“She’s coming to,” Paul said. He leaned over the side of the narrow bed.
Sam blinked and wished she hadn’t moved her eyelids. Her entire body settled into a dull ache starting with a headache and stopping with her knees feeling as though someone had taken a hammer to her kneecaps. “What are you doing up?” she asked Paul. She blinked again as Ava and Haley came to stand beside Paul. “I feel like Dorothy in the closing scenes of The Wizard of Oz.”
“Well, at least her cognitive reasoning is intact,” Ava said.
“I’m so sorry.” Haley’s face was as pale as the sheets on the bed. “You should’ve just let her take it out on my truck.”
Sam blinked and winced, the two seeming to go together. She had no desire to move any other part of her body. “What happened?”
“KD beat the crap out of you, girlfriend. I thought you played Wii Boxing,” Paul said, pretending to bob and weave.
“Okay, folks, I need to be able to access the patient. I told you she would come around and be groggy.” A nurse in purple scrubs entered the cubicle.
Sam stared at the sight of the familiar blond hair with black roots and the sparkling earrings. “Oh, no, it’s you.”
Lisa grinned. “I should be the one saying that.” She turned to Sam’s extended family. “Go home, have breakfast, and come back this afternoon. She’ll be moved upstairs as soon as a room is available. We’ll keep her for observation for at least twenty-four hours because of the head injury and to check out any damage to her kidneys. She’ll be in and out for the next few hours, thanks to the pain meds. There’s nothing you can do except watch her sleep and be uncomfortable.”
“You’re safe,” Ava said, moving closer to Sam to make sure she heard the words. “The police took that awful woman with them.”
Sam looked at Haley. “Oh, no.”
“Oh, yes.” Haley looked absolutely miserable. “This is going to court. She punched both of the officers as they pulled her away from you—automatic jail time. I’ve never seen her that angry.”
“She wasn’t angry,” Ava said. “She was out of her mind.”
“I’m not sorry I missed it, just that I wasn’t there to help you, sweets.” Paul squeezed Sam’s hand. “Come on, ladies, breakfast is on me.” Paul put an arm around Ava and Haley.
“You guys stay together for a while,” Sam said.
Paul looked over his shoulder and nodded as they started out of the room.
Lisa watched the trio leave. “Do you always tell them what to do?”
“Yes, but they usually ignore me.” Sam groaned as she tried to raise her arm to rub her eye.
Lisa held a plastic jug of water toward Sam with the straw bent down.
Sam swallowed. “She did beat the crap out of me.”
“Oh, yeah. No broken bones or sprains, just a lot of bruises. Don’t be alarmed if your pee is a little bloody. I understand she kicked you in the back several times.”
Sam nodded slightly. “I remember that much. I didn’t even see the punches coming. What a dumbass I am to walk out in the middle of that mess and just stand there.”
“Carry a baseball bat or a poker with you next time.”
“This isn’t over, is it?”
Lisa shook her head. “I’m guessing it’s just beginning to get ugly. All of you better be on the lookout.”
Sam sighed.
“Don’t think about playing the pity card and asking me out. I wouldn’t date you on a bet.” Lisa logged the last readings on Sam before transfer. “Miss Playgirl.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” Sam felt her temper flaring and thought less about how much her body hurt.
Lisa looked down at Sam and adjusted the covers. “Even I went out with Dr. Eckels twice. Dumping her in the restaurant you met in was cold.” Lisa clucked her tongue and grinned.
“That woman is way crazier than the patients she’s paid to treat,” Sam protested.
“She’s not the one who keeps turning up here, now is she?” Lisa motioned the orderlies to take the bed. She waved to Sam as she was rolled out of the emergency unit.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Are you sure you feel up to this?” Paul held the car door open for Sam and offered to help her out of the Subaru.
Sam grasped his hand and welcomed the extra lift he gave her. “I’m sick of sitting around the house. If I’m going to the office Monday, I need to practice getting out and about.”
