Stealing Second: Sam's Story: Book 4 in the Clarksonville Series

by Clanton, Barbara L.

  Sam heard Susie and Marlee’s bedroom door open and knew they’d be downstairs any second.

  “Shit!” Sam hit her forehead with her palm. “I left the damn fireplace running all night, and the gas ran out. Oh, my God. Now what do we do?”

  Lisa stood up and shrugged.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Sam said. “I have an idea. Help me grab everything. They’ll be down here any second.” They gathered the breakfast supplies, and Sam led the way to the outside deck.

  “We’ll cook the pancakes on Daddy’s grill out here. Hopefully it has gas and I can figure out how to use it.”

  Sam led the way to the grill on the wrap-around deck. The house was built into a hill, so the kitchen and living room were on the first floor in the front of the house but they were on the second floor in the back overlooking the lake.

  Sam turned the propane gas tank on like she’d seen her father do, and then opened the top to the grill. The grate looked fairly clean, but it didn’t matter because she was going to use the iron skillet.

  “Shoot.” Sam turned to Lisa. “Can you run back inside for the oil spray?”

  “Sure thing.”

  “Oh, and the whipped cream,” Sam called after her. “Don’t forget the whipped cream.”

  “That’s the best part.” Lisa smiled and headed back into the kitchen.

  It wasn’t long before Lisa came back out with Susie and Marlee in tow carrying the breakfast fixings they had forgotten. Lisa handed Sam the oil spray while Susie and Marlee set the table.

  “Two, this is so awesome,” Marlee said. “Look at this view. And the sky. Crystal blue. Those are cumulous clouds, right Susie?”

  Susie nodded. “I’m going to make you into a meteorologist yet.”

  Sam smiled. Her friends were having a good time. At least she could relax about that. Well, she could relax until she had to call Helene later and tell her about leaving the stupid fireplace on all night. That was going to suck.

  “Hey,” Lisa said, “let me take drink orders while Chef Sam works on breakfast. Your choices are orange juice, coke, and water.”

  “OJ for me,” Marlee said.

  “Me, too,” Susie said.

  “Me, three,” Sam called without turning around.

  “Okay, four OJs it is.” Lisa headed back into the house.

  “So, Sam,” Susie asked playfully, “why are you making pancakes out here?”

  Sam glanced over her shoulder at her friends. It was time to fess up. “We ran out of gas, because, like an idiot, I left the fireplace on.” It was hard to admit she’d messed up, but it was the truth.

  “Aay, that’s why we ran out of hot water in the shower this morning,” Susie said.

  “We ran out, too,” Lisa added. She set a carton of orange juice and four empty glasses on the table.

  Sam whirled around with a plate of hot pancakes. “First round is ready.” She set them on the table. “Maple syrup is optional, but you must use whipped cream.”

  “These look awesome, Two,” Marlee said with a grin.

  “Thanks, P. I hope they’re good. I’ve never made pancakes on a barbecue grill before.”

  “A toast.” Susie raised her glass of orange juice. Everyone else raised theirs. “To Sam.”

  “Why?” Sam put her glass down, but Susie reached under her arm to raise it up again.

  “Don’t interrupt.” Susie cleared her throat. “To our amazing friend Sam who made this fantastic weekend possible. Even if we have no gas in the house for showering or cooking, and even if I now have to try and figure out how to cook enchiladas on a barbecue grill.” Susie playfully muttered the last bit partly under her breath, earning a smack on the arm from Sam.

  “Did I mention that I invited Helene over for dinner?” Sam grinned wide.

  “Dios mio.” Susie rolled her eyes skyward. “Aay, don’t worry. I can do it. Nobody panic.”

  “Thanks, Sus. Sorry to spring that on you.”

  “Hey, we have to finish our toast.” Marlee held her glass up higher. “To Sam!”

  The four friends clinked glasses.

  “Sam, somebody’s pulling into the driveway.” Lisa pointed around the corner of the house where they could just see the edge of the driveway.

  “Helene?” Sam’s heart dropped. She put her juice glass down and headed to the edge of the deck. She was relieved when it wasn’t Helene’s car, but she was also confused by the Suburban Gas truck idling in the driveway. She turned around. “Did any of you guys call the gas company?”

