“Sorry. I had a message . . . from work.” The lie came so easily it surprised her. Samantha Dawson did not lie. She found her practiced smile, the one she used at dinners like this. “What did I miss?”
He didn’t answer. Instead he pulled her chair out, and she sat down. Arnie grinned at the faces around the table. “Where were we?”
Disappointment washed over Sami. She never should’ve come back to the table. When it was their turn at the buffet line she took only small amounts. Her appetite wouldn’t allow more. She looked again for Ember but couldn’t find her. The woman’s advice confused her now. Was she settling for Arnie? He was a great guy, Sami wanted to believe that. But how much did he really care for her?
Back at the table, conversation picked up with the discussion of armed administrators at public schools, after which it drifted to a talk on integrity in history books, and finally to border control. Everyone had a solution and everyone agreed that the solutions being bandied around at the table would work.
Sami constantly felt her attention drift. She thought about Ember and her timely words and the Facebook message sitting back at home on her laptop and . . .
Stay focused, she told herself. You’ll embarrass Arnie. Sami sipped her ice water, anything to stay alert. By the time the meal ended and Arnie walked her to her apartment door, an awkward silence had taken up residence between them.
“You didn’t say much at dinner.” His tone didn’t sound angry or frustrated. More concerned. “You’re usually right there with us.”
She was? Right there with them? The possibility ruffled a slight concern in the depths of her soul. She had always hated these dinners. Perfect places. Perfect people. No one seemed real.
“Samantha?”
“Yes?” A light gasp slipped from her mouth. “Sorry. What?”
Arnie looked at her for a long time and finally he put his hand on her shoulder. “Whatever it is, sweetheart, let it go.” His arms came around her waist and he eased her closer to him. “I know work’s been tough. Your Atlantis account and all. But please, when you’re out with me and my friends, I need you to be in the moment.” He looked into her eyes. “I want to marry you, Samantha.” He smiled, confident. “You might be the wife of a president one day.”
“True.” Sami offered a smile and a slight shrug of her shoulders. “Well. Good night, Arnie.”
“I love you.” They shared another hug and a quick kiss.
“You, too.” She waved as she stepped inside. Arnie rarely stayed for long on a night like this. When it was after nine o’clock. Morning workouts were only hours away.
She leaned against the closed door and thought about what he’d said. How did he know her work on the Atlantis account had been tough? They never talked about it—at least not since he’d been assigned this case. The last part especially scraped at her nerves. He needed her to be in the moment. His needs. His moments. That’s what mattered to Arnie Bell.
After all, she might be the wife of a president one day.
Sami wanted to run for her life.
SHE WALKED INTO the apartment just as Mary Catherine bustled out of her room. “Sami!” Her joy faded almost entirely. “Honey, what happened? You look miserable.”
Her roommate’s words hit home. Sami couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry, so she did both. Tears formed in her eyes even as she started giggling. “Is that normal? I come home from a night out with my serious boyfriend and I look miserable?” She tossed her hands in the air and held up her finger. “I wanna talk. I’ll be right back.”
In her bedroom she took off the formal dress and shoes and slipped into her favorite jeans and T-shirt. SIMI VALLEY SLUGGERS. CIRCA 2008. The words were worn. The feelings they stirred, less so. She unpinned her hair and shook it out, then she found Mary Catherine in the living room. She let out a groan as she dropped to the cushy sofa.
Mary Catherine sat cross-legged on the floor, her eyes big. “I thought you were at the law office dinner.”
“Exactly.” Sami shook her hands, as if that might somehow rid her of tonight’s memory. She dug her elbows into her knees. “Have you ever been so bored you thought you were stuck in a nightmare? Like you might never find your way out?”
Her roommate nodded with enthusiasm, her thick red ponytail bouncing with the effort. Then after a few seconds she slowly shook her head. “No. Actually . . . that’s never happened.”
Sami rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Not to you.” She kicked her legs straight out and fell back against the sofa. “Ugh. How is this my life?”
