12. Chapter Twelve
Chapter Twelve
Soren
“Are you okay?” I met Sam’s gaze head-on. “You’ve been fidgeting all evening.”
He let out a breath. “Two things.”
“Okay.” We sat at the kitchen table after having just consumed leftover pizza.
One of the foods of the gods as far as I was concerned.
I liked mine cold. Sam preferred his heated.
He’d made a few noises of pleasure, though, so I couldn’t figure out where the frown and nervousness were coming from.
If I was even interpreting things correctly.
“Did you pay the vet bill yesterday?”
Well, crap. “Uh, yeah, I took care of it. You were so upset, and the last thing you needed was to be sorting out—”
“How much?” He cleared his throat. “Sorry. I mean—thank you for doing that. And how much?”
“Nothing that you need to worry about.”
He stared.
I sighed. “Look, Sam, I’m kind of invested too. And I was the one who made the decision to go to the vet in the first place. You might’ve decided to—”
“What? Watch Carlos die at home?”
After a moment, I shrugged. “That should’ve been your call.”
He put his hand on the table.
I grasped it.
He offered a smile. “Thank you. I still want to pay you back.”
Arguing was my gut reaction. I didn’t need his money. Plus, I’d been panicked and had raced Carlos and the other kittens to see Dr. Malcolm. I would’ve been devastated if one—or all—of the kittens had died on me. “How about you pay for the next pizza?”
“Soren.”
“Sam.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Is that all? Because I get the feeling this is more than a tiny vet bill.”
He arched an eyebrow.
“A vet bill I’m more than able to cover. They were very reasonable and threw in the exam for the other two for free.”
“Oh.” Sam squinted. “That was very nice of them.”
“Yes, it was. And I’ve been loyally going there with Tibby and will continue to see Dr. Malcolm for as long as I have pets.”
“Yeah.”
“So what else is on your mind?”
He sighed. “Quinta.”
My ears perked. “Is she okay? Does she need something? Is she coming home soon?” I tried to think of why Sam looked glum. If she was hurt, he would’ve said something right away. That kept me from crawling out of my skin. From demanding answers.
“She, uh—” He cleared his throat. “She’s met a guy. A man. He’s like seven years older than her.”
I refrained from pointing out that I was eight years older than him.
“The thing is—” He swallowed. “She doesn’t want to come home this summer.
She wants to stay in LA, in an apartment she’s sharing with some other girls, and get to know this guy.
” He said the words in air quotes. “Anyway, she texted me, and we’re supposed to have a video chat in about twenty minutes. It’s why I brought my laptop.”
Well, that answered one question I’d been curious about but hadn’t known how to ask. “Okay. Do you want to set up here? Or would you prefer your room? I’ll give you privacy, of course—”
“I’d like you to be with me.”
I blinked. “Huh?”
“I’d like you to be with me. I want to introduce you to Quinta. And, frankly, I need your support. If you think I’m about to say something monumentally stupid, I need you to stop me.”
“Wow. Okay. You’re certain you want to introduce me?” The question I really wanted to ask—but didn’t dare—was what are we to each other?
“Yeah. I mean, if you’re okay with it. Right now, I’m all jittery.
I suppose I knew, someday far in the future, that Quinta would find someone.
Probably a man, but I was open to all possibilities, and she’d want to have a future with that guy.
I just didn’t think she’d meet him in her first year of university.
Or that he’d be so much older than her.”
“How about you tell me what you know? Then we can set up a laptop. I don’t know about yours, but mine is new and has a great camera.”
His eyes flashed gratitude. Then he proceeded to fill me in on what little he knew.
And the details were pretty sparse.
Still, I set up my laptop and convinced Sam to bring the crate into the kitchen. “If you want, you can show Quinta the kittens. You know, if things are getting awkward. Tibby can also do tricks on command.”
That made Sam smile.
And, at the appointed hour, we clicked on the link that connected us with Quinta.
Aside from assuming Sam’s niece was also Black, I hadn’t really known what to expect.
Quinta’s face filled the screen, and she had the biggest smile. “Sam! How are you?” Then she noticed me. “And who is this?” She grinned. “The man from the photo?”
“This is Soren. He’s my friend.” Sam offered a smile.