  “No,” came the simultaneous answer from all three at the table.

  “Gas company? Are you serious?” Lisa joined Sam at the edge of the deck.

  “Helene,” Sam said. “She must have called. She must have known I’d screw it all up.” Sam couldn’t help the tears that stung her eyes. She still needed a nanny.

  The driver stepped out of the truck and consulted a clipboard. He looked up at Sam on the deck. “Excuse me, miss. Are you Helene Bouchard?”

  “Close enough.” Sam headed down the steps.

  “I’m sorry, Miss. We were supposed to get here yestidday afternoon to fill ya up.”

  “You were supposed to come yesterday?” The tank must have been low to begin with. Maybe running out of gas wasn’t completely her fault.

  ”Yeah. The holiday weekend has been crazy busy. We couldn’t squeeze ya in, but we made it first thing this morning.”

  ”Thank you. The tank’s around back.” Sam pointed.

  “Okay,” he held up his clipboard and a pen. “Just need yer signature right here.”

  “Sure.” Sam signed the work order on his clipboard and then sighed in relief. She headed back up the stairs to a waiting Lisa. She smiled at Lisa’s easy grin.

  “So, we’re off the hook, eh?”

  Sam nodded, happy that everything was going to be okay. They would have hot water for showers, Susie would be able to cook

  Helene’s favorite enchilada dinner in the actual kitchen, and, best of all Helene would never ever have to know she’d left the fireplace on the entire night.

  They headed back to the table, but something dawned on Sam. “Wait, did you say, ‘we’? It was my fault. Using up all the gas is on me, not you.”

  “I was as much to blame for not turning off the fireplace as you were.”

  “You’re sweet, but it was my responsibility.”

  “But I’m here to back you up, baby.” Lisa wagged a playful finger at Sam. “Don’t forget that. Ever.”

  “I won’t forget.” A calm warmth spread through Sam as they went back to sit at the breakfast table. Is that what having a girlfriend was like? Having somebody on your side no matter what? A partner in crime? A co-conspirator? If so, she liked it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Not A Chance

  LATE AFTERNOON SUN glistened off the lake. Sam stretched as she lay on the imported Shorea wood chaise lounge and soaked up the warm rays of summer. School would be starting in four days. The time to lie out or to hear the slap of her friends’ kayak paddles on the lake would soon be over. She squinted against the sun to watch Marlee and Susie race their kayaks against each other. Susie was ahead, but not by much.

  Sam snuck a peek at Lisa lying in the chaise next to her, inches away. Her face looked relaxed and content. Sam couldn’t believe how lucky she was that Lisa, so perfect and amazing, was her girlfriend. Everything about Lisa was flawless. She was tall and had the perfect silhouette, the perfect proportions, even lying on a lounge chair. Lisa’s eyes were closed, but Sam pictured the baby browns behind the lids and sighed softly.

  As if sensing Sam’s gaze, Lisa’s eyes opened. The smile that took over Lisa’s face made Sam’s heart melt.

  “Hi, baby,” Lisa said in a sleepy voice. “I think I dozed off.” She reached both arms up and stretched.

  “We didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  Lisa’s cheeks tinged red.

  “Did you know that I cut softball practice once?” Sam fel
t her own cheeks get warm.

  “You did?”

  “Yeah. I went to watch you play,” Sam said. “You guys had a home game. I was so in love with you. I couldn’t wait one more day to see you.”

  “When was this?” Lisa rolled onto her side to face Sam.

  “You didn’t even know me then. It was the season before last, when I was in tenth grade.”

  “And I was in ninth.”

  Sam nodded. “I only had my permit, but I convinced my driving teacher to let me drive all the way to Clarksonville High School. I made him sit through the whole game, and then I drove us back.”

  “How in the world did you get him to do that?”

  “I gave him three hundred dollars, and I didn’t care, because I had to see you. God, I wanted to talk to you so bad, but I didn’t know what to say. I was petrified.”

  “Petrified? Of me?”

  Sam nodded. “What was I gonna say? Like, ‘Hi, I’m your stalker from East Valley. Can I take you out sometime?’”

