The Arrangement

by Melissa Tereze

  “Not now, yeah?”

  “Where are you going?” Susan asked when her eyes landed on the packed hold-all. “Anywhere nice?”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “But your bags...”

  “I was going home.” Sam’s eyes fluttered closed but a tear managed to escape. “With Luciana. She was helping me through today.”

  “H-Home?”

  “That’s what I said.” Sam smiled. “Seems those plans are out the window.”

  “Then I’ll come with you.”

  “You don’t get it, do you? I don’t want you to go with me. Or Lindsay. Or Dad. I don’t want anyone to go with me. I was perfectly happy doing this with Luciana, but you just couldn’t help yourself, could you? You had to come here saying those things you did!”

  “Sam, she’s too young.”

  “No, I’ll tell you what she is.” Sam dropped the spoon in her hand and approached her mum. “She’s the woman I’m falling in love with, Mum. She’s the only one I’ve so much as looked at since Lucia. She’s the one I was prepared to plan a future with.”

  “I’m sorry...”

  “Me too.” Sam brushed a tear from her jawline. “Because now you’ve just fucked that chance for me.”

  “Watch your language,” Susan admonished.

  “Get out of my home!”

  “Babe?” Sam’s front door opened. “You almost ready?”

  “I, uh…” Sam’s forehead creased. “I thought you’d left.”

  “I put my bag in your car and ran to the shop for today’s crossword. Thought we could do it together on the way.”

  “You did?” Sam’s lips curled. “Come here.” She held out her hand. “Thank you.” She cupped Luciana’s face, their lips colliding. “I thought you’d left. I just…thank you.”

  “I told you I wasn’t going anywhere.” Their foreheads pressed together. “I found someone downstairs…”

  “Don’t say my sister.” Sam clenched her jaw.

  “Sam…” Lindsay cleared her throat. “Can we talk?”

  “No, we can’t.” Sam spun around. “What the hell did you think was going on here? How could you send Mum here?”

  “I thought something was wrong. Every time I called, you dismissed me. When you were supposed to meet me, you’d cancel. Why? You never cancel our plans.”

  “I’ve just been busy, Linds.” Sam sighed. “It wasn’t my intention to cut you off, but I’ve been busy.”

  “You’re always busy, but you’ve never not made time for me.”

  “It was time to make time for myself.” Sam stood hand in hand with Luciana. “You know I’m always here for you, but what about me? You kept telling me to be happy. To find someone. And I have.”

  “I know.” Lindsay smiled weakly, dropping her gaze. “Luciana said you’re going home…”

  “I am.” Sam nodded, studying her sister’s face. “And I was going to call you before I left so we could arrange for you all to visit. That’s when I was going to introduce everyone to this one here.” Sam cocked her head at Luciana. “I guess that won’t be happening now. Not since some people can’t accept it—”

  “Give me time, love,” Susan cut in. “That’s all I need.”

  “You do what you need to do. All of you.” Sam took her keys from the kitchen counter. “But me? I have plans and I’d like to get them going.” She dragged Luciana away from the kitchen and towards the door. “Do we have everything?”

  “I think so.” Luciana nodded, unsure as to what had just transpired here. She glanced around before taking the remaining bags from the floor and lowered her voice. “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything is perfect.” Sam leaned in. “I really need to get out of here.”

  They both stepped out into the hallway and Luciana gripped Sam’s hand. She needed reassurance that everything would be okay, but she wasn’t sure she would like the answer. “Your mum doesn’t like me, does she?”

  “What?” Sam laughed. “Of course she does.”

  “You don’t have to lie to me, babe. I’d rather you were just honest with me.”

  “She can’t not like you. She doesn’t know you…”

  “She’s not happy, I know that much.” Luciana’s shoulders slumped. “What does she think was going on here?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know,” Sam said. “But we have plans and I don’t want to hang around here a minute longer…”

  “Don’t you think we should go back inside and maybe clear the air?”

