by Dyanne Davis
And now Chase, the cheating boyfriend who bargained her off to clients, who pushed his seat in the car back so far that Rebe’s legs got cramped had suddenly gotten a clue. He was being sensitive and Rebe was eating it up. He wanted to turn away from them, not look at Rebe beaming at Chase, but he couldn’t. He continued watching them hoping that if Rebe really did feel something for Chase; it would deaden his own feelings for her. He sighed and finally turned away. That would never happen. He’d loved her for much too long. And Rebe had warned him he was the frog in this three way drama hadn’t she? There was one thing left to do. He needed to apologize to Chase, he’d been out of line. His main focus especially since Jamie died had been to protect Rebe. But even he had to admit he’d gone overboard. And somehow he’d have to do what Chase suggested and stop kissing Rebe. With a groan he walked away.
Taking Chase to all the places of interest had been fun. It had been much too long since she’d done the sightseeing angle. It was fun doing it with Chase. And it was fun going out to a nightclub with Chase, Sam and Kandi. It almost felt like the days when the original foursome enjoyed each other’s company. While it was apparent Chase would never replace Jamie, Rebe was beginning to think maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if the four of them tried a bit harder.-
One more day and they would be returning home. She’d been right to give Chase a chance. He’d stepped it up. He was really trying and she was pleased. When they woke that morning everyone was up and there were tons of flowers in the dining room. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“We thought you’d like to go with us to put flowers on Jamie’s grave,” her mother said.
Say what? Panic took over before Rebe could control it. “No,” she shouted. “I’m not going.”
“Kandi and her family are going.”
“No, I can’t. I don’t want to go.” Rebe stopped. She was sounding like a whiny child. “Mom, I’m not into that.”
“Excuse me. None of us are into that.”
“Don’t get upset, Mom. I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t want to go to a cemetery to lay flowers on my brother’s grave while all of you stand around to watch my reactions. I’ve been enough of a basket case. That’s over, but I’m still not ready to do what you ask.” She glanced at Sam. “Sam, help me. Please. I know you understand.”
Before Sam had a chance to speak, Chase was besides her caressing her shoulders gently and smiling at her. “How would it be if you decide to do this later on when it’s just the two of us, no crowd? You could well…sort of introduce me to your brother. It would be just the two of us, easy breezy, and then after we’ll go do something fun.”
“Chase, thank you. That’s a great idea. And it’s a compromise. Mom, you all go ahead with your plans and if I change my mind, Chase and I will go later.”
“Would you like for me to leave you some flowers?”
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Chase answered. “We can always stop and get some if Rebe decides she wants to go.”
Where the heck had this man been for almost three years? This caring, easy, fun, man, who made her laugh. Who was now smoothing over a very rough patch for her, and had her mother smiling, totally different than what her mother was doing five minutes before. They had been headed toward a major fight and Chase had put an end to it just like that.
But something was wrong. Sam was…Sam was what sad, disappointed in her for not going with her family? More than likely he was big on her facing her fears and overcoming them. This one wasn’t his call, Rebe decided. This one was hers.
“I think I’d like to go out for breakfast,” Rebe said suddenly grabbing Chase’s hand and leading him out the door. “Sam, would you like to come with us?” she asked. She ignored his look, the one asking if she’d completely lost her mind. She gave him a quick hug. “Come on, Sam,” she said. “I think we need this. I need this,” she said.
“Then you go,” Sam answered.
For less than a second Rebe held Sam’s gaze. There was so much she wanted to say to him. He’d helped her live and if anyone could have gotten her to go to the cemetery, to Jamie’s grave she would have bet anything it would have been Sam. And she would have fallen apart in his arms. No thanks. She didn’t want to fall apart. She wanted to heal. She wanted Chase.
Sam stool at the door watching Rebe interact with Chase. For the first time since he’d met the man he knew for this moment in Rebe’s life Chase was just what she needed, like she’d said, he was easy breezy and fun. He stared after them, this time not upset that Chase had given to her what she needed. The main thing was that he had. Chase had taken what could have become a volatile situation and turned it around.
