Sammy in Holland (Single Wide Female Travels #3)

by Lillianna Blake

  “Stop it, Cal, you’re being so silly.” Nicole rolled her eyes. “The truth is, I am really enjoying the food here. I know you’re from the States. How do you like the food?”

  “It’s pretty great.” I grimaced. “Though I am trying to watch the calories.”

  “Really?” Nicole tilted her head to the side. “Why?”

  “I had a bit of a struggle with my weight.”

  “You look gorgeous.”

  “Thank you. So do you. But I didn’t always, and I’d rather keep the weight off.”

  “Hm.” Nicole shook her head. “You’re going to have to loosen up a bit if you really want to enjoy Holland. The food is too good to pass up.”

  “Besides, there are plenty of ways to get a little exercise in around here.” Cal shrugged. “We went on a bicycle tour today. It was fantastic.”

  “See, Max?” I nudged him with my elbow.

  Max nodded, but he didn’t smile or say a word.

  “Here, this is the name of the tour we took.” Nicole handed me a business card. “I highly recommend it. The tour guide made just riding the bicycle an adventure. He took us through some paths that were a little bumpy and curvy to get our blood pumping.”

  “Great. Thanks so much for this.”

  “Sammy, why don’t we have one more dance?” Max started to steer me away from the couple.

  “It was nice to meet you!” I smiled at them both.

  Max pulled me into his arms and we began to dance again. I thought about asking him why he’d been so abrupt, but the moment we began moving together, the concern left my mind. Just as Nicole had reminded me, I needed to loosen up. I wanted to show Max that I could be as wild as he wanted.

  When he started to spin me away from him, I lurched backward into a deep dip. Max held me steady, but as he pulled me back up, the safety pin that was holding my dress together popped off. The flap of dress that was torn fell away, revealing most of my bra.

  “Oh no, Max!”

  He pulled me hard against his chest to shield me. “Relax, no one saw.” He kissed my cheek. “Just keep dancing.”

  “I don’t know if I can like this.”

  “It’s okay, I promise.”

  Chapter 14

  I gritted my teeth and continued to dance. It was rather nice to be pinned against Max, but I spent the entire time nervous that someone would get a glimpse, or even worse, snap a picture of my wardrobe malfunction. I was so preoccupied with the thought that I forgot to pay attention to the movement of my feet.

  I put one foot down hard on Max’s. He grunted and tried to pull his foot back, but the motion set me off balance. I reached for his shoulder to steady myself, but when I did, the tear in my dress was revealed. I grabbed the material instead of his shoulder and stumbled backward several steps.

  When I stepped on someone else’s foot, I lurched to the side. My foot flew up from under me and I began to fall. I forgot about the flap of material as I swung my arms through the air in an attempt to catch myself.

  It was too late. I hit the floor hard and bit my tongue in the same moment.

  Throngs of people surrounded me. Some laughed. Some appeared to want to help. Others just stared. No matter why they were looking at me, the point was that they were looking at me. I covered up as quickly as I could and stumbled to my feet.

  Max squeezed his arm around my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “Are you alright?”

  “Yes, I think so. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause such a commotion.”

  Max waved the onlookers away.

  “Don’t apologize. I’m sure that made you nervous. Do you want to call it a night?”

  The question triggered anxiety within me. There it was. I’d been a killjoy again. There wasn’t much chance that I would ever be able to change Max’s opinion of me if I couldn’t even handle a crowd.

  “No, I’m okay. Let’s keep dancing.”

  “Are you sure?” He brushed a strand of hair away from my face. “You were pretty freaked out.”

  “I don’t want to call it a night, Max. I want to have fun.”

  “Okay.” He smiled. “Then let’s dance.” He pulled me up against him in a swift sharp motion.

  As he whipped and whirled me around with his body tight to mine, I laughed. The music mostly drowned it out, but it still shook my entire body. This was fun. This was letting go.

  After several more dances, the music stopped.

  “I guess they’re closing…”

  “Uh—I don’t think so. Look.” Max pointed toward the stage where the DJ was set up.

  Instead of the DJ, Erik stood behind the mixing board. He waved to me and Max. Then he began to toy with the mixing board. As squeals and screeches filled the club, I worried that Erik may have had too much to drink. Why else would he think it was okay for him to be up on stage messing with the equipment?

  “Where’s the DJ?” I looked around for any sign of him.

  “I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

  “Do you think we should go up there and get Erik?” I frowned.

  “No, he’s alright. He’s just playing around. No one else seems to be surprised. Maybe he’s done this before?”

  “Hello, everyone. I’m DJ Erik and I’m here to tell you about an epic opportunity that we have coming up!”

  I braced myself as he went into detail about the book signing. Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse, he pointed me out in the middle of the dance floor.

  “Come join us and you’ll get some one-on-one attention from Samantha!”

  My heart dropped. All eyes turned to me yet again. I was sure at least half of the people there had never heard of me before, but they had all seen me sprawled across the dance floor with my dress half off. Now Erik was promising them a chance for even more attention.

  Still, I summoned a smile to my lips and greeted everyone who looked in my direction. When the music started again I looked at Max. “This guy is going to kill me—you know that, right?”

