"Oh, sorry," he said, moving away from the buffet table to walk back to where their party was. Sandy followed him.
"I don't kiss and tell, Sandy," he said lightly, knowing Sandy wouldn't let the matter rest. Now that Sandy knew Sam didn't live in Sydney, he could imagine what was going through that scheming head of hers.
"Oh, come on," Sandy said teasingly. "You're no fun!"
He ignored her comment and sat back down on his chair.
"Your phone's been ringing, Adam," Marie said. "I pulled it out from your jacket pocket to put it on silent. Someone named Sam called."
"Oh, thanks." He retrieved his phone. It was indeed from Sam. He wondered why she rang.
"You don't know who Sam is, Marie?" Sandy asked with an innocent tone.
Adam groaned mentally. Now why would Sandy bring that up? He didn't want to have to lie in front of his family.
"No, I don't know who Sam is," Marie responded. "Who's he?"
"She's a she, not a he," Sandy replied with a sad look. "She's Adam's new girlfriend."
"Oh, really? How come you haven't told us, Adam?" Marie asked, surprised.
Adam shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "We just started going out. I haven't had the chance to introduce her to you guys. You'll meet her one of these days."
"Oh. So it's not serious yet?" Alvin asked.
Adam shot his brother an irritated glance. He wanted Sandy to assume he and Sam were serious, but he didn't want his family to think he had a new girlfriend. How was he going to answer that?
"I met Sam at that cooking event I went to last week," Sandy said with a forlorn, wistful smile that Adam knew was a put-on. "She's pretty," she added with quick, deep sigh that sounded like a sob.
"Well, let's not talk about this Sam girl," Marie said hastily, glancing with sympathy at Sandy. "If she's just a very new girlfriend then…" Marie waved her hand in the air in a rather dismissive fashion.
Adam pressed his lips in a thin line, rankled. Sandy was playing the aggrieved ex to the hilt and his mother was buying it.
"Excuse me. I have to call Sam back." He stood up and walked away from their table. If Sandy wanted to make this an acting competition, so it would be.
*******
"Hey Sam. How's my new girlfriend?" Adam teased as Sam answered the phone.
Sam chuckled. "Hi Adam. Glad to hear you're still my FBF."
"Of course! I don't remember us having a fake breakup."
"Good, 'cause I need your help," Sam said gravely.
"What's wrong?" he asked, sensing the worry in Sam's voice.
"I'm heading back to Sydney next Saturday with my parents. We're there for a week."
"Wow. They're really keen to meet your boyfriend, huh? So you've told them you want to quit your job?"
"Yes. But it's more than that. On Thursday, my dad is having a prostate biopsy. We want to keep him distracted—as well as my mum and me—while we wait for the results. That's why we planned for a short Sydney break for next week."
"Geez, I hope everything turns out well, Sam," he responded, not knowing what else to say.
"Thank you. I hope so, too," Sam said quietly. "We need to be convincing, Adam. I hate that I'm lying to them about this, but they got so excited and insistent that I couldn't take back what I said."
"Don't worry, we will be," he assured her.
"Why am I such a coward?" Sam wailed. "I could have just told them the truth and I think they would still have been fine with it. Instead, I'll have to live a lie until… I don't know when."
"If you'd told them you want to quit the practice and move to Sydney to start a business, without making up the fake boyfriend story, how do you think they would have reacted?"
Sam was quiet for a moment. "They would still have given me their blessing but with heavy hearts, I'm sure. They'd be worried that I'm setting up a difficult business from scratch without their physical support. The anxiety wouldn't be good for them, especially with that question mark over Dad's health. But because they think you're there for me, they're actually very relieved and happy."
"See?" he soothed. "You're not a coward. You just love your parents and don't want to hurt them. That's understandable."
"Thanks, Adam. I'm sorry I'm dragging you into this."
"Hey, your timing couldn't be more perfect. Because of Sandy's big mouth, my whole family thinks I have a new girlfriend. They'll want to meet you soon." He told Sam what had gone on a few minutes ago.
