Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers

by Emily Matthews

  “Call me when it’s done.” For the first time in her life, she hung up on someone. Unsure whether it was rude or assertive, she didn’t care. She was pissed, and it felt good. Let him stress for a while.

  After talking to the attorney, she called her mother with a plan to casually work Wayne into the conversation and then ask if they’d heard from him.

  As it turned out, she didn’t have to coax anything out of her mother. It was the first thing she brought up to complain about.

  “Oh my God, Annie. That no good, rat bastard husband of yours has been harassing us for weeks looking for you,” whined her mother.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. You didn’t tell him anything, did you?”

  “Of course not. I told him we ain’t heard from ya in months, and I think he bought it. When ya gonna come visit? Grandpa is asking about ya.”

  Annie’s heart broke a little. She so wished her grandpa would have come to Washington with her.

  “How’s he doing? Have you been to see him? He tells me he’s okay when I call, but I’d feel better knowing you’ve checked in on him.”

  “Oh, the old coot’s fine. It’s me and yer dad ya need to worry about. We hardly have enough money to buy food at the end of the month. Do you think you could send us a little something?”

  “Sorry, Mom. I just moved and had to buy a new car. I can’t spare anything right now.” She didn’t want to get into it with her mother. Trying to tell her that if she stopped buying lottery tickets, alcohol, and cigarettes, she’d have enough money for food was always a losing battle.

  As always, her mother had a long list of things to complain about, which Annie dutifully listened to before finally claiming she had to go. Her mother swore up and down that no one told Wayne she’d moved to Washington, but Annie took the promise with a grain of salt.

  If he’d talked to her family, she could only assume he’d also check out her old office building. When he couldn’t find her there, he might start asking around. No one there knew about her situation, so telling him she’d transferred wouldn’t seem problematic to them.

  While she couldn’t stand the thought of still being married to Wayne, what upset her more was that she would have to start distancing herself from Sam right away. Which would be all the more awkward since they’d only just made up.

  Still needing his help with that damn security system, she’d get to see him at least one more time.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Wayne looked across the table and nodded attentively. It didn’t matter that this gal was so dull he wanted to shove the coffee straws into his eyes to get her to stop talking. He would listen to everything she said with a smile or, in this case, a concerned frown.

  “Wow. That’s terrible,” he said. Beckie was going on and on about her mother’s cancer treatments and how she reacted to each. Like he cared. He was running out of time and money. He needed some real, usable information.

  This was the third time he’d taken her to coffee. He knew he’d have to ask her on a real date soon, or it would look suspicious. Someone legitimately trying to have a relationship wouldn’t stop at lunch dates at the coffee shop. His buddy, Jackson had reluctantly wired him a small loan but that would run out in a real hurry if he had to take her to dinner.

  “Does work take your mind off things? At least give you a chance to focus on something else for a while?” He tried to get the subject back to her work.

  “Oh, yes. That is actually a nice distraction.”

  “It almost sounds like you and the lady you intern for are friends. That’s cool.” He let that hang to see if she’d elaborate.

  “Yeah. Annie—she said I could call her that—is super nice.”

  “Does she live near you? Have you ever been to her house?”

  “Oh, no. We’re not that close. I heard she lives in the same neighborhood as Sam MacDonald, though. And I’m sure he lives somewhere super fancy.”

  He gritted his teeth at her overuse of the word super.

  “Wow, she must make a lot of money then.” Money he’d never seen. In all the time they were together, he thought she was eking out a living and had just enough to keep them both fed and with a roof over their heads. She’d probably been socking away thousands. Bitch. Once again, he regretted the insistence on a prenup and separate bank accounts. Who knew how much he would have been entitled to in a divorce?

  “I don’t know about that. She’s not really in to flashy things. I mean, she drives a normal car and stuff,” she said hesitantly. She seemed to be getting wary of his line of questioning.

  “Oh yeah, what kind of car?” He knew he was coming on strong, but could not walk away without something. Maybe, if he could get some useful information, this would be the last time he’d have to sit here and listen to her drivel.

  “She just purchased a Ford Edge. She gave me a ride to work the other day when my car wouldn’t start. It’s nice but not gaudy or anything.”

  “Does she have a rich husband?” he asked. He knew she couldn’t be married because he’d never signed the divorce papers, but needed to find out if there was someone else in the picture he might have to deal with at some point.

  “No, she’s single. Although…” She leaned in close and lowered her voice. “I’m pretty sure she’s seeing Mr. MacDonald.”

  “What? Are you serious?” he blurted without thinking.

  “Shhh,” she hissed. Looking around to make sure no one had turned their way, she whispered, “You can’t say anything to anyone. I’m sure they wouldn’t want anyone to know.”

  “Yeah, no, of course. I can keep a secret.”

  Oh. My. God. The wheels started turning. What if he could get money from Sam MacDonald over this? He’d have really hit the jackpot. Then again, it could just be a rumor or Annie making shit up. Or maybe Sam liked her, but not enough to cough up cash for her.

  He’d gotten what he came for. It was time to bail.

