by Marti Shane
Today wasn’t the first holiday since Gram had passed, it was the day staring back at her through the framed glass. She’d bottled it up, tucked it somewhere down deep because she was the only one left behind. She couldn’t break free of her last month with Gram, while everyone else moved on.
Gram lost her fight, which people now called a win. The minister spoke of how she joined eternal peace, but Sam was left holding the bag. They went through this together. People stop visiting after a while, and what’s important in life becomes a very short list. Staring at the ten faces in front of her, she realized her list had taken seed. She was healing.
“I’ve got some food for you to take to Nick,” Mary informed her when she came downstairs. They were still in the kitchen, the guys watching some video on Jake’s phone.
“I’m on the bike,” she explained. Hauling casseroles wasn’t going to work out.
“No, you’re not,” Jake said. “It’s a Holiday. Too much traffic.”
“Whatever.”
“I put it in these little containers.” Mary produced a small square resembling a lunch box, but smaller. The woman thought of everything. “It should slip right into your backpack.”
“Sam, take the truck,” Jake insisted.
“I’m taking the bike.” She stood her ground, despite his stare. His phone interrupted them, the annoying “it’s going, it’s going, it’s gone!” alerting her it was Otis.
“Will Sam let you come out and play?” Jake read aloud.
“I’m going!” Jax all but bounced on his feet.
“No one’s going anywhere.” Mary put her hands on her hips. “Tell him he can come here. You need to put that monstrosity in the back yard to use.” Sam checked the time. Otis usually did the soup kitchen during the day and sometimes she and Nick would hang with him at night. He probably texted her first, but she hadn’t checked her phone.
“Do you think he would?” Jake looked to Sam.
“You’re old enough to set up your own play dates.” She collected the soft lunchbox, sliding it in her bag.
“Call him,” Jax suggested impatiently. “Tell him to bring his bats.”
Jake hit send before pressing a kiss to her lips, the phone ringing in his ear.
“Be careful,” he told her, the bike argument forgotten. “Love you,” he tacked on before turning away.
“Dad!” Jax shouted, darting down the hall. “Guess who’s coming over.” The normal chaos of the Jaegar house continued around her, the words love ya phasing no one but her. They said it all the time to each other, but this was the first time Jake said it to her. Love ya. Yeah, she was okay with that. Love ya, too. She tried out the phrase in her head.
Sam spent the ride to the movie theater chewing off Nick’s ear about Jax dragging his feet.
“At least I’m getting some good recruits,” was his laidback response. “You’re two weeks ahead of schedule anyhow.” She turned in the seat, realization settling in.
“He’s stalling for you?” she accused. “I haven’t worked in months. You need a break.”
“You need a break,” he said, putting Gram’s SUV in park. He’d been driving it since he was cleared, still picking out a car. “When you went on sabbatical, I realized how much you did. You made it look so easy, but for the life of me I don’t see how you managed school and The Royal, plus the clients I dropped on you.”
“I automate most of it,” she defended her workload. The volume and pace gave her a buzz, everyday a series of tiny wins that made them the best at what they did.
“I know, but where’d you find the time?”
“What do you mean? I had nothing but time in Boston.”
“You’re like a freak genius, you know that?” There were nerves in his laugh. “Take the time off, Sam. Think about what you want.”
“I want to come back to work. Are you saying you don’t want me to?”
“I’m saying do less for me and more for you.”
“Us,” she corrected him. “I do this for us.” His smile was gentle, one he didn’t share with the outside world.
“You have a new ‘us.’ You shouldn’t even be here.”
“You’re pissing me off. I want to be here.”
“And Christmas?”
“What else would I do? Christmas is the biggest day of the year for us.”
Nick gestured back and forth between them. “This us isn’t your priority anymore. You need to be fair to Jake.”
Sam climbed out of the car, the air too hot and stiff. “Sam,” Nick called over the roof climbing from the driver’s door. “You should’ve at least invited him.”