"Seriously, Adam. I don't know why, but your ex really rubs me off the wrong way," Sam said in an annoyed tone.
He laughed. "You said that before already—using the exact same words, if I remember correctly."
She chuckled. "I know. You can tell how charged I am by her. Anyway, I'm sorry I have to ask you this, but my parents will be expecting you to pick us up from the airport. Would you mind? I'll try not to take too much of your time while we're there."
"Listen, Sam. We'll do what we have to do to be convincing, okay? No point going through the whole thing only to stumble because of less than stellar acting."
"Okay, thanks," Sam agreed with a laugh. "So I'll see you on Saturday? Our plane arrives at eleven fifteen."
"No worries, babe. See you soon. Miss you already," he joked.
"Me, too," Sam said with a swooning sigh.
He chuckled, finding himself looking forward to this game.
CHAPTER FOUR
"There he is," Sam said excitedly to her parents as she spotted Adam waving to them, carrying a bunch of flowers.
She couldn't believe how far he was taking this charade. He'd already surprised her by having three dozen long-stemmed red roses and a big box of chocolates delivered to her office yesterday—Valentine's Day.
It had been her luck that she'd been single every time Valentine's Day came around, so she'd never received anything from a man on that day. Yesterday changed that. Even her mum was impressed. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to enjoy the flowers for too long. She had to let two of their staff take them home since she was going on this week-long leave.
She'd heard the term 'floating on air' before and had only imagined what it meant. But yesterday, knowing the flowers and the chocolates came from Adam, she'd floated. On air. Sure, it might have been all part of his playacting, but it was still nice. Very nice.
Gosh. If she wasn't careful, her crush on him might quickly develop into something more.
"Hi," he said with a swoon-worthy smile, giving her a peck that landed on the corner of her mouth.
"Hi," she said shyly, flushing and heart hammering from that simple kiss.
She made the introductions and Adam shook his dad's hand and kissed her mum on the cheek.
"These are for you, Mrs. Lane," he said, handing Helen the flowers he was holding, except for a single red rose.
"Oh, thank you, Adam. And please call us by our first names. It makes us feel old being called mister and missis."
"Okay, then," Adam said with a laugh before turning back to Sam. "This is for you, baby," he said, handing her the lone rose.
"More for me?" Sam asked teasingly. Deep inside, she was thrilled.
"Of course," Adam said, winking and giving her a big grin.
She beamed at him. It wouldn't be too hard to act in this charade. Not hard at all.
*******
"Are you sure you guys don't want me to show you around town today?" Sam asked her parents as they waited for their lunch to arrive. "It's been—what?—seven years since you've last been here. I'm quite familiar with Sydney now. I can be your tour guide."
"No," Ted answered with a laugh. "Your mum and I will play tourists by ourselves this weekend."
"Oh, I see. You don't want me around," Sam answered with a mock pout. She was actually glad her parents were going to have some quality time together. It had been at least three years since they'd been on a proper holiday. The accounting practice was always busy and her dad was a workaholic.
"Didn't you say you'll be tagg
ing along with us during the week, anyway?" Helen asked. "While it's the weekend, you should spend time with Adam."
Sam felt herself go pink. So her parents were thinking about her and Adam. She glanced at him and he grinned at her. Her lips tugged up into an answering smile.
"Don't forget that we're having dinner tomorrow night at Trey and Kris's," she reminded her parents.
"You kids really shouldn't go out of your way for us," Ted said.
"It's not going out of our way, Dad. Kris wants to spend time with you guys, too. Then next week, we're all having a get-together at Kane and Jasmine's before we go home."
Helen sighed. "Yes, we miss those girls. They're like sisters to you. I'm glad they'll be around when you move here. And Adam too, of course."
"So, Adam, tell me about yourself," Ted said.