His niece arched an eyebrow—exactly the same way he did. Her dark complexion was flawless, those dark-brown eyes gleamed with mischief, and her mouth curved into a smile. “Oh, that’s what we’re calling it these days, eh? I leave home for just a short period of time—”
“You’ve been gone almost a year—”
“—and you finally meet someone. Well, hot damn, Sam. Nice to meet you, Soren.” She grinned. “I never thought this day would come.”
“Nice to meet you, Quinta. I have to say that Sam’s pretty special.” I knocked my knee into his. “And he’s so damn proud of you.”
She blinked. “He says that all the time.”
“Because it’s true.” Sam cleared his throat. “So, tell me about this guy.”
“His name is Laurent—”
“Lawrence?” Sam squinted.
“Laurent. It’s French.”
“He’s French?”
She laughed. “Nope. He’s from Louisiana. But his family descended from French aristocracy and so all the children have French names. In truth, he hates it.” She moved closer to her camera. “He thinks it’s all pretentious—but he hates Larry more.”
I burst out laughing.
So did Sam.
Quinta proceeded to tell us about Laurent. About his research. About his lab. How he was within months of completing his PhD in molecular and medical pharmacology. How he had a research fellowship lined up. “He’s so smart, Sam.”
“You are too, Quinta. Don’t ever doubt that. Or compare yourself to other people. You are your own shining star.” He beamed.
She blinked several times. Obviously another thing he’d said to her numerous times. “So you’re okay with me staying in LA?”
“Yeah, it’s okay.” Sam rubbed his forehead. “I really wish you’d told me this weeks ago, though. I could’ve hired someone instead of holding your job.” Then he sat a little straighter. But I want to see you. And I want to meet your man.” He pursed his lips—almost daring her to argue.
She grinned. “Do you want to come down to LA? My roommates are out of town for the fourth of July weekend. You two could have a room.”
“Oh, I…” Sam bit his lower lip.
“That would be lovely.” I cast him a sideways glance. “The problem is that we’ll still have the kittens and I have a dog, Tibby. I suppose I could board her.”
“Come home.” Sam blurted the words. “Bring him here. When you can. I just…LA…”
Quinta’s gaze softened. “I know. I just…thought I should try.”
I squeezed Sam’s knee. “I have a wonderful property on Big Butte Lake. You can have your own bedroom. Unless you have your heart set on staying in Hartsville.” I winced. “Sorry, jumping the gun.”
She laughed. “Oh, I like you. I need to know more about you.”
So, as she had shared Laurent and what was going on in her life, I told her a bit about myself. Mostly to do with work and funny anecdotes about raising a labrador retriever puppy.
Tibby, upon request, put her nose on the table and we were able to angle the camera in such a way that she could look up.
Quinta sighed, cooed, and promised treats when they met.
My dog was charmed.
We showed off Peaches and Jack. Peaches yowled, Jack slept, and both ate when the time came.
And still we kept talking.
Quinta was so easy to converse with. She had a natural charisma that far outshone Sam’s.
Maybe because Sam was shy. In the store, he handled himself well—but he’d always held something back with me. I had an inkling, now, of why that was.
“I’ll buy the tickets for you to come up.” Sam nodded. “The weekend of the fourth, right?”
“Sure. But I think we might want to drive up. It’s not that far.” She grinned. “We can stop along the way. It’ll depend how much time we can get. Everything’s closed for the holiday.”
“Great.” I grinned. “Any food allergies? Or pet stuff? Or—”
She shook her head. “All good for both of us. One of my roommates has a cat, and we all adore the old cantankerous queen. Your two look like they’ll be way more friendly.”
Sam managed a smile. “Well, they’ll have their eyes open and be motoring along.” He swallowed.
“It’s okay to be sad.” She gazed at the camera—and therefore at Sam. “You remind me of that. That we still have love in our hearts.”
“How did you get to be so smart?” Sam sniffed.
“You raised me.” Said without a moment’s hesitation. In so many ways, Quinta clearly loved her uncle. “I have to run. But I’ll email you when I have the details of our trip.”
“I can send more money.” Sam sounded a little desperate—like he didn’t want to end the call.
