“He sure is easy on the eyes in that suit, isn’t he?” Donna commented in Lydia’s ear.
“Yes,” Lydia admitted quietly, taking in his appearance. Sam looked elegant and well-groomed in a tailored two buttoned black suit, with a pewter-colored shirt and matching tie beneath. The cut of the suit flattered his tall, lean frame. He was clean shaven for the first time, and although she'd found the scruff sexy, he seemed even more appealing now.
As if he felt someone watching him, Sam’s head lifted and he caught her looking him over. He smiled softly. Lydia watched as his dark eyes widened as they swept over her; his smile broadened, rapt, in obvious admiration of what he saw.
“Now that’s what I was waiting for,” Donna purred. “That was some onceover he just did on you. I believe he will now be putty in your hands, my dear.”
“Jesus, knock it off!” Lydia blushed, spearing her friend with a sharp look. Donna just smiled, unfazed, smug, and pleased.
“Good man, he’s not wasting a minute: he’s on his way over here,” Kathryn said. She looked at Lydia and asked, “Do you want us to get scarce?”
“No, that’s ridiculous,” Lydia said, suddenly feeling a bit strange. As her heart started to pound with heavier strokes, she realized she was slightly nervous, slightly eager, slightly excited—and it jarred her. She took a deep breath to steady herself. She hated feeling off balance, ever.
“Try to relax and enjoy tonight,” Kathryn whispered to her. “Can you do that?”
“With you two? Absolutely.” Lydia swallowed hard. “With him? I… don’t know. I think I just turned chicken.”
“Well, give it your best shot, babe,” Donna said in a low voice as Sam stopped in front of the three of them.
“Hi,” he said to all of them, though his eyes were glued to Lydia.
“Hello,” Donna replied, robust and grinning. “We were just going to hunt up some drinks. Will you keep Lydia company until we get back?”
Lydia snorted and quipped in a snide tone, “She’s very subtle, don’t you think?”
“I think she’s great,” Sam said, flashing a clearly grateful look at Donna.
“I’m liking you more with every minute, Sam,” Donna pronounced with a huge smile.
“Let’s go find those drinks, then,” Kathryn said, placing her arm through Donna’s. “We’ll be back in a bit,” she assured Lydia, not wanting her friend to feel abandoned. As cool as Lydia may have appeared to Sam, Kathryn knew Lydia well enough to know she was slightly disconcerted.
“Ladies.” Sam gave a quick nod and a grin. Donna and Kathryn walked away.
Lydia closed her eyes, shook her head, and released a short laugh. “I, uh… well. Why don’t we start again?” She took a breath, exhaled it, and smiled. “Hi, Sam.”
His smile was brilliant. “Hi, Lydia.” His gaze swept over her once more, this time slowly, in open, unmasked appreciation. He tried not to be lewd or obvious as his eyes caressed her lush, feminine curves, but he couldn't help himself. His eyes drank her in, feasted on her. “You look absolutely beautiful,” he murmured with reverence.
She smiled back softly, filled with quiet delight. “Thank you.”
“That color is stunning on you,” he added. “A good choice.”
“You look fairly gorgeous yourself,” she told him, trying to downplay in her head just how much she enjoyed looking at him. Dressed to the nines, she found him so handsome that she was a little breathless. She was thrown by how flustered he could make her feel, with just a short but obviously wanting look, like the way he was looking at her right then.
“Thanks,” he said. A waiter walked past them slowly enough for Sam to reach over and lift two glass flutes of champagne from his tray. He turned and held one out to Lydia with a gracious smile, and she accepted with a matching smile.
“To Ryan and Melanie,” she said, lifting her glass for a toast.
“Absolutely, to the happy couple,” he said, and lightly clinked the rim of his glass to hers. They sipped simultaneously.
“So how was the rest of your afternoon?” Sam asked. “Did you have fun catching up with your friends?”
“I did,” she nodded. “I really did. It was so good to spend time with them. And then we all went up and took mid-afternoon naps, like the sad little old ladies we’ve become.”
