by Ava Bell
“What’s so funny?” Sam asks, as I look up and try to compose myself and that’s when it hits me; God, Sam is beautiful. Sure, I thought he was cute the first time I saw him. But after really getting a good look at him, I notice that not only does he have the most beautiful crystal-blue eyes, but he also has dimples when he smiles. I’m such a sucker for dimples.
“Sorry, it’s not you, Sam. I think the wine has gotten to me. I don’t feel drunk, I just feel . . . silly.”
Sam smiles shyly while he stands and holds out his hand for me to take. “Come on, Maggie, I think it’s time we head back. I think someone has had a little too much to drink.” I stand up and take his hand and the electricity that flows between us is obvious; we both look down at our hands that are intertwined. He felt it too.
I didn’t realize just how much I had to drink until we are walking down the narrow path towards the cottage. I don’t feel as sure on my feet as I did before and Sam has to guide me to the door. Sam fumbles for the key in his pocket. It’s dark and he’s having trouble finding the keyhole on the door as we lean up against each other laughing. I stand against the door and I start to feel my head spin. When Sam finally gets the door open, he turns to help me inside. Sam’s face is close, too close, and in a split-second decision I lean forward and kiss him. It doesn’t take me long to realize he’s not kissing me back. I pull away quickly and look down at my feet, thinking to myself: What did I just do? I quickly regain my composure as Sam looks at me, making me feel as though I’ve done something wrong. “Oh God, Sam, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I’ve just had too much to drink.”
“It’s okay,” he smiles. “I’m sorry for not kissing you back, and believe me I wanted to. I just don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you, especially after having so much to drink.” He places his finger under my chin, lifting it to look me in the eyes. Oh no, don’t look into his eyes, I’m thinking to myself. But it’s no use. Here we stand looking at each other, and I know right then and there that I don’t want Sam to leave tomorrow.
I look away and walk farther away from him while Sam is still standing in the doorway. I can see he’s nervous and maybe rethinking if sharing a room was a good idea “Maggie, are you sure you’re comfortable with me being here? And even though you’ve had a little more wine than I think you should have and I want you to know that you are safe with me.”
I walk to where Sam is and I grab his hand, pulling him in. “Yes, Sam, of course I feel comfortable with you here. I’m sorry about the kiss. Let’s just forget about it. Now come on so you can get some rest. I promise I won’t attack you in your sleep,” I say, walking towards the bathroom.
When I finally get up enough nerve to come out, Sam is sitting on the rollaway. I swallow the lump that’s formed in my throat before I speak. “Sam?” I say softly. “I want to ask you something.”
Sam gives me his full attention as I sit on the edge of the bed that’s dangerously close to his.
“What would you say if I offered you a ride to Chicago?” I bite my lower lip, anticipating his reaction. “It’s on my way. I would love the company and it has to be better than riding the bus. Please, Sam, just think about it and we can talk about it in the morning.”
I stand up and walk over to the small table where my purse is. I can tell by the look on Sam’s face that he’s deep in thought when I glance back at him. I know he’s thinking about it by the way his brows are furrowed. I get the feeling he may decline my offer and tell me it’s not a good idea. I busy myself looking through my purse and when I find my phone, I push the button . . . but it’s dead. A sense of relief comes over me when I remember that I have my charger. I plug it into the outlet and connect it to my phone as Sam’s silence has me feeling embarrassed and self-conscious. I’m not surprised to see there are four missed calls and a bunch of text messages, way too many to go through right now. All I want to do is lie down and close my eyes and hopefully, by tomorrow, I will be ready to say goodbye to Sam.
I OPEN MY eyes as the sun shines through the tan and red plaid curtains, but I’m too warm and comfortable to move. I wrap the blanket around me and close my eyes as my head pounds. When I suddenly remember where I am, I sit up and quickly look around the room. I slowly glance towards the rollaway to see if Sam is still sleeping. It’s empty, and it looks like he never even slept there. I scan around the room and notice that the bathroom door is open. He’s not here. I lay back and stare at the ceiling and scold myself mentally for being too forward last night. You silly girl, you scared him off. I slowly fall back to sleep.
