by Holly Jaymes
“Nate!” my mother chastised.
“Forget Mom, I’ll come visit you,” Will said. “I’ll be happy to entertain Ms. Lassiter while you fix her house.”
“Will. Please.” My mother rolled her eyes.
Fortunately, the rest of the evening went on without talking about my job or Sam. I even mustered up enough energy to razz my brothers some, so it was almost like old times.
As I drove to my rental later that evening, I had to admit it was nice to have my family close. It was never any fun to speak out loud the things that hurt, but when it was done, the support I received did help.
I drove past Sam’s place; glad it was dark. She was out, probably at Dean’s. I pushed that image out of my head as I pulled into my drive. My place wasn’t dark. God, Sam wasn’t at my house, was she? Then I remembered, I’d never taken my key back. Crap.
While I didn’t want to see her, there was a little niggle of hope in my heart that she was there. I quickly stomped it out. It was time I realized that Sam and I weren’t meant to be.
I walked in through the side door with my emotional guard raised. I heard movement in the hallway and clenched my teeth, ready to face the woman who I loved but couldn’t have.
Megan appeared in the doorway of my office. “How was Hollywood?”
I let out a sad but relieved breath. “Good. Great actually.”
“Good.” She went back into my office.
I set my bags in the hallway and followed her in. “What are you doing here so late?”
“Waiting for you.”
“Is there a problem?” I sat on the couch in the office instead of my desk. I didn’t want to work. I wanted to shower and then go to sleep. I’d need to be fresh to walk into Sam’s house tomorrow.
“Sort of.”
I quirked a brow, intrigued by her response.
“I’ve got some footage you need to see.”
“I don’t usually see footage during the renovation.”
“I know, but this is important.” She poked her tablet and then handed it to me.
The minute Sam came on the screen, I wanted to hand it back. But maybe something was up with the kitchen where Sam was painting with Dean and her other friend Angela.
Just a few seconds in, I realized they were talking about me.
“Why would he think you were cheating with me?” Dean asked.
“Because her mother told me so,” I muttered. As I watched, Angela verified that Sam’s mother had thought they were together.
I tried to watch Sam’s face to see how she’d respond to the news, but the camera didn’t have her in a good frame. I did hear her say, “Gabe seems to have forgotten he was the one that cheated.”
“No, I didn’t.” I looked at Megan. “Why are you showing this to me?”
She took the tablet back and poked some more before handing it back.
“I don’t want to watch this, Megan.”
“Yes, you do. At least you need to.”
Diana showed up on the screen stapling fabric to a seat chair. “Do you care about him?”
“Yes.” Tears fell on Sam’s face, and my heart clenched with a yearning to wipe each one.
“Why don’t you tell him?” Diana asked her. “You didn’t think he felt the same?”
“I know he doesn’t.”
How could Sam think I didn’t care for her? Sure, I didn’t use the words, but it was all there. The way I touched her. Looked at her. She had to know.
In a move that was indicative of Diana’s nurturing spirit, she moved to Sam and put an arm around her. “He does. I can see it. I doubt it was ever gone. You two need to learn to talk. To trust each other.”
“Diana is right about that,” Megan said.
But I was focused on Sam’s next statement. “He thinks I cheated on him.”
“With who?”
“Dean.”
“Did you tell him otherwise?”
Sam shook her head. “It’s ridiculous. He should trust me.”
Diana arched a brow. “Like you trust him?”
“There are no pictures of me with other men.”
Anger rose in my chest. “That’s just fucking not true.” I thrust the tablet back at Megan. “None of this matters. She doesn’t trust me.”
“And you don’t trust her, even though it’s clear Dean’s in love with Angela.”
“That doesn’t mean Sam doesn’t love him.”
Megan rolled her eyes. “She just told Diana that she loved you.”
My heart thumped hard in my chest, wanting to believe it, but too afraid to.
Megan poked at her tablet again.
“I don’t want to watch anymore.”
“Too bad.” She thrust it back at me.
This time, Sam was sitting on her porch and Megan came into frame.
“Gabe is in every room in this house.”
Samantha closed her eyes, as if the news hurt her. “I know.”
“How will you be able to live here knowing you lost the best part of this renovation?”
I shook my head. I didn’t need Megan getting involved.
When Sam didn’t respond, she continued on. “I heard you think Gabe was unfaithful to you.”
Samantha glared at Megan. “Video doesn’t lie.”
Megan handed Samantha the tablet and I could hear a gossip news piece playing on it.
“Jesus, you showed it to her, the thing she’s using against me?”
“Keep watching.” Megan pointed at the tablet.
“I’ve seen this, Megan.”
“But have you really studied it?” Megan pressed the screen, supposedly to stop the video. “Did you ever visit Gabe in Florida?”
“A couple of times when he first moved there.” Samantha tried to hand the tablet back to Megan but she pushed back in front of her.
“What was his condo number?”
“What?”
“His condo number. Which one of these is his condo?”
Samantha simply stared at Megan.
Megan huffed out a breath. “His condo number was 208. See the woman walking out of the condo here?”
“Yes, Megan. I see the scantily-clad woman leaving Gabe’s condo.”
