Just Three Words (Soho Loft Romances) (37 page)

“What in the world?” she asked Kevin, who was kneeling next to an end table with a dust rag and a bottle of Lemon Pledge. She scanned the space. Every surface shone brightly, the clutter that had piled up to embarrassing heights over the past few weeks was completely absent, and soft music soothed from the stereo system. It was like stumbling upon heaven on Earth.

Kevin shrugged and went back to work on the end table. “Don’t look at me. All her doing, and she doesn’t mess around.” He inclined his head in the direction of the kitchen. While Hunter was curious as to how Claire had so effectively propelled Kevin into action, her venture into the kitchen, let’s face it, was inspired by her appetite.

“Hey, the kid is working like a rock star out there and I need to know what you’re making, when I can have some, and—” She stopped short.

Samantha closed the oven door and turned to Hunter. She seemed to consider the question as Hunter took a step backward in surprise, her mind scrambling to make sense of the visual. “A: He just needed a little direction,” Sam said. “B: Roast beef, mashed potatoes, salad, and sourdough rolls. C: Give me about ten minutes, and then grab a plate.”

“Hi,” Hunter said. It was the only word she seemed to have access to, and the smile on her face was automatic and huge. Samantha was like some kind of beautiful mirage standing there in her mother’s kitchen. And she was responsible for all of this?

“Hi,” Sam said back quietly. God, she looked good, so much so that Hunter wondered if she was even real. But there she stood, fresh faced and together, in capris and green top—a reminder that the real world was still out there in the midst of her family’s turmoil. “I hope it’s okay that I’m here. I thought you could use a hand.”

Hunter wanted to cry in relief, understanding that she wasn’t on her own anymore, but there’d been so much crying lately.

“Oh, and before I forget, there’s someone else who wants to say hi, too.” She opened the kitchen door that led to the backyard and Elvis ran in, stopping at Hunter’s feet and shrieking in excitement at his discovery of her.

Okay, too late now, the tears sprang into her eyes as she knelt down and buried her face in his fur. “Hey, buddy. Oh my God. I missed you so much.” He fell into her lap and then flipped onto his back, wriggling frantically as she scratched his stomach, all the while continuing his shrieking celebration.

“He missed you, too,” Samantha said. “Talked about you nightly, before and after staring time, of course.”

“I can’t believe you brought him,” Hunter said, standing. “And I can’t believe you’re here. The house, dinner, it’s all just…” Her exhaustion got the better of her and she was no match for the overwhelming emotion.

Sam didn’t hesitate, and pulled Hunter to her, wrapping her arms around her and holding on as she cried. “Shh. Everything is going to be okay,” Sam said. “Have you slept?”

Hunter wiped her eyes, smiling through the remaining tears at her ridiculous behavior. “No. Part of the problem here,” she said, pointing at her face. “No coping skills.”

“Okay,” Sam said calmly. “Dinner first, followed by a nap. Go tell your brother to wash up, and I’ll finish up in here. And take Elvis, he keeps giving me puppy eyes and that’s wildly distracting. He’s already had some roast beef scraps, haven’t you, little El?”

Hunter did as she was told and in just a few short minutes enjoyed one of the best meals of her life. And though Kevin headed to his room with his plate, Sam ate with her, catching her up on all the latest happenings back home. The news, no matter how trivial, was a more than welcome distraction to the kinds of things she’d been dealing with. Never before had Brooklyn’s office antics seemed more hilarious, or one of Mallory’s pep talks more inspiring. Hunter couldn’t help but notice that Sam never once touched on the issues that had been at play between them when she’d left. It was Samantha at her most thoughtful, making things as low stress for Hunter as possible. And while they steered clear of all romance-related discussion, damn it if her heart didn’t clench with startling relief just to be in Sam’s presence again. Talking to her, looking at her, all of it.

Sam tore off a tiny piece of bread from the roll on her plate and Hunter couldn’t help but smile at the move. “What?” Sam asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because no one on the planet eats bread the way you do. In tiny, tiny little pieces.”

“And you happen to be up on the bread habits of the rest of the planet?”

“I am. And you win at bread.”

Samantha paused and a small smile touched her lips. “So this is a compliment? You’re giving me a bread eating compliment?”