“Because . . . you’re dating Arnie Bell?” Mary Catherine’s green eyes filled with kindness. She gave Sami a hesitant smile, maybe a little concerned she was overstepping her bounds. “I sort of saw this coming.”
The weight of the situation fell squarely on Sami’s shoulders. She released a tired breath. “What am I supposed to do?”
Mary Catherine winced. “How bad was it?”
“At one point we spent at least thirty minutes talking about diabetes medication. Because that’s the case Arnie is working on.”
“At dinner? You talked about that?” Mary Catherine’s eyes got big. She brought her hand to her mouth.
“That’s not all.” She put her hands on either side of her head. “Integrity in history books and armed administrators at school and something the politicians were excited about, only I forgot to listen.” She grabbed a quick breath. “I mean . . . I like a good conversation. I care about politics and issues and lawsuits.”
Sami tossed her hands and let them fall to her lap. “But Arnie did most of the talking. Like we were his audience. And then he’d look at me like I was the worst possible girlfriend for not taking notes.” As hopeless as she felt about the evening, she could sense a bout of laughter coming.
Mary Catherine must’ve sensed it, too, because she was definitely working to keep from smiling. “Integrity in history books is interesting.” Her smile started to crack. “I mean, very interesting. I saw a documentary once on it and—” Laughter won out. She started giggling, and then laughing full force.
Sami could do nothing but join in. Mary Catherine’s laugh was as contagious as spring fever. Across the room, her friend was finally getting control of her laughter. “I mean seriously? You talked about the integrity of history books?” She gave Sami a sympathetic look. “No wonder you came home looking like that.”
They both laughed again and Sami shrugged. “All night I kept waiting . . . for someone to talk about thoughts or feelings. A spouse or family. What they’ll be doing for the holidays. Instead it was like a formal debate. Arnie and a couple of the guys taking turns sounding important.” She felt the humor leave her. “I mean, really. Those issues are great, and there’s a time and place, but those people could’ve gone all night.”
“I’m sorry.” Mary Catherine giggled again.
“Yeah, well.” Sami took a deep breath. “What did you do today?” She held up her hand. “Wait! Don’t tell me! You swam with the dolphins off the shore of Catalina Island?”
Another fit of laughter. “Close.”
Sami joined her roommate on the floor so they were sitting opposite each other. “Seriously. Tell me.”
Mary Catherine’s eyes lit up. “I went sky-diving.”
“You did not.”
“I did!” She bounced up and held her arms out to her side. “Soared to the ground like an eagle. Remember? I’ve been planning this.”
Sami thought for a second. “That’s right! With the girls at your church!”
“Exactly. We took off near Castaic Lake and headed for the desert. Jumped right out of an airplane! It was crazy!” She plopped back down. “Most amazing feeling in my life.”
“Weren’t you scared?”
“Nah! Jesus says don’t fear, so I didn’t.” Mary Catherine was so confident, so sure of her faith and her place in life. “YOLO, right?”
“Definitely.” Sami smiled. You only live once. It was Mary Catherine
’s motto. But what about Sami? She felt her spirits fall again. “I mean . . . I guess it isn’t really funny. The whole thing with Arnie.” She stared at the carpet. If only she could make sense of her emotions. She lifted her eyes to her friend’s. “I heard from Tyler Ames.”
“What?” Mary Catherine jumped back to her feet. She paced to the window and back. “The long-lost baseball player? The one you sat on the roof with?” Once again she dropped to the floor. “What did he say? Did he call?”
“He was in the news recently. He blew out his shoulder pitching in Pensacola.”
“No!” Mary Catherine sat still, taking in this new bit of information. “Is that why he contacted you?”
“I don’t think so. He didn’t mention it.” She picked at the threads in the carpet. “He told me he was doing well, still in Florida. He got sober a few years ago. He said he still thinks about me and . . . you know, he asked how I was doing. That sort of thing.”
Mary Catherine hung on every word. She really seemed to care so much. “What’d you say back?”
She hesitated. “I haven’t answered. Not yet.”
