“No, it’s your money coming out of your accounts. I told you I don’t want your money and I meant it. If I take from you now, it’s only a matter of time before you’re wondering why I’m really with you. It’s the first thing you assumed when you thought I was with Dylan.”
He sat up, bumping her head off his shoulder. “Things have changed. We can’t live in this cottage forever, Sam. If you don’t like my house, we’ll get something else, but I’m not going to spend the rest of our lives in this shack to prove a point.”
Sam arched back, using the sheet to cover her bare chest. “I wasn’t trying to prove anything. I thought this place meant something to both of us. I’m sorry if I’m lowering you by making you live here.”
Hurt radiated from her. The cottage did mean a lot to him. “That’s not what I meant. I hate when you act like the fact I have money is a bad thing. I may have started with more than most people but I’ve worked hard. I like turning around failing businesses. It’s a bonus that I can make a living off of it.”
“I never said you didn’t work hard. I know you do.” She let go of the sheet with one hand and leaned into him. “I want to be an equal partner. I don’t want to feel like I don’t measure up or contribute equally.”
Lee drew her back down on his chest. “Just wait. Once you’ve spent a few days moving furniture, cleaning, painting, and then moving everything back in, you’re going to wish you weren’t contributing so much. We’re equals, Sam. We’ll be equally tired and sore by the end of this.”
“I’m good with a paint brush.” Her hands slid down and landed just above the sheet on his abdomen. “Actually, I’m good with my hands, in general.”
He covered her circling fingers before they could go any lower. “You need to know something. The bar is important to me on many levels but if it ever comes between us, I will always choose you. This—” He put a hand to her beating heart. “—will always be my priority. I took a long time trying to find where I belong. I know it’s more than just about what I own or where I live.”
Sam propped herself up on her elbows and smiled before dropping down to kiss him. This time he didn’t stop her hands from roaming over his body. For the first time that night, he didn’t curse the lumpy mattress, he didn’t think about it at all.
****
She pushed through the burning in her right shoulder to roll another stroke of white paint. She’d been painting for three hours now and looking at the bar, the crisp white and blue walls were signs of major progress. It made the pain worth it.
Lee was on the opposite side of the room. His khaki cargo shorts were covered with white paint but he seemed to be working at warp speed. What took her three hours to paint, he’d done in one. All the while, he directed employees and took phone calls from contractors and vendors. He was amazing. From the little things to the big ones, he managed them all with a calm voice and an endless supply of energy.
Together they had mapped out exactly what they wanted for Ray’s new look but it was Lee who sold it all to Maria. His enthusiasm and optimism for the place was contagious, and it carried them through the first day of cleaning and stripping the bar of every bit of its bar atmosphere.
She’d worried that he’d pass the hard work on to others, throwing his money around to get the job done. Instead, he’d worked tirelessly beside their employees and friends. Even Jake had helped, to the delight of all of their female staff. She had to give him credit, he hadn’t let any of the flirting slow him down. He’d been just as driven as Lee to get the place ready for the reopening.
Joanna, on the other hand, was avoiding Jake. Sam was just as happy to stay away from him. His insistence on getting her to sign some kind of financial agreement still irked her. She quickly turned away from watching him as he headed toward them, a large bucket of white paint in hand. “How are things going over here?”
Joanna kept painting while Sam took the opportunity to put her roller down and stretch her back. “Good.”
“Why don’t you take a break and I’ll take over here?”
Joanna stiffened but she didn’t stop painting. Sam gave her one last look before nodding. She could use a few minutes with Lee. “Thanks.”
She found Lee on a ladder. He threw his whole body into painting. She watched the flex of his forearms and the muscles in his legs for a few minutes before he acknowledged her. “Like the view?”
“Absolutely.”
He stepped down and dropped the roller in the pan. “How are you holding up? You haven’t taken a break.”
“I’m good. Just anxious to get it finished.”
“You need to eat something, Sam. You haven’t had anything since we left the cottage this morning.” He pointed to the spread of food they had ordered from a local diner.
“I’m fine. Let me finish the wall and I’ll eat.” She smiled and went to turn away. He caught her before she had even made a step. He pulled her back into him.
His mouth was just an inch away from her ear, his arms around her middle. “It’s break time.”
Images of the break she really wanted filtered through her mind. Sneaking away to have a quickie wasn’t even possible but that didn’t stop her from imagining his hands spinning her around, his lips kissing hers.
He let his lips linger near her ear before dropping a kiss on her neck and letting her go. He patted her on the butt and gestured to the table. “Jake’ll take care of the wall.”
“You’re one to talk. You’ve been juggling at least two things at a time and I didn’t see you eat anything. Anyway, I don’t want anyone to think I’m slacking.”
“I had a bagel for lunch while you were painting the ladies room. Sit down and eat.”
“You’re bossy.”
“Yep, I am. So listen to me.”
Her stomach rumbled. If she couldn’t have Lee, at least she could have something to eat. “I’m only eating because I’m hungry.”
He smirked. “Good.”
“And anyway I can handle a few days of hard work.”
Joanna came stomping over. “I need a break.” She pointed her finger at Lee. “Why don’t you help Lawyer Boy over there?”