When I open my eyes again I see Sam holding two coffee cups, and a small box is sitting next to me on the bed. “I didn’t want to wake you; I thought maybe you might need some coffee and something to eat after last night. How are you feeling?” I blink my eyes rapidly as he slowly comes into focus. I smile as relief washes over me and the grin on his face tells me he isn’t too upset with my actions last night.
“I feel fine considering I must have passed out last night. Thank you for the blanket. How did you sleep?”
Sam hands me one of the cups and sits in the large leather chair that is situated at the end of the bed. “I slept well. The rollaway was fairly comfortable.” He takes a sip.
“Thank you for the coffee. You were right, it’s exactly what I needed.”
Sam pushes the box towards me. “There are a couple of donuts in the box. I didn’t know what kind you like so I got one chocolate and one plain.” I flip the lid open, trying to decide which one I want. “I like either of them so I’ll let you pick which one you want. There should also be a small sack in there that has sugar and creamer, if you need it for your coffee.” His eyes are fixated on my mouth as I take a small bite of my donut. Sam watches as I slowly lick the sugar off of my lips, but he looks away with a sharp turn of his head when I look at him. I reach over and hand the box with the plain glazed donut over to him and he takes it. With a heavy sigh, Sam leans back and sips on his coffee. I can feel the tension in the room as last night’s question looms heavily in the air and I decide I need to say something to defuse the uncomfortable feel surrounding us.
“Sam, my offer still stands and I hope you’re considering it. The kiss last night . . . well, I hope it doesn’t keep you from saying you will.” I take a bite of my donut and wait for his response. I can see by the way his brows are furrowed that it’s something he’s considering carefully.
“Maggie, I can’t ask you to take me to Chicago.” He looks at me and runs both hands through his hair.
“You’re not asking me, Sam. I offered. And if I thought it would be a problem I wouldn’t have even said anything about it. Besides, it’s on my way so you don’t have much of an argument, now do you?” I take another drink of my coffee and finish my donut as a smile slowly creeps across his face.
“Okay, I can see your point. But I won’t go if you don’t let me help pay on the room and gas.”
I nod and turn my head so he doesn’t see the wide grin on my face while I move to the other side of my bed to grab my phone. “That’s fine, I’ll let you.” I walk towards the front door, anxious to get outside so I can catch my breath. “I have a couple of phone calls I need to return so I’m going to step outside, okay?” He nods as I step out onto the cottage’s porch. I turn my phone on and sit in one of the large wooden rocking chairs. I have four missed calls. The first one is from my dad; he left a voicemail, but I’m not ready to hear what he has to say so I skip it. I’ll deal with that one last. The second and third are from my best friend Sydney and the fourth call is from my Aunt Virginia. I listen to Sydney’s voicemail first, since I’m sure she’s freaking out right now. Knowing her, I wouldn’t be surprised if she called the state troopers to look for me.
“Hey girl, what’s going on? I haven’t heard from you since you left this morning and I wanted to make sure you’re okay. How’s your trip going? Call me back and Let me know where you are. Love ya.”
I listen to her
second voicemail; it’s from late last night.
“Maggie Dawn Taylor! Where are you? I’ve called you and texted you a million times and you never responded. Are you okay? Your dad has been calling me; I don’t know what to tell him. If I don’t hear back from you soon I’m calling the state trooper! Call me, please, I’m worried about you.”
I laugh and shake my head as I dial Sydney’s number. She picks up on the first ring. “Maggie, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, Syd, calm down.” I let out a chuckle.
“Don’t you tell me to calm down! I’ve been worried sick. Where are you and why haven’t you responded to my calls and texts?”
“I’m sorry, Sydney. My phone has been dead so I had no idea you were trying to reach me. I’m in a small town in Missouri . . . Hermann, Missouri.”
I hear her let out a loud breath. “Why are you in Missouri? You were supposed to be in New York City by now.”
I roll my eyes as she continues to give me the third degree. “My car broke down around 1:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon. I got some help and I had to get to the closest town so it could be fixed.”