“What?” Her roommate wasn’t trying to be rude or overly opinionated. Her shock simply spilled out. “How come?”
Sami thought for a moment. Why hadn’t she answered him? No matter what impression that might give. “I don’t know . . . I have Arnie.”
“He found you on Facebook, right?” Mary Catherine seemed to hold back.
“Yes.”
“Then he knows about Arnie.” She shrugged one shoulder and made a face. “I mean, you’re not engaged. I think it’s okay to respond.”
Her roommate had a point. Sami wasn’t engaged, not yet anyway. She wasn’t the wife of a lawyer or a congressman or the president. If Mary Catherine could spend the day skydiving, Sami could write back to Tyler Ames, right?
“Let’s do this.” A sparkle started up again in her friend’s eyes. “You have to answer him. I’ll get your laptop.” She stood and hurried to Sami’s room. A few seconds later she returned and handed over the computer. “Here. Before you change your mind.”
“Change my mind?” Sami laughed. She opened the laptop and stared at it. “I haven’t even decided.”
“See!” Mary Catherine put her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised. “You’re thinking about it! Go on . . . you have to.”
Sami stared at her roommate and a quiet bit of laughter came from her confusion. “Why do you like Tyler? He messed up a whole lot more than Arnie ever did.”
“Because.” Mary Catherine looked straight at her. “He calls you Sami.”
The answer dropped Sami’s guard to the ground. She looked at the computer screen. She opened Facebook, pulled up Tyler’s message, and with Mary Catherine sitting across from her she did something she swore she wouldn’t do.
She wrote back to him.
The message wasn’t very personal or long or particularly inviting. But she added one line she thought might make him smile. Then she looked up at Mary Catherine and laughed. “YOLO.”
Sami thought about the dinner party. The image of Ember talking to her out on the terrace earlier that night came back. Then, before she could change her mind, she sent it.
Because life was too short to settle.
19
USUALLY HARRISON MYERS TOOK Sundays off. Not that he had anything special to do. More because his beloved wife, EmmaJean, had loved Sundays. When she was alive they would go to church every Sunday and then spend the rest of the day outdoors. A walk on the beach, a kickball game with their daughters, tennis at the park, or a stroll around the block. Weather in the Panhandle was never cold enough to keep them inside. Then they’d make Sunday supper together.
Back when EmmaJean was alive.
Now Harrison typically spent his Sundays with one of his daughters’ families. Sometimes he tinkered around the house. But his family had gotten together yesterday, and today the house didn’t need him.
So Harrison went in to Merrill Place.
Rain had rolled in with the tide that morning. Even better, Harrison thought as he locked his car and walked inside. He could spend a little time with the residents, make sure he wasn’t missing anything. The sort of thing he rarely had time for during the week. He dropped his rain jacket in the office and walked to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee. Along the way he expected to see Tyler.
The guy worked seven days a week. Didn’t need a break, at least that’s what he said. Harrison understood the real reason. Tyler had nowhere to go, nothing else to do. Until someone could fix his shoulder, he was stuck at Merrill Place, saving his pennies. Harrison took his coffee black. He filled a mug and then walked back to his office.
First resident he wanted to see that morning was Virginia Hutcheson. On Friday he had checked with Virginia’s nurse. The woman was still making progress, still peaceful and content without the heavy sedation she’d needed just a few weeks ago. Harrison sipped his coffee and sauntered down the halls. They’d never looked cleaner.
He reached Virginia’s room and found the door open. Someone must’ve been visiting. Harrison peered in without being noticed. What he saw made his jaw drop. Tyler Ames was sitting next to Virginia, holding her hand, and listening to her. His braced arm hung against his chest and a small vase of flowers sat on her bedside table.
Harrison stayed out of sight behind the partially opened door and listened.
“Your father and I always knew you’d grow up to be a fine young man, Ben. And look at you.” Virginia had never sounded happier. “I just hope that arm of yours heals up.”
“Yes, ma’am. Me, too.”