Lee gave her one last look before turning to Joanna. “Make sure she eats.” He walked off after pointing at the food one last time.
“Your brother is a pain in the butt.”
“Don’t I know it? Why is Jake here? Doesn’t he have something else to do besides flirting with every woman here?”
“What happened between you two? Lee said you used to be friends.”
Joanna looked up from the cuticle she’d been pulling on and nodded. “He’s an arrogant jerk who thinks he knows everything. I don’t need that in my life.” She looked at Jake now, anger and hurt etched across her face.
There was the anguish she went through after leaving Lee, wondering what she had done wrong, how she could have prevented it all from happening. Joanna had the double hurt of having to deal with the public embarrassment. Jake was the unwilling victim in this mess. “Sorry. I know how much it hurts. Maybe Jake needs an opportunity to make it up to you.”
“Maybe Jake wasn’t the one to cheat on you. Maybe Jake has apologized several times for someone else’s mistakes.”
He stood behind them, his eyes focused on Joanna. Sam turned back to find Jo with her eyes narrowed on him.
“Maybe I expected more from Jake. Maybe apologies are worthless when the person clearly doesn’t mean them.” Joanna jumped up and walked away.
Sam spread a layer of cream cheese on a bagel and took a bite. She had no interest in getting involved in whatever gripe they had with each other.
Of course, Jake didn’t take the hint.
“Joanna doesn’t want to listen to me, but I hope you will. I’m sorry if my advice to Lee hurt you. I have to look out for his interests. It’s my job, not only because he pays me, but because he’s a good friend. I wouldn’t be a friend if I wasn’t honest and call them as I see them.”
“An
d you see me as a gold digger.” It wasn’t a question. She’d been there, heard most of what he said and had no illusions on what he saw her as.
“No, not necessarily, but I do see that you have more power in this relationship than I’d be comfortable with.”
She couldn’t imagine how he could think she had the upper hand when it came to Lee. He had her heart and her trust, and she had no intention of taking his money. Instead of sitting and continuing to discuss her relationship with a stranger, Sam stuffed the rest of the bagel in her mouth and excused herself. She needed a paintbrush. All the angst in the world wasn’t going to get the bar ready.
Chapter Fifteen
The word exhaustion didn’t fully describe the way Sam looked. White paint flakes hid in her hair. A few bandages covered cuts from her clumsy attempts at hanging barn board around the room. But she didn’t stop. While their staff worked hard, there were plenty of breaks, some flirting, and endless chatter about the goings on about town. Meanwhile Sam kept moving. She didn’t talk much. It was as if she needed to contribute as much manpower into this project as possible.
At first, he worked beside her, enjoying the feeling of working toward the same goal together. Now he just worried about her. Thankfully, they were finished with the bulk of the work. The dining room was ready for the new tables and chairs, which would be delivered today. New plates were getting cleaned back in the kitchen, and Maria was planning on spending the afternoon setting up. In two days, they’d be reopening the newly titled Ray’s Seafood Shack, and hopefully he and Sam would be able to get back to working on their happily ever after.
“Why are you looking at me that way?” She pulled her hair back and threw it up into a ponytail while eyeing him.
“Just thinking that maybe we’ll be able to have a honeymoon sometime in the next year.”
She laughed and turned back to staring at the wall. She’d been doing this for the last ten minutes, making sure every one of their newly purchased seashore prints were hung perfectly.
“Maybe for our ten year anniversary. My father never went on vacations. My first trip away from Oldport was with friends to go camping in New Hampshire when I was twelve.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back to him. “We’ll make it happen and it won’t be camping. I want to see you lounging on a beach in a two-piece, not a paintbrush or a dishrag in sight. Just you, me, sun, sand, and water. Bikini optional.”
“Sounds nice. I’ll be dreaming of that when I sit down with Michelle this afternoon.”
“You’re meeting with your sister?”
Sam pushed out of his arms to adjust one of the lighthouse prints. “She called to see if I could meet her for a late lunch. I’m guessing there’s an offer on the house and I need to sign off on it.”
“Are you sure you’re going to want to meet my family after that?” He had finally settled on a time and place to introduce Sam to the rest of the Stone women. Tonight was his sister’s anniversary dinner and while he wasn’t hiding Sam, he wasn’t exactly excited for the fallout that would come after tonight’s introductions.
“Having second thoughts about bringing me?”
He shrugged and pulled a bar stool out to sit on. “No, it’s not that. It’s just I know how things have gone in the past with your sister. I want you to be ready for my family.”
“You know you’re starting to scare me. Are they going to eat me?” She smiled, but there was genuine concern behind her eyes.
No, they wouldn’t eat her but he had no doubt his mother and sisters would find a way to show their disapproval. It was the reason he chose an affair that included forty of his sister’s closest friends. It was the best way of ensuring that Sam wouldn’t be flayed alive by their disapproval. “You’ll do fine. But if you want to cancel, I’m okay with that. You’ve got a lot going on. We don’t have to do this right now.”
Sam opened her mouth but closed it when the door opened behind them. Joanna walked in with a couple of the line cooks Maria had hired on.
