Finally Getting Love Right (16 page)

Roger was waiting for her when she pulled up to the awning. Before she had time to get out of her car, he was at her door leaning into the window.

“Miss Samantha. I have some advice for you, no matter how unwanted it may be. I suggest you leave now and not come around anymore.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Please just trust me. I do not want you to get hurt. Even in this short time I have grown to care for you. Please just leave now and do not come back.” He said walking away.

Shocked, Sam turned her car back on and left. When she got home she was in tears and extremely confused. Sam could not even bare to look at her house with the way she felt. What she needed was a girl’s night. Sam had not seen Kylee and Charlee since they had returned from their honeymoons, nor had she seen anyone else but Pepper and Jeffrey. Sam decided she would call Liz after she took a nap. She suddenly felt drained, as if she had not slept for weeks or months even.

When Sam awoke from her nap she freshened up and called Liz.

“Hello stranger. Where have you been?” Liz answered.

“I have been immersing myself in my work, debating on if I can really let go or not.” Sam said.

“So what is going on?” Liz asked.

“A lot actually. Can you call the girls and come have a girl’s night with me please?” Sam said in an exaggerated tone.

“Sure. What time?”

“We can start as soon as you get here. I will be in the kitchen baking.”

“Ok. Have you seen them since they got back?” Liz asked implying Kylee and Charlee.

“I haven’t seen or talked to anyone since the weddings.” Sam said slightly embarrassed.

“Oh. Well you have quite the shock coming then.”

“What do you mean a shock?”

“You will see. I will see you soon.” Liz said slyly as she hung up.

Sam slowly put the phone down. She still felt like she had not slept in months but she needed the girl talk just as much. She meandered into the kitchen and started doing what she called ‘busy work’. ‘Busy work’ was Sam’s way of saying she needed to keep her mind off things and that meant baking. When Sam started baking she baked like a mad woman. She was zooming all over her kitchen still when her friends arrived. She had just pulled her last tray of cookies from the oven when they walked into her kitchen.

“Whoa. Slow it down a little.” Liz said ducking to miss the hot tray that Sam was whirling around to the counter.

“Sorry.” Sam said as she smiled sheepishly.

“Hey.” Kylee said walking over to hug her.

“Hi.” Sam said hugging her friend so tightly that Kylee lost her breath for a second.

“Hey Sam.” Charlee said waddling over to sit on the bar stool by the island.

“Wow. You two look great!” Sam said.

“Thank you. You look like a zombie.” Kylee said laughing.

“I know. I Know.” Sam said.

“So do you notice the shock yet?” Kylee asked.

“No. Is it supposed to be obvious?”

“No. Not really.”

“Well then no I don’t notice anything different yet.” Sam said skeptical.

“Look now.” Kylee said as she turned to the side.

“You got another tattoo?” Sam said noting the new ink on her friend’s side.

“Well yes and no. Look closer.” Kylee said leaning closer so Sam could really see. “It is a dedication to you. I would not be married right now if you had not done what you did. It has part of your tattoo incorporated and the words I Don’t Know What I Would Do With Out You.”

“Wow.” Sam said starting to cry. “I am touched that you would do that.”

“Well you are my sister after all.” Kylee said.

“And you are mine.” Sam gave her another hug.

The girls talked for at least an hour about what had happened on their honeymoons and eating all the delicious cookies Sam had baked up. When it came time for Sam to say what she needed to get off her mind, She froze. Everyone sat looking at her, waiting for her to at least move a muscle. She did not know if she could bring herself to say her worst fears aloud.

“What is wrong?” Liz asked concerned by the way Sam sat stiffer than a board.

“What? Oh. I have been black listed.” Sam said slowly.

“What are you talking about? By who?” Kylee asked

“George. I called and got snubbed by the new secretary.” Sam said almost in tears again.

“ That doesn’t mean that you have been black listed though.” Charlee said.

“I went up there to see him today and Roger told me that he cared about be enough to tell me to stay away, leave and never look back.” Sam said breaking into hysterical crying.

“Why would he say something like that?” Liz asked getting mad at what she was hearing.

“I don’t know.” Sam was barely audible through her sobs.

“Girls we are taking a road trip. Sam you stay here. We will be right back.” Liz said.

“What are you going to do?” Sam asked curiously.

“We are going to find out why there is a sudden turn around.” Liz answered. “Let’s go girls. “The girls filed out the door faster than they had come into it just hours before. Sam laid down and fell asleep on the couch waiting for the girls to come back.

Liz led the girls out of Sam’s house and into Charlee’s van. They drove enraged up to The Ameslee to see George. They had decided to split up into pairs. Liz and Kylee would go talk to George while Charlee and Pepper talked to Roger. They walked into the hotel pushing past anyone who tried to stand in their way.

“How are you ladies doing?” Roger asked trying to stall them.

“I don’t want to hear it Roger.” Liz said as Kylee and herself pushed passed him. Luckily Liz had remembered what he had told Sam about real time schedules and chat rooms and had foreseen him trying to rush to his desk. Charlee had instantaneously got between Roger and his desk, stopping him from warning George. Liz pushed the door to Georges office open, in that instant she wished she hadn’t. Kylee let out a quiet gasp.

“I can’t believe that you would do this to her.” Liz shrieked.