Ah, the interrogation had begun. Sam settled herself on her seat and listened to Adam's answers. She wasn't surprised that her dad seemed to be getting more and more impressed with Adam. He really was a genuinely nice, caring, responsible guy. And the way he'd been acting like her real boyfriend—giving her tender smiles, holding her hand when they walked, calling her 'baby' and 'sweetheart'… Ahhh. If only this were real.
*******
"Trey and I really meant it when we said you could stay with us here, Aunt Helen," Kris said as she set the table while Sam plated up her dishes. "You'll miss out on your daughter's cooking for a week."
"We know, darling. But we're fine at the hotel," Helen answered. "If we're here we'll limit your movements—and Sam's."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked as she placed the dishes she'd cooked on the dining table.
Helen gave Sam a knowing look. "I know you said Kris and Trey invited you to stay here and you've accepted. But don't think we don't know where you're really sleeping this week."
Sam's jaw dropped while Kris laughed out loud.
"Oh, Aunt Helen, Sam can't hide anything from you, can she?" Kris teased.
Helen smiled. "I don't know why she even wants to hide the fact that she's staying with Adam. We don't mind. We understand they'd want to be spending as much time together as they can. In fact, I would be worried if they didn't want to be together this week. If they weren't missing each other a lot, then what's the point of Sam moving to Sydney?"
"You do talk quite loudly sometimes, dear," Ted said, walking into the dining room with Adam and Trey.
Sam was sure she went beet red as she realised the men had heard the conversation. She worried Adam might feel too pressured about this whole charade—until she saw he was trying to stifle a grin.
"Ah, we're busted, sweet," he said to her with another one of those cheeky winks that never failed to put a smile on her face.
She didn't know what to say, so she just sighed loudly.
"How far is your place from here, Adam?" Ted asked as they settled on their seats.
"About ten to fifteen minutes, depending on the traffic."
"You work from home, too?"
"Yes. Trey, Dylan and I—and all our staff—work from home. We meet with clients at hotel conference rooms or serviced offices when we need to see them in person. And we take our employees out to an afternoon of group bonding over lunch and drinks every couple of months. Fortunately, this setup works well for what we do."
"Amazing. I don't know how you guys do it. If I worked from home, I don't think I'd get anything done. Although I can see how it could work. Trey's home office setup here is really good."
"We should have dinner at my place sometime this week," Adam offered.
Sam whipped her head at him in surprise. That wasn't necessary. It would just entrench them deeper into the fake story they'd created.
"What do you think, baby?" Adam asked her, putting his hand on her thigh.
"Um, aren't you busy this week?" she asked, flustered. Her head said 'no' but everything else about her was saying 'yes', especially when the tips of his fingers were caressing her bare skin, right below where her skirt had ridden up.
"Adam cleared his schedule for you," Trey said, his eyes twinkling. "In fact, he worked all hours last week just so he could have some free time this week."
"Yeah," Kris said, her expression deadpan. "He even got annoyed when we tried to get him to slow down."
"Oh, isn't that sweet?" Helen said, smiling fondly at Adam.
Great. Now even Trey and Kris were getting in on the act. Oh, but she had to admit, she was having fun with this role play. The problem was, it was becoming too fun. Much too fun.
"Which evening do you have in mind?" she asked Adam.
"Oh, any time, except for Wednesday night. I might be late finishing off my meeting with Kane."
"For the new house?" Trey asked.
"Yes," Adam answered. "Kane's designing a house for me," he explained to Sam's parents.
"A house?"
"Yes. I bought this property a few months back. The house was old and, fortunately, wasn't heritage listed. We're doing a complete knockdown-and-rebuild."
"You'll be living in it when it's done?"
"My original intention was to renovate then sell for profit, but I've changed my mind since. I really love Kane's house. You'll know what I mean when you see it next weekend. I said to myself that if Kane would be available to do the architectural work for me, then I'd have him design a house that I'd love to keep. Fortunately, he's doing me a favour and took on this job even though they're fully booked."
"Oh, great!" Helen said. "Jasmine did tell us how much she loves her home. I can't wait to see it."
