Alyssa will be a good ally because she is close with Sam and seems to like me. Although I don’t know her husband, I could tell he isn’t from Sutton Hills either, so I’m sure she can understand the difficulty of trying to blend in a tight-knit community like that one. She was sweet and made me feel like I had a friend, which was all I really wanted.
Nikki, however, was more closed off. I could tell from the moment she answered the door that she didn’t like me. Her attitude was just off, and for the rest of the time at the party, I just felt like she didn’t want anything to do with me.
Her group of friends act like the popular girls in high school, very cliquey and mean, but that wasn’t going to be enough to scare me off because Sam meant more to me than some prissy bullies.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder if those girls were more his type. When Nikki took that beautiful blonde girl over to meet him, he seemed to have a good time talking to her. She was so close I couldn’t stand to watch after a while, and now that I replay the scenario, I feel a weird feeling in my stomach.
Knowing it’s best to keep everything in the light, I try to decide on the best way to just ask Sam about her, which isn’t easy because the last thing I want to do is come across as needy or jealous. That type of behavior will scare a man of Sam’s caliber away. He’s too mature and successful to be jealous, and I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask, disturbing Sam from what looked to be deep thoughts.
“What’s up, babe?” He turns to me, rolling over to lean up on his elbow.
“The girl at the party… Did you used to date her?” I decided it best to just go right out and ask.
“What girl?” He asks, his brows scrunching together.
“The blonde one. Your sister brought her over to you; she was beautiful, like a model,” I admit, hoping to jog his memory. She didn’t seem like the type of girl you would forget speaking to.
“Oh, Tasha,” he smirks, and something about the way his lips curl while saying her name makes me uncomfortable.
“That’s her name?” I try to sound casual. She even has a model name.
“Yeah, that’s just Nikki’s friend. Well, I met her a while ago she said, but I don’t really remember,” he shrugs, and that makes me feel better.
She must not have meant too much to him if he didn’t even remember meeting her, but why the smirk when he said her name? I can’t help but feel like there’s more to the story that he’s not telling me.
“She seemed to like you,” I hint at my curiosity, hoping he doesn’t shut down because I know I’m prodding.
“Tasha probably likes everybody in my position,” he shakes his head before rolling onto his back.
Without his focus, I feel a bit bolder. It’s easier to ask him something without having to look into his deep eyes. Sam is a powerful man, and that doesn’t just go away when he leaves the boardroom. Every time we talk, I feel his presence, and sometimes it’s intimidating.
But there’s no way I’m going to hold back when I know something is bothering me. This girl was obviously flirting with him, and I want to know if I should be worried. I mean, she is from Sutton Hills, and while he claims she likes anyone in his position, does he like anyone in hers?
“How did you meet her?” I ask.
“According to her, we met at a wedding, and I offered to teach her how to surf, but I don’t really remember,” he answers casually.
“Oh, so you never taught her?” I ask for clarity.
“No, but she seemed dead set on holding me to it,” he chuckles, standing from the bed.
“What do you mean?” I push on.
“She said I still owe her, so I said I’d teach her,” he explains while stepping into his pajama pants.
“You what?” I blurt out, hoping I'd misheard him although I know I haven’t.
“I told her I’d teach her to surf,” he looks at me, his eyes confused.
“Sam, why would you tell a girl that obviously likes you that you’ll go out with her?” I quiz.
“Jamie, relax. I didn’t say I would go out with her, I said I’d give her a surfing lesson,” he adds as if I didn’t understand.
What he didn’t get was how women work. Tasha may have posed it as a surf lesson, but all she wanted was time alone with him, that I was sure of. She’d spend the whole day fawning over him, asking for hands-on assistance to everything. He was too smart not to see that.
“She was flirting with you the whole time, Sam. There’s no way she just wants a surf lesson. If she did, she’d go to an actual instructor,” I reason, my frustration building.