He laughed. “Naps are the best sometimes, are you kidding? Good for you. Now you’ll have the energy to hang out tonight. The reception, the after party… it’s going to be a fun, but long, night.”
A server walked by and offered them bite sized portions of mozzarella and tomato on sourdough. Sam and Lydia each took one from the silver tray.
“Can I ask you something?” Sam said.
Lydia nodded silently, not wanting to speak with her mouth full.
“Are you hungry? Like, really hungry? As in, please tell me you're not one of those women who picks at food in front of others and pretends she doesn't eat?” The corner of his mouth curved up. She adored that crooked grin. “Because I saw some sushi over there that looks amazing, and I want to dive in. Care to check it out with me?”
“I am really hungry,” she admitted. She arched an eyebrow in mock scorn as she said, “Do I look like I pretend I don't eat? Please. And I love sushi. Lead the way.”
They went together to the table that was currently being used as a sushi bar and each picked out several pieces for themselves. Sam spotted an empty bench along the far side of the veranda and motioned for her to follow him there. They made their way through the crowd, sat down, placed their plates and champagne glasses on the bench between them, and began to talk as they ate.
“So,” Sam said. “Have you ever seen so much food at a wedding before? I mean, just at the cocktail hour? My God.”
Lydia nodded. “Actually, I have, and fairly often. Not always of this caliber, perhaps, but of this quantity. The New York wedding is an animal all its own, unlike any other. You apparently haven’t been to many, I take it.”
Sam grinned and placed a spicy tuna roll in his mouth. He waited until he’d finished it before he answered. “No, I haven’t been to many New York weddings. I haven't been to any, actually. You do know, by the way, that we’re in Connecticut, right?” he teased.
Lydia chuckled. “Yes, thank you, Smarty-pants. But this wedding was planned by two New Yorkers; likely, at least in part, catered by a New York company; and we’re within a two hour radius of Manhattan. So, technically, this is a New York wedding.”
“Ah. I see,” he smiled. “Well, hurrah for the New York wedding, then. I'm now a fan.”
“Well hi, kids!” Suddenly Alec was there, standing over them, a glass of scotch in his hand. “I was wondering where you snuck off to, Sammy.”
“I didn't sneak off. I'm free to walk about the cabin,” Sam replied smoothly. “Where’s Paige and the kids?”
“She and Mom are getting the young ones some food,” Alec said. He eyed the two of them, and his grin got bigger.
“Then maybe you should be helping them,” Sam suggested. He popped a piece of sushi into his mouth and shot his brother a pointed look.
“I just wanted to say hello,” Alec said. “And, Lydia, you look lovely.”
“Well, thank you,” she replied.
“And now you have.” Sam smiled brightly up at his brother. “See you later.”
Alec laughed, winked at Sam, and walked back to his family.
“Big brother checking up on us?” Lydia quipped, hoping it sounded casual.
Sam chuckled. “Mmm. You were talking about subtlety earlier?” he said. “Well, Alec possesses very little of that. Not one of his strong suits.”
“We should introduce him to Donna then,” Lydia joked.
“I like Donna,” Sam said with a quick grin. “She's got spunk.”
Lydia laughed at his choice of words. “Yeah, she’s got that in spades.”
“She just seems like an open, dynamic, tell it like it is person,” he said. “Am I right?”
“I have good intuition,” he said simply, without any trace of swagger. “In fact, it’s been said I’m a fairly good judge of character, that I usually hit the mark early on.”
When she finished chewing, she observed, “I don’t know that everyone would fully agree with that. Between your sister-in-law last night, and your brother checking up on us just now, I’m getting the feeling that they’re not pleased with us… spending time together. Am I right?”
Sam’s expression changed, immediately became contrite. “Lydia. Don’t pay them any mind. Really.”
Her eyebrows raised slowly as she realized she'd hit on something. A touch of surprise, then a touch of annoyance flickered across her features. “Huh. I’m right. Wow.”
