by Ava Summers
His casual tone cleared the tension lingering in the air between them.
“Really? How do you know?”
“She told me her favorite romance writer moved here. I asked her who, and she said Samantha Anderson. I haven’t heard about any other Samantha Anderson who has moved to Maple Hills recently.”
“Caught red-handed.” A smile appeared on her face. The way he joked with her put her at ease.
“So, what do you think? My aunt is a great cook. But she only cooks vegetarian food.”
“I’m vegetarian, too. Have been one for five years already. My sister converted me.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing. You two will get along. I’ll be here at seven tomorrow. Is that okay?”
“Sure. What should I bring?”
“You don’t have to bring anything.”
“But I want to. I don’t want to go empty-handed.”
“Why don’t you bring one of your books? She would love to get a signed copy from you.”
“I have a few copies of my new book somewhere around here. I can bring it with me. It’s going to be in stores next week, so she hasn’t read it yet.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow then. I don’t want to keep you up late.”
He rose from the couch. Samantha glanced at the watch and saw it was already eleven. Time flies fast when you’re having fun.
She accompanied him to the door. Chris pulled her in a tight embrace, his chest pressed hard against her own. She wasn’t sure if it was hers or his heart beating so fast, or perhaps they were both beating fast in unison.
He kissed her once again. His warm lips touched hers and tempted her to pull him by his shirt and make him stay for the night. She blushed, embarrassed by her naughty thoughts.
“Good night, Samantha.”
“Good night, Chris.”
He opened the door. She looked at him descending the steps of her porch. He turned around on his heels.
“One more thing…” he said.
“Yes?”
“Make it two. You promised me one of your books.”
Chapter 9
“Oh, thank you dear. It’s so nice of you,” said Florence, Chris’s aunt.
She was a short-haired, stout woman with maroon glasses that made her look like a fifty-something librarian. Her eyes lit up when Samantha introduced herself and gave Florence her signed newest book.
“Let’s sit down and eat. I don’t want you to eat my frittata cold.” She motioned them to sit at the big square brown wooden dining table.
The cozy dining room reminded Samantha of her parent’s house. They too liked brown shades of furniture and simple decorations on the walls.
A small beagle came out from under the table. It wagged its tail with joy and jumped on Samantha’s legs.
“Hi there. What’s your name?” she asked.
“It’s Gus,” Chris said.
Florence entered the room with a large round plate with something that looked like pizza. She put the plate on the table. If it wasn’t for the vegetables cooked inside the frittata, it could pass for an extremely thick pizza. A delicious-looking one, at that.
“So, how did you get to know each other?” Florence asked. Samantha was sure Florence had already known it, but she played along. It was better to make some small talk than eat in awkward silence.
“My dog was sick. I had to take him to a vet.”
“You couldn’t have found a better veterinarian than my Chris. Isn’t it right, Chris?”
“Oh, Auntie, stop it.”
“How do you like the town, dear?”
“I love it here. It takes some time getting used to when you move from a big city, though.”
“This place grows on you.”
“Sure it does,” Chris added.
“Mrs. Smith, your frittata is one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten.”
“Thank you, dear. I’m glad to hear that.”
“Auntie is probably the best cook in town.”
“Chris…” Florence said.
“Are you a cook by profession?”
“No, I’m a high school teacher. I was a high school teacher,” she smiled, as if thinking about the good old times. “I even taught Chris. Straight A’s, this one.”
“Biology?” Samantha guessed.
“You’re one smart cookie, my dear.”
When the dinner was over, Florence brought out a lemon cake. Samantha thought she was full when she had finished her plate. When she saw the beautiful white and yellow cake, her appetite was back with a vengeance.
The cake was even more delicious than the frittata.
When they finished the dessert, Samantha noticed it was already ten. She glanced at Chris and pointed at her watch.
“Auntie, we better get going. It’s really late.” Chris rose up from his chair.
“Thank you, Mrs. Smith. The food was absolutely delicious. It was a pleasure meeting you.” She offered her hand.
“The pleasure is all mine, sweetheart, all mine.” Florence shook Samantha’s hand with the vigor of a young person. “And thank you for the book. A perfect gift for a lazy summer afternoon. When you’re retired, there isn’t much to do but read romances.”
“I’d love to hear what you think about it. Nothing beats personal feedback from a reader.”
“Will do. Thank you, honey.”
Samantha was so tired on their way home that she almost fell asleep in Chris’s car. She had eaten too much of the cake.
Chris parked on her driveway and tapped her on the shoulder.
“Hey sleepyhead, should I carry you to the bed like a sleeping princess?”
“It wouldn’t hurt.”
To Samantha’s surprise, he took her in his strong arms and carried her to the door.
“The keys?” he asked.
“They’re in my purse. Let me stand.”
