Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sameera needed some air before presents; the stress of the morning was getting to her. Once outside, she recorded a voice note to Bee. Her friend was likely enjoying an ordinary Christmas, unlike her, but she felt the need to unburden.
“I have a few updates,” she said into her phone speaker.
“Unfortunately, my time at the Undertakers will be coming to an end soon. It’s a long story, but basically Andy turned out to be a villain.
On the plus side, Tom is the best, even if things remain a bit weird between us.
Oh, and I had it out with my parents, and we’re cool?
It’s been a weird trip, Bee, and I miss you. ”
After she pressed send, she walked as fast as she could to the far lawn, pausing when she got to Andy’s propellor plane, which remained cheekily parked on the frozen grass, as if it belonged there.
As if it owned everything. Which it did not.
Rearing back, she kicked the tire on the plane’s landing gear.
“Ow! Stupid Andy!” she said, bouncing around on one foot. The pain radiated from her toe, through her thick snow boot. She kicked the snow. “Stupid snow.” She kicked the plane again and swore out loud.
“I can grab a crowbar from the garage if it will make you feel better,” Tom said, approaching her.
She eyed him warily. “Presents are inside.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure I’m looking at my gift.” He took a step closer. “You’re all I want for Christmas.”
The genuine emotion behind his words made her flush with embarrassment, even as she wanted to hear more. She covered by making a joke, pointing at herself: “The Muslim lawyer you’re fake dating for likes?”
Tom’s tone was serious as he answered. “No one was more surprised than me when you signed on to my plan. I bet you’re regretting my offer to introduce you to Andy, though.”
“Be honest—you were trying to offload him onto me, weren’t you?” she teased.
He took another step, coming within touching distance. Except he rocked back on his heels instead, hands in his pockets. “Actually, I was afraid you finally had had enough, and were out here YouTubing how to fly a plane.”
“YouTube is more my brother’s domain. I just needed space.” They eyed each other warily. Too much had happened, and neither one was sure what the other was thinking.
“You never answered my question from this morning,” he said softly. “Can I take you out for New Year’s? Breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, chai . . . You decide, Sameera, and I’ll be there.”
She hadn’t believed Andy’s whispered taunt. But the expression on Tom’s face now cleared any lingering doubts from her mind, and the one on hers must have done the same for him, because suddenly, he was reaching for her.
Their first kiss had surprised them both, and the embraces since had always felt rushed. This kiss was airborne from the start. Teeth clashed, hands grasped, bodies intertwined. She bit down on his lip, hard, and when his knee pushed between her legs, she was filled with want.
He pulled away. “Is that a yes?”
She laughed, nodding, and pulled her back to him. After another minute, he disentangled himself. “They’re waiting for us.”
“Let them wait. I’m kissing my boyfriend.” She paused, heat flooding her cheeks. “Sorry, I meant fake boyfriend.”
Tom shook his head, delighted. “No, you didn’t. But a guy likes to be taken out for dinner first.”
She rolled her eyes as he nuzzled her jaw. “You’re obsessed with food.”
“I’m obsessed with you,” he said.
Sameera smiled; his words made her heart sing. “Don’t tell my mom. I have her convinced she caused all of this. She set the ball rolling by hiring you to cater the Eid party. If I’m lucky, she will have learned her lesson and never interfere in my life again.”
Their eyes met, and he smirked. “I would never contradict my girlfriend. Even though my plan was to courier you a box of samosas and a six-pack of cranberry ginger ale the day after the firm’s holiday party.”
“Take a girl out for dinner first,” she said back to him.
“It’s a date,” he said. They stared at each other for another long moment, until Sameera shook her head, trying to center herself on what was happening right now, her family and his waiting for them.
Though what she really wanted to do was stay outside with Tom.
He made her feel safe, known . . . loved?
“We should head back inside. Andy has probably already claimed squatters’ rights by now,” she said, and he sighed. “What are you going to do?”