  “If that’s what you want to do…” Sam’s arms slid around Luciana’s waist as she brought her lips up to her ear. “But I can think of a million and one things that are so much more fun.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Luciana grinned. “Let’s go.”

  Twenty

  Luciana’s breathing slowed as Sam drove up a graveled path surrounded by trees and thick bushes. She couldn’t see any buildings yet, but the calmness and serenity out here were impressive. It left her with one question: why did Sam ever leave her original home? Luciana knew it had been due to the death of her wife, but this location appealed to her and how she imagined she would cope with such heartbreak. They were two very different people, that was clear from the outset, so she relaxed her mind and sat back, desperately praying she would soon see the masterpiece Sam had once created.

  “So, a little about this house…”

  “I’m listening.” Luciana sat up in her seat.

  “We built it with the environment in mind. It sits on a private lake, the entire building is made from sustainable, natural materials.”

  “Impressive.”

  “When I thought about building something of my own, it was always what came to mind. It’s a bungalow style, but very deceiving. It doesn’t look as big as it is from the outside, but it was my sanctuary. God, I loved being here.”

  “You left…”

  “I had to.” Sam gripped the wheel of her Range Rover. “I felt like I had no other choice.”

  “That’s fair enough.” Luciana nodded. “Thank you for bringing me here. I can't wait to see it.”

  “I want you to feel comfortable here. Relaxed. It’s the reason this place exists, and you’ll see why when we get there.”

  “When will we get there?” Luciana shifted in her seat. “I know this is an emotional day for you, but I’m too excited to wait much longer.”

  “I don’t think it’ll be as emotional as I once thought it would be.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I have you here with me.” Sam reached her hand over, taking Luciana’s. “Knowing that you’ll be here with me…when you can be, it doesn’t seem so daunting.”

  “Oh God.” Luciana squeezed Sam’s hand. “Is that it through the trees?”

  “That’s the place.” Sam blew out a deep breath, focusing her eyes on the pathway. “Just another minute and you’ll be inside.”

  “Shit.” Luciana’s breath caught in her throat. “Holy…”

  Luciana had no words. Nothing. Sitting on a lagoon-style body of water, Sam’s home was surrounded by timber slat panelling and floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows. Elevated on a docking platform, the decked area led down to the edge of the water, as calm and still as it could possibly be. Luciana had been impressed with Sam’s city apartment, but it was a hovel compared to the beauty towering over them as the car came to a stop.

  “Welcome to my home,” Sam said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Enjoy it. Go and take a look. Make yourself at home.”

  Luciana climbed from the car, her mouth still hanging open from moments ago when they pulled off the gravel path. Sam sat quietly, a small smile on her face. Luciana motioned through the window for Sam to join her, but she declined, simply waving Luciana away. She knew Sam was processing being here, so she wouldn’t push. She wouldn’t beg her to let her inside her home until she was ready for that moment herself. This was a private space and one that Sam
shared with her wife; every memory she had here would likely be from before that devastating day when Lucia’s death was confirmed.

  She took the few steps onto the decking, peering through the panoramic windows at the interior design of the place. Beauty, absolute beauty. While she wanted to lounge around here for the rest of her life with Sam, Luciana wasn’t sure she was worthy of it. This home had to be worth an absolute fortune, and the thought of touching anything terrified her.

  “So, what do you think?” Sam appeared behind her girlfriend, her hands shaky. “Did you want me to let you inside?”

  “Not until you're ready to go inside too.” Luciana turned to face Sam. “This is your home. Not a toy for me to play with.”

  “I appreciate that, but I'm not sure when I’ll be able to go inside.” Sam slid her key into the lock and pushed the door open. “You go ahead. I’ll sit out here a while.”

