Chapter 19
Sam drops me off at my parents’ house and then drives over to his dad’s for the rest of the day.
Mom and I go grocery shopping to pick up last-minute ingredients, and then we spend the rest of the day preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, which she's hosted at our house for as long as I can remember. She invites extended family and close friends, and everyone brings their favorite dishes.
She’s always cooked the turkey, ham, and baked pies. Once we were old enough, she recruited Ethan and me to help with the prep work. At this point in my life, I could bake a cherry pie with my eyes closed.
We prepare well into the evening. Mom and I sigh in relief when Dad comes in with pizza he picked up from one of our favorite shops.
We all sit at the small dining table, Mom keeping an eye on the oven. I’m reaching for a slice of pepperoni when she breaks the silence, “So,” she drawls, “Sam dropped you off?”
“Yes,” I respond just as slowly.
“He left to pick you up yesterday. He stayed the night?”
“Yes.” It comes out measured. I know she’s building up to something, and I’m waiting to relax or run.
“Anything going on there we should know about?”
I sigh and sink into my chair. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
“Before Ethan,” she clears her throat and the corners of her eyes glisten, “you and Sam weren’t talking. Now he spends the night with you?”
“Ma, what are you really asking?”
“Are you dating? I’ve seen you holding hands and hugging a lot recently.”
“No, we aren’t dating. We’re friends.” I look over at Dad, who’s just sitting there watching us, a smile on his face. I roll my eyes and focus back on my pizza.
“Hmmm.” She looks at me and raises a brow in challenge
“Ma,” I let the exhaustion from this conversation bleed into my tone, “he lives in Chicago, and I live in Columbia. That isn’t exactly a great way to have a relationship.
Speaking of which, I’ve been thinking.” I want to change the subject.
“How would you guys feel if I moved back home for a bit—just until I got a new job and an apartment?”
My parents both look at me in surprise. I’ve been thinking about this move for a while. I like Columbia, but even before Ethan died, I’ve felt like something was missing. Now that he’s gone, I want to be closer to my parents.
“You can always move home, baby girl. But why would you need to find a job when you know you can come to work at my firm?” Dad’s voice is strained, and his eyes are pulled together, like I should have known I could work for him.
“Dad, it's not that I don’t want to work for your firm.”
“But?”
“But I don’t want handouts. I never have. That’s why I went to school in Seattle and why I got a job in Columbia. I wanted to make it on my own. I don’t want to be successful because my dad got me a job.”
“Baby girl, you know it wouldn’t be because of me. I know how hard you work. And the truth is, we need someone now that—” He clears his throat. “I’ve been meaning to list an open position because we could use the help. Really, you would be doing me a favor.”
Need someone. Because Ethan isn’t there. I try to quickly school my features as my stomach drops.
I can’t replace him. I don’t think he meant it that way, but it’s how this all feels. “Well, nothing is set yet. I’ve just been thinking about it. I miss you guys, and it would be nice to be back in Charleston.”
Not understanding the direction of my thoughts, Mom jumps in, “Hypothetically speaking, of course.” I can feel the excitement radiating from her.
“Of course,” I repeat, winking at her and giving Dad a knowing look.
Mom ignores my teasing. “If you were to move home, when do you think that would happen?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t talked to Liv. I can’t leave her hanging. I could keep the condo, and she could continue living there, but we are currently splitting the payments, and I would need that money to pay for something else.”
“That’s completely fair. You would give notice mid-December?” she asks as if it’s been decided. A done deal.
“Yeah. That would be ideal. I want to talk with Liv before I make any solid decisions or plans,” I remind Mom because this isn’t set in stone yet. Otherwise, she might start making plans of her own.
“Kat, you take your time thinking this through but know that no matter what and no matter when, you can always come home. And you always have a job.”
“Thanks, Dad. That means a lot.”
It seems like now would be a good time to transition. I broke things off with Philip, so I don’t have a boyfriend keeping me there. I like my boss, and most of my clients are great, but I’ll never let a job tie me down.
The only thing that’s keeping me in Columbia is Liv. I know she’ll understand and support my decision. She always has. It's one of the things I love about her.
The only thing that’s holding me back is me.
