"Then you have a relationship with him." I looked around the table, hoping one of my other friends would come to my aid. But all of them had found the loves of their lives, so they couldn't help but view the world through the lens of romance and love.
"It’s like that movie,You’ve Got Mail. You know, where Tom Hanks's character puts Meg Ryan's bookstore out of business,” Anne said.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not going out of business and then falling for him.”
Anne shook her head. "No, of course not. I didn’t mean that.”
"You know what? It doesn't matter. I know what I've got here at the Sea Siren. He’ll be sorry that he decided to put his club up near me."
"I have no doubt that you can beat him at his game, but you make your life harder by getting all pissed off and ranting instead of just going and asking him," Harper said, shifting baby Noelle from one side to the other in her arms.
All of the other women continued to look at me in sympathy as they nodded in agreement.
"So he can lie to me again?"
"You don’t know that he lied. Maybe you’ll find out what’s really going on."
Lucy reached out and put her hand on my forearm. "I feel like I've been a terrible friend, not realizing how much Sam's return was impacting you."
I rolled my shoulders. "It's no big deal."
"You can talk to us." Lucy squeezed my arm. I knew it was supposed to be comforting, but it was annoying.
I glared at all of them. "So you can tell me that I'm overreacting?"
"It's not that you're overreacting," Harper said. "It's that with everything he does, you're assuming the worst. You’re not the type of woman who stews. I don't know why you just don't go and ask him."
"Ask me what?"
My gaze shot to the side where Sam strolled up to our table.
"Oh, my, he is handsome." I heard Anne say.
I shot her a look and then turned back to Sam. "What are you doing here?"
"I came by because I had something to talk to you about. I see that I'm interrupting your lunch, though, so I can come back later."
I was going to agree, but then Harper's elbow jammed me in the ribs.
Reluctantly, I stood. "Good, because I have something I need to talk to you about too."
He flashed me a sexy grin. "I wonder if it's about the same thing?"
I scowled at him, determining that he'd come by to ask for my decision about having a sexual affair. “I doubt it.”
I led him back into the Sea Siren and to my office.
When the door behind us shut, I whirled on him.
He held his hands up in surrender. "Maybe you should go first since clearly, you’re pissed."
I hated that he was making light of the situation. "You told me you weren't building a club up the street, and yet I drove by this morning and your uncle was out front looking like he was preparing to start renovations.”
He laughed, and I wanted to slap him.
"It's not funny. Sam, you lied to me. That's all you do is lie to me. God, you were probably lying to me five years ago too."
The affable expression dropped from his face, turning it dark and hard. "Don't you ever question my love for you, back then or now."