Sam felt something hot sear through him in an instant—outraged anger at Alec and Paige, because Lydia felt slighted. She was obviously dismayed, trying to hide that it hurt her feelings, but he'd seen it flash in her eyes before she'd managed to contain it. He stared at her, at the barely masked emotions there. His brows furrowed; he wanted to right the situation quickly, do anything to make her smile again. “Wait. First of all, please ignore Alec and Paige. Seriously. Okay? Okay. Second, I’m just going to dive in and say something outright.”
She noted his sudden intensity and waited, listening.
He rubbed at his jaw, a fidgety motion, as he looked at her. His gaze was pensive; he was obviously considering which words to use, being careful. When he spoke, his voice was quiet, firm, and level, and he looked directly into her eyes. “I don’t care that you're so newly divorced, that it just went down so recently. You said you wanted it, that you've been on your own for a while now anyway, and that's good enough for me. Being divorced is… a circumstance you're in, not who you are. I like being around you, I like talking to you. I… well, I like you, Lydia. No point in trying to hide it, since I’m clearly not doing a very good job of it anyway.”
She felt like she’d stopped breathing and realized she had, she was actually holding her breath. She let it out in a whoosh. “Well. That’s… honest.”
“Yes it is.” He edged an inch closer, still holding her eyes with his, and murmured, “I like honesty. It works for me. But I just made you really uneasy, didn't I?”
Her mind was reeling, clamoring to find a witty and clever comeback. She had nothing. So she went with the truth. “A little,” she admitted. Her eyes were locked with his. “But wasn't that your intention? To throw me for a loop?”
“No. Not at all, actually. Quite the opposite.” Sam smiled gently. He was focused on her, about to say something more, when his younger niece seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Ignoring her fancy pink satin dress and the two plates of food, she flung herself onto his lap.
“Uncle Sam!” the little girl cried in delight, her tiny hands on his cheeks. “I found you!”
“You did, sweetpea.” He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. The girl's blonde pincurls bounced as he pulled her more securely onto his lap. “Cindy, this is Lydia. Would you say hello?”
“Hello,” Cindy said with a sweet, dimpled grin.
“Hi.” Lydia smiled kindly at her, grateful for the interruption. She carefully moved the plates over so the little girl wouldn't end up sitting on sushi. “Are you having a good time here?”
“I love weddings,” Cindy proclaimed in her helium voice. “The dresses are beautiful. And I like all the flowers, they're so pretty.”
“Cindy is in big time Disney princess mode these days,” Sam explained, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist to hold her in place.
“I’m seven years old,” Cindy told Lydia.
“Wow. You’re a big girl.” Lydia smiled.
“How old are you?” Cindy asked.
Lydia and Sam both burst out laughing. “Older than you,” Lydia answered.
“Do you like weddings?” Cindy asked her.
“Yes, I do. They’re very happy occasions,” Lydia said. “And you’re right, everything around us is beautiful. Makes it nice to be here.”
Cindy smiled at her in approval, then looked down at the last piece of sushi on Sam’s plate and wrinkled her nose. “That looks weird. What is that?”
“It’s called sushi, baby,” Sam said. “I don’t know if you’d like it.”
“I don’t,” Cindy said firmly. “Mommy and Daddy like that. They got me to try it once, but I hated it.”
“Yeah, I didn’t like it until I was a grownup,” Sam said. He grinned and lightly tweaked her nose, a gesture of pure affection.
“There you are!” Paige was a few steps away from them. She came right up to Cindy, bent down low on her strappy gold stilettos to look her daughter in the eye, and said in a stern voice, “I didn’t know where you ran off to. I was scared! You can't do that!”
“Sorry, Mommy,” the little girl mumbled. “I just wanted to see Uncle Sam. I wanted to play with him.”
Paige shook her head and exhaled a deep breath. She stood back up and smoothed out her shimmery bronze colored sheath dress. “I understand that. But next time, you need to tell me where you’re going first, okay?”
“Yes, Mommy,” Cindy said quietly, her eyes downcast.
“Hi, Sam.” Paige finally smiled. “Hi, Lydia.”
“Hi,” Lydia said. “Sorry you were worried, we had no idea—”
“It’s alright, she’s safe, it’s fine.” Paige glanced at Sam as she pulled Cindy off his lap. “Sorry she interrupted you.”