“Babe, it’s really not that serious,” he responds lightheartedly before leaving the bedroom.
Rushing to my feet, I wrap the sheet tightly around my frame while following him into the kitchen.
“It is serious to me, Sam, because I wouldn’t do that to you,” I cross my arms, waiting for his response as he opens the refrigerator.
“Jamie, she’s just my sister’s friend. There’s never been anything romantic between us. She’s just a bit desperate, but you have nothing to worry about because I already have the girl I want,” he smiles.
“You have to be careful of girls like her, Sam,” I warn him as he fills two glasses with orange juice, his smirk flashing across his face as he shakes his head.
“Baby, you have nothing to worry about,” he chuckles, sliding my glass across the table.
He may be right. Tasha is just the type of girl that is all over guys that are successful because that’s how Sutton Hill women are, but I don’t like it. Nothing about this sits well with me, especially how I’ve had to bring it up and pry every ounce of information out of him.
If the shoe were on the other foot, I would rush to tell him everything and do anything in my power to assure him I wasn’t interested.
“So, you’re going to give her the lesson?” I ask, my glass still full as I focus my attention on Sam.
“If she calls me, probably,” he holds his hands up as my mouth drops open.
“You gave her your number?” I shriek, unable to contain myself.
“Come on, Jamie, we’re not teenagers. No, I didn’t give her my number, but it’s a small circle, and she’s friends with my sister. If she wants to get in touch with me it won’t be the hardest case to solve,” he jokes, but I don’t find any of this funny.
Sam heads back to the bedroom, and after a long while, I follow him. He’s already fast asleep by the time I climb into bed beside him, but his arm instinctually reaches out for me, pulling me into his side.
Sleep evades me that night as I lie awake wondering how we could be so close, yet so far from understanding each other. It just didn’t make sense how he couldn’t see my perspective. He could tell me I had nothing to worry about as much as he wanted, but I wasn’t comfortable with his behavior or his unwillingness to change.
Chapter Twelve
JAMIE
“Hello? Are you falling asleep?” Lisa jolts me with her yelp.
“No, no, I’m fine,” I lie because I was drifting off to sleep.
“What’s going on with you? You’ve barely been paying attention all day,” she accuses, and I honestly can’t deny it.
My mind is still in Sam’s bed, trying to understand the disconnect. Deciding it best to seek some advice from my best friend, who is much more experienced with relationships than me, I tell her what happened.
“It was that damn party,” I sigh, running my hand through my hair as I roll my eyes in annoyance.
“You were supposed to tell me all about it. Spill the beans!” She excitedly orders, waving to the bartender to bring us two beers, and today I don’t argue. Maybe a drink can help me relax a bit.
“So, of course, it’s in Sutton Hills,” I begin as the bartender places our drinks on the table.
“Of course,” she adds sarcastically before taking a sip of her b
eer.
“It was weird, but nothing more than I expected. One of Sam’s sisters was really nice, and we seemed like we could be friends,” I start with the good.
“That’s great. I thought they would all be pricks,” she giggles.
“Me too. And believe me, Alyssa was the exception. Even his other sister Nikki was cold to me,” I sigh, preparing myself for the big reveal.
“What did she do?” Lisa asks protectively.
Although we’re the same age, she has always acted like my big sister, looking out for me and speaking up when I’m too afraid. Taking a big gulp of my beer, I prepare to hear the advice she’ll have for my dilemma.
“She didn’t do anything really. Her and her friends were catty, laughing behind my back and that type of thing,” I roll my eyes remembering their snotty games.
“How immature,” Lisa scoffs.
“Right. And they were so overdressed. It was a barbecue, and they’re all wearing designer dresses and stilettos,” I try to set the visual for her.
“Oh, gosh. They don’t go anywhere without their heels,” she laughs, sipping her beer again.
“And one of her friends named Tasha, who I can admit is drop-dead gorgeous, was all over Sam,” I blurt out the worst of it.