  Lisa chuckled. “Well, I’m glad you worked up the nerve. Remember that time me and Marlee and Jeri came to your night game in East Valley?”

  “Of course I do. I almost hyper-ventilated when I saw you walk up. I remember when Marlee introduced us, and I shook your hand through the fence.”

  “And I didn’t let go. I got lost in the vortex of your blue-gray eyes. I couldn’t decide if they were blue or gray.”

  Sam laughed. “I think it depends on my mood. My heart was pounding. I was sure you could hear it.”

  “But you seemed so confident. Remember the first time you invited yourself to my house?”

  “Sorry, that was kind of ballsy.”

  “No, no, no. One of us had to get things moving, eh? I feel bad that I don’t have a car. It sucks that I only have a permit.”

  “I don’t mind driving to Clarksonville, you know. I get to see you, and it gets me out of that big house.”

  “I’ll have my license on my birthday in February, so in five months I’ll be able to drive to your house.”

  Sam’s nerves spiked at the meaning behind Lisa’s sentence. Lisa would be driving to the mansion where her parents would see who picked her up, and then they would know. She kept the smile on her face, hoping her face hadn’t betrayed her momentary panic. She sat up in the lounge chair pulling the back to an upright position. Lisa did the same.

  “Hey,” Sam said, “I just realized something. I’m turning eighteen in January, but you’ll still be sixteen for another month. Is it, like, legal for us to be together then? Could I get in trouble for being with a minor?”

  “I don’t know. Are we in trouble now? We’re both minors now.” Lisa blushed to the roots of her dark hair.

  “I don’t know,” Sam said. “Is that illegal? You know? For two minors to, uh, do what we did last night?”

  “I have no idea, and it’s nobody’s business what we do, anyway.” The anger in Lisa’s voice was surprising.

  “True.” But Sam had to be careful. Her parents told her countless horror stories about people suing their family for all kinds of trumped up things. Could this be one of those things? Would Lisa’s family ever—

  “Sam!”

  Sam was jolted out of her thoughts.

  “You were going somewhere dark. I could tell.” The worried look on Lisa’s face softened. “You know what?”

  “What?”

  “We are going to be uber-careful and not let anyone know we were, uh, intimate.” Lisa’s tone was reassuring.

  “Okay.” Sam relaxed a little. She hadn’t realized how tense her shoulders had become. “Remember when you didn’t know I was the East Valley debutante Samantha Rose Payton? Remember when you thought I was some random softball chick from East Valley High School?”

  “Yeah.” Lisa looked pensive for a moment. “How come you go to public school anyway? Why aren’t you at some hobnobbing private school?”

  “I went to private school up through eighth grade. St. Mary Catholic in East Valley, but they don’t have a high school.”

  “Are you Catholic?”

  “No, we’re Presbyterian. I guess. I’ve only been to church a handful of times and that was with Helene. No, St. Mary’s was the only non-public school in East Valley. ’Course Mother and Daddy wanted to send me to a boarding school in Switzerland, but at the end of eighth grade I started getting bad migraines.”

  “You did?”

  Sam melted at the concerned expression on Lisa’s face. “Yeah. Dr. Boyle thought they were brought on by anxiety. He thought it would be better if I stayed home and went to East Valley High School.”

  “Dr. Boyle is your psychiatrist, right?”

  Sam nodded. “Don’t worry. I’m not crazy.”

  Lisa’s expression softened. “Do you still have migraines?”

  “Not as often.”

  “That’s good. I’m glad you stayed in Clarksonville County, ‘cuz if you hadn’t, I never would have met that pretty softball chick from East Valley.”

  Sam felt herself blush.

  “And don’t think you’re getting out of telling me about this whole debutante thing.”

  Sam rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. My parents have a DVD of my coming out ball.”

  Lisa snickered. “That’s what it’s called? Coming out?”

  Sam nodded. She looked down for a moment. “So are you okay with all this?” She gestured around her.

  Lisa nodded. “As long as you and Helene and your parents know I’m not some—“

  “Gold digger?” Sam suggested.

  “Yeah, I’m not a gold digger.”

  “I know you’re not. And you know what? There might not be any gold to dig once my parents find out I’m a big old queer.”