“What are you doing here?” George said as pulled up his pants.

“You do not get to question us. I want to call you so many things right now but I won’t out of respect for Sam. Now I have to go back and tell her that you are a scumbag. She is never going to get over this!” Kylee said angrily.

“You don’t understand!” George said.

“There isn’t anything you could say that would make this right. You hired a new secretary just so you could sleep with her.”

“It is not like that.” He pleaded to them.

“I really hope not. I am still telling her.” Liz said.

“Please don’t tell her. Let me tell her please.” George said slowly in a last stitch attempt.

“I am sorry but no. You just proved to us that you can’t be trusted.” Liz said as they walked out of his office and met the others at the car.

On their way back to Sams house, the girls debated on who would be the one to break the news to her. Ultimately, they knew, that it came down to who was going to be better at comforting her when the news came. Liz, unfortunately, knew just how uncannily perfect she was for the challenge. She tried her hardest not to call attention to what she already knew. She did not want to break her best friend’s heart.

“Let’s take a vote. Everyone text your vote to me and we will have our answer.” Kylee said. After a minute, enough time for everyone to have voted, Kylee started to read the texts aloud. “One vote for me.” She said slowly “Remember three votes makes you the one to tell her. One vote for Liz, one for Charlee, and one for Pepper.”

“Well that didn’t work.” Pepper said trying not to let on that she had doubted it would work.

“Obviously.” Kylee said annoyed that her plan did not work.

“Kylee,” Liz said looking at her.

“Yea,” Kylee answered.

“I think it has to be one of us.” Liz said slowly as the realization in Kylee’s eyes became apparent.

“Why?” Pepper asked wanting to hear the reasoning.

“We are the closest too her, she would have called us first if she found out herself. Plus we are the only ones who can tell her what we saw.”

“Your right.” Kylee answered in a tone that showed how much she hated the truth.

“Should we do it together?” Liz asked quietly.

“I can’t. I cannot break her heart again. I am sorry.” Kylee was crying by the time she finished.

“I don’t want to either, but she has to know.” Liz said solemnly. “I will tell her.”

When they got back to Sams house there was a sense of dread among them. They wouldn’t have to feel that way for long and they knew that. They composed themselves as they walked in silence up to the house. It was time to tell her the truth, and no one was ready for it.

“Hey guys,” Sam said when they walked through the door. “What is wrong?” she asked noticing the distress on their faces.

“Charlee, Pepper, let’s go check out Peppers place.” Kylee said directing the three of them away from the living room.

“What is going on?” Sam demanded feeling slightly confused by the situation unfolding.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, so I am just going to say it. Please don’t shoot the messenger.” Liz started sitting down on the couch and patting the cushion next to her.

“What did you find out Liz?” Sam said suddenly worried not even knowing that she should be.

“Sam, we walked in to see a sight that I am glad you didn’t have to see for yourself. He is cheating on you.” Liz said sympathetically.

“What are you talking about? He is not cheating on me.” Sam said, clearly in denial.

“He is. I am sorry.” Liz said waiting until it would sink in.

“There is no way.” Sam said in disbelief.

“Am I really going to have to get into the details here?” Liz asked.

“Well I guess you will have to.” Sam said as it started to sink in.

“Ok then, I was trying to spare you from this though.” Liz said.

“I need to know.” Sam said as tears started falling down her face.

“When we got to the hotel, we split up to tackle both Roger and George at the same time. Kylee and I went to George’s office while Charlee and Pepper took care of Roger. We walked in to find a naked woman on the desk and George with his pants down. They were obviously in the middle of having sex. He didn’t even notice we were there until I said something. He swore that we didn’t know what we were talking about when I confronted him. The woman did not even care that we were there, she just sat there naked the whole time. He begged us not to tell you but I told him he obviously couldn’t be trusted. I am so sorry Sam.” Liz finished and hugged her friend.

“You are positive they were having sex?” Sam said, her voice dead.

“Yes.” Liz said as Sam broke down.

“Why would he do this to me?” Sam asked as the phone rang.

“I do not know.” Liz said getting up to answer the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, Can I please talk to her?” George said pleading.

“I am not sure that is such a good idea.” Liz said crudely.

“Just ask her if she will talk to me, please.”

“Fine. Hold on.” Liz turned to Sam and said “It is George. He wants to talk to you.”

Sam sighed and took the phone from Liz. “What do you want?”

“I need to talk to you. It isn’t like it appeared, I swear.”

“Why don’t you go tell that to someone who cares.” Sam hung up on him. She was too numb to deal with whatever he had to say.

Sam cried herself to sleep that night. She slept in the living room not willing to go into her bedroom that reminded her so much of him. The girls stayed with her taking shifts with her trying to comfort her. It just made her feel worse. When they woke up the next day, Sam was gone.

“Where is she?” Liz asked the others.

“I don’t know maybe she’s in the shower.” Kylee suggested.

“Let’s look for her. “ Pepper said as she got up to start looking. After they had searched the house they came a somewhat shocking realization.

“She is gone.” Liz said looking directly at Kylee.

“You don’t think she is running again?” Kylee said with a worried look.

“What are you two talking about? What do you mean running again?” Charlee asked confused.

“She has done this once before.” Liz said trying to control her emotions.