by Quinn Loftis
“No, I think today we turn it down a notch, maybe do some shopping. I don’t want any more of your bodily fluids on me.”
“Amen,” said Jessica.
“I need to visit that famous TV cupcake place,” he replied. “And I want to make sure and swing by the fancy casino with the fountains tonight to watch the show.”
“Sounds good,” said Charity as their food arrived. “Let’s wolf down these flapjacks and get started.
Chapter Fifteen
Samantha felt great the rest of the day as they skipped around the city shopping and sightseeing. No one wanted to go as hard as they had the previous evening, so they abstained from alcohol. The four of them joked with one another lightheartedly, and Jason fit into their group as if he’d known them forever.
At some point, when Charity was distracted by a bedazzled purse screaming at her from a shop window, Samantha sidled up to Jessica.
“Don’t worry about earlier,” said Sam. “Charity hates to admit it, but Derek is hot, even if he is an asshole.”
“Thanks.” Jessica grinned. “Still, I shouldn’t have brought it up. My grandmother always used to say, ‘The quickest way to call up a devil is to say his name.’”
“Surely, I’m safe here. He’s a thousand miles away.”
“You are,” said Jessica. “I just hope he’s not waiting for you when we get back.”
“He will be,” said Samantha.
“You seem sure about that.”
“Oh, I am. If I know Derek, he won’t give up without a fight. The text was just the beginning. He’s biding his time. I’ll hear from him soon, and it won’t be good when I do. I can feel it. Like a storm brewing on the horizon. For some reason I can’t explain, I know it’s going to be bad this time … really bad.”
“Don’t worry, Sam. We’re going to be with you this time. If Charity is not available, you call me. I’ll be there in a second.”
“Thanks,” Sam replied then threw her arms around Jessica. “Now let’s grab Charity before she buys that hideous purse.”
As the day progressed, Samantha realized two things. The first was that Jason was every bit as genuine as he’d appeared in his videos. Though he seemed to delight in good-naturedly teasing her, continually bringing up the fact she’d blown chunks all over him, he was also kind and considerate, always bending over backward to ensure she and the girls were having a good time. In addition to being good looking, Jason was thoughtful, never failing to open the door for them and he didn’t rush them when they were oohing and aahing over shoes when it was clear he wanted to be anywhere in the world but an outlet mall. He was witty and charming—everything a woman would want in a partner, if Samantha were looking for such a thing, which, of course, she wasn’t.
The second thing Samantha realized was, despite Charity’s earlier assurances, she and Jessica were obviously trying to get Sam and Jason to hook up. Every time they sat in a booth, Jessica and Charity made sure to sit together, leaving no place for Sam and Jason to sit but together. While shopping, Charity and Jessica always seemed to secretly find a way to wander off, leaving Sam and Jason alone together. At first, Samantha was a little miffed. But when she thought about how silly and pathetic Charity’s plan was, she realized it would be equally silly to get upset. The plan had no chance of succeeding. Because of that, Samantha could simply relax and enjoy the rest of her weekend.
The matchmaking efforts were doomed to failure because neither Samantha nor Jason was looking for a relationship. Sam was almost ready to join a convent and swear off any male contact whatsoever because of what Derek did. Jason, as great as he was, clearly wasn’t over his deceased wife. Actually, that’s precisely why he was so great. Because he could love someone so deeply and he refused to jump into bed with the first available woman that came along after his wife was gone. So, the pressure for Sam was off, and that allowed her to be herself and have fun.
“We only have one more thing to do today,” said Jason as the water show at a fancy casino wound down and the fountains went quiet.
“What’s that?” asked Samantha. The four of them walked back to where Jason’s rental car was parked in the casino parking deck. Darkness had settled over the city a couple hours earlier.
“You’ll see,” he replied. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing scary.” They climbed into the car. As usual, Charity and Jessica jumped into the back seat, leaving Sam up front with Jason. He left the strip and began driving southeast. Within minutes, the elevation changed, and Jason was driving up the hills of a mostly residential neighborhood called Green Valley Ranch. Soon, however, they came to a large resort property spreading over scores of acres.
“What are we doing here?” Charity asked, taking in the expansive property.
“You’ll see,” he said. He pulled onto the property and followed signs to the parking garage. Once inside, instead of taking one of the many available spots, he kept driving, winding further and further upward. Soon, the car exited onto the top level of the garage.
“Whoa,” said Jessica.
“Oh, so that’s why,” said Charity, looking out the car window.
“That’s beautiful,” said Samantha, staring out at the lights of Las Vegas twinkling before them like glittering diamonds strewn across an indigo blanket. Jason pulled the car into an open spot and they all got out and walked over to the guardrail to take in the view.
“Bethany and I found this place during our first visit. A local gave us a tip about it.”
“Amazing,” said Sam.
For a long while, no one said anything, they simply leaned on the concrete barrier and stared out into the night. The temperature was almost perfect as the dry desert wind blew across the top of the parking deck. Sam tried her best to contain her unruly dark hair, pushing what she could behind her ear. As she did so, she noticed Jason staring at her.
“What?” she asked.
“Who was he?” Jason replied.