She fished for the keys and opened the door. Chris picked her up again. She placed her hands on his neck. He carried her over the doorstep as if they were a newlywed couple.
Winston welcomed them with a happy bark and followed them to the bedroom. Chris laid her down at the bed and took off her shoes. She felt drowsiness and yawned.
“Sweet dreams, Samantha.” Chris gave her a light kiss in the lips and both cheeks.
“Good night, Chris.”
She closed her eyes. She still saw his kind bearded face until sleep finally claimed her.
Chapter 10
Victoria checked her phone and saw it was five. She had to talk with Chris, had to explain to him that he would never find anyone better than her. Chris was hers, and Victoria always got what she wanted. The stupid old bitch wouldn’t take him from her.
She left her home and went to the forest. If it was five on Saturday, Chris had to be taking a walk with Elsa. Victoria would have a chance to talk with him in private.
She followed the main trail and took a smaller trail leading to the bench. Three years ago, they kissed there for the first time. She would remember this warm July evening forever. It was the day she realized she had met the man of her dreams.
“Hey, Chris. I knew I would find you here.”
Chris sat on the bench and petted Elsa. He was as handsome as always, well-dressed even on a walk with his dog. She approached the bench. Elsa ignored her.
“What do you want?”
“Why are you so nervous, sweetheart?”
“Stop calling me sweetheart. What did you think at the café?”
“Let bygones be bygones. I wanted to see you. I miss you.”
“See me for what? Do I have to explain it to you once again we’re no longer a couple?”
He was angry. But he would come around. He would see her for who she had always been. She only had to be patient.
“Stop following me. And leave Samantha alone.”
Victoria clenched her fists and pursed her lips.
“Stop calling her that. You know nothing about her. What do you want from me?”
“Me? Nothing. I just want you to accept my love.”
“Accept your love? Do you even hear what you’re saying?”
“Chris, there was something between us.”
“It was. No longer is.”
“Yet you’re still single, three years later. I know you want me. I can see it in your eyes,” she said, tracing his forearm with her fingers.
“Stop it.” He pushed her hand away. Elsa gave him her paw, as if she was trying to calm him down.
“Don’t you remember how we kissed here for the first time? How madly in love we were? Why can’t we start all over?”
“I don’t love you, Victoria. I don’t want to start all over. I’m done with you.”
Victoria heard heavy footsteps coming from behind her. The stupid wolf dog ran toward them with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. In the distance between the trees, she saw the stupid old bitch. She was close enough to see them together.
Victoria pushed Chris to the tree with all her might. She covered the shocked look on his face with her long blonde hair and kissed him. He managed to push her away in seconds, but it was enough. Samantha was already running away, tears probably already flowing down her stupid old face.
“I will always wait for you, Chris.”
Chapter 11
When Samantha saw Victoria kissing with Chris, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Yet it happened, and it wasn’t just a friendly kiss. She didn’t even have it in her to call Winston back. She just left, hoping that he would notice she was gone and follow her.
That’s what she got for thinking a younger guy would really choose her over a young busty blonde. He was just like Robert. Tears streamed down her face as she walked into her house and collapsed on the sofa.
The doorbell rang.
“Samantha, open the door, please. We need to talk,” Chris said. He had to run after her. What for, she didn’t understand.
“Leave me alone.”
“Samantha, it was Victoria who kissed me.”
“Stop lying and go away. You sound like my ex-husband.”
“Samantha, please.”
“Go, or I’ll call the police.”
“Samantha…”
“You heard me.”
She heard him turn around and descend the porch steps. Samantha plodded to her writing room. Writing had always helped her escape the world. Perhaps it had been a misunderstanding, after all, but she wasn’t ready to talk just yet.
Her phone rang a few hours later in the evening.
“Stop calling me. I don’t want to talk with you,” she yelled to the phone.
“Samantha?”
“I’m sorry Sarah, I… I didn’t check who was calling.”
“Samantha, what is going on?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? Don’t lie to your sister.”
“I saw Chris kissing Victoria.”
“You saw what? When?”
“Today, a few hours ago. I was on a walk with Winston. And I saw them kissing in the forest.”
“Are you sure it was him?”
“It was him. Elsa, his dog, was with him.”
“Why would he do that? You said you had such a nice dinner a few days ago.”
“I don’t know. I guess he realized a forty-something woman is no match for a twenty-something girl.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.”
Samantha had rarely heard confusion in Sarah’s voice.
“Maybe you should talk with him? It could have been a misunderstanding,” Sarah said.
“I need some time to think about it.”
“Why don’t you come to L.A. for a couple days? We’ll go shopping, go to a nice restaurant, have some fun. Then you will think of what to do.”
“What about Winston?”
“What about him? Take him with you. That’s not a problem.”
“Sarah, he’s almost as tall as your daughter.”
“It’s okay. We’ll find a place for him.”
“Adam will be pissed off.”