  “Okay.” Luciana nodded as she watched Sam turn around and walk away. I can't do this without her. She shook her head and gave Sam a moment to herself, silently watching on. She took a seat at a step on the decking and brought her knees up to her chest. Luciana’s heart broke for her girlfriend, but she wasn’t sure Sam wanted her right now. This was a moment when she was truly lost. She watched Sam place her forehead against her knees, her shoulders shaking. I should go to her, Luciana warred with herself. No, I should let her be. She slowly moved closer to Sam, listening to the sobs carried through the light breeze around them. As she quietly took a seat beside Sam, she settled a hand on her shoulder and remained silent.

  Sam leaned into her girlfriend, thankful that she wasn’t alone. She hadn’t known what to expect when she arrived here, but the emotion was too overwhelming. The memories hit her like a tonne of bricks. Here, she could see Lucia. She could feel her. She knew when she walked inside her home, she would likely still smell her, too. As much as Sam missed those moments, she’d spent a long time forgetting them. Lucia’s perfume, her shampoo. She had to block them from her mind a while back or she’d have gone insane.

  “You know, we can always go back,” Luciana whispered, pressing a kiss to Sam’s temple. “We don’t have to do this right now.”

  “No.” Sam smiled as she lifted her head and wiped the tears away. “No, I want to do this with you now.”

  “Okay.” Luciana nodded. “Well, there’s no rush. We have all day.”

  Sam squared her shoulders and released a calming breath.

  “Come on.” She stood up and pulled Luciana to her feet. “It’s now or never.”

  “Babe…”

  Sam was pulled back. “Yeah?”

  “Are you sure you can do this?” Luciana asked. “You're one of the strongest people I know, but you don’t have to prove anything by coming back here. Especially not to me.”

  “I know.” Sam kissed her girlfriend softly. “I’m not trying to prove anything. I'm just trying to come home.”

  “Then lead the way.”

  With their hands laced tightly together, Sam took a few determined steps and reached her front door. The smell of vanilla wafted through the open space as she stepped inside the entrance hall, her spiral staircase standing directly in front of her.

  “Wow, that’s impressive.” Luciana looked up at it, open-mouthed. “You really have one hell of a talent.”

  “I wouldn’t usually take all the credit for something, but yeah…” Sam nodded. “This was all me.”

  “This is the complete opposite of your apartment.”

  “The apartment.” Sam held up a finger. “I may own it, but it doesn’t feel like mine.”

  “What will you do with it?”

  “I’d thought about giving it to Lindsay, but after this morning… I'm not sure she deserves anything from me ever again. I bailed her out once and this is how she behaves.”

  “Bailed her out?”

  “That’s a conversation for another day.” Sam moved through the lower level of her home, inspecting every inch of it. Her finger trailed along the marble worktops in the huge kitchen, satisfied that minimal dust was evident. “It’s good to see my cleaner has kept on top of this place.”

  “You have a cleaner?”

  “Well, no.” Sam turned around to find Luciana standing in the middle of the entrance and looking as though she was unable to move. “I hired someone to take care of this place for me.” Sam frowned. “Is there a particular reason why you're still standing over there?”

  “Scared to touch anything.” Luciana shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans. “I’m good here.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” Sam laughed from deep within her belly. “Come here and stop being so weird.”

  “I’m not.” Luciana stalked towards her. “This is just a completely different side to you I didn’t expect to see.”

  “You can have any side you want.” Sam winked. “You just let me know which you prefer.”

  Luciana cleared her throat. “Oh, I think we both know which side I prefer…”

  “Okay, picture this.” Sam waved her hand in front of her dramatically. “You lounging around here when you have a day off. Me coming home from the office.”

  “I'm listening.” Luciana grinned.

  “You in nothing but a T-shirt and boxers…me in a suit.”

  “And I think I just died.” Luciana swallowed hard. “Shit. How do you do that?”

  “Do what?” Sam stepped closer to her girlfriend, knowing full well that she was teasing.

  “Be all professional and explaining this magnificent home… and then BAM! You're this gorgeous, extremely hot woman that I want to take here and now?”

  “Guess my mind just works in funny ways.”

