by Maria Geraci
Mom chuckled uncertainly. “What do you mean?”
“I’m resigning as CEO of Big B Gas and Oil. My heart just isn’t in it. It never really was.”
“You’re going to run the ranch full time?”
“How did you—”
“Oh, Sam.” Her voice went wobbly with emotion. “Your father loved the company. But it was never your thing, sweetheart. I’ve known that for a long time. What made you realize that?”
“Annie.”
Becks grunted peevishly. “Annie, who you say is boring and you’re not attracted to.”
“Annie, who is everything her letter promised she’d be. And more.”
“What?” The look on Becks’s face was priceless.
Mom patted the space next to her on the couch. “Sam DeLuca, you sit yourself down here right now and tell us everything.”
He did as his mother instructed, partly because he didn’t dare disobey her, but mainly because he needed advice from the two people he loved most in the world.
“Annie is great,” he began. “Funny, smart, insightful. Pretty. But more than that, she gets me.”
Becks threw her hands up in the air. “So why didn’t you bring her home with you?”
“Be real. We’ve known each other less than a week.”
“And?” Mom asked pointedly.
“And she’s looking for a new job, and I live in Texas.”
“You could move closer to her,” Becks suggested.
“And run the ranch long-distance?”
“You’re right,” Becks mused thoughtfully, “that won’t work.”
“So tell her to move to Dallas,” Mom suggested. “You can get her a job at the company. Or better yet, with all your connections, you can help her find something else in town that might be a better fit.”
“Believe me, if I thought she’d take me up on the offer, I’d do it in a heartbeat, but Annie has more pride than that. This is something she needs to do on her own.” He went on to explain the story behind the Unfortunate Incident and the way the town kept harping on it. “Then there’s that segment the other day on Good Morning, USA. Even though it shouldn’t reflect badly on Annie, it was pretty humiliating for both us, but mostly for her. Now the town has something else to whisper about behind her back.”
“It doesn’t seem fair that you’re paying the price for what some jerk did to her,” said Becks.
“But I can see Annie’s point,” Mom said. “And your brother is right. It’s not fair to ask Annie to uproot her life for him. Not at this stage of their relationship.” She narrowed her eyes pensively. “Not without some kind of grand gesture.”
“That’s it!” said Becks. “You have to make a grand gesture.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what does that mean?”
“It’s like in Pretty Woman, when Richard Gere comes to get Julia Roberts in his limo and he’s got flowers in his hand.”
Mom jumped in eagerly. “Or in Fever Pitch, when Jimmy Fallon gives up his Red Sox season tickets and Drew Barrymore jumps on the field and gets arrested. That’s when they both know they’re willing to sacrifice something for one another.”
“Uh-huh,” said Sam. He didn’t like where this was going.
“So what can Sam do to prove to Annie that he’s serious about taking their relationship to the next level?” Mom mused aloud.
“It has to be big,” said Becks.
“How big?” Sam asked, but the sour feeling in his gut told him he already knew the answer to his own question.
Becks’s eyes gleamed rabidly. “Really big. Otherwise, you might just lose her forever.”
Mom nodded sagely. “She could be the one, Sam.”
Three weeks ago, he didn’t know Annie existed. Now, all he could do was think about her. Was he really going to let her slip out of his life without putting up a fight?
Hell, no. Mom and Becks were right. He needed to do something big.
There was only one big gesture apropos to this situation that came to mind. He scrubbed a hand down his face. Unbelievable.
“You wouldn’t still happen to have Tammy’s number, do you?” he asked his little sister. “I blocked her from my phone.”
15
Four weeks later …
Balancing a veggie tray in one hand and her overstuffed tote in the other, Annie opened the door to her parents’ kitchen for what would sadly be her last book club meeting. Latest Jodi Picoult novel: Check. Copies of the club’s updated member roster and schedule: Check.
News she’d waited all day to tell Mom: Double check.
Pop and Frank Jr. waved to her from the breakfast table. “There you are,” Pop said, munching on one of Mom’s chocolate chip cookies. “You’re the last one here.”
“Are you going to tell her tonight?” Frank Jr. asked. “At your book club meeting?”
“I figured since she tells Millie and Charlotte everything anyway, I might as well tell them all at once.”
“Good idea,” said Pop. “More efficient that way.”
Annie laid her tote on the counter, next to an empty bottle of wine. The sound of hushed female voices drifted in from the family room. “Looks like they’ve gotten an early start without me.”
“Yeah, Millie and Charlotte have been here for at least thirty minutes.”
“Wish me luck,” she muttered.
Pop and Frank Jr. pumped their fists in solidarity.
Her cell phone pinged with a text. Normally, she’d look at it later, but it might be Sam.
A couple of days after he’d left town, Sam had texted to tell her that he’d made it home and that Becks loved the car. So she’d texted back saying how glad she was. The next day he’d sent her a funny meme. Naturally, she’d reciprocated. This was followed by more texts. Within a few days, they’d graduated to phone calls. He talked about the ranch and his family and how much happier he was since he’d resigned as CEO of Big B Gas and Oil.