“What? In front of you?” She asks with wide eyes.
“No, I was in another room, but I saw it. Well, some of it, I couldn’t stand to watch it after a while,” I admit, a little embarrassed.
“I wish I would’ve been there. You know I’d go over and introduce myself with no remorse,” she jokes, and I’m sure she’s right. Lisa being there would have made me so much more comfortable.
“Well, I asked Sam about it when I got home, and that was even more strange,” I sigh, remembering his reaction.
“What did he say?” She leans across the table like she may miss what I say.
“Apparently, he had met her a while back and promised to teach her how to surf. Well, now she wants to cash in on that offer,” I raise my eyebrows in disbelief.
“How tacky! He came with a date. I hope Sam let her have it,” she waves her hand, and I realize she doesn’t understand the issue.
“He said yes, Lisa,” I state flatly.
“He what?!” She yells so loud, the people sitting at the table behind us turn to look at us.
“That’s what I said,” I smirk, happy that Lisa as validated my initial response since Sam made me feel like I had overreacted.
“No, really. I need to know how this went,” she glares across the table at me.
“He swears it’s no big deal, but it just doesn’t sit well with me. She was all over him, Lisa!” I throw my hands in the air, mocking Tasha.
“What’s her name again?” She asks.
"Tasha – and she looks like a model, Lisa,” I groan, knowing I can’t compete with a woman like her.
The insecurity weakens my voice, but I need to tell someone how I really feel since Sam seemed uninterested in my discomfort. How could he not understand how inappropriate his behavior was? In my mind, it was redundant to tell him he shouldn’t have agreed to go out with her.
When you’re in a relationship, you don’t see other people. It’s pretty basic, but here I was checking to make sure I wasn’t crazy for being upset that my boyfriend had all but accepted a date request.
“I don’t care who she is, she doesn’t look better than you, Jamie,” Lisa blindly assures me as I force a smile, knowing she’s only saying that because she’s never laid eyes on Tasha.
“I just can’t get through to him that it’s uncomfortable, and I don’t know what to do,” I confess, still confused about how to best express my feelings to Sam.
“He’s not the only person that can give her lessons. Surely, he knows someone else that can step in. I’m sure it’s not the lessons she’s after anyway,” Lisa suggests an alternative I hadn’t considered.
“I told him that. She’s basically asking him on a date, and he’s accepting if he gives her a lesson,” I repeat my logic, testing to see if Lisa agrees.
“Oh, it’s definitely a date, and he needs to shut that down immediately,” she declares before finishing her beer.
“Do I tell him that?” I wonder aloud, unsure of how you go about these things.
“Yes! Jamie, you need to let him know how you feel and what you want him to do about it. Men are simple in that way. They need instruction, and it’s best to be as specific as possible,” she giggles.
“Well, I already told him she was into him, and from the way he was looking at her, I know he knows. Sam is too smart not to know. I just don’t understand his nonchalant approach behind it,” I continue, my thoughts racing trying to see his point of view.
“He’s not stupid, but you need to tell him exactly what you want,” she reiterates.
“So, I should tell him to call it off?” I raise my hands with confusion.
“Look, Jamie, either he needs to tell her, or you can, Give him an ultimatum, so he knows how serious you are.”
Lisa is right, and despite how uncomfortable it is, I know I need to tell Sam exactly how I feel. It’s not okay for him to go on with this girl like he doesn’t have a girlfriend. This whole situation just makes me feel like he doesn’t value or respect our relationship, and the more I think about it, the angrier I get.
“Lisa, he would lose his shit if I told him I was going on a surf lesson with a hot guy I met on the beach,” I shriek.
Sam has always been territorial, especially when it comes to me, but even that isn’t enough to make him understand how I feel regarding Tasha.
“He might need a taste of his own medicine just so he can see how wrong he is,” she reasons, her lips twisting like she’s concocting a plan.