“This is our thing. This is what we do.”
“Traditions change. I’ll always be your brother, Sam.” She’d felt guilty not inviting Jake, but this wasn’t about him.
“Nothing is the same as it was before” she admitted. “I wanted it to be just me and you.” Nick met her at the back of the car, draping his arm over her shoulders as they walked. He still wasn’t up to full speed, their stroll to the entrance leisurely.
“Things will never be the same, Sam. Accept it so you can see what’s in front of you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jake nestled the Tiffany’s blue box in his dresser drawer. Bummed it hadn’t worked out as planned, maybe it was a sign. Sam hadn’t made it home, working through Christmas day and night. Nick said he’d try to make her knock off after dinner, but she stayed the full shift. In her eyes, Nick was alone, and she refused to abandon him. He wasn’t going to be a prick, they’d work it out in time.
Bummed as he was, at least she hadn’t drove her bike back after dark. The weather was unseasonably warm for Georgia, so she was still riding the damn thing every day. She’d blown past him on Promise Pike one too many times and his patience was wearing thin. He was close to following through on his threat to throw it in the lake. She was a good rider, but he hated her taking the risk.
“What’s with the mean face?” his mom asked when he rounded the stairs. The Christmas tree was lit to the ceiling, every ornament they’d made as kids scattered among the branches. Last night was his first time not sleeping with Sam, making him cranky as hell. He wanted to call her, but hoped she was sleeping better than he was. “Changing traditions isn’t easy,” his mom offered.
“Working isn’t a tradition.”
“It is for Nick and Sam.” She straightened one of the ornaments on the tree. It was a glittered heart around him and Jax when they were missing teeth. “I’ve never seen siblings as close as you and Jax until I met them.” She offered a reassuring smile as she spoke. “She’ll figure out how to make room for you both.”
He clung on to Sam’s argument. If he played professional football or basketball, he’d be working, too. He would, without question, just like he played Easter and Fourth of July weekend. Play was the key word. She could go to work with him and cheer him on from the stands. His family made a big deal of the holiday weekends, always making those games.
“Are you going to sing karaoke?” his Dad yelled over from the family room.
“What?” James Cordon was on the big screen over the fireplace, a montage of carpool karaoke clips playing. “No. That’s the Late Late Show.”
Nerves fizzed up in his gut, his appearance on Patti Patterson finalized for February fourteenth. He’d done tons of interviews, but they were all centered around baseball. He still hadn’t absorbed the news of being voted sexiest athlete alive. His agent dropped the news last night and he had to do a photo shoot. He’d agreed to the show before he knew what it was about.
“I think we should switch,” he suggested to Jax for the first time in ages, dropping to the couch.
“They’d just think you got sexier.” Jake launched a pillow at his head, barely missing the lamp when Jax ducked.
“Seriously, no one would ever know.”
“Except Sam,” Jax pointed out. “She tried to get me to schedule an interview and I was like I’m Jake.” He did a
ridiculous voice.
“I don’t sound like that.”
“She was like ‘Nice try, Jax. Be in the office by ten.’” His impersonation of Sam’s bossy finger pose was on point.
Eventually, everyone got them confused. Especially when their hair was short and he didn’t have his beard. Sam never asked him if there was a way to tell them apart. She seemed to have it handled from day one.
“I don’t sound like that,” Sam said from the door.
“Hey there.” His dad sprang to his feet. “Merry Christmas.”
Jake lifted from his funk, watching his dad wrap Sam in a hug. She accepted the affection, giving in return. They were miles from the first time she met his parents, giving him hope she’d do the same with his team.
“Sexiest athlete, huh?” She shot him a wicked smile. “Do you get a prize?”
“Shut up.” He quieted her with a kiss, happy to have her in his arms.
They passed presents by the tree, Sam nailing each one perfectly. She trained the best five-star concierges, so her accuracy wasn’t a surprise. He could see her exhaustion, despite her excitement, and hoped his objection to her working yesterday hadn’t added to her stress. It had, he was sure of it. As everyone wondered off with new gifts in hand, she pushed hers aside.