  “Well, I hate to eat and run, but I’ve got to get back to the old grind.” That probably made him sound like he was ninety years old, but oh well. He bent to give her a peck on the cheek. “I’ll call you,” he muttered. Leaving her with a confused look on her face, he hightailed it out of there.

  She was nice enough, but he’d gotten all he could out of her. Knowing what kind of car Annie drove and a possible location of her neighborhood—it couldn’t be that hard to find out where Sam MacDonald lived—was gold. He had to assume she parked in the underground employee parking garage, so he’d wait outside on the street for a Ford Edge. Then he’d follow her home and bingo.

  He’d need to give more thought to the Sam MacDonald angle. Maybe he’d wait to make a move and spy on Annie until he could confirm or deny she and Sam were seeing each other. If he could get some pictures to prove it, that would be even better. That would take longer, but the payoff would be worth it. Annie probably hadn’t told Sam about him, and who knew how much Sam would pay to make sure no one knew he was having an affair with a married woman whose husband had just gotten out of prison for manslaughter.

  Sam would gladly pay off Wayne and then break up with Annie. Maybe, if Annie were lucky, Wayne would consider taking her back. He’d have to see what she was like now. She was hot, but what if she’d turned into a real bitch or something?

  When he went to scout out the best place to watch cars exiting the parking garage, he was pissed to learn there were three exits. Damn it. He’d have to pick one to wait at tonight, and if he didn’t find her there, he’d wait at a different one tomorrow.

  ***

  Annie was pacing the floor of her office. It was lunchtime, but she had no appetite. She’d been relieved when Beckie told her she had a lunch date and wouldn’t be able to eat with her. Annie was in no mood for company right now. She’d made a few more desperate calls to find someone, anyone, to install her security system but had come up empty. Now, even the guy who had wanted a small fortune was busy. She had no choice but to ask Sam.

  Her phone rang, and
after checking the caller ID, she answered it. Hearing Sam’s voice calmed her worried mind. Dang, she would miss him.

  She probably had a few days to a week before Wayne figured out where she was, so she should start easing away from Sam now.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Good morning. I was calling to find out when you plan to cash in your time with me,” Sam said.

  “Funny you should mention that. I need help with something very soon,” she said. “Are you doing anything this Saturday?”

  “I’ll clear my calendar,” he said seriously, and her heart swelled a little. He was so sweet. She knew he would help her regardless of whether she’d “purchased” him or not, but this was as good an excuse as any to get him to help.

  “Awesome. Just come over any time. I’ll be home.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Look, I’ve got to go. Talk to you soon?” she asked right before hanging up. It was borderline rude, but she needed to start putting some space between them.

  Backing off without an explanation was a risky move. What if he thought she wasn’t interested and moved on? If she had to stay away too long, it was possible he wouldn’t be available when she was free to pick things back up. Or what if she pissed him off by shutting him out and he just lost interest altogether?

  She rehashed the debate about telling him the truth but, once again, decided to leave it as a last resort.

  Not only did she not want Sam to find out she was still married, she was legitimately worried about what Wayne would do if he found out she had anything to do with the super-rich and powerful Sam MacDonald. To protect Sam from Wayne, she would keep him in the dark and out of sight for as long as needed.

  She just needed to make it to the weekend, keeping Sam at arm’s length, get the security system set up, and then just wait.

  Hopefully, Wayne would show up, take no for an answer, and leave as quickly as he came. If she could wrap it all up in a weekend, maybe Sam wouldn’t even notice. It was probably wishful thinking, but she had to stay positive. There wasn’t much else she could do at this point.

  Having worried enough for now, she ran down to the cafeteria to buy a half sandwich and a couple of cookies to go. Though she still wasn’t hungry, she knew she would be once her mind calmed down. She wrapped a white chocolate macadamia nut and put it on Beckie’s desk and then ran a plain chocolate chip down to Gayle in accounting. She was going through a rough divorce, and Annie thought she might enjoy it.

  Thinking about someone other than herself was a tactic she’d learned that helped keep her mind off her own problems. Plus, she just loved doing things for others and seeing how happy the simplest of things made people.

  It hadn’t taken Annie long to realize that the group of people she was working with here were completely different from those in the San Francisco office. The team was made up of the best of the best and were all hard workers. Each had a separate area of expertise. The fact that none of them were graphic designers meant no one was going to be after her to do their work. She wouldn’t know how!

  Having realized she wouldn’t be taken advantage of if she were nice, she dropped the bitchy attitude and quickly became friends with most of them. She even made peace with Cooper.

  After delivering the cookies, she returned to her office and buried herself in work.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Saturday rolled around, and Sam still hadn’t had much more than short phone or text conversations with Annie. He wasn’t sure what to expect when he showed up but rang the bell with hopes of an afternoon in bed.

  She answered, wearing sweats and a frown. Her hair was mussed, and what makeup she wore looked like it was from yesterday. “Hey, thanks for coming. I need your help.”

  “Sure. You paid for me. Your wish is my command.” He smiled, trying to get her to relax.

  “You paid for yourself,” she said dryly. “But I need you, so I’m not going to quibble. Follow me.”

