Claiming What's His (14 page)

             
Minutes later, Sam heard Nat asked, “Rough day, Sam?”  She opened her eyes as Nat walked over to the couch with one large cup of coffee. 

             
“You don’t know the half of it.  Where’s Tess?” Sam shook her head, sat up, and sipped the hot coffee.  Nat knew exactly how Sam liked it.  A large caramel macchiato, extra espresso shot.  Small nor medium does not exist in Sam’s dictionary if pertaining to her coffee.  To her, it was just plain cruel.  No one should be able to function with only one small cup of coffee.

Ahhh
.  

Heaven.

              Sitting on the arm of the couch with her legs crossed, she asked, “Out on a date with John.  You want to talk about it?”

             
Sam held her coffee in her hand while resting her head on the back of the couch with her eyes closed and teased, ”Talk about Tess’s date?  Sure, but she’s on a date now?  It’s only two in the afternoon.  Are they doing the senior citizen’s date and trying to get the early bird’s special?”

             
“Their date was last night and she still hadn’t come home yet.  And you know I wasn’t referring to Tess’s date.”

             
Her eyes popped open and she smiled.

             
“Oh.  Good for her.  I don’t want to talk about it, but I will.  You want the long version or the short?”

             
“Hmmm.  This is a toughie for my nosy-self, so let’s make it the short version for today, or at least for now.  I have yoga in about twenty minutes.  I’ll save the extended version for another time.”

“Gotcha.
 Well, here’s the short version.  I’m working a case at Conrad Financial.  Alex is back, as you saw, and he’s my boss.  Last night, I feel like something happened but I’m not sure what.  And, I just got off completing a case but not before someone tried to run me off the road, nearly killing me.”  Sam wasn’t sure if she should bring up the case she just got done working.  So she revised her explanation a bit.

             
Sam turned her head towards Nat where Sam found her eyes widened and mouth gaped open.  

It took several minutes, but she finally managed to whisper, “Holy shit.”

              “That pretty much sums it up.  Nat, what am I going to do?  I never imagined him to be back, not like this, and certainly not as my boss.”

             
Nat ignored Sam’s issue with Alex being back and her boss and asked, “Someone tried to kill you?”

             
Obviously that was the only part she heard.  And, to be honest, it was important that someone did, in fact, try to kill her.  But that wasn’t the important part she wanted to discuss.

             
“Yeah, but that’s not –”

             
“Holy shit, Sam!  Are you okay?” Nat shouted as she hopped down from the arm of the couch to the seat next to Sam, gripping her hand tightly. 

             
“I’m fine, otherwise I’d either be dead or in the hospital and not here talking to you.  Did you hear about the part about Alex?”

             
Nat continued to stare at her for a few moments.  Sam knew that she was heavily contemplating whether Sam’s sanity was normal or not due to her outburst regarding Alex after hearing that she also had a near-death experience. 

Sam couldn’t really blame her.  Sam would’ve probably questioned her own sanity also but it wouldn’t have taken her longer than two seconds to conclude that she was insane.

Finally, she answered, “Yeah, I heard you.  Okay, I may need the extended version soon, very soon.  I’ve had a long day too with all the bookings for this weekend’s fundraiser.  We’re completely booked.  Nana’s glowing with glee.  I’m sure she’s gushing about it at her club.  I’m heading out to yoga for a bit.  Why don’t we meet back here with Maggie so we can discuss it?”

“I can’t today.  I have other stuff I need to do. 
Maybe some other time.”

“Sure, sweetie.
  Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be here.  Wait for me here and I’ll walk out with you.” 

Sam sadly smiled to her, as she returned the smile.

Before Nat walked off, a car pulled up to the front of the café.  A handsome, older man got out, rounded the hood to the passenger side and opened the door.  He held out his hand and a smaller, feminine hand slipped into his.  Out came an older woman with blond hair who came up to just pass his shoulders.  He pulled her to him, tipped down and kissed her.  She wrapped her arms around him and they continued kissing for a while.

When they finished broke the kiss, she backed up to the curb as he shut the door, walked to the driver side, got in and
left.  She turned around and walked into the café.

It was Tess, Nat’s great-aunt.

And she had gotten some.

Lots of it.

