by Leslie North
And now Sam was a million miles away from her, and about to be what felt like a million more. Did he even see her sitting across from him now, screaming at him silently to look at her? How could he make her feel so big one moment, and as insignificant as a grain of sand caught between coasts the next?
No. She needed to give Sam a chance. He deserved to revel in his excitement over the opportunity. Hell, she was proud of him. Really. No one else at the agency worked as hard as Sam did.
She just needed time to process this latest turn.
Trinity rose and padded into the bathroom. As she closed the door, she heard Sam muttering to himself,“This is our ticket. It's finally arrived."
Chapter Ten
Sam
"It was an excellent meeting, and everything's pretty much in place. Next time I call you it will probably be from Europe."
Sam could barely contain his enthusiasm as he breezed through the hotel lobby. For once, the California sun felt as if it radiated from within him, rather than through the lobby's enormous windows.
"I'm glad it went so well." William's voice came across the Bluetooth in his ear. He was keeping the usual careful check on his approval, but Sam was too elated to feel as if he required it to enjoy the moment. "You guys have been out there for almost a week now, but it sounds like things are moving fast. Was Trinity at the final meeting?"
"No." Sam punched the number in for their room and watched the numbers count down the floors. "It was just between me and the director. I might lose you in a minute, William, I'm about to get in the elevator."
"Understood. What did the director say about your condition?"
"That Trinity come with me?" The doors slid open and Sam stepped inside. "He said there isn't a position for her in the office, but I told him that wasn't a problem. I'll find something for her. The Europe office only stands to benefit from having her there."
"What did Trinity say?"
His floor dinged, and the elevator doors retreated. Sam stepped out into the hall, heart hammering like he had just run all the way up the stairs to deliver the news. "I haven't told her yet. I'm about to."
"Good luck with that." There was a note of something in William's voice that Sam couldn't read, but he chalked it up to the fuzzed reception. "And don't forget I need you back in New York this week to finish up the onboarding."
"I haven't forgotten." Sam swiped his key and pushed the room door open. "See you soon."
He pulled his Bluetooth off his ear and tossed it down onto the bed. He spied Trinity out on the balcony; she turned as the door closed. She looked as radiant on the outside as Sam felt, and for a moment he hung back just to take her in.
Three strides carried him across the room, and he stepped out into the balcony to join her. She opened her mouth to speak, and he swooped in before she could ask the question; he caught her face between his hands and delivered the news with a kiss.
"It went well." She almost sounded in disbelief as he drew back.
"More than well." Sam couldn't resist pulling her into his arms. He wanted to make love to her right there on the balcony in that moment, but he knew he had to get the details off his chest first before he could convince Trinity to get on. "I've accepted the job in Europe. I'm going to lead their expansion project. And you've got to start packing." He grinned. "I figured we could fly back to New York together tomorrow. I'll see about finishing up with Eddie while you get any affairs in order. It's happening, Trinity. This is happening."
He wondered what she would think about his newfound ability to improvise. He was finally becoming the man she wanted; best of all, he found he was actually starting to enjoy the change. Europe would be a new adventure for them both, but he had no doubt it would enable them to pick up exactly where they left off before the divorce.
"And what would my position be?" Trinity asked.
"Whatever we want to make it." He brushed a lock of dark blonde hair behind her ear and planted a tender kiss on the jut of her cheekbone.
"Sam. I also went to a meeting today," she said.
"Great!" He whirled away and crossed to the little kitchen. He pulled open the liquor cabinet and studied its lacking contents quizzically. He had almost forgotten they weren't at home. "I'm sure they told you what I already told them," he called over his shoulder. "We're a package deal when it comes to the Europe project. You should consider anything they said nothing less than a green light. Come on, we'll go down to the bar to celebrate...before I bring you back up here to really celebrate."
"They offered me the expansion project in L.A.," Trinity said. "And I decided to accept it."
Sam turned, momentarily stunned by her news. Trinity had left the light of the balcony and now stood in the threshold, her arms wrapped around her chest. He couldn't distinguish her expression in the sudden shadow.
"It had been on my mind before...for a while before," she continued. "I think before I even consciously knew I was thinking it. Because I thought L.A. would be where you were."
Sam blinked. "I had no idea you had even been entertaining the idea of moving west," he said. "But I fail to see the problem. We'll just go to them today and let them know your plans have changed. It was an oversight on our part; just a lack of communication, that's all."
"You're right about the lack of communication," Trinity replied. "Because I had absolutely no idea you were going to bring me up in your meeting today, Sam. Did it occur to you to invite me to advocate for myself in this process? Did it even occur to you for a minute to ask me if I even wanted to go to Europe?"
"But you just said that you were considering L.A.," he said. "And that I was a major part of that consideration."
"You're right: you were a part of that consideration," Trinity said. "But there is also a definite position for me here, a promotion, and this is where I want to be. Not Europe. Not waiting on the sidelines for you to negotiate an opportunity for me. This is my life, Sam. I'm done letting you put your career needs before mine...and before me."