He leaned down and planted a lingering kiss on her lips, then the sensitive spot on her jaw. “Now we can go, beautiful,” he said softly. “With you by my side, I can figure out anything.”
Inside, there was a clear standoff between Andy and Tom’s parents, with Nadiya trying to mediate, as usual.
“Tom isn’t here. We should wait for him before talking further,” Nadiya was saying, voice tight.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Andy said, lazily eating a bowl of fruit. “Rob and I have a verbal agreement.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Rob started, more flustered than he had been since they all arrived. “We’ve talked things over, and I do think a ski resort is a good idea, in theory. But I haven’t signed anything yet.”
Andy smiled at his host. “Rob, you told me this was what you wanted. That all I had to do was get Tom on board, and I could start building. We both agreed it would benefit Wolf Run, too.”
At the door, Tom snorted. “It’s not like you to be this slow to understand, Andy.
Or maybe you’ve been so busy trying to manipulate me, you didn’t realize what was really going on.
My dad has been playing you this whole time.
” He walked around the table and resumed his seat, Sameera beside him.
The uncertainty that had shadowed his eyes and bracketed his mouth was gone now, replaced with a steely determination.
Andy noticed the change right away, and his smile faltered.
“You haven’t lived here in years. This isn’t your home anymore. Why not sell it and make tons of money?” Andy looked around the table, hoping to gather support. Everyone stared back, unimpressed.
“Read the room, dude,” Esa said. He glanced at Rob. “Both of you.”
Rob cleared his throat, looking from Tom to Andy, then back at Barb and Cal.
He knew the time for dissembling was over.
“I might have led Andy to believe I was on board with the ski resort,” he started, clearly uncomfortable.
“It was a good idea. We get serious snowfall here, and Lord knows Wolf Run could use the business. Our town gets smaller every year, with good people leaving and never coming home.”
“You mean people like me,” Tom said. “Is this your latest tactic to lure me back? Pretend to throw your weight behind a deal with my best friend, hoping to goad me into returning because I was, what? Jealous? You can’t honestly think this plan would work.”
A faint smile crossed Rob’s face. “Brought you home for the holidays, didn’t it?”
Tom shook his head. “I came back to visit because I missed you. Not to move back. You pull this every time I return, Dad. You belittle my life in Atlanta, call my business a hobby, and refuse to take any interest in my life outside of Wolf Run. If you want to know why I stayed away for so long, I suggest you look in the mirror.”
“Oh snap,” Esa said. Beside him, Calvin had his mouth open in shock.
“I never meant to push you away,” Rob started.
“Then why do I feel like running every time we’re in the same room?
” Tom asked. Sameera put a hand on his shoulder; she could feel him trembling with suppressed emotion.
He turned to her. “Sameera is the only reason I stayed this time. She’s why I felt like I belonged.
Sameera and her family have made me feel more comfortable, more accepted in my own home, than you ever did.
Dad, if you want to have a relationship with me, you need to start accepting my choices, even if you don’t agree with them.
Or at the very least, stop trying to control me. ”
Sameera looked at her mother. Tahsin’s guilt over these words, which so closely mirrored Sameera’s own, was writ large on her face.
Rob’s face crumpled. Naveed stepped toward him, and Barb laid a comforting arm across his shoulder, but he shrugged them both off.
“I know I haven’t been a good father to you,” he said to Tom, and his voice cracked.
“After Pam died, I was lost for a long time. I know you suffered. I regret the way I behaved, and I’m trying to be better. ”
Tom looked pointedly at Andy and raised an eyebrow.
“Being better is an ongoing process,” Rob allowed.
For his part, Andy watched this confrontation with a look of confusion. “Wait a minute. Are you going to sell Cooke Place to me, Rob?”
Rob shook his head. “Never going to happen, son.”
Andy drew himself up. “Then you’ll be hearing from my lawyers for breach of verbal contract.
Also because I have a lot of money, and you hurt my feelings.