“Well, let’s not get carried away.” That earned her a tear-off of bread in the face and that was okay, because this felt good. All of it.

“Tell me the latest about your mom,” Sam said as their laughter receded.

Hunter blew out a breath and adjusted to the topic shift. “Well, she’s depressed. She wants to go home, and honestly, it’s getting in the way of her progress.”

“Can I see her?”

The sentiment warmed Hunter. “I think she’d love to see you. You want to go back with me tonight?”

“I do.”

Behind them, the front door opened and her father entered, regarding them tentatively from the entryway. He nodded once. “Hey, there.”

“Richard, come over and eat something right this minute,” Sam said. She really was taking charge, and it was kind of awesome.

He glanced at the kitchen and then over at them. “I think I’ll grab a quick shower and then take you up on that. Kevin get you everything you need?”

Sam smiled. “He did.”

Her father nodded a couple of times and headed off to his bedroom. “Smells great,” he said absently over his shoulder.

Samantha turned to her. “He didn’t know what to do with me when I showed up on the doorstep and demanded entry. I kinda had to bully him to let me come in and help. How have things been with him?”

Hunter shook her head, not really sure where to start. “He’s so bizarre, Sam. Honestly. It turns out he’s quite capable of positive emotion. It just makes him wildly uncomfortable and then he has to leave the room quickly after.”

“He’s trying,” Sam said. “Sounds like he’s pushing himself outside of his comfort zone.”

“Well, he loves Mom. That’s for sure. Doesn’t like leaving the hospital unless it’s for a shower, like now, or a meal. But he’ll be up there later tonight, walking the halls in some sort of self-imposed hallway therapy. It’s how he copes.”

Samantha nodded. “Everyone handles things differently, don’t they?” She said the words pointedly and their meaning wasn’t lost on Hunter. Sam brightened, switching gears. “Finished?”

“Yeah. I can’t tell you how much I needed that. And hey, let me do the dishes. You’ve already taken over the world in the short time you’ve been here.”

“What do you think I’m here for? To stare at your beautiful face? No way. Go take a nap so we can go soon.”

“Bossy. At least let me clear the dishes.”

“
Nap.
”

Hunter held up her hands. “Okay. Geez. No need to use your aggressive accountant voice.” God, she’d missed their banter. And while she never would have asked Samantha for help and would have even refused her coming if she’d mentioned it, Hunter was beyond grateful to have her here now. Exactly the shot in the arm she needed to get through all this. And when she drifted off to a much-needed sleep, it was with a peaceful smile on her face.

*

Samantha fed Elvis a little bit more of the remaining roast beef and then used the time Hunter slept to put the kitchen back in order. She had been nervous jumping in the car and driving eight hours with a dog watching her every movement, but she felt reaffirmed that the trip had been a worthy one. The Blairs clearly needed an extra hand, and she could be that for Hunter and her family.

In fact, she was happy to be.

She and Hunter could press pause on their personal complications. Not that it was easy to be in the same room with her and behave as any ordinary friend would. Just seeing that smile again had her heart in overdrive. But there’d be a time down the road to sort all of that out, and Hunter just happened to be worth the wait.

“Hey,” she said to Kevin as he snagged a soda from the fridge. “Your mom is feeling a little down. What can you do to cheer her up?”

He stared at her like she’d asked him to work a Navier-Stokes equation. “I don’t know.” He turned to go.

“Freeze. Yes, you do. Think harder and dry this.” She handed him a skillet and a towel. He stared at it a moment but then slowly went to work. You just had to be extra direct with this kid. He was a good egg.

“I guess I could tell her about my day. I got the teacher she wanted me to get for history. She always says I don’t tell her things.”

Sam grinned and faced him. “Perfect. I think we just found your lead. See? She’s gonna love that.”

“Really?”

She tossed another dish towel at him playfully. “Really. You’re going to make her very happy with the story of your day. Toss in little details. Women love that.”

He nodded and went back to work drying the dishes she handed him, but if she wasn’t mistaken, traces of a smile surfaced there. She liked this kid. He actually reminded her a lot of Hunter, which was a total bonus.

Once they’d finished, she stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the state of things.

Dinner complete.

Dishes done.

