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then buzzed Elena on the office phone.
    “You okay now?” Elena asked.
    “Yes,” Samantha lied. “Call down to Luke and tell him to put
together the mother of all gift baskets.”
    * * *
    At 10:00 a.m. Samantha walked into the bank bearing a
cellophane-wrapped basket filled to the brim with goodies from Sweet Dreams
Chocolates. If this didn’t melt Blake Preston’s heart—well, then, he had no
heart to melt.
    Speaking of, there he sat at the manager’s desk in the far
corner, a sandy-haired tackling dummy in a suit. Blake Preston looked more
suited to a WWE Friday night smack down than to sitting behind a bank manager’s
desk, deciding the fate of local businesses.
    Lauren sent Samantha a welcoming smile from her teller’s
counter, but the one she got from Blake Preston when he saw her approach his
desk wasn’t quite so friendly. Wary would’ve been a
better word for it. Even wary, it qualified for a toothpaste commercial. Whoa,
that was some wattage, and she felt the electricity clear across the room. She
couldn’t help checking his left hand for signs of a ring as he stood to greet
her. None.
    Never mind his ring finger or any other
part of him. You’re here to do business.
    She could almost hear her sister whispering in her ear, “Charm
enters into business more than you realize.”
    She donned her most charming smile and said, “Hi,” injecting
her voice with goodwill. You like me. You want to give me a
longer extension on my loan. “I’m Samantha Sterling from Sweet Dreams
Chocolates. We went to high school together,” she added, hoping that would earn
her some brownie points.
    He held out his hand for her to shake. She took it and felt an
even bigger jolt than she’d gotten from his smile. Maybe that was a good sign.
Maybe they were going to hit it off. Maybe he’d be happy to grab a mop and help
her clean up the mess she was in.
    “I remember,” he said.
    Right. You were older and too busy
partying and cutting classes to pay attention to a nerdy
underclassman. “I was just a lowly freshman, but you made quite an
impression.” There, that was pretty darned charming if she did say so herself.
“I thought you might enjoy some samples from the best chocolate company in
Washington,” she said, handing over the gift basket.
    He took it and stood there as if uncertain what to do with it.
His computer and several piles of papers were taking up all the surface space on
his desk. “Well, thanks. That was…nice. Have a seat.”
    She sat and he sat, still holding the goodies.
    “You’ll really like the chocolate-covered potato chips,” she
said, pointing to her basketful of bribes. “Those are our newest product.”
    “Interesting.” He shifted the fortune in chocolate sitting on
his lap as awkwardly as though he were an old bachelor who’d just been handed a
baby.
    Okay, that took care of the charm. Next, she decided to play
the sympathy card. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of it, but we’ve had a few
challenges in our business. We just lost my stepfather.”
    “I heard. I’m sorry,” he said, and looked properly
sympathetic.
    “Things have been a little chaotic and then this morning I
discovered a letter from you.”
    He cleared his throat. “I’m afraid we have something of a
problem. You’re behind on your loan.”
    As if she wasn’t aware of that? As if she hadn’t read the
friggin’ letter? She could feel her blood pressure rising and it took every last
ounce of willpower she had to remain professional. “This business has been in my
family for a long time. I’m the fourth generation.”
    “Ms. Sterling. Samantha. I understand what this business must
mean to you.”
    No, you don’t. You have no idea. She was probably radiating anger.
She tried her best to look charming. “Not just to me. We employ a lot of people,
all who have families and live in this town.”
    “I know that. I grew up here. But—”
    Oh, no. Here came the but.
    “But the kind of leniency the bank