  She led him to the kitchen island, which was covered in security cameras and different sized white boxes. “I’m hoping you can install this for me,” she said, verging on desperation.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It’s a security system I bought online. I got a great deal, and it came right away, but I didn’t think about the installation part. I’ve called everyone in town, and either they don’t want to install a product that isn’t theirs or their time frame to come out is weeks to months away. I’d like to get it up and running as soon as possible.”

  “Okay. I can probably help.”

  “It’s actually two systems,” she confessed. “The little boxes are door and window alarms, and the cameras are a separate system that record for a day at a time and also have a live feed that I should be able to see on my phone via some app.”

  He picked up the manuals that had come with the systems and flipped through them quickly. “The boxes are all wireless, so that will be easy. I’ll have to install the cameras, but they’re wireless too, which makes it a lot less work. Then we’ll just have to hook you up to the apps that control them. I think I can handle this.”

  She heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed a little. “Oh, thank you. I’m so glad it won’t be too much work.”

  He went to reach for her, but she sidestepped him, went to the coffeepot, and poured herself a cup. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “No, thank you. Is everything all right? You seem a little distracted,” he asked, walking over to her again.

  “Yeah, of course. Everything’s fine. Do you need any tools? I have a cordless drill, and I borrowed a ladder from the neighbor next door.”

  Guess she was getting right down to business. “I should be fine with that. Looks like we’ll need a lot of batteries for the alarm system.”

  “Great. I’ll head out and get those. Will you be okay here?” She was already heading for her keys.

  “Oh, sure,” he said, a little surprised. Why was she bolting out of here so quickly?

  “Okay. See you in a bit then,” she said as she all but ran out the door. He heard her car start and watched her back out of the driveway.

  “Well, guess I better get to work,” he muttered. She hadn’t even mentioned where she wanted the cameras.

  Considering the doors were the most logical place for them, he installed the wireless cameras in the front entryway, outside the slider, and over the garage door. That would show her the main points of entry. If she wanted them on the windows, he could put those up later. She just had to download the app and sync up the cameras, and she’d be in business. It was actually a pretty slick little system.

  He picked up the manual for the alarm system to familiarize himself with the way it worked. There were some boxes for the doors, others for the windows. There were fire and carbon monoxide alarms and a base that controlled it all. Each door alarm came with a keypad so you could turn it on and off with a code.

  He started with the doors. The cordless drill she’d left him petered out after the front door and the slider. He only had the door that led to the house from the garage to finish, so he went looking for a regular screwdriver.

  He began opening drawers in the kitchen, looking for a junk drawer that might have something he could use. On the third drawer, he found a stack of letters, all from a California prison. They were all addressed to Annie at a California address, but most were stamped “Returned to Sender.” They had all been opened.

  He could easily take a peek, and no one would be the wiser. The desire to take a look was overwhelming, but he wouldn’t invade her privacy. As he went to replace the letters, he noticed a legal-size manila envelope with an attorney’s name in the return address.

  That proved to be too tempting. He set the letters on the counter and pulled out the manila envelope. This could be about her divorce. He pulled out the contents, and sure enough, they were divorce papers. Relieved to see the date was almost two years ago, he quickly flipped through the pages.

  They
had only been renting, so there was no property to divide. Wayne had apparently had her sign a prenup, so it looked like neither party would have to pay the other anything. It all looked straightforward and simple. Until he got to the last page.

  Annie had signed, but her husband had not. On the line where his signature was to go, he’d written one word—never.

  Sam didn’t have to be an attorney to know that wasn’t good. He hoped to God this was just an early copy that Wayne had rejected, and the final documents were somewhere else. That made sense. She probably had them in a file cabinet or a safe deposit box.

  Feeling guilty, he put everything back the way he’d found it and moved on, continuing his search for a screwdriver. Finally, he gave up and started on the window sensors instead. They were installed using strong, double-sided tape and didn’t require any tools. He affixed the bases but left the tops off. Once Annie came back with the batteries, he could finish those up quickly.

  He finished the downstairs and then went upstairs to start there. Curiosity getting the better of him, he went to the room that had been locked the last time he was here. Sure enough, the door was still locked. He looked to see if it was something he could pick easily. Sometimes just a pointy object inserted into the center of the knob would open a lock, but this needed a key.

  On impulse, he ran his fingers along the top of the doorjamb, and a lone key fell to the floor. He picked it up and debated whether he should open the door. He’d left the letters, knowing they were probably from her ex-husband, but couldn’t talk himself out of discovering what was behind this door.

  He inserted the key and turned. Upon opening the door, he was taken aback, totally unprepared for what he saw. There were boxes stacked around, but amidst those was a fully assembled crib and a rocking chair next to it. The crib was engraved with the name “Avery” on the headboard.

  What was this? Was Annie pregnant? And she’d already had a crib made and named the baby? It didn’t make any sense.

  She couldn’t be pregnant—at least not with his baby. They’d only been sleeping together for a couple of weeks, and they’d used protection each time. Well, almost every time. Damn that Maui trip.