Sam swatted at her and they all laughed.
Amanda continued, addressing the entire group, “Anyway. It's not as if her shenanigans have discouraged him in any way. When I asked him if they knew each other, he replied that they...”
Amanda paused to clear her throat, and then she lowered her voice a couple of octaves in an exaggerated impression of Luke's rich, mellow tenor, “...had never gotten the opportunity to know each other personally...”
She paused and waited for the laughter to die down, and then continued, “At any rate, I got the impression that he very much WOULD like to get the opportunity to get to know our Sammi very, VERY personally.”
“He doesn't sound like that!” Sam said, eyes narrowed.
“Oooo...” Karina squealed, “Look who's defending him!”
“To be fair,” Amanda said, “He does have a pretty amazing voice. It's really smooth, and deep...but with these ridges, and texture...I thought it was sexy.”
“That's part of what she said to trick me into admitting that...” Sam trailed off.
“That you LIKE him. That you LOOOOVE him,” Karina teased.
“That he gives me butterflies,” Sam conceded, “That's as far as I'm willing to go.”
“Anyway,” Amanda continued, “I actually felt bad for the guy throughout the whole interview. He was flirting his head off to Sam. Nothing overt, just being charming. But she was NOT picking up what he was laying down. In fact, she was basically ignoring him. I think it actually messed with his confidence a little!”
“His confidence will survive, trust me,” Sam said dryly.
“Anyway, that was only until the end, at which point, Luke had to pick up – or rather, catch – what Sam was laying down. Which, by the way, was very nearly her ass, onto the ground. When she got up to shake his hand as he was leaving, she turned and bumped right into him, and nearly tripped over herself right onto the floor...”
“Thanks, Amanda!” Sam cried indignantly.
“It's true!” Amanda insisted, “If Luke hadn't caught you and held you, you would have gone sprawling across my office floor faster than that coffee you spilled.”
“Maybe,” Sam admitted.
“Anyway, that little mishap opened the door for him to just stand there and HOLD her for the longest time! Honestly, if we weren't dealing with Sam, but rather with someone whose manipulation skills were even slightly honed, I'd say she faked the whole almost-falling thing.”
Sam crinkled her face in horror, “Oh, God! Why would I do that?!”
“To give him the opportunity to catch you, of course!” Amanda said, as if it were obvious.
“That's idiotic! Why would I want him to think that I was such a doofus, I couldn't even manage to keep myself on my feet?”
The girls all stared at her, and she sighed impatiently.
“I mean, why would I INTENTIONALLY want him to think that?”
Lauren, with her trademark dry half-smile, said, “Sam, look at me. Not to toot my own horn, but have you ever known a more capable, independent, self-made woman than me?”
Sam shook her head.
“There you go. And yet, even I see the wisdom in letting a man show you that he can rescue you every once in a while. Emphasis on the every once in a while. I'm not telling you to pretend to fall around him on purpose, you're right, that would be goofy, and it's completely not your style. All I'm saying is this. When you're around a strong guy – and not just physically, but in whatever way he is strong – it's never a bad idea to create opportunities from time to time where he can show off that strength to you, and you can be suitably impressed at his prowess.”
“Yes, believe me,” Karina added, “If you're not looking at him with those worshipful eyes every once in a while, doing the equivalent of the whole, 'my HERO!' bit...trust me, some other girl out there is. It's intoxicating to guys, you know? The whole looking-at-them-like-they're-fricking-amazing thing.”
“Yeah,” Amanda snorted, “There's nothing that disconcerts a man more than feeling like a woman has seen behind the curtain, so to speak. That she knows about all his wires and pulleys.”
Sam shook her head miserably, “You guys! This is all so complicated! I thought you were supposed to get to really know the person you were with. Now you're telling me you're not supposed to know about the wires and pulleys, or whatever.”
Amanda laughed, “Oh, no, you definitely know about them. You'll know every little detail of his inner landscape – his strengths, his weaknesses, what sets him off, what makes him tick...”