“Ready?” Lifting to her knees, she pulled the two red envelopes from the tree. Their gift exchange was following her tradition and now he felt like it wasn’t enough since he hadn’t given her the box upstairs. Now he was on edge, debating if he should stop her and go back to plan A. “Open yours,” she prompted. “We have to read them at the same time.” Timing wasn’t right. Nothing felt right, and he couldn’t nail it down. “You okay?” she asked oblivious, her excitement turning to a frown. Great. Way to ruin Christmas, Jackass. She’d never spend one with him if he kept acting this way.
“I missed you,” he answered honestly. “Glad you’re here.”
“Missed you more.” She gave him a wink. “One – Two-”
“Three!” they counted together, pulling out the papers at the same time. His was thick, maybe ten pages or so folded in threes. Shit, were they supposed to write a novel?
Sam’s eyes scanned the small strip of paper left to right before darting to his. He sat frozen, waiting for her lips to move.
“Every day?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.
“Sure. That’s how it works right?”
“You’re kind of cheating.” She grinned. “You already make the bed.” His nerves settled knowing he hadn’t ruined Christmas, even if they weren’t on the same page. “Read yours.”
Jake looked down to the folded papers he clutched. His palms were actually sweating, the thought of popping the question amping him up. He knew Sam loved him every bit as much as he loved her. She hadn’t said it yet, but he knew. He was right to wait, but he wasn’t sure for how long. He thumbed through the pages, each one of them the same on her Company letterhead. They were leave requests for each month of the year. Nick’s signature was at the bottom of each page, all of them blank except December of next year.
“You took Christmas.” He couldn’t hide his disbelief. This was huge for Sam, an internal debate he knew she struggled with. She was making room for him and that was good for now.
“The rest are blank so you can pick the days. Five days every month of your season and two for the rest.” She leaned over, lowering her voice to a mischievous whisper. “We won’t be making the bed on those days.”
“Thank you,” he whispered against her lips that were still stretched in a smile. “I love you.” He kissed her, so she wouldn’t have to say it back. How lucky could he get in one day?
The next six days were always crazy for his mom. She threw a New Year’s Eve party for the employees every year. Dinner was closed to employees and family, then the doors opened for the whole town. Jake was excited to share it with Sam. She’d kept his mom oddly relaxed this year, making things look easy when she helped.
New Year’s Eve wasn’t technically in January, but he put it as his first request of time off. She met him half way, working only during the day. Even then she worked from her office at J&J, doing triple duty for Nick, Jax and his mom. She was amazing to watch, pacing in Mason’s old office while eyeing three screens. She was the back-up to the back-up of their hundred PAs and two staffs of concierges.
“I’ve got five clients proposing tonight,” she pulled out her earpiece, tossing it to the desk. “How cliché.”
“Noted.” He coughed, happy he’d decided against popping the question tonight. The little blue box had a new home so she didn’t find it and freak out. “Isn’t it your job to make it less of a cliché.”
“I make it happen, and I make it better than they ever dreamed.”
“I want details,” he pushed, knowing she never would. She was a vault, never bragging about who she represented. He knew they had some big names, Curt Black being one. Their clients weren’t actors and rock stars, they were the corporate dynasties. If you wanted to piss Sam off, call her a Birkin chaser. Her clients didn’t have to chase shit, and they were never on a waiting list. She respected her clients, their work ethic reflected in hers, and she kept their secrets locked up tight.
“Here’s a detail,” she said, shutting her tablet down. “You could buy an island with the rings. Beyoncé only wishes her canary diamond was this nice.”
“Obviously. She wrote ‘put a ring on it.’” He uncrossed his ankles, taking his feet off the reception desk. He glanced at Jax through the large window to his office. He was entranced in his drafting board. Sam had it designed with a built in touchscreen so he had the latest software at his fingertips in the same place he sketched.