“Haley’s driving you?” Paul asked.
“Just call me Miss Daisy.” Sam took a quick breath not to yelp with the effort it took to get out of the wagon. “At least for the first day or two. I had to think of something for her to do. She feels so guilty about what happened that she’s worrying the crap out of me.”
Sam hobbled across the parking lot. She had stayed in the hospital all day after her beating and was released the next morning. She had a black eye, several stitches in her cheek, cracked ribs, bruised lower back, and stitches in her right knee. Other than that, after staying in bed for a few days, she felt rested and better. She had been strangely comforted while in the hospital by Lisa checking on her before and after her shift.
Sam caught herself looking around the Saturday afternoon crowd at the mall’s Cineplex for blondes while she waited for Paul to buy their tickets. “Drinks and popcorn are on me if you’ll stand in line.”
Paul nodded, taking the offered $20 bill. “I’m such a gigolo.”
“You’re the only date I’m interested in anymore. I’m done with women,” Sam said. She eyed one of the benches in the lobby but didn’t think the odds of sitting by herself very good.
“I thought the same thing twenty-four years ago on my honeymoon, but I don’t think you’ll hold out that long.” He grinned at her over his shoulder.
Sam looked at the poster on the wall. They had decided that mindless entertainment was the only recreation they could handle. They also felt comfortable that no one else they knew would be at a showing of the latest Toy Story installment.
“We’re all set.” Paul stood beside her and held out his elbow, hands full of snacks.
Sam didn’t hesitate to hold on to him as he guided her through the lobby and into the theater. They arrived early enough to claim one of the side rows of four seats midway along the floor. Paul set the cups into holders and the popcorn containers on the upturned seat cushion between them. He took the aisle seat and positioned Sam toward the wall. “Comfy?”
“Actually, yes. I love these rocking seats.” Sam moved slightly.
Paul centered the bucket of popcorn in her lap.
“I can manage, thank you,” Sam said. “You don’t have to feed me each kernel or lift the drink.”
“I know it tries your patience to be waited on. You’ve tolerated us more graciously than I expected.” Paul slid down in the seat and angled his legs into the aisle against the chair in front of him.
This was the third weekend that the movie had been showing; the theater filled only to half capacity by the time the lights dimmed. One last family came in and stood in the back waiting for their eyes to adjust, talking softly. The foursome passed Sam and Paul, taking seats in the center section five rows back from the screen.
“Shit,” Paul said. His gaze focused below the screen.
Sam looked at him and leaned slightly his way. “What?”
Paul raised his hand a few inches from his lap and pointed to the family that just took seats. “It’s Scott.”
Sam and Paul stared in silence at the group that had the appearance of an all-American family. Scott sat on the end of the row with his arm around his wife’s shoulders, sharing a tub of popcorn with her while thumping his oldest son in the back of the head to tease him. She nestled against him. The boys punched each other before settling down to watch the movie, occasionally throwing popcorn at each other’s mouths.
“Do you want to leave?” Sam asked.
“He told me he had to be at the office all weekend,” Paul said.
Scott leaned close to hear what his wife was saying, then gave her a kiss on the cheek before standing. He walked up the aisle, smiling.
Paul stuck his foot out so that Scott would have to dodge him in passing. Scott looked down at Paul, the smile disappearing from his face. He immediately looked over his shoulder to see if his wife or sons were looking. He pointed to the double doors at the back of the theater.
“I’ll be right back,” Paul said to Sam. He followed Scott toward the lobby.
“Not without me you won’t,” Sam said under her breath. She hoisted herself up, using the arms of the chair and accepting ahead of time that movement would be painful. She wasn’t about to let her best friend go through this alone in a public place.
Sam reached the lobby as Scott explained to Paul.
“The project fell through. I didn’t have to work after all. I figured you’d made plans, so I told Cheryl that I’d take her and the boys to the movies instead of her having to do it by herself. What’s wrong with me taking my family out?” Scott asked.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing. Why didn’t you just tell me this was what you wanted to do today instead of lying about work?” Paul asked.