“You just won't REVEAL every little thing you know!” Lauren chimed in.
Sam leaned forward and put her head between her knees, “I think I'm gonna hyperventilate.”
“Oh, it's love for sure, then,” Amy piped up, setting the whole room laughing. She looked around, puzzled, and added, “Oh, no, I was being sincere!”
Karina put her arm around Amy's shoulder and exclaimed, “I like this girl!”
Sam sat up and collapsed back onto the couch in a reclining position, “This is all just so complicated!”
“Yes, well,” Amanda said, her tone telegraphing mischief, “Do you think it will simplify things when you're working side by side each day?”
Sam looked at Amanda, her eyes widening, “So, you've definitely decided to hire him, then?”
“Well, Justin and I talked it over at dinner. Not only did we both get a really good vibe from him, I don't need to tell you that he was by FAR the best applicant we had. Well, maybe I do need to tell you, you were pretty zoned out during the rest of the interviews. But, trust me. No one else even came close.
“And the truth is, having the both of you at Mountain Ridge would bring in more business than the place has ever seen. We've got your pictures and bios ready to go up on the website. We've got a press release ready to go.
“I mean, honestly, Sam...if you really, truly are uncomfortable working with him, say the word. We'll go another direction. But, yes, if it were up to me and Justin – he'd be starting tomorrow.”
Everyone stared at Sam, waiting with bated breath to see what she would do. Sam realized as she opened her mouth to give an answer that she was waiting just as eagerly as the rest of the girls to see what would come out. She had no idea what she was about to say.
“I'll be fine. You should hire him. I mean, obviously, there's no question. He's the right man for the job,” Sam said, with much more decisive strength in her voice than she felt in her spirit.
Karina grinned, “He sounds like he's the right man for any NUMBER of jobs.”
Sam narrowed her eyes at Karina, “Hardy har har.”
Karina laughed, “Oh, you thought this was so great when it was happening to me not so long ago. You thought it was so exciting and magical and wonderful.”
“The big difference is that you were falling in LOVE with Ryan. It's completely different with Luke and I. What I have for Luke is just an inappropriately long crush that I feel embarrassed about. That's what makes me uncomfortable and fumbly around him. Not love.”
“Keep telling yourself that, babe,” Karina grinned.
Sam shook her head, “You guys don't know him like I do. He dates – if you can call it that – completely frivolous, bimbo-ish women. He is definitely not the relationship type, and he is DEFINITELY not the falling in love type!
“The way he was to me in the interview today is just his default act with women. He's charming, he's a flirt. It doesn't mean he's interested in me, it's just his nature.
“So, because of my crush, I don't get too close to him. I'm afraid I would succumb to his charms and end up another notch on his belt.”
“That's such a crap paradigm,” Lauren complained, “Who says he's the belt owner and you're the notch?”
Sam looked confused.
“I think what she means,” Karina explained, “is that possibly this would be a good time to use his playboy ways to your benefit. You know he's not a permanent sort of guy. Just use h
im long enough to solve your little 'stunted personal growth' issue and then move on with your life.”
“Sure, and that won't make working together awkward at ALL. I think my boss here might have a little something to say about the workplace horseplay you're proposing!”
Amanda shrugged, “You're both adults. He's not your manager, and you're not his. Have fun!”
Sam rolled her eyes, “Thanks, boss lady. Appreciate it.”
Amanda smiled, “Anytime. “
Sam took a deep breath to help get her courage up enough to ask the next question, then plunged right in, “So...when does he start?”
Amanda beamed, “I'm calling him with the good news first thing in the morning. So, ideally...the day after tomorrow!”
Sam nodded, breathing hard.
“Are you going to hyperventilate again?” asked Amy with concern.
Sam responded grimly, “Remains to be seen.”