And after checking in with Brooklyn to get the lowdown on anything pressing at the office, she checked the time. Hunter had been asleep for two hours, and as much as she wanted her to catch up on her rest, she also knew that it was important to Hunter to make it back to the hospital.

The door to the bedroom was cracked a bit when she knocked quietly. When Hunter didn’t answer, she peeked her head around the corner. Out like a light with Elvis sleeping at her feet. As it should be.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Nothing. “Hunter?”

With still no response, Samantha came into the room and sat on the bed alongside Hunter. She paused for a moment before waking her, utterly entranced by the visual of the woman who slept so peacefully before her. God, she’d missed her. Awake, Hunter was beautiful, but asleep she was undeniably an angel. With her hair fanned out across the pillow, and her full lips pursed just slightly, Sam felt her heart flutter in appreciation. While she wanted nothing more than to snuggle in alongside the curve of Hunter’s form, she fought the urge, knowing that things were different between them now. Tenuous. She was here as Hunter’s friend and support system and should honor that.

Instead, she touched Hunter’s cheek and with her thumb stroked gently. “Hey, you,” she said softly. Hunter’s eyes fluttered a moment and as she stared up at Sam, a smile took shape on her face in recognition. She covered Sam’s hand with hers.

“Hi,” she said softly.

“Hi.” They stayed like that, staring at each other for several long moments, the connection between them alive and well.

“I wanted to let you sleep, but I know it’s important to you to head back to the hospital.”

Hunter blinked as if emerging from a wonderful dream into reality. The smile faltered and she withdrew her hand, seeming to remember herself and the facts in the scenario. She glanced at the clock and pushed herself into a seated position, facing Sam. “I can’t remember the last time I slept so well.”

Samantha ran a hand up and down her arm. “Yeah, well, you needed it.”

“If you hadn’t shown up here and worked your Snow White magic, I’d still be racing around trying to get stuff done and biting everyone’s head off in the process. I don’t know if I’ve said it enough, but thank you.”

“You’d do it in a heartbeat for me,” Sam said casually in an attempt to shift attention away from herself.

Hunter nodded, her expression sobering. “That’s true. I would.” The sincerity of the words stopped Sam short and reminded her just how much Hunter was able to affect her. Not trusting herself this close to Hunter, alone in her bedroom, Samantha decided to rescue them from the weighted moment.

“Shall we?”

“We shall.”

A half hour later, Sam followed Hunter down the hospital hallway to her mother’s room, noting the squeaky floor and clinical lighting. A lot of people didn’t care for hospitals, but Sam had always found comfort in a building whose sole purpose was to take care of others. Hunter went in first to alert her mother of the new visitor while Sam waited in the hall, clutching the bouquet of tulips they’d stopped for at her request.

Moments later, Hunter popped around the corner, her voice low. “Okay, come on in. Try to be a little bit friendly.”

Sam glared at her playful dig, but shifted to a warm smile as she rounded the corner into the room. Mrs. Blair was sitting up in bed, smoothing her hair. She beamed at Sam as she approached. “There’s my favorite
Mino’aka
!”

Samantha moved quickly into her open arms and, following Hunter’s instructions, hugged her delicately. “I’m so happy you’re doing better. I had to drive all the way down here and see for myself.”

“When Hunter said you were here, I felt so special,” Mrs. Blair said.

“Well, you are. You’re my second mom, you know. Who else sent me banana bread care packages at school?”

Mrs. Blair seemed to sit a little taller at that news. “I’ll make you some more as soon as I’m home.”

“Let’s not rush things,” Hunter said from the doorway.

“I can rush things if I want for my Samantha.”

Sam passed Hunter a knowing look and placed her flowers next to the array already present. “Looks like you have a lot of admirers.”

“I don’t know where they all came from! But I bet you have some admirers of your own.”

“Not as many as you would think,” Sam said, smiling back.

“Fools, then.”

Hunter looked on as the two continued their conversation, struck by the upshift in her mother’s energy. Downright chipper, if she had to categorize her, and she couldn’t wipe the smile off her own face if she tried. It was refreshing to see her mom acting like her old self again. Maybe this visit was just the motivation she needed. Later, it was Samantha who took her mother for a walk around the wing, and it happened without any coaxing at all. Just two friends, gabbing away as they strolled. Hunter shook her head in wonder. It was shaping up to be a good night indeed.