Joanna wore a bright smile as she spun around and eyed the dining room. “It’s beautiful. I can’t believe how much of a transformation this place has undergone. You should both be so proud of what you’ve accomplished in just a few days.”
She gave Sam a small hug before coming to him. He loved the look of accomplishment on her face. It made everything—the work, the money—worth it.
“Sam and I are taking the afternoon off. I’ve booked us for manicures and pedicures before Janice’s party. You can handle everything here.”
Sam shook her head. “Oh, I couldn’t. I have to take time off for lunch with my sister. I don’t think it would be right for me to miss the rest of the day.”
His sister widened her eyes at him. Clearly letting him know that he had to step in and push Sam. “No, I agree with Joanna. You should go. You’ll need the time anyway to get the paint out of your hair.”
Sam reached up to pat her head. “It’s bad?”
“No, but I can get you in with my stylist, too. She’ll be able to get that out and have you looking perfect for tonight.” Joanna winked at him before turning back to Sam. “Let’s say two o’clock. Will that give you enough time to settle things with your sister and get to town?”
Before Sam could throw out an excuse about not having a car, he interjected. “You can have the Jeep. I’m here for the rest of the day and Jake will be here soon. I can always grab his truck if anything pops up. He can give me a ride to the house to change and you two can meet me there. We’ll ride over to the party together.”
She bit her lip and he was ready to insist when she smiled at Joanna. “Okay. It sounds like fun. I haven’t had my hair cut since I moved back.”
“So it’s a deal. One afternoon of pampering followed by an evening of stiff drinks and your introduction to the Stone clan.”
Sam looked less than certain about the plan but he was relieved when she nodded and went back to straightening the already leveled prints.
****
Driving off felt like she was running away from everything left to be done. She felt guilty leaving Lee to handle the rest of the work, but it was a relief to get away from the bar. It seemed like every waking moment had been filled with it. Even when she fell exhausted into bed, her thoughts were on the business and if the changes they made would be for the best. Lee was her touchstone though. He took away her need to analyze everything.
The parking lot of her sister’s salon was empty. A closed for lunch sign hung on the glass door. The brown paper bag crinkled in her hand as the bell overhead rung when she opened the door.
Michelle sat behind a tall reception desk in the front of the salon. She looked wary, uneasy, and Sam held her breath, waiting for the next hit. The one moment she’d been waiting for as the last few weeks passed by without drama.
The look on her sister’s face cleared and she smiled. “You’re on time. Good. I only have thirty minutes before my next client.”
“I brought some sandwiches so we wouldn’t have to worry about ordering out. We’ve been getting lunches catered from the diner. Hope you still like Reubens.”
“Sure. You can put that down in the break room.” She pointed to a door in the back but went to the front door to turn the dead bolt before following Sam.
Michelle’s demeanor, the deliberate way she spoke, only put her further on guard. “You’re making me nervous. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. We have a few things to talk about and I don’t want to wait any longer.” Michelle sat on a vinyl chair and gestured for Sam to take the one across from her. “The first issue is the house. We finally have an offer. It’s not great but it’s the only one we’ve received so far. It will just about cover the mortgages and outstanding tax bill. There won’t be anything left over.”
“Okay. I’ll go along with whatever you think. You know better than I do how the Oldport real estate market is and what the house is worth.” Sam dropped down into the seat.
“Well, that wasn’t so bad. I thought you were going to have some really bad news.” She reached for the bag and started pulling out sandwiches and fries.
“There’s more, Sam. We have to sell the cottage.”
Her hand froze in the process of unwrapping their lunches. “What do you mean? Why?”
“I need my share. The land is worth a lot of money. The same Realtor we used for the house checked it out, and he knows of someone interested in buying waterfront property. They’ve already made an offer I don’t want to refuse.”
“But I don’t want to sell.”
“I need the money, Sam. I’m sure Lee has plenty but I don’t. You don’t have to worry about paying a mortgage on a house or a business. I do. People cut out the nonessentials in this kind of economy. My customers used to come in every six weeks. Now I’m lucky if they come in every six months. You have to understand. This is all I have.”
“How much money are we talking about? I have some left in savings. We can come up with a compromise, can’t we? I mean, the bar should be earning soon and once we’ve paid off the bills from the renovations, I should be earning a steady pay.” I hope. She stumbled for an alternative. She couldn’t lose the cottage. It was memories of her father and Lee all wrapped in four walls with a water view.
“More than you could possibly have in savings. I’m sure your husband could come up with enough to pay my share but otherwise, we need to sell. We have a week to think about the deal. Please don’t draw this out.”
“What about the money from your half of the bar? Wasn’t that enough to help with your bills?”
Her sister’s hazel eyes narrowed on her. “I don’t know what you think I received, but it wasn’t enough to get out from the hole I’m in. Before Daddy died, I thought I was going to have to move back in with him. I’ve already let go of two of the girls here. That leaves me and my nail tech. I’m doing everything I can.”
Sam nodded, all the while her mind searching for an answer. She wouldn’t ask Lee. She just couldn’t. “There has to be some other way.”
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