"Trinity." He hated the way his voice broke, and knew that his expression in that moment must have been equally broken. "I don't know how to change your mind. I don't know what the rules for negotiating are here."
He wanted to take her in his arms. He wanted to hold her and kiss and negotiate as only lovers could with their bodies, but if he couldn't find the words to convince her, then he feared what he might risk—what he might lose—by trying to convey his longing for her in terms that weren't negotiable. He didn't know how to take Europe off the table, not when it symbolized the payoff he had worked so hard for.
So he hung back. He restrained. And in the time it took him to try and find the perfect answer, Trinity walked past him, wordless, and disappeared out the door beyond his reach.
He flew back to New York the next day.
William's driver picked him up at the airport and took him directly to the East Coast office. On the ride over, Sam straightened his tie; buffed a spot out of his left shoe; hunted for wrinkles in his suit and found none. He had shaved on the plane, and even the thick locks of his raven-black hair were lying flatter than usual. He looked as sleek as the limousine he rode in. His appearance was impeccable; outwardly, he was the same Sam Jameson whose competence was renowned and revered within the agency on both coasts.
Then why did being Sam Jameson suddenly feel so empty?
It was more important than ever to keep up a stable front. He had flown back to New York for the express purpose of meeting with William and giving him his final decision on Eddie. It would be the first time in years the three brothers all found themselves in the same room together.
When Sam entered the board room ten minutes before noon, the circumstances were as surreal as he had expected. William sat at the head of the table, tall and statuesque in repose, yet still more relaxed in his authority than Sam ever managed to look himself. His face was wide, high-boned and symmetrical, the perfect blend of their mother and father, and he was only becoming more distingu
ished with age. William must be something like thirty-six by now. Sam had never been good at keeping track of birthdays, not even his own.
That was something Trinity had always excelled at.
"What up, Sam?" Eddie leaned back in his chair on William's left, bringing himself dangerously parallel with the floor, and threw up two peace signs.
Sam nodded curtly. He didn't sit himself, but moved to stand by the window. He folded his hands behind his back and looked out at the overcast cityscape. He needed to summon his focus for the meeting. He should have been preparing on the ride over. Instead, all he had been able to think about was the jewel-like beauty of the view out the window back at the L.A. hotel. How had he missed the opportunity to take Trinity to the beach? At least she would have plenty of chances to go now that she had decided to relocate.
"Well." William's voice was the same commanding rumble it was on the phone. Distance and poor connections never seemed to diminish it the way it did others. "The Jameson brothers together again at last."
"We should start a family band," Eddie joked. "Dad would turn over in his grave. Sam could be the front man," he added.
Sam turned, but didn't rise to the bait. He watched Eddie elbow William; the strangeness of their familiarity registered, but only distantly. When had Eddie and William grown close? "He totally slayed at karaoke," Eddie volunteered.
"So I heard." William's glimmering eyes were on Sam and Sam only. "Well? Shall we get down to it?"
"He's cleared," Sam said. "I'll sign off on Eddie. He'll be a great asset to the company in his new position."
"What?" It was Eddie of all people who seemed most surprised by his affirmation. "Just like that?"
"I'm clearing you conditionally," Sam clarified.
Eddie sagged back in his chair, still grinning expansively. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Your methods are unorthodox," Sam said. "It's no secret that I don't approve of most of them. But…" Sam hesitated for a moment, his tongue sweeping his teeth in an effort to locate the right words. "...but that doesn't mean they don't work. At the end of the day, the results I've seen you produce this month have been beyond impressive. All I would require is that you keep the company abreast of your decisions moving forward so that we can clear them before you act without us."
"Interesting." William turned to Eddie. "And you? What do you think? Did Sam past his test?"
"My test?" There was no disguising the naked confusion in his voice. His hands unwound themselves from their stiff posture behind his back as he looked from William to Eddie and back again. "I wasn't aware that I was being tested."
"Of course not," William said. "I wanted real world results in real-time."
"I was being judged this whole time?" Sam still had trouble wrapping his head around his brother's assertion. "I thought onboarding Eddie was supposed to be a punishment for losing the client out west."
Eddie winced. "Ouch." He turned to William. "That's one thing he's still going to have to work on: his bedside manner."
"I agree," William said. "Nevertheless, what you've reported back to me so far is promising, Eddie. Learning to compromise, learning to admit when he's wrong…" William rose and joined Sam by the window, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "I'm impressed. Very, very impressed."
"Did Trinity know?" The question was out of Sam's mouth before he could rationalize asking it.
"Trinity was not informed of my ulterior motives, no," William replied. "I'm sure she wouldn't have approved."
"I'm not so sure," Sam murmured. He couldn't help reliving now every moment he had spent with her in the past months in excruciating detail. Rapid-fire moments of their exchanges, the anticipation and inevitable anguish that came when he failed her. How could he have been so blind?
"You've burned a lot of bridges striving for perfection, Sam," William said quietly. "It's time to start forging them again. I hope that by passing my test, you feel like you've been given a new lease on more than just your work at the agency."