“What are you talking about?”
“Someone obviously hurt you pretty bad. Who was he?”
“I … uh … what? Why would you ask me that?” She glanced around frantically and noticed Charity and Jessica had ambled over to another section of the parking garage and were dutifully staring off into the night, their backs toward her and Jason. She narrowed her eyes at them.
“Charity told me one of her friends had been going through a tough time. Then there was that little bit back at the restaurant. I thought Charity was going to tear Jessica’s head off. I could only assume Jessica was talking about your ex.”
“Charity told you I was having a tough time?” Samantha grunted. “That’s really not your business. She shouldn’t have said that.” Petty schemes aside, Sam was starting to get more than a little peeved at her friend now.
“Okay, sorry,” said Jason. “I didn’t mean to pry. She said the videos were encouraging to you. I just thought you might want to talk about it.”
If Samantha had been taking a drink, she would have spit it all over him. She spluttered like a cat dropped into a bathtub filled with cold water. “She did not.” Sam clenched her fists and turned on her heel, about to march across the empty parking deck and give her friend a piece of her mind. She took one step and stopped, considering whether she wanted to cause a scene. Tomorrow was their last full day in Vegas. She didn’t want to spend it angry at Charity. Had she known then she would barely see Charity the following day, she might have gone ahead and told her off. But, once again, Samantha had to temper her irritation at the blonde. She knew her friend meant well, but the girl was pushing it. Samantha turned back to Jason.
“You’re right. It’s none of my business,” he said. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Samantha just laughed and rolled her eyes.
“What?” he asked. “What’d I say?”
“Oh, it’s not you. It’s that meddling blonde over there. I just can’t believe her sometimes.”
“What did she do?”
Samantha loo
ked a little abashed. She went back to the guardrail and stood next to Jason. She turned and placed her forearms against it and faced back out to the city. He turned and mimicked her posture, their shoulders touching. They were virtual strangers, but Samantha felt as if Jason were an old friend. “She wasn’t exactly honest with you, Jason. It’s true I have been going through a tough time … a really tough time. But your videos, honestly, haven’t helped me much.” Jason furrowed his brow. “It’s nothing against you,” Samantha said quickly. “It’s just, at first, I thought you might be some kind of fraud. I couldn’t believe, in this day and age, someone could actually be that genuine.”
“Okay, I’m not really sure how to take that.”
“Don’t be upset,” Sam said, “please. I know the truth now. It says more about where I am in my life than anything about you.”
“Hmm, so I guess I was right,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“If you are that skeptical to question the motives of a man whose wife and children have recently passed, you definitely have been burned. And not just a little bit. We are talking wildfire-level burnt.”
Samantha sat for a minute considering her next words carefully. She stared at the lights below her, the wind blowing in her air, Jason’s shoulder brushing lightly against hers as he, too, looked out at the city. If there were a safer place on earth for her in that moment, she couldn’t imagine it. The silence stretched on. Jason didn’t appear as if he would press the issue. Finally, she sighed. “His name is Derek.”
“Ooh, Derek. He sounds like a jerk.”
Sam giggled in spite of herself. “Do you want to hear this or not?”
“I’m all ears,” said Jason.
Samantha relayed her entire history with Derek up to his last text message a few days ago, but carefully skipped over any parts about the physical abuse. She wasn’t ready to face that demon just yet with a stranger. The story took her almost twenty minutes, even with the omissions. When she’d finished, there were tears in her eyes and she was sniffling. “So, there you have it. Wildfire just about sums it up.”
Despite the tears, Sam felt as if a great weight was being lifted off her shoulders, one stone at a time. It was similar to the feeling she’d had when she’d relayed the story to Jessica a few weeks ago. But this time, the experience was even more freeing. Telling the story to someone who wasn’t a friend, who didn’t know her or her history, was different. It gave her power. It made her feel as if she could actually put the specter of Derek behind her.
“Wow, that’s some story,” said Jason. “I guess you really did need this vacation.”
“You could say that. Not to mention it was a good way to get away from Henry Hyena.”
“Henry Hyena? He sounds interesting.”
“If, by interesting, you mean someone who calls a girl to see if she’s at work, sits at said work, watches her work, and then claims to be psychic and that he’s seen their future together, then most definitely he is interesting. Oh, and his last name isn’t hyena, I just call him that in my mind because he’s odd like a hyena. I mean, they are some really strange animals.”
“Wow, so you went from a serious ass to a serious nut? You absolutely needed a Vegas break.” He sighed after several minutes of silence and then spoke. “I know you’re not looking for answers from some kind of fraud like me, but I’m glad you told me, Samantha.”
She giggled and punched him on the shoulder. “I wish every guy was as fraudulent as you,” she said, almost immediately regretting the awkwardness the statement caused.
Jason shook his head. “I’ve got my own problems, unfortunately. But I sure as hell wouldn’t take you for granted like he did. I don’t know how to say this without being weird, so I’ll just say it.” But Jason didn’t say anything, he just looked down to the ground several stories below.
“Uh, say what?” asked Samantha after several moments of silence. She turned to face him full on.
“You’re a catch.” His voice was a whisper.