"You'd love their kitchen, Mum," Sam said. "It's the best kitchen I've ever cooked in."
"Actually, Sam, can you be there with me on Wednesday for the meeting?" Adam asked. "I asked Kane to make the kitchen similar to his but he said there would have to be some amendments because of some issues. I'd like to know what you think."
"Sure," she said readily, touched and flattered that Adam would want her input on something that was special to him.
"I want a kitchen that's better than his," Adam declared. "I'm counting on you, Miss Chef Extraordinaire."
"Okay," she said with a laugh. "It'll be hard to top. But having cooked at their place a few times, I can think of a couple of things that would make yours dreamier than his."
"Good," he said with a wide grin.
Sam noticed her parents watching them with contented smiles. Oh no. She crossed her fingers that this whole charade wouldn't hurt anyone when it was time to end it.
"So, Sam, since we're all here, why don't we discuss your move?" Ted said.
"We can discuss that when we get your test results, Dad."
"Humour me. Pretend the results are good—which I'm pretty sure they'll be."
Sam took a deep breath and acquiesced. "Well, as soon as we find a new manager to replace me, and once that person had settled in the job, then I'd be ready to move. I do hope it can happen within a month and a half, though. I know of a catering company here who's looking for someone to fill in for one of the employees who's going on maternity leave. I think it'll be great if I could work with them. That'll give me an idea of what it's really like to run a busy catering business—and if I have what it takes to start one up."
"Have you been in touch with the lady who owns it?" Kris asked.
"Not yet. I want to be sure I'll definitely be available before I even apply for the position."
"You really want to go into the food business, Samantha?" Ted asked quietly.
"Yes, Dad," she answered with conviction.
"Where do you plan to live when you move here?"
For whatever reason she couldn't comprehend, her gaze flew to Adam.
"Okay, so you guys will be living together," Ted assumed. "Do you promise to look after my daughter, Adam?"
"Of course, Ted," Adam replied, seemingly startled by the question.
"Don't worry, Uncle Ted," Kris said. "If, knock on wood, it didn't work out for Adam and Sam, I'll still be here for her."
Sam smiled gratefully at her cousin.
Ted looked at Helen. "Well, dear. Are you ready for your daughter to leave us?"
Helen's eyes watered although she smiled serenely. "As long as she's happy, Ted. That's all I care about."
"If Dad's results aren't good, I'm not moving," Sam declared, wrestling with her emotions.
"No, honey," Ted said softly. "If you do that, you'll make me feel bad. That will just stress me out even more and if I'm not well, then stress isn't good for me. Whatever the results of the tests are, we don't want you to hold back on what you want to do with your life. You think too much of us, Samantha. It's about time you think of yourself. That will make us happy."
Sam inhaled deeply, trying desperately to stop herself from crying.
"And I must say, I'm really happy we've met you, Adam. I think you'll be good for our Sammy," Ted added.
"Thanks, Ted," Adam murmured.
A tear fell down Sam's face. Gosh, she didn't like all this lying to her parents. "Excuse me," she said, as she stood up to leave the table.
She walked to the living room and stared unseeingly out the window, taking in deep breaths to compose herself. A myriad of emotions were swirling within her: sadness, relief, fear, excitement, guilt, hope, and a couple of others she couldn't put a finger on.
"Hey," a concerned voice from behind her said. "Are you okay?"
She turned to face Adam. "Yeah, thanks. I was just… overwhelmed."
Adam nodded, smiling his understanding.
"I'm sorry this is turning out to be more than you bargained for," she said, sniffling.
"Don't be sorry. I think you've put your parents at ease about your move. As long as they don't learn this is all an act, it won't hurt them," he said softly.
Sam covered her face with her hands to hide her emotions from Adam. With everything she was feeling, one came roaring to the surface unexpectedly—sheer disappointment that their relationship was a sham.
"Hey, it's okay," he whispered, putting his arms around her.
Secret Tastes (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 4) Page 3