Chapter Seven
Luke found himself up early on the morning after his interview, sitting at the breakfast table eating cereal, and feeling not unlike he used to when he would sit in the exact same chair and eat the exact same breakfast as a kid.
He had always loved getting up before everyone else, to sit alone at the table and enjoy the solitude and his cereal. A house with three boys in it breeds some serious hustle and bustle, and sometimes this early morning cereal ritual would be the last completely quiet moment he would experience for the entire day.
The breakfast nook in the kitchen was also one of Luke's favorite places in his childhood home. Three sides of the table were flanked by a three-sided built-in bench that ran around the circumference of the entire nook, which was sort of a square-shaped, large inset bay window with a table in the middle of it. Luke liked to plant himself in one of the two chairs that sat on the open side of the table and look out through the wrap-around window as the sun rose.
He loved watching the colors as they melted into a beautiful miasma, and then faded entirely into sparkling, clear sunshine.
Of course, that was in the summer. During the winter, sunshine was much more rare, let alone clear and sparkling. But during the winter, he had usually been in training or competing, so the ritual hadn't applied.
He loved the feeling of being home and not having a clock on his visit. Yes, he realized, ever since he'd gotten serious about the snow as a teenager, his home had become the place he 'visited.' That was changing, and he liked it.
This morning, though, he was struggling with some other feelings that weren't as pleasant as enjoying the comforts of home.
The first – plain old sleepiness. He had slept fitfully the night before, tossing and turning, unable to chase from his mind the heady sensation of holding Samantha in his arms.
The day before, when he had reached out to catch her at the end of his interview, instinct had driven him to pull her against him. Instead of pulling away and quickly running out of the room, as past history would have seemed to dictate her response would probably be, she had instead pressed against him tightly, her flesh melting into his as supple as clay under his fingertips. She had fit against him perfectly, their bodies notched into one another like puzzle pieces, as if they had been made to fit together at every joint and juncture.
During that one perfect moment where they had stood still together and the rest of the world had melted away, he had felt her breath quicken and become shallow and unsteady. That was the icing on the cake, the one tiny detail that put the moment over the top in his brain, from merely wonderful to absolutely incandescent.
Not to mention unforgettable. The memory of her shaky and shallow breaths haunted him still, as it had during the drive home, during dinner, and all through the night.
He heard the sounds of his mother's footsteps coming down the stairs and reluctantly pulled himself out of his Samantha-centric reverie. His mother had always had a way of taking one look at his face and knowing exactly what was going on in his head, and he didn't feel like discussing the Samantha situation just yet. He wanted to see where it might go first, get a bit of a handle on it before he started discussing it with others.
He turned and smiled as his mother, Ellen, walked into the kitchen. The smile was not merely one of greeting, either, but of genuine happiness at her presence, and the fact that he was home.
“Morning, Mom. How did you sleep?” Luke rose from his chair as he asked and moved to get her a cup of coffee.
“Oh, fine. Just fine,” she said, returning his smile. Most people would have looked at her, heard her voice, and taken her words at face value. Luke, on the other hand, knew her well enough to see the cracks of sadness showing at the edges of the smile, hear the underpinnings of melancholy that rang out just below the surface in her voice.
He knew that without his Dad, Carl, beside her, his Mom had trouble sleeping. After 41 years of marriage, Luke couldn't even begin to imagine what it must feel like to suddenly be sleeping alone.
It was yet another of the many reasons he was glad to be home. He'd been so worried about her when he was several states away, and he felt absolutely helpless to do anything about his concerns. His Mom had always been the strong one, the glue that held everyone together, the backbone of the family.
But Luke knew that she was able to be that strength because Luke's Dad had been HER rock, her strength, her everything. Luke worried that with him gone, with no one to hold her together now, she would be set adrift without an anchor.
Yep, one look at the bags under his Mom's eyes, and he knew that he was exactly where he needed to be.