While he had no idea if Chase and Rebe would actually go to the cemetery or not, he was definitely not going to push her. If she went he thought it would be good for her. If she didn’t, well, that only meant Rebe had come as far as she could for now. He wouldn’t press her on it.
With an exhale the thought came to Sam that perhaps Chase did care for Rebe in his own way. Perhaps he could learn a thing or two from Chase, to be easy, breezy and fun. He laughed. Right. Someone had to be the responsible adult. Someone had to do the worrying in a relationship or nothing would get done. Then again this was Rebe and Chase’s relationship and they could handle it in whatever manner worked best for them.
When Sam turned from the door he found Rebe’s parents staring at him, a worried look on their faces.
“Are you okay, Sam? You could have gone with them if you’d wanted,” Mrs. Johnson said with a concerned expression creasing her face.
“No, I’m fine. Right now I think Chase is exactly what Rebe needs. She doesn’t need to be forced into doing things she’d not ready for. With Chase, if she decides to go to the cemetery none of us will need to worry about her. As much as I hate to admit it, Chase does have a certain way with Rebe. He makes her laugh. It doesn’t seem to matter what’s wrong, he smiles at her, and she caves. Then she smiles back at him and things are fine between them. I never knew how he did it, how he could get her to keep taking him back after he continually cheated. And to be honest, I still don’t get it. But whatever he has, it works. For that reason I’m glad Chase is here. I want Rebe to feel safe.”
“That was what you’ve done for her since Jamie’s death. How does it make you feel that Chase may be taking over that role in her life?”
“There’re trying to make a go of it. At least that’s what they both keep stating and very emphatically I might add. If that’s the case, then that’s as it should be.”
“Do you think they’re in love?”
“I think whatever they have works for them.” And on that Sam was not lying.
“Thanks for getting her to come home, Sam.”
Sam smiled but didn’t answer. Today would be a very long day. Tomorrow they would return home.
After beating Chase in a round of miniature golf Rebe looked at him. “Okay, let’s go buy some flower and I’ll introduce you to Jamie, though I don’t think of my brother as being there. I suppose I must do this, or Sam will think I’m a coward.”
“Is Sam’s opinion of you really that important? Chase asked her, a puzzled look twisting his features.
“It is.”
“Is it because he was your brother’s best friend?”
“Some of it is. “
“And the rest?”
“I don’t know, it just does.”
“Rebe, are you in love with Sam?”
How did she answer? Honestly, she decided. “I’m not sure.”
“What about us?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out. We’ve never talked about our feelings. Are we in love, Chase? Are we even heading in that direction?”
“I care about you, Rebe and I know you care about me. I’ve seen many couples who claim to be in love and have a lot less going for them than the two of us?”
“But I think couples who are in love try fidelity.”
“You or m
e?”
“Both of us. The kissing, it’s not all Sam. I like kissing him.”
“I never thought it was all him. So, if you like kissing Sam and you’re unsure of your feelings toward him, where exactly does that leave us?”
“I’m not ready to give up on us. I think you’re right, I think neither of us ever demanded anything of the other. I think we just might be entering a brand new phase.”
“Are you going to continue kissing Sam?”
“I think it’s time for me to stop playing games with you, Sam and myself. If we’re going to have a chance at doing this I have to be all in. You’re right I’ve not given it my all.” She shrugged. “And before you ask, no, not all of it was your fault.”
“You know, Rebe, I do think if we make it, we have Sam to thank. I haven’t liked the way he’s gone about trying to make you fall in love with him and being the man you turned to. But I wasn’t that for you. It was my own fault for not realizing how much I did care about you. The fact is, I think we complement each other in so many different ways. Maybe the things we have are what lead to long and successful marriage. I don’t know if that romantic kind of love you write about is even for real. So far I’ve seen no evidence of it. Everyone in my family has been divorced at least once, some as much as four times. I’ve never hungered after being in love. I’ve always wanted a woman who was my equal, who thought as I did, who wasn’t that hung up on romantic love. And until you went to that damn dance with Sam, you and I were a perfect match.”