“What?” she asked, though she’d heard him just fine. Jason’s face held a pained expression, and he seemed to be struggling with something. Finally, he turned away from the view and faced her.
“You’re beautiful. You’re funny. You’re kind. You act kind of tough, but I can tell you’ve got a really good heart. Any man would be lucky as hell to have you. I’m sorry you’ve been with someone who can’t see that.”
Samantha’s mouth dropped open, but she closed it quickly. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected Jason to say, but it wasn’t that. His words were genuine. She could tell he meant everything he’d said. In fact, his words were so heartfelt it made Samantha realize with crystal clarity that every good thing Derek had said to her was a lie. He hadn’t actually believed any of it. She should have realized it long before now, but she hadn’t. Despite his actions, she’d always believed Derek had meant it when he said she was beautiful or that he loved her. He was a loser and he cheated on her, but he’d always been so convincing when he’d declared his love for her. It was easy to overlook Derek’s flaws when he told her so convincingly that he loved her. Now, hearing someone like Jason say those words of truth to her—not that he loved her, but that she was beautiful, that she was good, that she was worth something—shattered all illusions of Derek’s sincerity like a wall of mirrors in a fun house. Jason’s words of truth were in such contrast to Derek’s lies, they made Derek’s deceptions easy to spot.
Samantha stared into Jason’s crystal blue eyes, and he stared right back at her. It seemed as if all the surrounding noises were suddenly shut off and the whole world went quiet. The wind stilled. Sam couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but it almost felt like Jason was leaning in toward her. Was she leaning toward him, too? Sam vaguely realized she was holding her breath and forced herself to exhale.
“Hey.” Samantha whipped around as Charity’s voice broke the spell between her and Jason. “Are we going to stay up here all night staring into space? We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
“We were just waiting on you two,” said Jason.
“Wait no longer,” said the blonde. “The night is young.” She pushed in between Jason and Samantha and put her arms around them. “I know you said this was the last thing on your list for today, Jason my boy, but it’s my bachelorette weekend, and I feel like a drink.”
“As you wish,” he said, guiding them back to the car. He opened the back door for Charity and Jessica to pile into the vehicle. Samantha went around the car and resumed her usual spot up front in the passenger seat. As Jason climbed behind the wheel, she stared at him, wondering what in the world had almost just happened. A million butterflies were doing gymnastics in her stomach. And with every butterfly somersault came a new question. What am I doing? What am I doing? What the hell am I doing?
Chapter Sixteen
Despite Charity’s promise of a long night, the remainder of the evening was fairly mild. The foursome danced and drank until around midnight, when they decided to turn in. Thoughts of the headaches from the previous morning kept them from overdoing it. Though Sam and Jason spent most of the evening dancing together, the enchanted moment from earlier never threatened to reappear. It didn’t take long for Sam to guess why. Watching Jason closely, she realized he was just as scared about what had happened as she was. It was easy to see the fear in his eyes, as she’d seen it so many times in her own reflection over the past few years.
Samantha debated on whether to talk with Jason about what happened. In the end, she decided to let it go. Talking about it would only make it real. And neither of them needed that. In two days, she would fly back to Roanoke, and Jason would hop in his RV and drive to who knows where. More than likely, she’d never see Jason again, except on his videos. Starting something with him romantically, even if he wanted such a thing, would only lead to more heartache in the end. She’d had enough of that for one lifetime. She decided to be content with her pleasant weekend and go on with her lif
e.
On the bright side, what Jason had said earlier about Samantha being a catch had truly changed something within her. She now knew with one hundred percent certainty that she was over Derek. That ship had sailed, got lost at sea, and sank to the bottom of the ocean. The thought filled her with more peace than she’d had in years Not even thoughts of her odd stalker could dampen her spirits.
“So, what was that I saw on the roof earlier?” Charity asked when Jason went to the bar to buy them another round of drinks.
“What are you talking about?” Sam replied.
“I’m talking about you and Mr. Feels staring into one another’s eyes. Another couple of minutes and you two would have been in the back seat with the windows fogging up.”
“It was nothing. We were just talking.”
“Uh-huh,” Jessica interjected. “You two were talking alright. Using mostly body language to communicate, from where I was standing.”
“Well, maybe that wouldn’t have happened if you had been standing right next to me where you belong. Don’t think I can’t see what you’re doing, sneaking off every five minutes and leaving me alone with him. I can see right through you. Well just forget it, Charity. It’s a lost cause. Neither of us is ready for a relationship.”
Charity turned to Jessica. “I don’t know what she’s insinuating, do you?”
“No idea,” replied Jessica. “I haven’t been sneaking off anywhere. Have you been sneaking, Charity?”
“Nope. Maybe they are the ones that keep wandering away from us on purpose.”
“I think you might be right,” said Jessica.
“I hope you do enjoy his company, Sam, because tomorrow, he’s all yours.” Charity grinned from ear to ear.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sam asked, her eyes narrowing.
“Oh, you’ll see,” she said as Jason walked up with the drinks. Charity grinned even wider. She took a drink of her margarita, then sauntered onto the dance floor.