  “I can see he’s pushing your buttons.” He smiled. “But it’s good publicity, right?”

  I shook my head. “That’s what this whole night was probably about—the chance to get me here so he could pull this publicity stunt. I just don’t understand why he didn’t tell me. I wouldn’t have said no.”

  “Are you sure about that?” Max guided me off the dance floor. “It seems to me that you might have. You’re not too thrilled with his ideas.”

  “Maybe you’re right, but I should have the opportunity to decide that for myself.” I frowned as we paused near the door. “Is it really so unreasonable that I prefer to know what to expect? I know that makes me boring, but I just can’t get into the swing of letting things evolve as they will when it comes to my career.”

  “I think Erik is a challenge for you. I won’t say his methods aren’t unconventional. I can’t even say that he doesn’t irritate me. But I will say that you still have to work with him.” He held the door open for me. “Let’s not get into it tonight. Tomorrow we have the day off, and I’m sure that things will calm down after that.”

  “You’re right. I’m looking forward to some down time with you—unless somehow Erik has plans to turn that into a publicity stunt too.”

  Chapter 15

  After a refreshing night’s sleep, I woke up eager to discover what the day ahead held in store for us. Max was less chipper, but came around after a breakfast of fresh fruit, fresh coffee, and perfectly cooked eggs.

  As we left the restaurant, I pulled out the card for the bicycle tour.

  “It’s not too far away. We can walk to it.” I looped my arm through his. “I’m so glad that I’m going to get to experience this with you.”

  Max nodded. He cleared his throat. “You know, I’m feeling a little off.”

  “You are?” I looked over at him. “Mentally or physically?”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  We arrived at the bicycle tour office just in time to join in the next
tour.

  “I’ll find us some bikes. Why don’t you sit down and rest for a few minutes?”

  “Okay.” He nodded and sat down on a bench not far from the door.

  I walked through the office and was guided out the back by the tour operator.

  “You can choose from those bicycles.” He pointed to a group near the door. “Once you pick one, we can adjust it to suit you.”

  I looked through the bicycles. It didn’t take me long to find a flashy emerald one. Max’s was more subdued in a cobalt shade of blue.

  While mine was being adjusted, I wheeled Max’s around to the front of the office so that he could take a look. He was still sitting on the bench, hunched over.

  “Max, I got you a bike. Do you like it?”

  He looked at the bicycle and nodded. “It’s fine. It’s a little big, don’t you think?”

  “It’s the same size as mine. The guide will adjust it to fit you. Do you want something smaller?”

  He grimaced and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Sammy, I’m not sure if I feel up to biking.”

  “What’s wrong?” I looked into his eyes. “Are you sick?”

  “Maybe a little. My stomach feels off. Maybe I drank too much last night. I’d just rather not bike right now.”

  “That’s fine. We can sign up for a tour later in the day. They do one every three hours. Do you want to go back to the room?”

  “I do. But you should bike. I know you’ve been looking forward to it. Just keep your cell phone on and don’t talk to strangers.”

  “I see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.” I smiled at him. “I’d rather spend my time with you.”

  “But you have the signing tomorrow. I don’t want you to miss out on a day of fun because of me.” He stood up and wrapped his arm around my waist. “Go ride like the wind. I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”

  “Are you sure? I really don’t like the idea of leaving you behind.”

  “Trust me, I don’t mind.” He smiled.

  I searched his eyes. Something was off. I knew it was. “Max, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing. Like I said, I just need a little rest. Please, I’ll feel awful if I think that you missed out on something because of me.” He paused a moment and then met my eyes. “Just be careful.”

  “I will be.” I kissed his cheek. “Get some good rest, okay?”

  “I will.”

  I climbed onto the bicycle and joined a crowd of other bicyclists who were participating in the tour. It made me uneasy to think of Max all alone, but if it was what he wanted, then I didn’t have much of a choice.

  As the tour began, I tried to focus on the words of the guide. The beauty that I passed by was enthralling to me, but after a few minutes my mind drifted back to Max.

  What was he doing? Was he sleeping? He didn’t have much hair to hold back, but I could at least put a cool rag on his forehead or feed him crackers. A pang of guilt slowed me down. He shouldn’t be alone.

  I started to turn back, but before I could, a rush of cyclists pedaled past me. I waited for the long parade to subside. Navigating the bicycle traffic seemed harder than navigating car traffic.

  When I finally began to pedal again, I noticed a small group riding on their own. The tour was nice, but I could see how going off by myself would be nice too. I decided to take a tour of my own on my way back.

  I turned down side streets and explored as far as I could. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was lost. I tried to use the GPS on my cell phone, but it was directing me in circles. My heart pounded as I wondered how I’d get back. I knew I could call Max, but since he was sick, I didn’t want to bother him. There was only one other option.

  I sighed and dialed Erik’s number. I expected to leave a message, but to my surprise he picked up on the second ring.

  “How is your day of exploring going?”

  “I think I may have explored a little too far.”

  “Oh? Is something wrong?”

  “I might be just a little bit lost.”

  “Do you have any idea of where you are?”