She shook her head. “The lab pays me a decent salary, and I’m still sharing an apartment that’s not stupid expensive.”
“What will you do in the fall?”
“Laurent’s roommate is moving to Paris. Yes, literally Europe. So Laurent planned to find a new roommate, and I suggested that I just move in. He agreed, and that was that.”
“How romantic.” I offered that as a tease.
She grinned. “I know my own mind. In truth, it’s a little awkward having roommates.” She glanced at the camera. “But we’ve been very restrained.”
Sam winced.
A laugh bubbled up from both Quinta and me.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, Uncle Sam. Love you.” She cut the call.
“Oh my God.” Sam rubbed his eyes. “Tell me she did not just say that.”
“They adults, Sam. They’re going to have sex. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Now, if you want them to stay in separate bedrooms while they’re here—”
He groaned. “Why did you invite them?”
I shut the laptop and switched off the camera. “Do you not want them here?”
“Uh…” He opened his eyes. “I really was trying to say you’re my friend. Because you are my friend. And we haven’t defined this relationship.” He gestured between the two of us.
“Do we need a definition?” I shrugged. “Look, I did marriage and traditional and prescribed roles, and that didn’t work for me. Now I’m willing to try something less…structured. Unless you need more—”
He shook his head. “This is enough.” He pointed to the kittens and then waved his hand back and forth between the two of us. “I don’t think I can take on any more than I’m already coping with.”
“So, don’t. Although you might want to bring some more clothes. Another six weeks is going to go by in a blur. Before you know it, the kittens will be litter trained, eating solid food, playing with Tibby, and your niece will be here with her boyfriend.”
“Don’t remind me.” He rubbed his forehead. “This…feels like a nightmare.”
“It feels like Quinta is growing up. Look, it’s so clear to me that she’s a well-rounded and articulate woman who knows herself. Now, some of that is probably genetics. And her parents would’ve been influential in her early years. But how she deals with life now? That’s entirely you.”
He blinked at me. “You think?”
“I know. I’m pretty sure Desiree agrees with me.” Sam had relayed their conversation to me as I’d set up the camera, and I’d been in agreement with the woman’s assessment of everything—including Quinta staying in LA.
A chuckle escaped him. “Desiree is thinking very highly of you these days.” He gestured toward the kittens. “I think they like you too.”
I smiled. “I’m not sure they have an opinion. I feed them.”
“You do more than feed them.” Sam leaned against me. “You take care of them. You take care of me. That can’t be easy.”
Gently, I wrapped my arm around him. “Easiest thing in the world. You are an uncomplicated man to care for.” I almost said love, but I didn’t figure that would go over too well this early into the relationship.
He gazed down at me. Just that couple of inches made a difference.
I hadn’t often been with guys who were taller than me.
I’d usually taken the role of comforter rather than the one being taken care of.
That had always been fine with me. I was strong.
I didn’t have trauma in my past that made me vulnerable.
Some people created outer shells to protect themselves from having to endure pain again.
Whether because of Quinta—or just because of his inherently gentle nature—Sam wasn’t like that at all.
At least with me, he wore his heart on his sleeve.
“You ready for bed?” I held him a little closer.
“Could we, uh, cuddle for a bit?”
I blinked. “Of course. Why don’t we move the crate back to the great room? You and I can cuddle. And watch an episode. Or not. Then you need to head to bed. I’ll walk Tibby and then take care of the kittens.”
Slowly, he nodded. “I feel like I should be doing more.”
“You’re doing everything you can, Sam. Which is all anyone can ask of you.
We’ll get through this.” My confidence was increasing by leaps and bounds.
Not just because Peaches and Jack were making such progress, but because Sam was opening himself up to me.
To my subtle shows of affection. I didn’t want to test boundaries.
That was up to him. I just wanted to let him know that the option of more—however he envisioned it—was on the table.
And as we snuggled together, and watched another episode of our British crime drama, relaxation overtook me. The sense of rightness in our situation. I wanted him to feel he could always come to me. That I’d hold the trust he bestowed and would take care of him.
Slowly, inch by inch, I was envisioning a future for us. I had no idea what that might look like. I figured I had until the Fourth of July to convince him that we were meant to be together.