“Oh no, that really sucks, but at least you’re safe,” Sydney says, sounding relieved.
“But, unfortunately, the part I need won’t be here until Monday, so I’m stuck here until then. It’s all good, Syd, so no worries.”
“Oh, thank God!” Sydney lets out a huge sigh. “So what are you doing while you’re stuck in Missouri? Are you okay with being there alone?” I consider telling her I’m not exactly alone, but I quickly decide against it. If I tell her about Sam she will freak out, thinking he’s a rapist or something and I can’t take a chance on her telling my dad . . . no, I’m just not going to tell her.
“I’m fine, Syd. I’m just hanging out here in my room. Really, I’m fine. Listen, I have to go. I need to call my aunt before she freaks out too. I’ll call you tomorrow . . . oh, and don’t tell my dad anything; I plan on calling him soon.” I squeeze my eyes closed tightly, praying that she says she won’t call him.
“Okay, but he sounded really upset and . . . worried. I told him I haven’t seen or spoken to you in a couple of days; you know he doesn’t believe that. I’m not sure how long I can keep it up, Maggie, so please call him soon,” she pleads.
“I promise I will, Syd. I’ll talk to you soon. Oh . . . and thank you for covering for me.” We hang up.
The next call I make is to my Aunt Virginia, my mother’s older sister. She’s always been like a second mother to me. Every summer, when I was young, I would spend a month at her house on Willow Lake in Savannah, Georgia. She never married or had any children, so she always treated me as if I was the daughter she never had. She’s the one that pushed me to accept the spot at Barnard College. And though she and my dad never really saw eye to eye, they always got along. And even though she is two years older than my mom, they were as close as sisters could be.
When she answers on the second ring, I smile. Hearing her voice is as close as I will ever get to hearing my mom’s voice again; they have always sounded just alike. “Hello, sweetie,” she says when she answers. “How’s your trip coming along? Are you doing okay?”
“Hi, Aunt Virginia. Sorry I missed your call but my phone died sometime yesterday evening and it was charging overnight.” I hear a small laugh. She’s a bit old-school and it took her forever to finally get a cell phone. “Things are good. I had a little bit of car trouble, but it’s all good now. How are things there?” I ask.
“Oh, Lord, Maggie, I hate the thought of you traveling so far alone.” I can hear the concern in her voice.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m fine.” I hate not telling her I’m stuck in Missouri until Monday, but she’ll only worry if she knew.
”Well, it’s been raining for the last two days so I’ve gotten a lot of reading done. And I’m making a big pot of chicken soup, your favorite. Where are you exactly?” she asks.
I take a deep breath. “I’m in Missouri, Aunt Virginia. I stopped here to have my car looked at. It’s been fixed, so I’ll be on the road this afternoon. I’ll call you later tonight and check in.” I hold my breath, hoping she can’t tell I’m lying.
“Okay, sweetie. Drive safe and I’ll talk to you soon. I love you, Maggie.”
“I love you too. Bye.” I hang up.
I look down at my phone while I consider calling my dad, but I quickly decide that now is not the time. I just don’t think I can handle it right now. Sam smiles as I step back inside
“Is everything okay?” he asks.
“Yeah, I just had to call my friend Sydney and my Aunt Virginia before one of them sent the FBI out to find me.”
“Oh, okay. They do know I’ll be riding with you, don’t they?” I nod my head slowly.
“Oh, sure, they’re fine with it. They trust me. They know I wouldn’t make a decision that would put my life in danger,” I say, walking over and sitting in the leather chair. I lean back and exhale; damage control done. I suddenly feel like a teenager who just got away with sneaking out of her room without getting caught and I smile.
“Hey, I wonder if the auto repair shop is open now so we can go get our stuff. I could really use a shower and a toothbrush.”
Sam grins and jumps up. “Me too. Come on, let’s go see.”
As we walk through town, evidence from last night’s festivities is scattered throughout the park. There are several people picking up discarded cups and placing chairs around a makeshift stage.
“Looks as though they’re getting ready for round two,” I say.