“No, Sam. See this door next to the one she’s leaving? Look at the number. It’s condo 204. The numbers are even, so next to 204 is…” Megan waited for Samantha to catch on.
Samantha stared at the screen, but apparently was taking too long to answer.
“It’s 206, Sam. The woman is walking out of 206, which was owned by Jeff Crispin, who I met while visiting Gabe and can tell you, that he often did have scantily-clad women leaving his place. I’ll even arrange for you to talk to him if you need more proof that this woman wasn’t with Gabe and didn’t cheat on you.”
On the one hand, I felt vindicated and yet still sad. Everyone had believed me when I’d told them the woman wasn’t leaving my place except Sam. Of course, at the time, I thought she was taking up with Dean, and I figured she just wanted an excuse to break up with me without looking like she cheated on me. But apparently, I was wrong about that. How could we mess up so royally?
I supposed it was too much to hope that Sam would acquiesce the point. Instead, she said, “He’s the one that’s leaving, not me.”
I looked at Megan. “I told you not to say anything about my leaving.”
“I didn’t. You didn’t either and that’s part of the problem, Gabe. She overheard you and took your not telling her to be something bad. Which it is. Diana is right, you two need to learn to talk beyond thrusts and grunts.”
I glared at her and then turned my attention back to the screen, where an exasperated Megan continued on, “He didn’t tell you because he’s trying to get out of it. This is a fantastic project but he’d rather be here with you. He’s got his lawyer and agent trying to find a loophole in his contract. He didn’t tell you because he’s hoping he doesn’t have to say anything.” Megan’s voice rose slightly and I appreciated her
sticking up for me, even if I didn’t like her airing my business. Especially on screen.
“Jesus, why is all this filmed?”
“Because you two don’t talk to each other. You needed to know how she felt and what she thought. You both are idiots as far as I’m concerned, but I like you both and if you can be happy, then I need to help you.”
I looked at Sam on the screen who started to cry. “Christ, Megan, you made her cry.”
“Not me. That’s her realizing her mistake.”
I looked back at the screen, but Megan took it again. She poked a few more times and then handed it back.
On it, I watched as Sam and I scraped wallpaper from the library. We were smiling, and immediately I felt the endorphins of happiness and attraction fill my body, just as they had been in that moment. Sam looked at me with a sparkle in her eyes.
“That’s why you need to see the other shots. And that’s why the two of you need to learn to open your goddamn mouths and say what you feel.”
I touched Sam’s cheek on the screen, the pressure causing the video to stop. Jesus, I loved her so much my chest hurt. “Where is she?”
“I think she’s at her friend Angela’s, but Gabe, we’ve got a week on the house. She has to stay away.”
I looked up at Megan. “We need to finish everything.”
She nodded. “Yep.”
“You need to order that baroque paper she wants. And the rest of the fireplace inserts.”
She eyed me suspiciously. “Gabe, we can’t do all that in a week. I’m not sure it will come in within the week.”
I stood and went behind my desk, pulling out a piece of paper making notes and lists. “Where is her book?”
“Gabe, we can’t do the book.”
“Could we if we had two weeks?” I asked as I handed the paper to Megan.
Her eyes were wide as she looked at the paper. “The book, no. This list? Maybe. Most anyway.” She looked up. “The budget is maxed out, though.”
“I’ll pay.”
“This is supposed to be a budget renovation show. That book, this list, your money, that’s not budget.”
“Megan, come on. You know you want to.” I could see the tug-of-war in her eyes. When she looked hesitant, I pushed harder, tugging at her heartstrings. After all, she’d shown me all this to get me to see Samantha and I could have something. Megan wasn’t really going to stand in the way of my grand gesture to win her back, was she?. “Help me get this done, Megan. Help me get my life on track.”
She stared at me and then a huge smile spread on her face. “You’re a real romantic, Gabe. What about Hollywood?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll figure that out later.”
“Maybe she can go with you.”
“I have to win her back first.”
Megan waved the paper. “This will help.” Then she frowned. “But you still need to use words, Gabe.”
I nodded. “I’ll use words too.”
Book 1: Chapter 19 Samantha—The Reveal
Samantha
I was going stir crazy. It wasn’t because I was banned from my home for a week while Gabe and his crew finished my house. It was from not being able to see him and find out if I’d made a huge mistake. Was I really so untrusting, so insecure in our love back then that I’d believed the gossip when the truth was right in front of me all the time?
I’d been banned from my home for three days already, and for three days, it was all I could do not to drive over to my house to see Gabe.
“You’re going to make yourself crazy. You’re already making me crazy,” Angela said from the couch in her tiny apartment as she searched for something to watch on TV.
“What if he isn’t there? I wouldn’t blame him for walking off.”
“He’s there because it’s his show and he’s not going to abandon his crew. Now sit, Sam.”
I paced behind her couch. “I can’t. I need to go over there.”
“You can’t. That’s breaking the rules. You’re a teacher so you know the importance of rules.”
I stopped and gripped the back of the couch. “I won’t look at the house. I’ll just check that he’s there.”
I couldn’t see her face, but I was sure Angela was rolling her eyes. “Sam. Sit.”