Jake noticed there wasn’t a shred of paper on Jax’s desk as he leaned in the door frame. Sam absorbed all the bullshit day to day giving him room to create. He’d been plated behind his new set-up since lunch, each of them working on their own thing.
“Did you get to the end of the internet?” Jax asked him, charcoal still sweeping the page. Jake’s social media was out of control. He understood his obligation to show interest in fans, but how many kissy face airheads that knew nothing about baseball did he need to respond to? His followers doubled after the sexiest athlete thing happened and no one had an ounce of empathy. So while Jax ran J&J and Sam ran Jax plus the world, he stayed engrossed in digital fan mail.
“What are you working on?” He walked over, anxious to see the new sketch. The oversized cottage had ornate windows from edge to edge. The roofline was undefined, blending into the hillside the home was nestled in. A waterfall cascaded from underneath, marrying the home to the lake. “You’d build up a wall from stone.” His finger hovered the paper as he talked through the mechanics. “Then have a reservoir here.”
“Right.” Jax traced the water line in charcoal. “This is an infinity edge, so you’re not really disturbing the lake.”
“That’s bad-ass.” The landscape surround was the South end of the lake, where they’d put in the new road. Red and Kay were eventually going to move out of the B&B and build on the piece of land they’d cleared. Jake imagined the home as his own, he and Sam settling at the lake. They’d been in Cross City for a week and he missed the peaceful retreat. “I’d live there.”
“If you put that ring on it, I’m sure they’ll let you build.”
“Shh.” He shoved Jax, his chair rolling across the polished floor.
“I’m just saying.” He laughed. “It’s New Year’s eve. We’ll all be dressed up and you’ve already got the ring.” Jake searched out Sam, her ear glued to her cell thank God.
“She said five of her clients are proposing tonight.”
“Was that a hint?” Jake paused, considering.
“More like a warning. She called it cliché.”
“Makes sense. You are fucking predictable. I think I called this one before it even started,” Jax reminded him, switching off his desk lamp.
“I get paid for being predic
table.”
“Reliable,” Jax corrected.
“Same thing.”
“Damn, you’re stupid.”
“Better than being ugly like you.”
Jax punched his bicep, and they kept up the insults while pushing and shoving all the way to the door. Jake stumbled when their big bodies squeezed out of the frame, falling straight on his ass. His eyes watered from laughing so hard, but he made out Travis’s face looming over him.
“You girls call this a fight?” He stretched down a hand, helping Jake to his feet. Brushing the gravel from his ass, he looked around for Mick. Everyone but Nick was coming tonight, but Sam said he had plans with Curt after he closed up shop for the night.
“Where’s Mick?” he asked in unison with Sam.
“Nice to see you, too.” He shoved their still clasped hands, Jake pushing off balance and Travis jerking him back to his feet. His smile was easy as he handled Jake’s weight with one hand, the combat veteran confident in his skill. “She rode her bike,” he answered. “She’s headed to your folks’.”
“We’ll see you guys there” Jax said as Jake registered the bag slung over Travis’s shoulder.
Details were passed back and forth about times and rides before the two men headed for the stairs leading to Jax’s place. Sam tugged on his hand, leading them to the truck. Opening her door, he watched them climb the stairs as Sam settled in. Jax’s hand found Travis’s hip, the grip possessive like Jake touched Sam.
“Get in the truck, Jake,” Sam ordered him, a lightness in her tone.
“Did you know?” he asked as soon as they were closed in the cab.
“No, but I’m not surprised. They’ve spent as much time together as we have.”
“Travis?” He couldn’t collect his thoughts. His concern for Jax was overwhelming. Travis was not an out gay man. Jake wouldn’t let Jax climb back down the rabbit hole.
“He’s bi,” Sam explained. “And a damn good man,” she said in warning. “My guess is they’re fuck buddies. Jax is coming off a break up and Travis is still at risk for deployment in the reserves.”