“To be honest, I thought the same thing.” Rebe turned from Chase and began walking back toward the parking lot. This was the first time her and Chase had ever had a serious conversation. It felt good. It felt right. Perhaps this would be the first step in their cementing a lasting relationship. Briefly she thought of Sam. If her and Chase was going to have a shot at a relationship she’d have to stop depending on Sam. And she’d definitely have to stop kissing him.
“Rebe, we’ve never talked about any of this. I think it was long overdue. Why do you think we haven’t talked about this before?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Why do you think we’re doing it now?”
“I’m not sure. But I can’t help it if now I’m wondering if we both haven’t been selling ourselves short. I think I do want more than we’ve had. I’m not trying to pressure you into anything because being in love is not something you can just order up. But I’d like more. I’d like to be there for you and for you to be there for me. I want us to be able to count on each other if we’re really going to try this.”
“In other words, you want me to be more like Sam.”
“I’m sorry, but yes, Chase, I want you to be more like Sam.”
“I can see now that I made it easy for Sam to take the position of being the man who looked out for you. I was so damn selfish in my treatment of you. I never did it to hurt you though, Rebe. I didn’t think you cared, not really. And perhaps I was beginning to feel closer to you than I wanted, so I fought it by running to other women. I’m not running anymore. I thought about it after Sam and I talked and realized that there were so many things about you that I don’t know. I want to know more about you, Rebe. I want you to be able to depend on me.” He gave her a half smile then bent to kiss her.
Kandi and her family were over and they were having a cook out. By now it didn’t surprise Rebe that Sam was well acquainted with all of Kandi’s family. When she found that his parents had visited her parents though she was flabbergasted. What the heck was going on? She would worry about all of that later. For now they were sitting on the porch enjoying a very pleasant evening. When Kandi turned toward her with a smirk on her face, she could only hope the evening would continue to be pleasant.
“What did you two do all day?” Kandi asked.
“We had fun. I showed Chase the highlights of our little piece of the world, we played miniature golf and we swung by the cemetery. As she’d known they would, all eyes turned to her.
“We stayed a couple of minutes; I made introductions, then we went to a movie.”
“Really. Which one?” Kandi challenged.
Rebe smiled. “I can’t remember. But the day was a lot of fun. All in all it was a very good day.” Actually after the cemetery they’d went to a local motel and made love. She smiled at Chase. “It was a very good day,” she repeated and moved away from Kandi to sit next to Chase.
Chase looked around before wrapping his arms around Rebe. “You’re right. It was a very good day. I’m so glad I came with you to meet your parents and to learn about your brother. It seems I have you to thank for all of this, Sam, so thank you.”
Now was the time for Sam to issue Chase the apology he deserved. He stuck his hand out to Chase. “I’m sorry for what went down between us. I was looking out for Rebe. Perhaps the trip has been good for all of us. From this moment on I will do my best to attempt to butt out of your life and you’re relationship with Rebe. I’m glad you were here and more importantly that you were able to give her what she needed.” They shook hands and Sam looked around. Rebe was beaming at him while Kandi was looking as though he’d lost his mind.
“It seems we’re leaving so soon. I’m not ready,” Chase looked at the group and sighed. But we all have to return to work, except you, Sam.”
Sam glanced up and smiled, “Yes except me. Though this is fun. I don’t think we should stay up too late. We have a long drive of ahead of us and we need to be rested.” He stared for a moment at Chase then glanced quickly at Rebe.
“Speaking of long drives, Rebe, I was thinking how you got legs cramps on the way here.” Like Sam, I’m concerned about you getting fatigued,” Chase said. “I was wondering if you’d like to fly home. We’d get there in a couple of hours and you wouldn’t have to go through the long drive.”