  “Do you really think they’ll disown you?”

  Sam shrugged. She had no idea, but the risks were too great to even think about.

  Lisa’s eyes narrowed. “You told me one time you wanted your parents to know you were in love.”

  “I know, but...” Sam looked away.

  “Hey, you know what? It doesn’t matter. Before I knew about the Payton fortune, I totally pictured us in a three bedroom Cape Cod house. You know like William and Evelyn’s? We’d mow the yard together, do the laundry, raise babies.”

  “That sounds nice.”

  “You totally didn’t blink at the babies part.”

  “I would be honored to have babies with you.”

  “I’m going to keep you,” Lisa said. “No, no,” she put a hand up, “you can’t change my mind. I’m keeping you and that’s that.”

  “That’s been my plan since tenth grade.”

  Laughter from the shoreline diverted their attention. Marlee had somehow gotten her kayak wedged between two boulders.

  “Oh, geez,” Lisa said. “It looks like my fearless pitcher has gotten herself stuck.”

  Susie was trying to help Marlee, but ended up splashing her with lake water, which caused them both to howl with laughter.

  Sam shook her head. “I don’t know how they had any energy to go back out after we canoed the entire lake this morning.”

  “Me, neither.”

  Sam stood up. “C’mon, let’s go help. I think it’s time to make dinner anyway.”

  “OUT OF MY kitchen.” Susie pointed toward the doorway with a wooden spoon.

  “Okay, okay. We’re going.” Sam set the last fork on the table. She and Marlee headed to the living room leaving Susie and Lisa to finish making the enchiladas, rice, and refried beans.

  “Hey, Sus,” Sam called, “don’t forget about the flan. You promised Helene.” “Aay, Dios mio,” Susie grumbled, “it’s already made, dork. Now keep your voice out of my kitchen, too.” “Whatever,” Sam called back and then laughed with Marlee. “Have you ever had Susie’s flan?”

  “Man, it’s so good. I’d never had it before I met Susie, but there are a lot of things I’d never done before I met her.” Marlee sat on the couch, a red blush creeping up
her neck.

  Sam grinned at her friend and flopped on the other side of the couch. “You guys make a great couple.”

  “Thanks. So do you and Lisa. You know, now that my mom and Susie’s parents know about us, it’s so much easier. We can be ourselves around them.” Marlee shrugged. “I hated sneaking around and hiding stuff from my mom. You know? Not being able to talk to her?”

  “Yeah,” Sam sighed, “believe me. I know the feeling.” Sam’s heart almost stopped when she spotted the impaled cork and corkscrew lying on the carpet. She leaped off the couch and snatched it up. “Yeesh. I’m glad I saw this. Helene will be here any minute.”

  “Good catch.”

  Sam pulled the cork off, stashed it in her pocket, and rushed the corkscrew into the kitchen. Luckily, Susie’s back was to her, so Sam wordlessly handed the utensil to Lisa and pantomimed that she wanted Lisa to wash it and put it back in the drawer next to the sink. Lisa nodded her understanding. Just as Sam was leaving, Susie turned around. Both Sam and Lisa froze.

  “Out,” Susie bellowed, this time pointing with a pot holder.

  Sam scurried out the door and then burst out laughing. “She is so mean.”

  “Cooking is serious business for her,” Marlee said. “She should be a chef.”

  “Nah, if she became a chef, she’d open up a geology-themed restaurant, and we simply must save the world from that.”

  Marlee laughed and smacked Sam playfully on the leg. “You’re so funny.”

  “Why thanks.”

  “You know, it’s great that you’re out to Helene.”

  “Yeah, she’s pretty cool,” Sam said. “It’d feel weird hiding Lisa from her. I’ve known Helene my whole life.”

  “You’ve known your parents your whole life, too.” Marlee fixed an unwavering gaze on Sam.

  Sam was taken aback by Marlee’s forwardness. “Did they put you up to this?” She nodded her head toward the kitchen.

  “Not Lisa.”

  “Susie then.”

  Marlee shrugged and nodded. “She’s worried about you, that’s all. I am, too, Two.”

  “Ha. You said tutu.”

  Marlee snorted. “I did, didn’t I?”