Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Naomi
S am’s up early the next morning getting ready for work. He waits until the last second to come wake me to say goodbye. I’ve been awake for a while, listening to him shuffle around in the bedroom, moving back and forth between this room and the main room.
When he finally sits on the edge of the bed, he’s got a cup of coffee in his hand.
“Morning, sunshine,” I say.
His face widens in surprise, smile growing ever wider. “That’s what I was going to say.”
I can’t help but smile back. “I know.”
He leans down to kiss me, and I can taste the mint of his toothpaste. Smell the scent of shampoo on his still wet hair. “I have to head into work. I’ll probably be there most of the day. Feel free to hang out as long as you like.”
Stay forever.
He doesn't say the words, but they hang in the air like fireflies, waiting to be captured.
“Okay. I’ve got a bit of work to do on the pictures and videos I shot for the wedding, but I can probably do that here.”
Sam’s face twists to the side in a slight grimace. “I don’t have the fastest internet out here. Feel free to come down to The Sands. You can sit by the pool or work in one of the conference rooms.”
He doesn’t suggest the obvious place, my room at Dom’s house where the internet is lighting fast. Sam wants me to come to him.
I smile and nod, finally sitting up to take the steaming mug from his hands. “Okay. I’ll probably need to do that a little later. For now, I’m going to work naked in bed for as long as I can.”
He groans and drapes his body over my outstretched legs. “If only I could call in sick.”
“You can’t?” I know the answer, but I want to keep him talking. Keep him here longer.
He makes a sad face, peering up at me from where his ear rests on my knees. “Too many other people did. I have to go figure out how to get their jobs done along with my own.”
“Big boss man.”
He sits up and adjusts his button up work shirt. “That’s why they pay me the big bucks.”
I smile at his joke but can’t think of anything to say.
“See you this afternoon, maybe?”
I nod. “I’ll be there.”
It’s nearly an hour before my bladder drags me out of bed and into the main house. My coffee cup has long since gone cold, and I search for the kettle after freshening myself up a bit.
It’s kind of odd, having all the things I need in different little houses and having to go outside to reach each one, but not in a bad way. I’m starting to like the feeling of having the outdoors be my hallway. I like the uneven, unfinished doorway ledges that I have to remember not to stub my toes on. I like waiting next to the gas burner for the water to boil, watching geckos hunt for gnats on the window screens.
But, as excited as I am about this house and the tsunami of feelings I’m having for Sam, right now all I want is to dive into my content from the wedding. From the gold-plated silverware to the full violin orchestra dressed all in ombre sunset colors, to the rare, black orchid lined aisle. That wedding was a spectacle in the best possible way.
I start by sorting the pictures into ones to keep and ones to delete. From there, I sort the keepers into ones I’m going to edit first and ones I might get to later.
Once I have the absolute best of the best ready to go, I fire up my laptop to start editing.
It becomes clear almost immediately that this isn’t going to work. The photos I deleted or moved to their own folders are all still in the giant dump of my recent photos, the internet out here failing to update my cloud at any workable pace.
I settle for texting a dozen or so of the very best shots to Fran, who I know is going to be just as excited as I am.
Fran: Girl! These are the best pictures I’ve ever seen! How did you do this with your phone? I’ve seen some of the shots from the photographers already and they are nothing like this.
I smile at her gushing praise. It feels really good to be able to participate on such a meaningful level. The feelings I was having during the wedding wrap-up, of being part of a team, come rushing back in, warming me from the inside out.
Naomi: Thanks! There are a ton more. I can’t do any editing here because the internet is too slow, but I’m going to head to The Sands in a few. Want to meet me there for lunch?
Fran: What’s wrong with the internet? Does Dom know? I know for sure he’ll have techs out there within the hour if his prize router is having issues.
Oops. Of course she would assume I was at Dom’s house, not curled up on Sam’s couch.
Naomi: Oh. Right. Well, I’m not exactly at Dom’s…
Fran: *crying laughing emoji* *heart eyes emoji* Say no more. I love it. I love this so much.
Naomi: It’s…it’s a whole thing.
Fran: What time’s lunch?