“I’m sorry, Sam. I’ve tried. I need that money and I can’t find another way out.”
A pit opened in her stomach and she stood. She had to get away. “Let me know when the papers are ready and I’ll sign them.”
“You’re not going to talk it over with Lee?”
“No. I don’t think it would be right.” She wasn’t going to have Lee fix any more of her problems. If her sister was struggling, she would be the one to help. Even if that meant selling the cottage.
Michelle dropped her head into her hands. When she looked up again, Sam was surprised to see the tracks of tears sliding down her sister’s face. “Thank you. I didn’t want to fight with you. I’m just so relieved.”
Sam tried to force a smile and gave her sister’s shoulder a pat. “Call me.”
“Wait. There’s more. I can’t let you go until you know everything.”
Her heart stopped. Not the bar. She couldn’t take losing that too. “Ray’s?”
“No, the bar’s yours.” Michelle looked away while her fingers tapped on the little card table. “I’ve been trying to find the right words to say this to you. The right way.” The tears hadn’t stopped rolling down her cheeks and she swallowed a few times before she continued. “I’m sorry about what I did to you and Lee. I didn’t realize how serious things were and I only wanted you to have a chance to get out of Oldport.”
“Why?”
“Because you deserved more than the life Mom and Dad had. Because I thought I knew better than Dad about what was best for you. He just wanted to keep you here forever. It was selfish and wrong. Didn’t you ever wonder why he favored you so much? Why he wanted you to take over the bar and not me?”
Sam clenched her hands around the back of the chair in front of her and shook her head. Still reeling from the loss of the cottage, she couldn’t focus on the meaning behind Michelle’s words. She couldn’t follow where the conversation was headed.
“I was born a year before Mom and Dad married.”
“Okay. That’s…weird.” She tapped her fingers on the chair. “Are you sure?”
“Positive. There’s more. Dad wasn’t my biological father.”
Sam closed her eyes and shook her head. None of this could be true. “You’ve lost me. Of course Dad was your father.”
Michelle’s earrings shimmered as she shook her head. “That’s why he wanted you to run the bar. You were his real daughter. You couldn’t see it but I did. You shared his blood. It wasn’t that he didn’t love me. He did. He just loved you more.”
“You’re wrong. Look at us. Everyone says how much we look alike and Dad wanted you to take over the bar. You’re the one that chose to become a stylist. How could you think this?”
“Because he told me. He wanted me to know that my father, my biological father, had died and left me a little money. That’s how I started the salon.”
Sam felt the breath whoosh out of her lungs. She pulled the chair out and flopped back down into it. All of the pieces of her childhood began to fall together, especially the odds her father and sister had always seemed to be at. “This is all too much.” She looked Michelle over. There was no doubt she was telling the truth. “How old were you when you found out?”
“Over eighteen. Mom had passed away. Dad was spending so much time at the bar, I had taken over running the house and caring for you. I didn’t want to leave you. So I stayed and became angrier and angrier as he heaped more and more responsibility on my shoulders.”
“I don’t remember this. You were always a great sister.”
“You were so young, and if I left, you would have been all alone. I couldn’t do it. But later, I started resenting you. Everything came easy to you. You could do no wrong in Daddy’s eyes and I was just the daughter he didn’t want.”
“No. I don’t know what happened all those years ago, but I know that Dad saw you as his daughter. He was so proud of your accomplishments. Every phone call involved some bragging about this place and what you made of it. He did love you. I know it.” She willed Michelle to believe her.
“I know he cared, Sam, but it wasn’t the same way he felt about you.”
She reached out for Michelle’s hand and squeezed. A small beep from her bag had her letting go to reach for her phone. Joanna. Texting her the time of their appointment at the salon. If she didn’t leave now, she’d be late. She gave little thought to the situation before she replied. She wouldn’t be meeting Joanna or Lee’s family that night. Her sister needed her.
****
Joanna sat quietly beside him as he drove her convertible up the shore road to The Bluffs. Sam had canceled their girl time at the salon and then promptly called him to get out of going to the party. She sounded preoccupied and her only excuse was that she needed more time with her sister. Alarms had gone off when she told him that she’d meet him back at his house later. No mention of the cottage or any explanation for her change of mind about staying at his place.
Unless she didn’t plan to stay with him. He pushed the thought away. Things were perfect between them. He should have expected her to cancel once she was forced to deal with any of Michelle’s drama.
They pulled up to the valet stand. Joanna’s door opened and he was about to tell her that he’d be back after checking on Sam when another car blocked him in from behind. Instead of making a big deal and drawing attention to himself, he got out. He’d make a quick appearance and then slip out early before dinner.
His plan changed as soon as Joanna stiffened beside him. Lee recognized her ex-fiancé’s smiling face as soon as they stepped under the tent. Joanna clung to his arm, a smile pasted on her face, but her fingers kept him from moving a step away. “Why is he here?”
“I’m assuming Mom or Janice invited him. Do you want me to uninvite him? I’m sure I could find a creative way to do it.” He stopped from walking toward Pat when Joanna squeezed his arm tighter.