More than just my work. There was so much more to life than just his work. There was family. There was learning to look around himself and realize that happiness could be seized at any moment regardless of coast.
And there was Trinity. What was a new lease on anything without her? Any promotion that came his way—any client or congratulatory clap on the back from William—meant nothing without her there to share it with him. And he wanted to be there for her, to share her own triumphs and pitfalls. His successes were meaningless without hers.
And his life was meaningless without Trinity.
"But I haven't passed the test." Sam moved out from beneath William's hand. His mind was spinning, and he barely felt like he was in the same room as them. "Not yet. For years I've been putting my needs above hers with barely a passing thought to what Trinity might want. I always justified, never compromised. And Trinity…"
"Who said anything about Trinity?" Eddie's question was wry, but Sam didn't give himself time to wonder—wonder if this had been part of Williams' motivation all along. He had left a mess behind him in L.A. He had left the woman he loved behind him in L.A. He was doing the same thing all over again.
But not anymore.
"Excuse me." Sam moved around the table quickly, banging his shins on a chair on his way to the door. The pain barely registered.
"Something urgent?" William called after him. He could hear Eddie's laugh, full and rich and bright, and for once he understood that it wasn't annoying at all, but infectious. Sam turned back to them in the threshold and grinned with determination.
"I have a plane to catch."
Chapter Eleven
Trinity
Mr. Jameson:
I hope this memo finds you well. Pertaining to our last face-to-face conversation before your trip, I just wanted to say that I am adapting well to my recent move to Los Angeles.
But there are certain...things...that have required more adaptation than I initially expected. Even though I find the atmosphere of the West Coast office enjoyable, and certainly as productive as our office in New York, I can't help but feel that there is something missing. I didn't have the sensation until you left.
I know you aren't one for "sensations". I know you aren't one to listen to your gut. You are careful, and conservative, and a conquering force in the advertising world. You are someone who thinks through every consequence of your decisions—generally speaking—and plans for every outcome in advance. You are someone that I admire. Have I ever told you this? Really, truly told it to you? Maybe I never thought it was something you needed to hear from me.
Maybe I was wrong.
William tells me the onboarding was more successful than he thought possible. I just wanted to take a moment to personally congratulate you. I know it wasn't your first choice of project. Whatever happens in the future, I just want you to know that I appreciated our collaboration.
Here's to many more successes across the pond.
"This has to be the longest memo in Jameson Agency history," Trinity muttered as she glanced through the wall of text she had typed up on her phone. There wasn't a whole lot else to do in L.A. traffic but stare at her cell screen as the cab driver honked and swore.
Somehow, this memo was the result.
The cab alighted on the hotel's curb. Trinity paid and got out. She stood a moment, gazing up at the enormous, decadent face of her temporary home. She had kept her room on the top floor overlooking the beach. William had been surprisingly agreeable to the idea of her coming onto the L.A. expansion project, and had called in a favor with the hotels' owner; he had even offered to pay for her accommodations there as long as it took her to get settled. Her move had been impulsive, but she knew at the end of the day it was the right decision for her.
At least, she hoped she knew that.
Jessica hadn't been pleased, obviously, but agreed to come visit her as soon as she got vacation time. Trinity looked forward to it. She hadn't expected L.A. to be so...lonely. She misse
d Sam's infuriatingly gorgeous presence, his ideas and...
She missed Sam.
Trinity debated deleting the memo as she strolled into the lobby. There was no point to it, really—she wasn't sending it to inform him of anything, or to effect a change. She could practically hear Sam's disapproving voice in her head asking her: what's the point?
Maybe it was an act of defiance against that voice that made her hit 'send'.
She swerved immediately in the aftermath of her decision and headed for the hotel bar. After the conclusion of her first week at the West Coast office, she could really use a drink.
There was one other person there already drinking when she arrived. Her gaze glanced off a pair of broad male shoulders filling a light jacket. He was hunched down, reading something on his phone. Poor guy, she thought sympathetically. Must have had a long flight. His posture made him look as tired as she felt.
There was an undrunk Manhattan sitting on the bar beside him. For once, the bartender appeared to have made it in the right glass.
Trinity's eyes widened.
"Sam?"
Sam never came out in public in anything less than a suit, except for the days he took off early to jog. Regardless, it was Sam who turned to look at her now. His dark hair was rumpled and hanging in his eyes, and it looked as if he hadn't shaved in twenty-four hours...a record almost as long as her memo. Her eyes slid from him to look at his phone, and she realized he must have just finished reading her little dispatch. Before, when there had been a whole country—and the likelihood of a whole ocean—between them, it had seemed like a good idea.
How was she supposed to answer for it now?
"Trinity." His tone was half-wonderment, half-relief, and Trinity's heart gave an unexpected start at hearing his voice.
"What are you doing here?" She hesitated, longing to join him at the bar, and afraid the spell would break and he would disappear again the minute she brought herself any closer. "I thought you were supposed to be in New York for another week?"