” They all stared at him, aghast, and he grinned.
“Just kidding. But this was not cool, Rob. Why didn’t you just call your son and lay a big guilt trip, the way my mom does? It works a treat, I promise.”
“Why did you try to extort Sameera to convince me to sell?” Tom countered, and Andy’s grin momentarily dimmed.
“You got me,” he acknowledged, turning to Sameera. “No hard feelings?”
“Plenty of them, actually,” she said.
Andy nodded. “That’s fair.” He turned to the assembled group, charm firmly back in place. “Maliks, Cookes, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Let’s do this again next year.”
Tom sighed. “I’ll walk you to your plane, Andy.”
Andy shrugged. “I’d say you’ll live to regret this, but I’m bored playing the Wolf Run villain. I’ve got an investor meeting tomorrow, and I need to think of some way to hold them off until you all come to your senses.” He winked at Nadiya, made a call me gesture, and stood to go.
Sameera, Tom, Esa, and Nadiya rose from their seats in an unspoken pact not to let Andy out of their sight until he was out of Wolf Run airspace. Fortunately, he hadn’t brought much with him.
“I’ve learned to pack light during negotiations. My plane can accommodate a second passenger. What do you say, gorgeous?” He waggled his brows at Nadiya.
Her sister invited Andy to commit a solo profane act, but Sameera noticed the ghost of a smile on her face. Nadiya found Andy mildly amusing after all.
“I wouldn’t mind a ride,” Esa said, but they all ignored him, pulling on boots and jackets and trooping outside.
“You’ll never find someone as interesting or as rich as me, you know,” Andy said, slowing his long strides to match Nadiya’s. “Just think of all the attention and money you’ll get if you go on a few dates with me. Endorsement deals, free stuff, it could all be yours.”
Esa turned to his sister. “Maybe you should reconsider. I like free stuff!”
Nadiya’s voice was dry. “You don’t hear ‘no’ a lot, do you?”
“All the time, actually. I consider it an opening gambit.” Andy’s cheerful attitude really was irrepressible. Even now, Sameera was having a hard time disliking him. Though she planned to try really, really hard.
Andy chucked his bag inside the plane before turning to face them.
“I’ll admit this was more fun than I anticipated,” he said, rubbing his hands together.
“I thought I’d have a quiet Christmas at Wolf Run.
Eat turkey. Buy your house. This was way better.
Nothing like a challenge to get the blood pumping. ”
“There is no challenge. You lost, Andy. Let it go,” Tom said.
“Never.” Andy grinned at his friend. He held his arm out for a hug, but Tom shook his head.
“It’s going to take me some time to get over this, Andy. You really tried to screw me over,” Tom said.
A flicker of concern and something that looked like regret passed over Andy’s face. “Would you believe me if I told you I honestly didn’t think you’d care that much?”
Tom stared at him, and Andy ducked his head.
“Maybe part of me wanted to have a bit of your magic, a piece of what made you special. I always had to work ten times harder at everything, while you swanned through life. You’re even going to get the girl,” he said, nodding at Sameera.
“If anything, I’m the one who should hate you, but I just can’t. I love you, brother.”
Tom sighed. “I love you, too. I just need some time to figure out how I can move past this.”
Andy looked more somber at these words than Sameera had ever seen him. He turned to her. “Take care of my brother. He’s the best guy I know. Don’t break his heart, okay?”
He held his arms out to Nadiya for a hug, but she shook her head. He held out a hand instead, and she cautiously shook it. “I knew I’d wear you down eventually. A handshake today, and who knows where we’ll end up?”
With a final wink for Esa, Andy climbed aboard his propellor plane. They moved back as he started it up, and watched as he expertly took off. They stood watching for a long time, until the plane was a tiny speck in the clear blue sky.
Beside Sameera, Esa furrowed his brows. “Do you hear what I hear?” he asked. And then they could hear it, too.
Sleigh bells.