In turn, Annie talked about her job search. He listened and gave her some terrific advice, but he never again mentioned the idea of her moving to Dallas. She filled him in on the rest of her life too—her now weekly Girls’ Night Out excursions with Sophie and her friends, the happenings at Esposito’s Used Cars and Bridget’s latest shenanigans. She even told him how Walter and Connie were now an item, something that hadn’t surprised Sam at all.
They talked about books and sports, religion, family, and even politics. There was only one thing they didn’t talk about.
They didn’t talk about them.
No flirting. No hints of romance. No talk of any kind of future. Their relationship had settled into a nice, comfortable friendship, and Annie had never been more miserable.
She slid open her phone screen. Yep. It was a text from Sam. What are you doing?
At my mom’s. About to start book club.
How’s the job search going?
She wanted to tell him that she’d found a job, but this wasn’t something to discuss in a text. This was more of a deep phone conversation. First, however, she had to tell her mother.
I have some big news. I’ll call you tomorrow with an update. She hoped Sam would approve of her decision. If he didn’t … Well, Annie didn’t want to think about that.
Oh. Okay. He texted back.
Then nothing.
Annie was about to put her phone away when she saw that Sam was typing again. Did you know that tonight is the reunion special for Single Gal?
I know two people who won’t be watching. She punctuated her text with a laughing emoji.
I’m going to be on the show.
Ha ha!
You should watch. I’m interested in what you think. Let’s talk afterward. Wish me luck. Got to go.
What? Sam was going to be on the Single Gal reunion special? Why on earth would he do that? He hated the show. At least, he hated the publicity surrounding the show.
A wiggly-worm sensation crept through her stomach. This made no sense. The Sam DeLuca she�
��d gotten to know over the past month would never agree to be on reality TV again, nor would he even joke about it.
Annie slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans, then walked into the family room to find Mom, Millie, and Charlotte sitting on the couch, huddled together, talking. They spotted her, then quickly broke apart.
“Annie!” Mom’s eyes went wide. “You’re early.”
“Really? I thought I was just on time.”
“Early for you,” Millie clarified. “You’re usually always running late. On account of work.”
Charlotte nodded.
Okay, this was weird. She was the one who had the big news, but they were the ones acting like they had a secret. She glanced around the room. Everything looked the way it normally did on book club night. Copies of the Jodi Picoult novel along with three empty wineglasses fought for space on the magazine-strewn coffee table. The only thing out of the norm was that the TV was turned on. It appeared that someone was winning big on Wheel of Fortune.
“How is everyone?” Annie took her usual seat in Pop’s La-Z-Boy recliner.
“We’re fine. How are you?” Mom asked with an emphasis that reinforced Annie’s earlier suspicion. Something was definitely up.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“On?” Charlotte laughed nervously.
Oh boy. This must be really bad.
Mom’s gaze flitted to the TV, where the ending credits to Wheel of Fortune rolled across the screen. “Oops!” She scurried to turn off the set. “We don’t need to see that, now do we?”
Twenty-nine years of being Carol Esposito’s daughter had taught Annie a thing or two. “I think I know what this is about. Tonight’s the Single Gal reunion special.”
“You know about that?” said Charlotte.
It’s time she came clean about her relationship with Sam.
“Sam just texted me. He’s going to be on the show. I guess this means we won’t be having book club tonight, huh?”
Mom nearly wilted in relief. “Thank God you know!”
“We were afraid you’d be upset,” said Millie.
“What do you mean he texted you?” Charlotte asked. “Are you telling us that you’ve been in touch with Gas Station Sam since … the, um …”
“Since the Good Morning, USA segment?” She nodded. “We’ve been calling and texting for the past few weeks.”
Mom perked up. “Really?”
“We’re just friends, Mom.”
Millie snickered. “I wouldn’t mind being just friends with that hottie. Now that it’s out in the open, we can enjoy the show.” She picked up the remote and turned the set back on. “Let’s make some popcorn. And Carol, open up another bottle of wine.”
“So you’re okay with Sam being the next Single Guy?” Charlotte asked carefully.
“What?” Annie must have heard wrong.
“They’re supposed to announce that Sam is going to be the lead on next season’s Single Guy. Kelly Seacrest spilled the news this morning on her Twitter feed,” said Millie. “She always has the best celebrity gossip.”
“You’re on Twitter now?”
“And Instagram. Gotta get with the times!”
Annie grappled with this new bit of information. It made sense now that Sam was going to appear on the reunion special tonight. He was going to be the next star of the nation’s hottest reality TV dating show. The audience was going to eat it up. Even though he’d only made it through one episode of Single Gal, he’d been their most popular bachelor by far. She couldn’t fault him for wanting to have his own show. He’d go on exotic dates and be fought over by twenty-five gorgeous women. What guy wouldn’t love that?
But why hadn’t he told her the news himself? They talked or texted every day. He could have certainly given her a heads-up. Except he didn’t owe her anything. As far as Sam was concerned, the two of them were just friends. Annie had painstakingly gone out of her way to keep it that way.
Oh God. What had she done? Was she too late?
It was your letter that made me travel a thousand miles. Because I wanted to meet the woman who wrote it.