“Don’t be silly,” Sam said. He grabbed Cindy’s hand and kissed the back of it. “My niece can come to me any time, for anything.”
“Careful what you say,” Paige warned. “She’ll take you up on that.” She looked down at her daughter. “Come on back to Daddy with me. Sam and his friend are talking, and you should let them be.”
“We’ll see you later, sweetpea,” Sam promised his niece.
Cindy gave him a huge smile, incredibly endearing with her two front teeth missing. “Okay.”
“Bye, Cindy,” Lydia said. “It was nice to meet you.”
Cindy smiled at her. “You’re nice,” she said.
Lydia smiled back. “Thank you. You’re hired.”
Sam laughed. Cindy looked up at her mother, confused by Lydia’s comment, but Paige just smiled at them, a bit strained, and pulled her daughter back into the crowd of guests.
“She is adorable,” Lydia said. “Cindy, that is.” She ate the last piece of sushi on her plate.
“Yes, she is,” Sam smiled. “I, uh… I have a little secret. I’ve got to admit, I try not to favor her over Hope and Zack, but there’s something about Cindy that I just… she tugs at my heart differently, I don’t know. She’s a trip, she's fun. And a real sweetheart.”
Lydia studied Sam, scrutinizing him for a minute as he finished his sushi.
“What?” he asked with a slightly self-conscious grin. “Seaweed in my teeth?”
She chuckled. “No, nothing like that. I was just admiring how good you are with Alec’s kids. You’re a great uncle. You obviously adore all three of them.”
Sam smiled, shrugged. “They’re easy to adore. They’re great kids.”
“But… well, I know this isn’t going to come out how I want it to come out…” Lydia smirked. “For a thirty-five-year-old single guy, you have a lot of patience for them. Real warmth. They like you so much because you obviously like them. Kids pick up on that, they sense it.”
Sam nodded, considering that. “I do like them. I like kids. Not just Alec's kids, but kids in general. I always thought I'd have a few of my own, but…” His voice trailed off. He cleared his throat and said, “But I understand what you mean. Most single guys my age probably think kids are a nuisance, merely to be tolerated, right?”
“Something like that. And hey, not ju
st single guys your age,” Lydia amended. “Plenty of married ones, too.”
Sam shot her a long, assessing glance. “You just have the one son, right?” he asked.
Lydia nodded. “His name’s Andy.”
“Nice. He, um… I’m assuming he’s with his father this weekend, while you’re here?”
Lydia nodded and struggled to keep her expression placid at the thought of her ex-husband.
“Do you share custody?” Sam asked. “I mean, if you don’t mind my asking.”
“I don't mind. Matt—that's my ex-husband—wanted partial custody,” Lydia said. Her voice had automatically gotten tight and flat. “I didn’t think that was what was best for Andy… so we fought a lot at first, but eventually came to a compromise. Matt gets Andy on Sundays, and spends Wednesday afternoons with him until he has to bring him home for bedtime. So far, it's been working. This is the first sleepover weekend that we've done.”
Sam nodded. He picked up his flute of champagne and finished it.
She didn’t know why she felt compelled to explain further, but she did. “I wanted Andy to have the stability of just being in one place, not being shuffled back and forth. It’s not like I’m a spiteful ex-wife, or a man hater, or anything like that. I don't hate Matt, as mad as he makes me sometimes. I want Matt to be a good father to Andy, to be a constant in his life. But what Andy needs comes first, and that's it. He is the most important thing in the equation, the most important thing in the world. He’s only three and a half. And he—” Lydia stopped herself, pressed her lips together tightly, and swallowed hard.
Sam looked at her and urged, “Go ahead, what were you going to say?”
Lydia shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. It's enough. You don’t need to hear the ugly details of my life.” Pink blossomed on her cheeks as she looked down at her hands.
He placed a kind hand on her forearm. “Lydia. I asked,” he reminded her gently. “Hey, I dumped a few of my ugly details on you last night, didn’t I? But if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. It’s none of my business, really.”
Autumn Getaway (Seasons of Love) Page 14