“Absolutely not. Every eye is on me and how I’m reacting to seeing him here. If you go over and rearrange his face, it will only cause a problem. I knew I should have brought a date.”
“What’s wrong with bringing your brother?”
“Nothing. Man, this would have been so much better with Sam here. She could have taken some of the focus off of me and that jerk.”
“You’re shaping up to be a great sister-in-law.” He nudged her with his elbow, trying to get a smile out of her.
She finally let go of his arm. “I’m going to find Mom. I’ll be back in five minutes. Do not leave this spot. I don’t want to have to go searching for you.”
He wanted to leave but with Joanna looking at him like that, he couldn’t desert her. “I’ll be here, but I don’t want to stay much longer. I need to make sure Sam’s okay.”
“Deal.”
He watched her progress until he could no longer see her from his place under the tent. He looked down when another arm slid its way through his. For one brief moment, he thought it was Sam, joining them unexpectedly. A look at the bright red fingernails and he doused the thought. Melissa.
“Why haven’t you called me back? You said you’d still help me out.” She kept a bright smile on her face as she spit out the words between her perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth.
“I’ve been busy with work. What’s wrong?”
“I can’t be seen here alone.” Her usually smooth voice came off choppy.
He looked her over again. Her makeup didn’t quite cover up the dark circles under her eyes, while her complexion was pale and tight. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just smile a lot and look like you adore me.”
“You can at least tell me who I’m performing for. Your parents?”
Her laugh was off but she smiled back at him, as she whispered. “They probably don’t even know I’m here. I can’t tell you. Just make everyone think you’re madly in love with me and we’re good.”
He looked at his watch. They’d already been there half an hour and he wanted
out but he could do this one thing for her. She’d done the same thing for him unwittingly for the last two years, he could do it for the next half hour. “Okay but I have to leave early. You can leave with us or be on your own then.”
“Fine.” Her fingers wrapped around him tighter as she stood on tiptoe and placed a kiss on his lips.
It was such a quick move, he’d been completely unprepared for it. He immediately reached up to wipe whatever lipstick she may have left behind off his lips. His fingers were still there when he saw Joanna walking toward them. But it was the two people beside her that had his heart sinking.
His mother looked from him to Melissa with a slight smile on her face. Sam was beside her, her gait stiff, her face hard. Her eyes were shuttered and he knew she had just seen the innocent kiss and gotten the wrong idea.
“Sam—”
“Lee,” Joanna spoke over him. “Look who surprised us. I knew Sam wouldn’t disappoint. Mother found me in the house when she caught Sam walking in.”
He tried to step forward but Melissa’s arm held him back. He looked down to see a quiet plea in her eyes. He was trapped. He couldn’t introduce Sam as his wife to his family when he had just been seen with Melissa but he couldn’t play this game anymore either.
“Mother, you’ve met Samantha…” he hesitated just long enough for Sam to fill in the rest.
“Pierce.” Her voice was strong and sure and she gave him one last look before she shook his mother’s hand. “I’m sorry to crash your party. Joanna had insisted I come. I was held up or I would have come sooner.”
His mother was ready to move on to the next group. She let go of Sam’s hand and welcomed her before flitting off to her friends.
“This isn’t how it looks.” He tried to make Sam understand.
Joanna cut him off. “You’re a dumbass. I can’t believe you would embarrass her like this.”
His eyes were only for Sam. He knew she was hurt, could see it in the way she held her shoulders rigid, like she was prepared for another hit.
“Sorry I intruded. I was able to get myself together in time after all. I guess I should have called.” Her little laugh fell flat.
Something dropped from her hand and she stooped quickly to pick it up but not before all four of them noticed it. The large platinum wedding band was hard to miss in the dark green grass.
Melissa gasped. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Like being pregnant isn’t enough. Now I have to deal with this.”
He didn’t think it was possible for Sam to get any paler. She turned and walked away. Joanna gave him one last angry glance before following her.
“I needed you to keep him off my back for a little longer. Was that really too much to ask?” Melissa hissed the words between her lips.
“I don’t know who him is and I have no idea what kind of mess you’re in. I’m sorry but I have to go. You can figure something else out.” He slipped her hand off his arm and went after his sister and Sam.
Chapter Sixteen
Oh, God. This couldn’t be happening. Sam’s heart pounded in her chest. She tried to keep her steps slow and her eyes up. She was not going to cry. This had been a colossal mistake. She should have gone with her first instinct and canceled.
The afternoon in the salon had given her an opportunity to start over with her sister. They had talked about everything in between client appointments, including Sam’s marriage to Lee and his family. Somehow she found herself in the chair, getting a cut, highlights, and a manicure. Michelle had insisted on Sam getting the full menu of services when she’d heard she’d canceled on Lee. After all, Michelle insisted, Sam was accomplishing nothing by pushing it off.
For days now she’d been carrying the wedding ring in her pocket. She wanted to surprise him with it, place it on his finger, before she met his mother, and finally claim him as hers. It didn’t work out exactly as she’d planned.
