Lee’s brows furrowed. The two of them didn’t even work in the same department. Why would she take the call? But Lee already knew the answer to that question. To cause trouble!
“Sam, you have to trust me.” Lee looked at her earnestly. “Jennifer and I are not friends!”
Sam believed Lee with every fiber of her being. He just wasn’t that kind of person.
She looked at him sheepishly. Time to come completely clean so they could put the whole thing behind them. “I believe you.” She was almost embarrassed to admit the rest.
“I-I have a little confession to make. I drove to the station and confronted her.” She paused, searching for the right way to put this, hoping he wouldn’t be too angry with her.
“I pretty much told her you’d already filled me in on your past relationship.” She nervously twisted the bracelet on her wrist as she tried to figure out exactly how she should put this.
Lee was watching her closely. “And?”
“I told her you thought she was a tramp!” There. It was out.
Lee’s eyebrows shot up. He was staring at Sam in disbelief. “You said what?”
Sam couldn’t tell if he was ticked. Sigh. She nervously pushed the hair back from her face, waiting for him to say something. Anything.
Lee slapped his hand on the table, causing the water glasses to jiggle precariously. Sam’s eyes grew wide as she jerked back in her seat, startled by his unexpected reaction.
Suddenly he burst out laughing. “That’s awesome!” He looked at her admiringly. “My little fireball.”
Sam was visibly relieved. At least he’s not ticked off.
“Sounds like you put her in her place and she won’t be a nuisance any longer.”
He shook his head admiringly. “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
With that, he got up from the table and walked over to where Sam was still seated. “Why don’t we take a stroll out on the porch?”
Sam thought that was a lovely idea and a great way to get off the subject of Lee’s ex. Plus, she wasn’t in any hurry to leave. It was so perfect and peaceful here.
The evening was crisp and clear as they stepped out onto the verandah and made their way down the long porch towards the far end of the restaurant.
Sam looked around. The beautiful wrought iron lamp posts glowed softly in the evening air. The sound of the waves crashing onto shore could be heard from where they stood on the porch. The moonlit sky illuminated the open shoreline. They gazed out at the tide as it slowly rolled on shore. Sam and Lee marveled at God’s awesome creation of the seas.
When they got to the end, Lee stopped and motioned for Sam to have a seat on the cushioned bench nearby.
They sat close together. Sam snuggled up to Lee, resting her head on his shoulder as she stared dreamily up at the bright starry night.
“This place is absolutely enchanting,” she murmured.
Lee bent over and placed a tender kiss on the top of Sam’s head.
He gently moved away as he pulled his arm from around her shoulder. He started to get up from the bench. Sam started to get up, too.
“No. You stay there,” he insisted.
With that, he bent down on one knee in front of Sam as he pulled a small box from the pocket of his jacket.
Sam’s mouth dropped open as Lee slowly opened the box. “Sam, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Tears filled her eyes as she looked from Lee’s face to the ring and then back to Lee’s face again. She quickly nodded as Lee pulled the ring from its resting place and slipped it onto Sam’s finger. It fit perfectly.
He leaned forward and gently kissed his soon-to-be wife on the lips.
There was sudden applause. “Woo Hoo!!” “Congratulations!”
Sam peeked around Lee to see a small group of restaurant employees and other diners applauding the engagement.
Her face turned beet red as she sheepishly thanked them for their well wishes. Moments later, they were alone again on the porch with Lee once again sitting beside her.
Sam held the ring up in the soft porch light to admire it. It was exactly what she would’ve picked if she’d done it herself. The one carat princess cut diamond was set in white gold and on each side of the band were tiny rows of diamonds circling the band almost all the way around.
“Lee, this ring is beautiful! It’s absolutely perfect.” Her eyes were shining as she looked up at him.
“Now to set a date.” Lee smiled down at Sam. “And I don’t want to wait long,” he warned.
Lee had a sudden thought. He jumped to his feet. “Stay put. I’ll be right back!”
With that, he disappeared inside the restaurant. Ten minutes later he returned. He was positively gloating.
“How does a month from today sound?” he asked as he took a seat next to her again.
Sam thought about it for a second and then nodded. “Yeah, that would be perfect. Before the holidays and while it’s still nice and cool here.”
Lee was pretty pleased with himself as he went on. “We could get married here on the beach. With a reception inside.”
Sam shook her head in wonder. He had it all perfectly planned out.
A year ago she never would’ve dreamed she would be right here. Right now. Marrying the man she loved.
Not so long ago, her life had been such a mess and full of so much pain and grief. God had truly turned everything around and she was now blessed in every sense of the word. In ways even she couldn’t have imagined.
They finally stood to go. Sam looked around longingly. She smiled up at the twinkling sky and silently thanked God for all of her many blessings.
With that, she tucked her hand in Lee’s and they made their way back inside.
The end.
EPILOGUE
Sam and Lee married a month later on the beach in front of Breakers by the Sea surrounded by close family and friends. Ironically, they honeymooned in the Caribbean aboard a luxury ocean liner and Sam was thankful that this trip was a lot more relaxing than the last.
True to his word, Lee and Donovan went back for the treasure several times. They were able to salvage hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth before the government stepped in to claim the wreck to be the property of the United States.
The two men were allowed to keep what treasure they found. They ended up with enough money to start their own lucrative salvage business. In honor of the San Miguel that helped fund their new venture, they named it “Miguel Treasure Explorations.”
Sam and Lee joined a local church where they invested 10% of their share of the treasure to a cause near and dear to their hearts. A free mammogram screening service for indigent and uninsured women who could not afford to pay for them, along with other free cancer screenings, including pancreatic cancer.
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Tides of Deception (Samantha Rite Mystery Series Book 3) Page 11