Because I had nowhere else to stay, and couldn’t afford to have her kick me out, I sat on the couch next to her.
“Honey, I know you want to see him, but you have to consider that maybe, being apart is for the best.”
I gaped at her. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you are where you are because you didn’t trust him. You wouldn’t even talk to him. If you can’t share your feelings or talk out your problems, that’s a sign that you’re not compatible.”
“Since when are you an expert on love?” There was no way she could understand the torment I was enduring. She was right that I hadn’t handled things correctly, but that didn’t mean we weren’t compatible. It just meant I needed to communicate better.
“You don’t need to be an expert to know that if you don’t trust someone, they’re probably not for you.”
“But he didn’t cheat. I was wrong. I was the problem.”
“Yes. You’re the problem. You don’t trust him. You couldn’t even tell him you loved him. If he was the one and only, wouldn’t you have been able to share your feelings?”
I threw up my arms. “I want to share my feelings now and you’re telling me I can’t.”
“His show is telling you you can’t. Not me. I’m trying to watch TV.” I could hear the frustration in her voice. “Sam, it’s only a few more days.”
Tears filled my eyes. “I need to tell him. I’m sorry.”
She let out a breath and moved put an arm around me. “You can at the reveal. Or after if you don’t want it on TV.”
My phone buzzed with a notification. Please let it be Gabe. I looked at the text. Not Gabe. Megan.
Last bits of work are taking longer than expected. Need one more week.
I let out a scream and flopped back on the couch.
“What?” Angela looked to me in concern.
“They need another week. I think I’m going to die.”
“You’re not going to die.” She looked at the text. “They’re making your house beautiful. You should be glad.”
“I am glad, but I’d rather have a dump and see Gabe.”
This time I did see her eyes roll. “Text her to see if Gabe is there.”
“Right. Good idea.” I sat up and started punching in letters on my phone and then hit send. It seemed like hours later, although it was just a few minutes that a reply came in.
Yes. He’s hard at work.
Then it was followed by a picture of a shirtless Gabe. It showed his back, glistening with sweat, his muscles taut and his tats beautifully adorning his shoulder blades. I wanted to reach through the phone and hold him.
I sat back. “He’s there.”
“Just as I told you. Now can we watch TV?”
“Yes.”
“Here, let’s watch an old ep’ of Budget Rehab. You can drool on my TV to get by the next week and a half.”
I did like watching Gabe on TV, but it wasn’t the same as being with him. The TV didn’t capture his size, his scent, his warmth. God, I missed him so much and I was terrified I’d lost my chance to make things work for us.
I couldn’t imagine how I was going to make it the next ten days without seeing him and finally telling him everything. Many times I started to sneak out of the house to go see him, but Angela put a bell on the door or stuff on the floor, and she’d catch me.
Angela was right in that I’d handled everything wrong. I should have listened to him four years ago instead of just breaking up. I should have told him that I was falling for him again over the last few weeks. I didn’t want to live my life full of “I should have”s. From now on, or the next time I saw him, I’d be brave and tell him how I felt, even if I was jealous or afraid.<
br />
I’m not sure how I survived the last days of the rehab, especially when Megan texted that they needed three more days. Was it possible to die from anticipation? What was possible was that Angela might have strangled me as I got more and more agitated the closer the day came that I’d see Gabe.
When the day finally came, I was a mass of nerves and excitement.
“Maybe I should drive you,” Angela said as she regarded me over her cup of coffee while I lamented over whether or not I should wear a pretty dress or jeans. “It’s probably not safe to drive under the influence of cray cray.”
I gave her a look. “I didn’t make fun of your antics about Dean.”
She sighed. “You’re right. But I’m pretty sure you’re crazier.”
“I have so much at stake.”
Forty minutes later, I parked my car on the street in front of my house and sent a tiny prayer to the heavens, “Please let Gabe forgive me.”
I stepped out of my car and Megan was there to meet me.
“Hey, Sam. The day is finally here.”
“Where’s Gabe?” I searched the yard, the group of TV people and tried to see in the windows. I didn’t see him anywhere.
“Patience.”
I looked at Megan. “I need to see him.”
She rolled her eyes. “You two are nuts.”
I wanted to ask her why. Did he miss me too? Did he want to fix things with us?
“We’re going to get a shot of you walking from your car up the walk. Perhaps you haven’t noticed but your yard is looking very nice.”
I scanned the yard, but couldn’t take in its beauty. “Will Gabe be here?”
“Seriously, you’re driving me nuts.” She put her arm around me and turned me away from the house. “Pretend you’re getting out of the car and seeing the house for the first time. Act like you haven’t seen it yet and that you think it’s beautiful, even if you don’t.”
I nodded. If I did this right, I’d be able to see Gabe. At least I hoped so.
“Ready?”
I nodded. “Ready.”
I turned and looked at the house. I smiled and tried to ooh and ahh. I walked up the front walk and noticed the hanging flowers on my front porch that had been repainted. As I started up the steps, I saw a swing hanging at the end of the porch. I’d always wanted a porch swing but it hadn’t made it to the list for this rehab.