Those were more than just pretty words. The man she’d gotten to know had meant what he said. She was only too late if she didn’t tell him how she felt about him.
“The show’s about to start,” said Mom.
They turned their attentions back to the screen, where Don Carmichael, sitting on a couch in front of a studio audience, smiled into the camera. “Welcome to the Single Gal Reunion Special! Last week we watched as Hannah gave her last rose to the man of her dreams … Mitch Anderson!”
“She picked the duck?”
“You haven’t been watching the last few episodes, have you?” Mom scolded.
“It came down to that creepy Dave and Mitch,” Millie explained, “but she found out that Dave had a girlfriend back home, and in the most dramatic scene ever, she gave him the boot.”
The camera panned to a section of the stage where a group of men sat in two rows of chairs behind the couch. The predominantly female audience began screaming like teenagers at a boy band concert.
Don Carmichael raised his voice to be heard above the catcalls. “Tonight, live from Los Angeles, we have some of your favorite bachelors in the studio, ready to answer all your questions.”
He began introducing the bachelors, one by one. The camera stopped long enough to give each man a chance to wave to the audience. When they got to Sam, the place went crazy with applause. Sam looked embarrassed by the attention, which only endeared him even more to the crowd, who began chanting his name. Sam-Sam-Sam!
“See? He’s the clear-cut favorite,” said Millie. “I can’t wait until Don gets him on the hot seat.”
“The hot seat? What’s that?” asked Annie.
“That’s when Don brings him over to the couch and asks what life has been like since he’s been off the show. Then he’ll announce that Sam is the next star of Single Guy. It will be the big finale.”
Annie felt like she was going to pass out. “Is anyone else hot?”
“Hot and bothered,” Millie said, causing Mom and Charlotte to giggle.
Annie got up from the recliner and lowered the thermostat a couple of degrees.
Mom suddenly got quiet. “Oh, Annie, do you think all that stuff about the letter will come out again?”
“Probably,” she said.
Millie made a face. “I didn’t think about that.”
“Do you want us to turn off the show?” Charlotte asked kindly.
“Because we will,” said Millie. “I’m recording it anyway.”
“No, I don’t care about the letter,” she said. “They can bring it up all they want.”
“Really?” Mom didn’t look convinced.
“I don’t care what other people think, Mom.”
Mom and Charlotte exchanged a look. “Since when?” Mom demanded.
“Since I realized that worrying about what other people think has kept me from living my life. I have an announcement to make too.” She picked up the remote and muted the TV. “This morning I accepted a job in Dallas. I’m going to be working for a telecommunications startup company. The salary is just average, but I’ll be getting in on the ground floor, and if it takes off the way I think it will, there’s a lot of potential there.”
The women all stared at her.
“There’s more,” she added.
“Hold on.” Millie grabbed a handful of popcorn. “Continue.”
Annie tried not to smile. Good to know she was still providing the town with their entertainment. “There were two other companies that wanted me, Including a Fortune 500 in Chicago. It was a terrific job with a big salary, but I turned it down.”
“Because the Dallas job was better?” Charlotte asked.
“No. The Dallas job was number three on my list. But it has something the other two jobs don’t.”
Mom gasped. “Sam DeLuca!”
“I don’t care if Sam is going o
n a reality TV show to find a wife. I’m going to Dallas to fight for him.”
“Let me get this straight,” said Millie. “You’re saying no to a perfectly good job in Chicago to move to Dallas to pursue a man that’s about to become an even bigger TV heartthrob than he already is?”
“Sounds familiar, huh? Not the TV heartthrob part, but the bit about following a man to pursue a relationship.”
“I think it sounds fabulous,” said Millie.
“Ditto,” said Charlotte.
“What do you think, Mom?” She was a grown woman. And whatever Mom said wouldn’t change her plans, but it would be nice to know she had the support of all her family.
“What do I think? I think it’s about time you got out of this sleepy little town and went after your dreams. That’s what I think.” Mom got up from her place on the couch to give her a hug.
Charlotte smiled at the mother-daughter moment. “Does Sam have any idea that you’re moving to Dallas?”
“Not yet. He wanted me to move closer there, but I told him that my job had to come first.”
“What changed your mind?” Mom asked.
“I decided it was time I stopped playing the victim. People in this town feel sorry for me because Russell dumped me, but no one’s felt sorrier for me than me. Russell was a jerk, but I’m the one who allowed the poor Annie routine to go on. I’ve been so afraid of looking like a fool again that I settled for a nice, safe relationship with Walter. Maybe it won’t work out with Sam, but I’ll never know unless I fight for him. And for myself.”
Millie raised her wineglass in the air. “Bravo!”
Charlotte beamed. “Well said.”
Mom wiped away a tear.
“Oh! Oh! Oh!” Millie squealed. “Don just called Sam up to the hot seat.” She turned the TV volume back on.
After a long round of applause, Don put up his hand to silence the audience. “So, Sam, the past six weeks must have been a big whirlwind for you, huh?”
“You can say that.” Wearing black slacks with a matching blazer, lavender shirt, and no tie, he exuded a lazy confidence that only managed to make him look more appealing. No wonder the network wanted Sam to star in their show. He was the ultimate eye candy.