Sam points to a large banner. “It starts up again at 10:00 this morning. I’m not sure wine is what we need this early, but it looks like they may have live music tonight.” He looks at me, raising his eyebrows. “Feel like venturing back out tonight?”
“I’m game if you are.” Sam holds his hand out. I take it and we cross the street to Murphy’s. I’m relieved when I see the “open” sign flashing in the window, and I can feel the tension roll off of me when I spot my car. I feel almost giddy knowing I’m going to get a shower soon. Sam’s in for a treat, he’s never seen the cleaned-up version of Maggie. Sam waves at Doug, the owner, and points towards my car. “Just grabbing our bags. You were closed when we came back yesterday afternoon.”
Doug laughs as he walks towards us. “Yep, I always close early on Friday. Sorry I didn’t mention that.”
I open my car door and grab my pink overnight bag. Yes, pink. I’m sure Sam will say something when he sees what color it is. It’s really all I need; it has all my toiletries and extra clothes. I feel a sense of relief now that I have them and I can’t wait to climb into a nice hot shower.
Sam pops the trunk and goes around to get his backpack and guitar case. I give Doug my cell phone number and we say goodbye, heading out with our stuff. I knew it wouldn’t take Sam long to tease me about my pink overnight bag. “Hmm, is that bag pink?”
I give him a look and shake my head. “Yes, it is,” I say. We walk towards the cottage, both of us smiling.
Once we make it back to the room, Sam offers me the bathroom first. “You can go ahead and use the shower. I think I’ll go look for a grocery store and get a few snacks and drinks. Is there anything you want me to pick up for you?”
“I would love a big bottle of water. Other than that, I’m good.” I dig through my purse to get some change for him.
Sam holds up his hand as I try to hand him some money. “Maggie, I got this. Put your money back.”
I smile and say, “Thank you.” And as soon as Sam leaves I run for the bathroom. I dump everything out onto the counter and grab a towel. As the shower heats up, I shed the clothes I’ve had on for more than twenty-four hours, step into the steam, and close my eyes as the hot water slides down my body.
Just as I step out into the cool air, I hear Sam through the door. “Did you enjoy your shower, Maggie?”
“Yes, I’m just finishing up. I’ll be out in a second.” I suddenly feel tingli
ng through my body, knowing Sam’s just on the other side of that door.
“No hurry, I’m just going to put these things I got at the grocery store away. I was just checking on you.”
That comment makes me smile; it’s been a long time since a guy has “checked” on me. Watch it, Maggie. Don’t get attached. I take one final look in the mirror after pulling on a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. I slip my flip-flops on and take a deep breath while I open the door.
Sam is sitting down, holding his guitar. When he sees me standing and staring at him, he blushes and sets the guitar down beside the chair.
I wave my hand towards the bathroom. “It’s all yours, Sam,” I say, as he walks slowly towards me. “I left you a clean towel and washcloth and if you need shampoo or anything, you can use mine.” I move slightly to the side as he passes by. He lightly brushes my hand with his as he turns, smiling.
“I have everything I need.” He closes the door, leaving me with weak knees and out of breath.
As I lean against the wall trying to catch my breath, I hear the shower curtain close and my lips curl into a grin. Picturing Sam standing under the water as it flows over his naked body is more than I can take at this moment so I quickly shake the thought from my mind. I walk towards the sack he left on the table and grab the bottle of water, taking a huge drink. It’s exactly what I needed to cool off. As I look through the bag, I inspect each item, sitting them on the table; chips, Hersey’s kisses, and a few energy bars. I pop a piece of chocolate in my mouth while I slowly walk over to my bed. When I look through my purse, I find my lip gloss and run the tip of it over my lips, rubbing them together as I lean back on my pillow and close my eyes.
“Hey, Maggie.”
Sam is leaning over me. I sit up quickly and run my hands over my face. “I must have dozed off, that shower really relaxed me.”
“If you’re tired we can hang out here for a while,” Sam says, sitting in the leather chair. I watch him as he picks up his guitar and starts to play a few chords. I notice the way he holds the instrument and strokes each string with his fingers; it’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.