Sam stopped several feet behind Paul, glowering at Scott.
“Damn, what happened to you?” Scott asked, looking past Paul.
“I lied to my date about why I stood her up,” Sam said.
“Who are we trying to kid?” Paul asked Scott, ignoring Sam.
“Don’t start that again. Don’t make me choose.” Scott spoke without emotion.
“You don’t care about me, or us,” Paul said, “other than as subterfuge. I’m a cheap thrill.”
“You just want the best of both worlds without being truly committed to either,” Sam said.
“Butt the hell out,” Scott said to Sam. “Haven’t you learned not to interfere in a relationship? KD told me what happened when I posted her bail.”
“You what?” Sam said.
“She’s going to work it off at my house. I help my friends, too,” Scott said.
“You worthless sack of shit.” Sam advanced toward Scott. “You helped KD, knowing Haley and I are both at risk, and didn’t even give us a heads-up?”
“You provoked what happened,” Scott said.
Sam was so angry that her words came out as a sputtering noise like excess air trapped in a water line.
Paul stepped between them. “Enough.”
Scott looked at Paul. “You and I need to have this conversation in private.”
Paul shook his head. “No, we don’t. That’s the sad part. Every time you say that, it ends in sex, and I give up and allow this charade to continue.”
“What are you saying?” Scott asked.
“I’m saying your family is waiting for you. If you have any sense at all, you’ll be grateful you haven’t lost them yet and will choose them to make a life with.” Paul took a deep breath. “I want nothing more to do with you.”
Scott appeared dumbfounded.
“Asshole,” Sam said.
“Bitch,” Scott countered.
“Enough,” Paul said again. He held out his arm to Sam and spoke to Scott. “Go back to your family before they wonder what’s taking you so long.”
Sam leaned on Paul as they left the theater. “We could stop and rent a stack of DVDs and not leave the couch for the rest of the weekend.”
Paul leaned over and kissed Sam’s cheek.
“What was that for?” She reached across her chest and held on to his arm already locked around hers.
“For loving me, warts and all.” Paul opened the door of the Subaru and eased Sam into the seat. He slid behind the steering wheel and sighed. “I’ve been as blind as Haley. What happened in there was the kick in the seat of the pants I needed. What a sorry son of a bitch I’ve wasted years on.”
Sam put her hand on Paul’s thigh. “A relationship is never wasted. No matter how good or bad it is, we change and grow, and it takes us to the next place in our lives.”
Paul looked Sam up and down. “You’ve been watching entirely too much daytime television.”
Sam chuckled. “You know what I mean. It’s human nature. When we’re alone, all we can think of is finding a partner. When we’re with someone, we struggle to ignore the quirks that drive us crazy and think about how nice it was to be alone. Bottom line—we want to be in love, despite all the past bad relationships.”
Paul started the car. “Yet how many of us will end up like Ava—alone and struggling to hold on?”
“But look at all the good memories she has because she lived her life.”
“So we just keep blundering along?” Paul asked as he pulled into Blockbuster’s parking lot.
“Exactly.” Sam started to open the door, then changed her mind. “Surprise me. I’ll wait here.” She closed her eyes and wondered what a blonde with black roots was doing that weekend.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Sam shifted her balance from one foot to the other, maintaining the constant smile on her face as she tried not to think about how much her feet hurt. She glanced down at the table to make sure all the brochures and marketing giveaways were available. She adjusted the folding metal frame behind her that displayed the state and county flags in tiers. She told herself again that she loved working trade shows, and she actually did for the first day or two.
By midweek, the crowd was shifting from those who saw no potential and were leaving early for weekend plans at home to those coming in for the banquet that would wrap the conference up. Most deals were made during the last evening of vendors and clients on their own when the sorting of players and observers had taken place. There was nothing quite like the rush of a deal falling into place after days of exchanging counteroffers.