“I don’t want to have to play any games with him,” I stop her before she can go any further. Lisa is the type to coordinate an entire plot for revenge, and I don’t want her getting any ideas about that for Sam.
Things with us were supposed to be calm, without the dramatics. Just when I thought we were moving in the right direction with his introducing me to his family, we take two steps backward, and now I feel even less secure than I did before.
“You’re going to have to tell him, Jamie. Don’t be so hard and guarded like you can be. Let him see how much this bothers you, and I’m sure he’ll understand,” she reaches her hand across the table, covering mine in support.
“Maybe you’re right,” I sigh, my shoulders slumping.
Loving Sam is enough of a reason to tell him how I feel, and his love for me should make it easy for him to prioritize our relationship over a girl he claims to not care much about.
After promising Lisa to let her know how it goes, I make my way over to Sam’s knowing that I must stand up for myself and demand what I want from this relationship.
Chapter Thirteen
JAMIE
“Hey, babe,” Sam answers the door, kissing me briskly on the cheek as he welcomes me in before walking back to his office.
“Are you working?” I try to excuse myself from having the difficult conversation I don’t want to initiate.
“Yeah, I’ve got to finalize this report. How was your day with Lisa?” He asks, as his fingers click away on his keyboard.
“It was fine. I can come back,” I offer, seeing that he’s busy.
“No, it’s fine,” he scrunches his eyebrows together, continuing to focus on the computer screen.
“Well, I kind of wanted to talk about something,” I drawled, my words long and drawn out like the lyrics to a song.
“Go ahead, I’m listening,” he glances up at me with a soft yet comforting smile, and I take a deep breath before beginning.
“It has to do with the party, and the girl that was flirting with you,” I watch his face, but he doesn’t have much of a reaction at all.
“Tasha?” He raises one eyebrow, looking up at me.
“Yes,” I nod, as
he continues to type away.
“I told you not to worry about her, baby,” he adds, not looking up while he speaks.
“I know you said that, but I’m still not comfortable with everything, Sam. I get that she’s a friend of your family’s and I’m not trying to be a nag about it. I just feel like she’s inappropriate, the way she was all over you, and basically asking you out on a date. If a guy did the same to me, I wouldn’t accept, and I don’t think you should either.” I finish, taking a deep breath after expressing everything I discussed with Lisa.
“It’s not a date, Jamie,” he shakes his head, mumbling to himself as he shuffles through a stack of papers before typing on the keyboard again.
“To her, it is, Sam. But it shouldn’t even matter. I’m your girlfriend, and I’m telling you it matters to me. You need to say something to her, or I will.” I demand, my anger re-emerging as he refuses to give me his undivided attention.
“What do you expect me to say, Jamie?” He finally pauses his work, looking up at me with disdain in his eyes.
“That you have a girlfriend!” I yell, my patience wearing thin.
“Jamie, you're ridiculous. I don’t have time for this!” He barks, startling me with his aggression.
“Oh really? Because you’re the one that just told me now was a good time,” I remind him, and he draws a deep breath as if he too is growing annoyed. The nerve of him!
“Is it not obvious to you that I’m busy?” He holds his hands up, glancing around his desk at the piles of paperwork.
“This is all a joke to you, isn’t it?” I ask with a hand tightly gripping my hip.
“What are you talking about?” He sighs.
“Us! You don’t even take this seriously. I’m trying to tell you I have a problem, but you don’t even have time to discuss it,” I struggle to reason with him.
“Oh, this is most definitely a joke,” he chuckles, standing to his feet as he stalks towards the door.
“Are you serious?” I holler, following behind him as he makes his way to the kitchen.
“Jamie, I don’t care about her. I’ve told you that. Now you come over making ultimatums? What’s the point of all this?” He runs his fingers through his hair while walking behind his full bar.
Twelve Weeks (Serendipity series Book 2) Page 6