  “Near a coffee shop, I think.”

  “That is really not helpful.” He laughed.

  I had to laugh with him. “Good point. My GPS says I’m in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.”

  “Hm. What about Max’s phone? Does it have any better directions?”

  “Max isn’t here. He was feeling a little sick.”

  “You’re alone?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  “How?” I laughed. “You don’t even know where I am.”

  “Oh, right. Go into the coffee shop and ask the owner for the address. That should give us a starting point.”

  “Thanks, Erik.”

  “No problem. Call me right back when you have it.”

  “Okay.” I hung up the phone and stepped into the coffee shop. It was quite crowded and had a very noticeable scent.

  Chapter 16

  When I walked up to the counter at the coffee shop, the owner met my eyes.

  “Would you like to see the menu?”

  “No, thank you. I’m a little turned around and I’m hoping you can give me the name of the street I’m on.”

  “I can do better than that.” He snapped his fingers and a man walked over to the bar. “Can you please escort this woman home?”

  “Oh no, that won’t be necessary, I have a bicycle and—”

  “And it will fit just fine in the trunk.” The man, who appeared to be in his fifties, nodded to me. “I’ll get you back to your hotel safe.”

  “I’m not staying in a hotel, actually. I’m staying in a container.”

  “What?” The man behind the counter laughed.

  “Who talked you into that?” The older man grinned.

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s a long story.”

  “Alright, I’ll take you back to your container.”

  “Thank you.” I smiled at how absurd it sounded.

  “Here—for the road.” The man behind the counter handed me a small package.

  “Oh no, thank you. I don’t want anything from the menu.”

  “Oh, this isn’t from the menu, it’s from my personal stash.” He winked at me. “Just cookies.”

  “Oh yum, thank you!”

  He nodded.

  Once my bicycle was stowed in the trunk, the driver took me right back to the container, with one stop at the guided tour to return the bicycle.

  I felt a little silly, as I was apparently only about five minutes away from the office. Some explorer I’d turned out to be.

  “How much do I owe you?” I reached into my purse for my wallet.

  “No charge.”

  “Really? Why?”

  He smiled at me. “I know there’s only one man in Amsterdam that would have set you up in a shipping container. Erik, right?”

  My eyes widened. “How did you know?”

  “Erik is pretty well known around here. He likes to call himself inventive, but really he just has a reputation for being outlandish. Every event he plans ends up turning into quite a fiasco.”

  “I think I’d have to agree with that.”

  “He might be difficult, but in the long run I’ve never seen one of his events fail. However, this container thing…” He laughed. “That’s a new level of inventive for him.”

  “It’s been interesting, that’s for sure.”

  I stepped out of the car and walked up to the door. When I opened it, I found Max perched on the tiny couch with his arm high in the air and a tablet aimed at his face.

  “Max, what are you doing?”

  He jumped when he heard my voice and the tablet slipped out of his hand and struck him right in the face. “Ouch!”

  “Oh no, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you okay? Do you want me to get you some ice?”

  He pinched the top of his nose as he sat up on the couch. “No, it’s fine.�
��

  “It’s really not.” I sat down beside him and tried to peer at the damage. “You’re already sick and now you’re injured.”

  “Ah, Sammy, I have to be honest with you.”

  “What is it?” I frowned.

  “I’m not really sick. Though I do feel awful for lying to you.”

  “What? Why would you lie to me about that?”

  He sighed and rubbed his nose. “It was stupid, I know.”

  “Let me get you some ice.”

  “I’m fine, really. It’s hard to get a signal in here.”

  “I know. I’m not sure if this place is going to work out.”

  “Sammy, I hate that I missed time with you today. I guess that you cut your tour short?”

  “I wanted to be with you, even if it wasn’t on the tour. But I guess maybe you needed some time alone. I forget that sometimes too much togetherness is too much.”

  “Why would you think that?” Max narrowed his eyes.

  “Well, you did fake being sick to get away from me.” I looked away from him.

  He reached out and took my hand in his. “Don’t think that. That’s not what I did. I never want to get away from you, Sammy.”

  “Then why?”

  He grimaced and looked down at the tablet that had landed on the couch. “It’s nothing, really.”

  “Max, what are you keeping from me?” I stroked his cheek. “I can tell when you’re hiding something. You get a little twitch in your eyebrow, and you tighten your lips as if you’re afraid you’re going to let the secret spill.”

  He looked up at me. “You know me too well.”

  “I love you because I know you so well. Just spill, so your eyebrow can stop twitching.”

  He reached up and rubbed his eyebrow. “It’s nothing to be concerned about.”

  “Any time there’s dishonesty between us, that’s always a concern.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. I don’t always have to share every personal detail of my life. Do I?” He looked into my eyes. “It’s okay to have a few secrets.”

  I held my breath in reaction to his words. What kind of secret might he have? What happened that he wasn’t willing to share with me? Was it my controlling nature rearing its head again, or were my instincts right?

  “Max, I agree that you’re entitled to some secrets, but I just hope that you know I’m here for you. No matter how busy I am, no matter what I’m wrapped up in, I’m always one hundred percent available to you. Okay?” I looked into his eyes.