while their February encounter had been great, she hadn’t known him. And knowing Sam made being with him intimately all the better.

Maybe after the weekend, she thought wistfully. She would like that a lot. But as to the rest of it...

At the end of the hallway, she saw Ryan and Fayrene. He had his arm around her and whispered something that made her laugh. For all her sister’s craziness about the proposal, she was obviously wildly in love with Ryan. Ana Raquel had also found happiness. Being a part of something, being connected and in love, appealed. Sort of. Only she wasn’t sure she really wanted that. Not that she was looking forward to spending her life alone.