***
Thursday morning, I slowly make my way downstairs when I hear guests arrive. My uncle on Dad’s side, Richard, his wife, Candy, and their adult son, Billy, his wife, Susan, and their five-year-old daughter, Eliza, are here. I say hi and hug each of them in turn.
“Gram, can I help make the dinner?” Eliza’s high-pitched voice rings out. Eliza is adorable with blonde ringlets and bright blue eyes. She’s carrying this well-worn stuffed puppy that she talks to as she walks around the house.
Candy looks to Mom for a response. “Of course, my dear. How about you wash the potatoes, and I cut them?”
“Yay!” she sings as she runs off to the kitchen.
Hearing the doorbell, I rush over and am greeted by Dan and Sam. Both have their arms full of bags and ingredients. Dan always makes this delicious sweet potato casserole. I would never tell Mom this, but it’s my favorite Thanksgiving dish.
“Can I help bring anything in?”
“No thanks, Kat. This is everything.” Dan makes his way into the kitchen while Sam hesitates for a minute.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Kitty Kat. You aren’t even wearing pjs.
” Sam smiles softly. I’m wearing black leggings and an oversized blue sweater that hangs off one shoulder.
“You look great, by the way. Charleston suits you.” His smile is contagious, and I feel like I can breathe a little easier now that he’s here.
“Thanks for dragging me here kicking and screaming.”
“Between you and me,” he leans in and whispers, “I brought rope and duct tape in case I had to tie you up to get you here.” He winks at me and kisses my cheek. I force myself not to reach up and touch the spot that his lips just touched.
I shake my head and follow him into the kitchen. I am not thinking about Sam in my bed Monday night. Or how he felt under me when I woke up. I am not staring at his ass through his jeans and definitely not thinking about what Sam would look like out of those jeans.
Shit, I need to get a grip. This is a family holiday, for fuck’s sake!
The kitchen looks like a tornado hit it, or a starved toddler. It’s absolute chaos with people filling each empty corner and food covering the counters.
I stand in the doorway as Sam sets everything he was carrying down on the counter and steps back to my side. We share a knowing look, one that says we don’t want to be in the chaos.
“Hey, pretty girl, will you and Sam set the table?” Mom doesn’t even turn around, yet she knows I don’t want to be in this circus we call a kitchen.
Sending her a silent thanks, I reply, “Sure, Ma.” Turning around, Sam and I head back out to the formal dining room, where we work to pull the ends of the table out to fit another couple of leaves in.
Once that is done, we head towards the hutch and start pulling out the dishes we use for holiday dinners.
“Sam, will you grab the wine glasses? I can’t reach them.”
“You got it, short stuff.”
“Not everyone can be a sexy giant like you, Sam.” I freeze, realizing too late what I just said. I look at him in horror.
“So, you think I’m sexy, huh?” That thirsty smile of his only adds fuel to the fire burning in my core.
“Definitely not. I think you need to have your hearing checked.” I know my attempt at recovery fails when his smile widens and he winks at me.
He steps towards me until he’s close enough that I have to look up at him. It would be all too easy to go onto my tippy toes and brush my lips against his.
With that thought, I look at his lips. They look soft, and I wonder what they would feel like on mine. His lips tilt up at the corners in a wicked grin. Caught off guard, I look up at his eyes and see they are burning with desire.
God, he’s gorgeous.
Before I can process what’s happening, he leans in and whispers in my ear. “Kitty Kat, you need to stop biting that lip of yours unless you really want me to be sexy.”
I didn’t even realize I was biting my lip. My face flushes.
“Sam, I…” He steps back, and I feel the cool sting of rejection. I look at the ground to hide my embarrassment.
Gently, he lifts my chin with his fingers.
“Kat,” his voice is soft, “the first time I kiss you isn’t going to be in a place where either of our parents can walk in on us.
I want to take my time with you. Uninterrupted.
” He runs his thumb along my bottom lip; the action causes shivers to run along my spine.
“But make no mistake. I want to kiss you. Thoroughly.”
Before I can respond, he turns around and starts pulling the wine glasses down from the top shelf. I’m frozen in place, my body forgetting how to move, as my heart pounds out of my chest.