“How many sons bring their mothers flowers first thing Sunday morning?” The hope in her voice was a dramatic change from the desperation just weeks ago. “Prettiest flowers ever.” She smiled. “Picked them from our garden, right?”
“Yes.” Tyler sounded hesitant. “From the garden.”
Harrison felt the shock rattle from his chest to his bones. Virginia Hutcheson thought Tyler was her son, Ben! He took a step back and leaned against the wall, breathing harder than before. His mind raced back to the warning he’d penned to Virginia’s daughter. The woman had been going downhill like an errant loose tire. But lately her situation had done a complete turnaround.
Cheryl had credited God with the miracle.
Harrison glanced into the room again. Was this the miracle? God was using Tyler to lift the woman’s spirits? Clearly this wasn’t the young man’s first visit with Virginia. They seemed to have established a beautiful rapport. But why would Tyler play along with this? Suspicious thoughts rushed at Harrison. What if Tyler was trying to get money from the woman? Trying to talk her into helping him some way? He focused on the conversation.
“I was thinking about last Christmas.” Virginia’s voice was dreamy. “You were just fifteen. You wanted that pellet gun in the worst way.”
Tyler smiled. “Yes, ma’am. A boy loves a pellet gun.”
“Especially you.” She laughed lightly. “But your father knew you needed a new bed.” A hint of frustration colored her tone. “We didn’t have enough money for both.” Her smile became wistful. “You handled it so well.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, you did. I can see you sitting there now. Next to the tree. You opened that box with the note from me and your father. You realized you were getting a bed instead of a pellet gun and you gushed like you’d opened the prettiest pellet gun in all of Florida.”
“You and Dad always knew best.” Tyler’s tone was sincere.
“Thank you, Ben.”
Harrison moved again so he could see his employee, see the smile in the young man’s eyes and how it reflected the one on Virginia’s face. What was this? Nothing about Tyler’s tone or mannerisms seemed sinister.
Virginia reached for Tyler’s hand and he took hold of her fingers. “You make your mother so happy.”
“You make me happy, too.” Tyler looked completely sincere.
/> Harrison watched the scene and felt his defenses fall. There didn’t seem to be a single motive, no reason whatsoever for Tyler to have this conversation with a woman he didn’t know. Harrison kept watching, barely out of sight.
“I know you weren’t perfect, Ben.” Virginia tilted her head. “But no one is. Not even me.”
They shared a comfortable laugh. “You make forgiveness sound . . . so easy.”
“It is.” She leaned back against her pillows, relaxed. “Jesus already did the hard part, Ben. You know that. If He can go to the cross for me, I guess I can forgive just about anyone.”
“Hmm. I guess so.”
“What does the Bible say?”
Tyler looked a little panicked. “The Bible?”
“About forgiveness?” Virginia chuckled. “Look at that. I have a better memory than you. We talked about this last month.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She sat a little straighter. “In the Bible Jesus says, ‘Forgive as I have forgiven you.’ That means we forgive even when the person doesn’t deserve forgiveness. Because none of us ever deserves it. Besides, families need to be the first to forgive. That’s what love looks like.”
Harrison kept watching, amazed.
Tyler nodded. “Yes. That’s definitely what love looks like.” He thought for a moment, then he looked intently at her. “I’m sorry. If I ever disappointed you.”
Harrison wondered if he would faint from the shock. Tyler was definitely going along with Virginia, playing the role of her son like a seasoned actor.
“Disappoint me?” Virginia shook her head. Harrison wasn’t sure, but she seemed to have tears in her eyes. “Ben, you’ve made me so happy. Just being with you. Times like this. Life’s too short to be disappointed with the people you love.” She patted his hand with her free one. “And I love you very much.”
“I love you, too.”
Harrison felt the depth of the moment. If he didn’t know better he’d believe Tyler was actually Ben. The young man was that convincing.
“Okay, then.” Virginia covered a yawn. “I’ll take a nap and we’ll see you in the living room later.” A smile lifted her tired expression. “You’re going to sing for us, right?”