Chapter 20
SAM
“You know, the next time I come down, I’m absolutely kicking your butt, right?” Angel declared as she sat across from Sam on the screen. “In fact, do I need to fly down early to cash that in? Because I absolutely will.”
Sam had avoided this call for as long as she could, wanting a bit more time to put together a more well-thought-out explanation, but Angel had other ideas. Words were her bread and butter, but she didn’t always have seven to ten business days to come up with a prepared speech for everything.
With Angel’s bloodhound sense for trouble, any hope for that went down the drain. She had immediately narrowed her eyes at Sam the second the camera had turned on and demanded to know what the hell was going on.
How she’d managed to know so soon, she wasn’t sure.
Sam had only woken up moments prior, so she couldn’t be sure of much just yet.
When she had finally managed to wrench her eyes open, it had taken her a few to process where she even was.
She’d hadn’t remembered going to bed after staying up talking with Charlie.
They’d watched movies and talked into the wee hours of the morning, up until she apparently passed out from sheer exhaustion.
Blinking sleepily, she’d taken in her surroundings as she realized that the soft pillow beneath her head was Charlie’s lap, and the comforting blanket across her midsection was Charlie’s arm.
His head slumped back against the couch, dozing from where he’d also fallen asleep.
He had looked so… peaceful. Content, even. His light-brown hair was tousled messily atop his head, in desperate need of a combing. A few strands of it had fallen to frame his face in a boyish look that suited him for this time of day.
She’d been afraid of waking him up, not wanting to disturb him.
It had taken a bit of careful maneuvering, but she managed to sneak away into the bedroom to take her call without waking him. Yet the picture of him in that early-morning light was one she would hold onto.
Despite the lecture she was currently receiving.
The words had barely left Sam’s mouth, a terribly put together explanation of what had happened, when Angel launched into a verbal deluge of half-veiled threats of violence and outright promises of what she was going to do to Sam when she got hold of her.
It was both terrifying and touching all at the same time.
Despite the topic, Sam couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Angel pointed at her, with Sam practically feeling each jab in her chest through the screen. “Oh, you don’t get to call the shots here. I’m absolutely going to strangle this guy with my bare hands but not before I strangle you! Sam, why the hell wouldn’t you tell anyone about that? Are you nuts?”
Sam shrugged sheepishly. “I didn’t… I don’t… You know how much I fucking hate worrying anyone.”
A loud groan reverberated through the speakers as Angel threw her hands up in the air. “Yeah, this is a much fucking better way to find out about all of this.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry…”
Angel shook her head, pointing at the camera with one hand while reaching for something off camera. “No, keep your apologies. I’m gonna pack a bag right now, and I’ll catch the first flight down, so we can figure out…”
“Please, Angel, I promise I’m okay!” Sam said quickly. “I’m staying here with Charlie until they find Paul. It’s bad enough that I pulled him into this situation. I don’t need you getting involved as well.”
Angel froze mid-motion, and for a moment, Sam thought that her screen had frozen, but that was before Angel’s head whipped back in her direction. “Charlie was with you when you got to your apartment?”
Yeah, her explanation definitely needed some work, as she’d only been able to give a few basic details before Angel had exploded in a fury, but she nodded. “Yeah, he was with me, and he’s having me stay here with him.”
Angel’s body slumped back into her chair. “Thank God. I thought you were still there.”
“I was getting to that part, but you got ahead of me.”
Angel closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Well, lead with that next time, for God’s sake. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack!”
“Don’t worry. Your little writing machine is still up and running,” Sam said, trying to joke to lighten the mood, but she instantly regretted it when Angel’s eyes shot back open.
“That’s not funny,” her friend snapped. “People care about you—you fucking idiot.”
Sam deflated. “Sorry.”
She desperately fought the tears forming, only barely managing to keep them in. She deserved every word she was getting; she knew she did. If the roles were reversed, she’d be telling Angel the exact same things.
Angel made a strangled sound, a rush of air coming out of her. “As long as you’re safe, that’s all that really matters. But you need to knock that shit off with the agent stuff. You know you’re more than just my fucking client… right?”
“I know. I’m sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood…” Sam said. “I guess this part was just easier with Charlie because he was there when it was happening.”
Angel settled back into her chair. “It’s okay. Just please promise me that you won’t keep stuff like this from me? Or from Charlie at the very least?”
“I won’t, I promise. I just… I don’t know… I told Charlie this, but I really thought I could handle it on my own and that it wasn’t going to be a huge thing.”
“People are nuts,” Angel offered, her shoulders easing down from where they’d bunched up next to her ears, “so never underestimate a crazy person, but I get it. Especially knowing that sick sense of hyper-independent streak of yours.”
Sam sighed. “Is it really that bad?”
Angel scoffed. “It can be. Clearly.”
“Sorry. I know it’s a lot right now—and you also have a lot of feelings on it, which are totally valid—but is it okay if we talk about something else for now? I just… I just really don’t want to think about it anymore.”
The gaze from across the screen softened, and Angel nodded. “Sure, though don’t be surprised if I text you with some follow-up questions.”
“Of course, I’d expect nothing less.” Sam laughed. “And I promise I’m not putting you into the agent slot right now, but I’ve been focusing on my book to try to distract myself and do something productive. Did you get a chance to read the first couple of chapters I sent you?”
Angel narrowed her eyes, but whatever fight she had left in her deflated when she smiled. “Yes, I read it.”
“And?”
“I loved it,” she replied, her lips stretching into the first genuine smile today. “You’ve got a great setup, and I really liked the opening.”
Sam pumped a fist into the air. “You think they will like it too?”
Sam yawned and stretched her arms above her head, relaxing more now that the worst of the conversation was over. It was surprising, but last night had been the best she’d slept in a while—feeling more rested and alert than she had for weeks.
Angel laughed. “I know they will. Their romance department is going to absolutely eat this up, especially with your name attached to it. I’ve gone ahead and sent them over the chapters you gave me, so I’ll let you know what they say when I hear back.”
“Okay, that’s good. Gives me more time to work on it.”
“Well, and speaking of… have you thought any more on a pen name? You mentioned it a while back, so I wasn’t sure if you still wanted to go with that angle.”
“I do. I haven’t given the name much thought under the circumstances, but I’ll definitely start working on a few options. You think they’ll care too much about what I choose?”
Angel shrugged as she flicked a stray lock of raven hair out of her face.
“They’ll want to know what your options are, I think, and they will definitely have opinions on the matter.
But I’ll make sure you get the final say.
Keep working on the book itself, and we’ll check in about it next week at our usual time. ”
“Okay. Thanks, Angel.”
“Of course,” Angel replied, the bright-red nail polish she had on now contrasting with the cream sheer sleeve of her blouse as she rubbed a hand up and down her arm. “You know I love you, right? Even when I’m mad at you for being an idiot, I still love you.”
Sam’s chest clenched, but she smiled. “I know. I love you too.”
“Good. Now, I have a few things I need to arrange because, despite your assurances, I’m still coming down to see you.”
“But—”
Angel held up a hand to interrupt her. “I have a conference down that way coming up anyway, so don’t start. I’ll give you the details when I get everything sorted out, but don’t stress about it, okay?”
“Where are you gonna stay? I’d normally let you crash at my apartment with me, but it’s not exactly in working order.”
Angel shrugged casually, eyes darting off to the side. “I have someone else I can stay with in the area, so I’ll just reach out to them.”
This piqued Sam’s interest, raising a curious eyebrow at her. “Oh? And who would that be?”
Angel turned her nose into the air. “Mind your business.”