They’d stepped out from around the Stone’s beach house and the view took her breath away. She had been nervous as hell driving up to the mansion. How many times had she seen this place from the water and wondered what it would be like to live there? It drove home how much money Lee came from when she realized this was only a vacation home for them. She had lived on the edges of this lifestyle for the last two years and yet it still surprised her how posh and polished the party was. She questioned whether she belonged there at all.
And that was before she saw the brunette on Lee’s arm. The possessive way Melissa held him to her set her back up. Then she leaned up and kissed him. He didn’t pull away. He didn’t move at all except to attempt to wipe some of her deep red lipstick off his lips. He didn’t get it all.
His mother had noticed her as soon as she stepped foot into the house and had remembered her from the event at the country club. As Lee’s partner and Joanna’s friend, she had been escorted to Joanna’s side. She wasn’t sure why Mrs. Stone followed them to Lee but she knew the woman was satisfied at seeing Melissa and Lee together. As she said, she knew exactly where to find her son. Right beside his fiancée.
Nausea built in her stomach as she remembered the look on his face. Guilt and bewilderment. He had no idea how to handle his wife and his supposed fiancée with his mother looking on.
A secret, a long held secret was all she was.
“Sam, hold up. Let me get my keys from the valet and I’ll get us out of here.” Joanna’s hand landed briefly on her forearm before she turned to the valet station.
Sam looked back quickly to make sure Lee wasn’t behind her. Again she found herself questioning every moment they’d been together, every touch, every kiss, every word.
“Let’s go.” Joanna called out to her before getting into the little red convertible.
Sam wasted no time crossing the pebble-lined drive and getting in on the passenger side.
“Where do you want to go?”
“Just away.” She closed her eyes as Joanna revved the engine so she didn’t see Lee as he reached the driveway. She only heard him call her name as they sped off.
“I’m sure he has a reasonable explanation for what just happened. He wouldn’t do that. I know he wouldn’t. He’s absolutely crazy about you. Melissa isn’t pregnant. It was just a desperate move for attention.” Her words ran together.
Sam swallowed but the lump in her throat didn’t move. “He didn’t tell her, Joanna. I’ve been carrying that ring in my pocket for days, waiting for the right moment. I thought it would be like a new start to everything. I wanted meeting your mother to be perfect and this is how it happens.” She slipped the band meant for Lee on to her thumb. She’d left her bag in his Jeep. She’d have to get it. Later. Much later.
They followed the shore road back to town. Sam held her breath until they passed Lee’s house. They went further south, passing the bar and the cottage. She let Joanna drive until she pulled off on to a patch of sand.
They sat in silence, each lost in their thoughts, watching the tide come in for a few minutes before Sam finally spoke. “I’m sorry I missed our girl time at the salon. My sister had some family secrets to share.” She laughed now because she needed to. Today was one of those days you needed to go through to understand. So many ups and downs and she was too exhausted to handle it all.
Joanna turned away from the shore. “What kind of family secrets? As in, Luke, I am your father?”
“Kind of.”
“So Ray wasn’t your father?” Joanna leaned toward her.
“No, he’s mine but not my sister’s biological father. It’s weird. Really doesn’t affect me directly and yet I’m stunned.” But that wasn’t what was bothering her now. “Why is Lee embarrassed of me? Why am I a secret? If there was nothing going on between him and Melissa, why did she have her lips locked with his?” She fisted her hands and pushed down into the leather seat. “Dylan was proud to introduce me to his family and friends. Where I grew up was never an issue. Why is it one for your brother?”
“It isn’t. I don’t know what ha
ppened today. He loves you, Sam. I’m sure it was some kind of accident. Melissa is a viper. Trust me, she was playing lead on that scene we witnessed.”
“It doesn’t matter. Everything is ruined. How would it look when he finally got around to telling your mother that I’ve been his wife all along?”
Joanna patted her arm. “It doesn’t matter what she thinks. It’s about the two of you. Please don’t jump to any conclusions before you talk to him.”
“I can’t think any more today. Can you give me a ride back to the cottage? I have to pack.”
“Sam, no.”
“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.” The word yet hung in the air.
Joanna looked her over once more, her brow crinkled in concern, before she started the car up again.
****
The convertible kicked up dust as it passed him by. Sam didn’t even look back. He watched them drive off and then ran to the valet to get his Jeep. It took them four minutes too long. By the time he was on the road, Joanna was long gone.
He went to the cottage first. He used the side of his fist to bang on the door, assuming Sam was inside and refusing to open, before he remembered the key hidden under a pile of shells by the side of the door. Sam wasn’t there.
The bar was next. The smell of fresh paint surrounded him when he opened the door. Just this afternoon, he had walked every crevice of the new dining room. He was proud of the changes they’d made together, the way Sam envisioned things and made them happen. He loved how tirelessly she worked until everything was exactly how she wanted.
The major plan may have been his, but it was Sam that made the little decisions with the biggest impact. She chose the new tables and chairs, the plates and silverware and the new prints she meticulously hung on the walls. It was Sam who decided every touch should be about Oldport, from photos of the old bridge to the yacht club sign they bought from an antique store. She had a gift and he had already wondered what she could do in his other businesses.
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