Sam was close to signing a lease with a computer expert who wanted to spin off on his own to develop highly specialized software for the nuclear industry. Sam knew little about domestic nuclear energy, but she read the confidence and expertise of the man—he was definitely on to something. Sam’s deals were small, but she took great satisfaction in helping a startup business connect with established industry giants. It was all about outsourcing and keeping payrolls lean—perfect circumstances for a small independent company to sell its services. Everything always came down to timing.
Sam noticed the woman passing her booth for the second time that hour—a brunette with a pixie haircut, killer red dress, and fuck-me stiletto heels. She might weigh 120 pounds fully clothed and was just over five feet tall. “I wonder what her business is,” Sam said to herself. The woman carefully looked everywhere along the wide aisle except at Sam.
Sam glanced at her watch. Officially, two more hours to go and the night was hers. She couldn’t wait to change into her bathing suit and soak in the indoor pool and heated Jacuzzi while ordering frothy drinks. Most of her bruising had faded and was unnoticeable except in extremely bright light. She had seen no evidence of KD in the neighborhood before she packed up her displays and clothes and left Richmond for a week at Chicago’s McCormick Place—the Mecca of all trade shows by sheer square footage and number of vendors, not to mention Chicago as a backdrop. She had already taken her computer expert, as she liked to think of him, for a steak dinner and Second City comedy.
The brunette passed Sam’s booth again, this time approaching the table. “You’re from Virginia,” she said as she browsed the business information from the county, state, and chamber of commerce.
“Just outside its capital,” Sam said, extending her hand. “Samantha Moyer, manager of the Chesterfield County business development program.”
The woman nodded. “I’ve read about those, providing shared services to startup companies. Are you in a renovated school or a new building?”
“New,” Sam said, smiling. “We started our program by customizing an industrial shell building.”
The woman nodded. “I’m your competition in South Carolina.”
Sam cringed. South Carolina always
seemed to just beat Virginia out in lucrative business attractions, as much as Sam hated to admit it. Virginia was ranked by Forbes as No. 1 for business, but the commonwealth’s Legislature was still conventional enough not to sacrifice as much future revenue as South Carolina was willing to in order to lure new companies.
“Carla Goodwin.” The woman shook hands firmly.
“You don’t sound like you’re from South Carolina,” Sam said.
“Hell, no. Born and raised in upstate New York, college in California, and the most recent job offer in South Carolina. I can drawl with the best when I have to.” The woman grinned, using a fake Southern accent. “I love economic development. I’ve often thought I could make a living just showing up in cities, hinting that I’m searching for a plant site, and taking whatever the locals offer.”
Sam recoiled. “And ruin the possibility of jobs to keep the kids in the communities and cottage industries to keep established companies in the black by a community that’s been burned once and is twice shy?”
Carla waved her hand. “Calm down. I’m just kidding. It’s what I fantasize about when I have to troll these trade shows. I’m on break from our booth. What do you fantasize about?”
Sam considered her response and decided to play it safe. “Warm water to soak my feet in and cold adult beverages.”
Carla nodded. “Good luck with that. It was nice to meet you. I have to pack up our exhibit if I haven’t been lucky enough for someone to cart off most of it while I’ve been gone.”
Sam smiled. So much for that.
The last hour of the show passed quickly. Sam filled her cases and slid the plastic crates underneath the table for the night—thank goodness for the table skirt that hid her mess. This would be her only unscheduled night, and she was looking forward to it. She caught the courtesy bus back to the hotel and stopped in the grille for a large salad. She was in a Kenny Chesney frame of mind by the time she left her room, wearing her swimsuit with the tropical flowers and wrapped with her flamingo beach towel.
Sam ordered a drink from her favorite waiter and headed for the Jacuzzi. She positioned her towel for a pillow on the concrete behind her head and eased into the deliciously warm water.
Just A Little Romance Page 12