She slid gracefully into the bench and scooted around to the far side of the table. Where Luke had always liked to set himself at the opening of the three-sided glass enclosure in order to take in the view all at once, his mother preferred to sit as deep into the glass enclosure as possible, to immerse herself in the illusion that she was actually sitting outdoors, in nature, no matter what the weather.
Luke set a steaming hot mug of coffee in front of her and she smiled up at him gratefully. As he sat back down, she said, “Oh, honey, with all the activity yesterday, I never got the chance to ask you how the interview went.”
Luke smiled, “It was a little chaotic, I'll admit. Bobby and Chad both over, with both the wives, and all the kids? Yeah. It's a little tough to catch some one on one time. But I think it went well. We'll see.”
“Pssshhhh...” she dismissed with a wave of her hand, “That's ridiculous. 'We'll see' my behind. They would be idiots not to bring you on.”
He grinned at her unabashed confidence in him.
“We'll see,” he repeated archly.
“They should count their lucky stars that you would even consider them. I know that, even though you deny it, the only reason you're even looking for a job around here is so you can keep an eye on me. But like I keep telling you, Luke – I'm doing just fine. I've got my grandbabies. And not even a day goes by that Bobby, Ashley, Chad or Steph don't either pop by for no apparent earthly reason, or call to check up on me, or ask to help me out with 'projects' I didn't even know I was working on. Scrapbooking, for pity's sake!
“Honestly, if I didn't know any better, I would swear they all had a schedule written down somewhere. 'Whose turn is it to make sure Mom's OK?' Honestly, I wish everyone would just stop fussing over me.”
“Yeah, Mom, I can see how having so many people care about you so much would be quite a heavy burden,” Luke said playfully.
“Well, it is,” his mother defended, “I appreciate the concern, but I just want everyone to go on with their lives. I'm just fine, I'm a lot stronger than everyone is giving me credit for. I'm not saying I'm not sad. Of course I'm sad. But what I am saying is that I can take care of myself. I'm not some little fragile bird that's going to break.
“I'm the Mom, for heaven sake. I should be taking care of all of you. I should be the one worrying about how you all are doing, not the other way around. I'm just tired of everyone walking on eggshells around me. I j
ust want life to get back to normal – or as close to normal as possible, anyway.”
Luke understood his Mom's frustrations. She was a very independent woman, she always had been. It must be annoying to have all these people hovering around, analyzing her every mood and action. Still, he felt that he needed her to understand that they were merely doing what they were doing out of love.
“Mom, I get what you're saying, I do. Honestly. But just so you know, we're all just trying to help. We're doing the best we can. I'm not going to lie, of course we're worried about you. It would be crazy if we weren't. And, yes, it makes everyone feel better to do what they can instead of just sitting around worrying.
“So, look at it this way – by letting all of us 'fuss over' you, you ARE taking care of us, just like you've always done. By letting us be there for you, you're helping us.”
Ellen looked thoughtful. After a moment, she took a deep, resigned breath and said, “Well, I'll try not to let it ruffle my feathers as much as it has been. But, honestly, I could use a little space. I feel pretty suffocated.”
Luke smiled, “I tell you what, Mom. I'll talk to Bobby and Chad, and let them know that you need some space. And, hey, look at it this way – if I do get that contract at Mountain Ridge, I'll be out of your hair, since I'll be staying in Hope Falls.”
“Oh, no, honey, that's not what I meant! I don't need space from you. I love having you home after all these years. I've missed you so much!” Ellen exclaimed.
Luke put his hand over hers affectionately and said, “Thanks Mom, and I've missed you too. But it just wouldn't make sense for me to commute, especially with how the roads get in winter. It would just be better all-around if I stayed up there. I'll come see you on my days off, though.”
Ellen eyed him discerningly, “Well, OK then. If you're sure it's because of the roads. You know I'd love to have you here.”
“I know, Mom,” Luke smiled.
“You'll still make it for Sunday dinner, right?” she asked, although her tone implied that it was actually more of a command.
Sweet Victory Page 7