“Samantha!”
“I know! I didn’t mean to look, but once I saw the charges, I got curious. You know that little voice that’s always at the back of your head? It was chanting at me. It put a spell on me and I had no choice but to look. We’ve been spending so much time apart, and I just got worried. Then I saw the charge, SJ. Either he’s proposing to me or to someone else, because it was abigcharge.”
I bounced on my heels. “Sammy, this is amazing. You deserve this. And Mike is the best. Call me as soon as it happens?”
“Before I even say yes.”
Those tears in my eyes grew hotter and a lump formed in my throat as I sank onto a closed toilet. “I love you, Sammy.”
“I love you back, SJ. Now, you just need to find a husband real fast so our dreams of a double wedding can come true.” She laughed and made a fake gagging noise. “Can you imagine? I’d be a complete bridezilla and you’d be trying to have a small beach affair. We’d never speak to each other again. Wedid notunderstand how different we would end up when we were kids.”
“No, we didn’t.” I swallowed and tried to stop myself from giving way to the emotions. “I’m so happy for you. I can’t say it enough. You’re going to be the most beautiful bride.”
“Hey, you sound like you’re crying.” She grew serious. “Shit. Is this about Jason? I’m sorry, SJ. This is a lot so close to your breakup, isn’t it?”
I snorted. “No! I’m fine, Sam. Trust me when I say that Jason is a nonissue.”
“Then what is it? I’ve been so busy with this housing development project that I’ve barely had a chance to talk to you. You’re working with my dad now, apparently? Things have changed so much and I feel like I don’t have a clue what’s going through that head of yours.”
She gasped. “But I saw that the blog is growing, SJ! I know I’m not supposed to sneak in, but I had to know when I saw your post on the Rotayno Instagram. I wanted to see the back end numbers.”
I smiled even as I dug at the skin around my nails. “You know I don’t care if you check the blog. You helped me create the website, Sam.”
“It’s your baby, though. Your baby that is growing into a teenager. She’ll be driving on her own soon.” She was pacing, I could tell. Her energy was never-ending. “Back to my dad, though! How is that? How’d it happen? What’s it like working in the office? Do you work with Holden and Dominic? Have you heard the rumors about Dominic?”
I bent and replied to her with my head between my knees. “I ran into the three of them while I was out one evening and I gave them my sad story. Um, it was actually your dad who offered me the job. He liked the blog. It’s been amazing working here. Slow at first, but now I’m getting to post. Barrett has an entire plan for how I can use my writing for them.”
“Barrett?” Sam groaned. “That’s weird to hear, I won’t lie. You used to call him Mr. Taylor in the quietest voice ever. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call him by his first name, actually.”
“Well, it was weird.” I was going to vomit. At least the base of the toilet was sparkling clean, because I was staring straight at it in my position. “We’re working together, though. So, it just happened.”
“Whatever. What about Holden and Dominic? They are beautiful, aren’t they?” She sighed. “The three of them have always had a trail of women following them around. Hence why Mom and Dad’s marriage didn’t work.”
“What do you mean?”
“He cheated on her. I thought you knew.” She swore. “My boss is calling me, SJ. I have to go, but I’ll call you as soon as I know anything about Mike. I love you!”
“Love you, too.” I hung up and stayed there, with my head between my legs, for what felt like too long. By the time I stood up, my back hurt from the odd angle and I felt a pang of anxiety about how long I’d been in the bathroom.
Cindy looked up from her desk as I walked out and grinned. “People are already demanding a calendar of the chefs from Rotayno!”
“That’s amazing!” I hooked my thumb over my shoulder at Dominic’s office. “Is he busy?”
She studied my face, but chose to ignore whatever she saw that gave her pause. “I don’t think so, honey. Go on down.”
48
***Dominic***
Sugarwalkedinjustbefore I rose to find her. I could appreciate that she couldn’t focus in the office with me, but I liked seeing her. Only, when she walked closer to my desk after closing the door, she looked forlorn. I’d come to know her expressions and I could tell that she was contemplating something she didn’t like. She confirmed my suspicions by asking me if we could talk.
I patted my desk and watched as she slid onto it, her long legs crossing smoothly in the pencil skirt she wore. Her curves were on full display, as was her neck, since her hair was in a bouncy ponytail. She looked like a dream, an extra fromPleasantville, ifPleasantvillewas a soft-core porn. The top she wore hugged her breasts, holding them while doing nothing to stop the natural way they bounced and jiggled when she moved.
“Dom?” She narrowed her eyes at me while nudging me with the toe of her heel. “You’re not listening.”
I sat back in my chair and met her gaze. “I’m sorry. I’ve missed you. Start again, please?”
“Sam just called me. I’m just feeling confused.” She gripped the edge of my desk and I saw the skin around her nails was ragged and bloody in spots. “I’m not having second thoughts. I’m all in, I promise. I’m just…I feel horrible. I did this really selfish thing and I’m going to hurt Sam. I don’t know how to make the words come out of my mouth. The lie just gets bigger and bigger, though. I think I’m going to lose her. She’s got such a weird thing with her dad and I don’t know how she’ll reconcile the two. She just told me he cheated on her mom and that’s why the marriage ended. And I’m supposed to be her best friend and comfort her, but all I wanted to do was demand to know if that was true, because that isn’t the Barr I know.”