  “Well, I love your mind… amongst other things.” Luciana took Sam’s bottom lip between her teeth. “And as much as I love where this is probably going, I want to see more of this place.”

  “Follow me…”

  ***

  Luciana relaxed back in an oversized porch chair, her legs dangling over the edge. There wasn’t a sound around her, just the light humming from Sam coming from the kitchen, the bi-folding doors wide open and creating a feel of the house being at one with nature. She may love the buzz and the business of the city, but here? In the middle of nowhere…she could definitely get used to it. Hell, she was used to it. Sam had cooked an amazing dinner for them, but Luciana was struggling with the right words to thank her. Not only for dinner, but for opening her eyes to such a beautiful tranquil place.

  “Can I get you another glass of wine?” Sam asked, her voice low and relaxed.

  “I’d love another.” Luciana reached forward and took her empty glass from the table. “Are you going to join me out here?”

  “Oh, yes.” Sam smiled. “Give me two minutes and I'm all yours.”

  “Perfect.” Luciana’s eyes followed Sam back into the kitchen, her girlfriend visibly relaxed as the night wore on. She had worried that this would be an overly emotional visit for Sam, but other than her moment when they first arrived, Sam looked as though she was thrilled to be back in her home.

  “So, what did you think of dinner?”

  “Beautiful.” Luciana shifted, allowing Sam some space to join her on the chair. “We didn’t bring all this stuff with us, though.”

  “The woman I have keeping a check on this place went out and got some things in for us.”

  “You had this planned?”

  “Only from the moment you agreed to come here with me.” Sam looked out over the lake in front of them. “I didn’t think you would agree, to be honest.”

  “Hey!” Luciana’s hand found Sam’s. “I’d go anywhere with you.”

  “I’m beginning to realise that.” Sam side-glanced at Luciana. “You like it here, don’t you?”

  “Love it.”

  “Maybe one day, it could become permanent.” Sam chewed her bottom lip, studying Luciana’s features. She wanted nothing more than to call this p
lace home for both of them, but she knew it wasn’t that simple. Luciana had a life back in the city, and a family who didn’t know Sam even existed. While it didn’t seem to be a huge obstacle, Sam couldn’t be sure how Luciana’s parents would react to their dating. She never thought her mum would be so against it, so it was perfectly possible that the rest of their friends and family would be hostile, too.

  “I’m not sure I ever want to leave…”

  “This place does that to you.” Sam sighed. “I’ve enjoyed it here so much this evening that I'm wondering how I ever left.”

  “It was a different time for you.” Luciana squeezed her hand. “Different circumstances.”

  “Yes, it was.”

  “Besides, had you not moved to the city…we may never have met.”

  “You don’t think?”

  “Well, I don’t think there would have been much call for an escort up here with you.” Luciana laughed. “I mean, I'm sure you’d have been content with your life as it was. You wouldn’t have dreamt of booking an escort.”

  “Do you miss it?” Sam asked. “Escorting?”

  “Not even slightly.” There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in Luciana’s voice. “I haven’t thought about it once.”

  “Really? You just let it go like that?”

  “I guess I found what I'd been looking for.”

  Sam rested her head on Luciana’s shoulder and sighed. “I didn’t see myself back here.”

  “I’m glad you chose to come back. This home is beautiful, Sam.”

  “I did miss it,” Sam admitted, a light breeze whipping around them. “But once I’d got over the initial leaving, I tried not to think about it. You know, what I’d left behind.”

  Luciana pulled a blanket from the back of the slouch chair and draped it over them both. “I think you’re more relaxed here,” Luciana said. “You’ve smiled more since being here than the entire time I've known you.”

  “It’s where I'm supposed to be.” Sam curled up beside her girlfriend, the clear star-filled sky above them catching her attention. “Even if only for a view like this.”

  “There’s definitely something about this place.” Luciana followed Sam’s line of sight. “And being here with you only makes it all the more special.”