“He won’t. He’s on a business trip. Back next Tuesday.”
“Sarah, I don’t know. I… Let me think about it, okay? I’ll call you back tomorrow.”
“Okay. Samantha, do you want to talk about Chris?”
“Not now. I need to be alone. Thank you for calling.”
***
The next day, Samantha worked like a horse, trying to focus on the work instead of thinking about Chris. When she couldn’t concentrate on her work any longer, she closed her laptop, took a shower and went to bed. Even though she worked the entire day, she found herself unable to fall sleep.
Samantha hadn’t had a sleepless night since Robert told her he wanted a divorce. This time, she at least had Winston to keep her company. He lay beside her in the bed as if he were just a puppy, not a dog who took up more than half of the bed.
“What do I do, Winston?” she asked him. Winston stared at her, a sad look in his eyes.
Samantha finally fell asleep around seven in the morning, right after a brief walk with Winston. It wasn’t until noon when she woke up and noticed something lying on her front porch. She picked up a small manila envelope with her name on it.
Samantha sat at her couch in the living room and opened the envelope to see a handwritten letter from Chris.
Samantha,
I’m sorry I can’t tell you this in person.
I’m sad that it had to end this way. I thought my love for Victoria was gone. I really did. But when I met with her to tell her to stay away from you, it all came back.
Four years ago, I kissed her for the first time on this bench. Three years ago, we broke up. I haven’t really had a woman in my life since Victoria. Two days ago, when I saw her in the forest when you saw us, I realized she was the only one.
I hope we can still be friends.
Chris
Samantha sat on the couch. What a jerk. She had always thought it was impossible to top off Robert’s arrogance. Chris had set a new record. And to think she wanted to give him a chance to explain himself.
Tears welled in her eyes. She picked up the phone.
“Sarah, can I come? I need to get away.”
Chapter 12
Winston enjoyed exploring Sarah’s house and playing with her daughter. The trip did little good for Samantha, though.
She spent a lot of time with her sister. They went to the park, they went shopping, they had a great dinner at Samantha’s favorite place and watched her favorite movies at night. Sarah meant well, but Samantha knew nothing could help when you were betrayed by yet another man. Betrayed in almost the same manner, at that.
When she returned to Maple Hills, she realized she could no longer live there.
If Winston had any health problems, she would have to go to Chris or drive thirty miles to the nearest town with a veterinary clinic. If she went to the forest, there was a chance she would meet him there. If she wanted to go to the store, she might meet him or his aunt there.
If you build a relationship in a small town and it goes south, you can’t avoid each other as you could do back in L.A.
She opened her laptop and started looking for a new place to live. She checked small towns away from everything and made a list of seven potential places where she could move. She even considered moving to Canada. She had enough savings to buy a farmhouse and live with Winston with no other people in sight. Just like an old woman, but what the hell. She wasn’t going to be disappointed again.
Winston interrupted her research by putting his paw on her lap. He looked at her with a begging gaze.
“I’m so sorry buddy. I completely forgot about your walk. Let’s go.”
Samantha took a different route in
the forest, hoping that she wouldn’t cross paths with Chris. It was five, the time when his clinic was open, but she figured it was better to be safe than sorry.
Samantha let Winston loose. The dog ran away after a squirrel. She put hands into her pockets, lowered her head and returned her thoughts to her plan to leave town. If she was quick about it, she could find a new place and pack all her things in less than a week. Less than a week of avoiding Chris and his aunt. It was doable. She didn’t have any other option, anyway.
She heard barking of two dogs and stopped dead in her tracks. Winston came back with a beagle running around his legs. The small dog looked ridiculous standing beside her giant Irish Wolfhound. A second later, Chris’s aunt Florence emerged from a tree-covered trail at Samantha’s right.
“Samantha, honey, what a coincidence.”
“Hello, Florence. I… I must get going.” Samantha turned around and began to stride off.
“Sweetheart, I think we need to talk.”
Samantha turned on her heels and gazed at Florence.
“Talk about what?”
“About you and Chris. He’s been so sad recently. Something has happened between the two of you.”
“Why don’t you ask him?”
“He doesn’t want to talk with me about it.”
“It’s not my problem.”
“Honey, he’s been talking about you ever since he met you. He hasn’t talked about anyone like this for ages.”
“It seems he got bored.”
Florence raised an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“I saw him with Victoria. They were kissing.”
“Victoria? That impolite girl? No, I don’t believe that.”
“I saw Elsa with him. Besides, he wrote me a letter.”
“A letter?”
“He left me a letter on my porch on Monday morning. He said he’s back with Victoria.”
“Monday morning? At what hour?”
“What does it matter?”
“Honey, please answer my question.”
“I took a walk with Winston at seven in the morning. So later than that. Somewhere between seven and noon, I’d say.”
“I have no idea what is going on, but Chris did not leave this letter.”