Stunned that was what Rebe was. She stared at Chase for a long moment wondering how on earth with one offer he’d managed to be totally heroic and totally uncaring, rude, and unheoric at the same time. She’d never leave Sam. The thought pinged in her head. That wasn’t the way she’d meant it, was it? Of course it wasn’t. Luckily Chase didn’t possess ESP. Still she’d never fly home with Chase, after Sam had planned this trip especially for her.
“What the hell?” Sam began, “Rebe doesn’t,” Kandi’s hand on his leg stopped him. He’d wanted to remind Chase that Rebe hated flying and only did it when she absolutely had to. He glanced toward Kandi. She whispered, “No, don’t say anything. Let Rebe handle this.” She was right of course. Sam sighed and looked away from Rebe wondering what she’d say to Chase. He could tell from the way she was hesitating that she was trying to be diplomatic.
“Chase, that is so sweet,” Rebe cooed. “Thank you. But no, I want to drive back with Kandi and Sam. You do remember they came because of me.”
“And I’m sure if you wanted to fly home because of the leg cramps, they wouldn’t mind. Would you guys?”
“No,” Kandi and Sam both said.
“Really, Chase, I wouldn’t think of doing that,” Rebe repeated. “Besides, we had fun on our way down here, and we’re going to have fun on the way back too. You are getting so sweet and thoughtful though. I do appreciate it.” Rebe glanced first at Kandi then Sam. “Wasn’t that thoughtful?” she asked.
Was Rebe really and truly asking him for his opinion? Sam needed to puke right this second, Chase, sweet and thoughtful? Hell no, no way. For a couple of days Chase had fooled him by being caring and concerned for Rebe’s comfort. Now he knew it was all an act to make sure Rebe didn’t depend on Sam. Touché he thought, thinking he really couldn’t blame Chase. He’d given him more than enough reason to do what he’d done. He would have done the same, only sooner. Ignoring Chase and Rebe Sam walked across the wrap-around porch and began a conversation with one of Kandi’s brothers. It was safer that way. And it remained safe when they finally went to bed, and even when they woke, had breakfast and prepared to leave.
After all of the goodbyes ha
d been said, all the happy tears shed and promises that they would return soon, everyone climbed into Sam’s car, Chase in the driver’s seat without any complaint from Sam, and Sam riding shotgun. Driving back was fun he’d have to admit that. He’d made sure by removing the CD’s and placing them securely in his bag that was stored in the back.
And when the trip was over Sam had actually asked Chase and Rebe up. They’d declined, but at least he’d offered. If Chase was going to be in his life since for sure Rebe would be Sam was glad he could at least pretend to be a grown up and stop challenging the man to a duel. Maybe he’d have to think about no longer kissing Rebe.
Chapter Fourteen
Eating Chinese food with Kandi was a treat. Instead of eating in Kandi’s kitchen with a huge mirror to dissuade you from enjoying the meal they were curled up on the sofa at Rebe’s apartment. For the past hour the two of them had gone back and forth about Chase and Sam. Kandi refused to let go of the idea that Rebe should dump Chase in favor of Sam.
“Why are you behaving as though falling for Sam is the end of the world, like there's a law against it? What gives?”
“Jamie.”
“What the heck are you talking about?”
“Jamie didn't want me with Sam.”
“They were best friends.”
“Exactly, we had a long conversation about it. He told me in no uncertain terms that friends’ sleeping together was a very bad idea. He didn't want to know who I was sleeping with, but he made it plain he didn't want it to be Sam. He thought I was too flighty to be serious and he liked Sam. He didn't want our becoming involved to mess up their friendship.”
Kandi shook her head and stared at Rebe. “Are you for real?”
“Of course. I’ve told you this before.”
“I'm not trying to be mean, but your brother is no longer here. If you're with Sam, even if you break up in the future that would have no effect on your brother.”