Tess lifted her face to find Sam and Nat staring at her.  Nat was shocked at what she saw, her mouth opened.  Sam was flat-out smiling.

Tess continued walking, her head held up high, as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.  Just as she was to pass Nat, she muttered, “Close your mouth, Natalie, before a bug flies in.”

Nat quickly shut her mouth and Tess disappeared into the back.

Sam looked up to Nat as she looked down to Sam.  They stared at each other for a beat before they burst out laughing.

Then Nat stood up and headed back towards the office.

Natalie Sparks was a friend whom Maggie and Sam met while in college during a school luau night.
 She had been at the bar with a bunch of her other friends who were flirting with some frat guys.  She just stood there with a drink in her hand, looking bored.  That same night, the commentator was asking for volunteers to do some hula dance on stage.  Maggie and Sam jumped up at the opportunity, but Nat was dragged on stage by the commentator himself (who was actually a friend of hers).  The next thing they knew they were all waving our hands and hips, bumping into each other (
not
following any rhythm of any sort) and laughing their asses off.  Since that moment, they became friends.

Tess Tyler was Nat’s great aunt (unofficially) and was Nat’s mom’s best friend.  Nat lost her mother to breast cancer at the age of eleven and it was Tess who jumped in and raised Nat as her own.
 

From informing her of a monthly visitor that she would be having a while to the birds and the bees to men are scum talks, Tess covered it all.  Nat always felt as if she never lost her mother with Tess talking about her all the time, bringing up stories of all their good times.  That had meant a lot to Nat and she was thankful.

Nat returned from the office and waved her hand up, indicating for Sam to get up.  ”Let’s go, girlie.  Even though Tess just made my night, I need to kick Carter’s ass today.”

“Blondie, you’re so hot and toned, must you kick Carter’s ass to stay toned?  You have the genetics that keeps you that way,” Sam teased.

Nat chuckled.  “Thanks, Brownie, but if I don’t kick someone’s ass today, I’m gonna burst.  So it’s either his or yours.”

Sam’s reply was instant.  “His it is.” 

Getting up, Sam smiled. 

Carter was Nat’s yoga instructor and sprawling partner after class.  Ever since Nat took up yoga, she and Carter went at it after each class, kicking each other’s asses until the other
could not get up.  Sam had even been there a couple of times just to watch them.  If Sam hadn’t known that Carter was gay, she would’ve thought that Carter might’ve had a thing for Nat.

*******

              More footsteps fell behind her.

             
She had been alerted every step of the way since leaving her car.  No more pepper spray.  This time, she was shooting someone.

             
She stopped in front of her door and when she knew for sure that the person was behind her, she pulled out her gun and whirled around.

“Whoa, Annie Oakley!
  It’s me.”  Alex lifted his hands in surrender but this time, he didn’t move back.  He was standing on the edge of the stairs and if he had taken a step back, then he might’ve tumbled downward.

             
“Damn it, Alex!  That’s the second time you’ve done that to me.  What the hell is wrong with you and what are you doing here this late at night?” she shouted as she waved her gun wildly in the air.  She was pretty sure her neighbors actually heard her.  It was late.  She was tired and she didn’t have the energy to deal with anyone, especially Alex.

             
“I’m here to see you,” he replied calmly.

             
Oh crap!

             
“Again?  What do you want?  I’ve had a long day and you’ve already seen me today.  Can’t it wait?”

             
“No, it can’t.”

             
“Spit it out, then.”             

             
“Can we talk inside instead of in front of your door?” he suggested.             

             
She really didn’t have time for this but she would hear him out, for now.

             
“Fine, but make it quick.”  She opened the door and dropped her bag and keys in her bamboo bowl and walked straight into the kitchen to make them both coffee (even though he didn’t ask, she needed it to stay awake long enough to hear what he had to say).

             
She returned with two cups of coffee, setting them both down on the table because the warm cup was beginning to be too warm for her wounds.

             
As she began to pull her hands back, he reached out and grabbed her hand somewhat firmly and she hissed, making him loosen his pressure but enough to keep his hold on her, bringing it closer to him.

             
He pushed her cardigan further up her arm and examined her injuries.  He set his cup on the table and asked, “Sam, what happened to you?”

             
“Nothing.  Let’s just talk about what you came here to talk about.” She deterred, hoping that she could distract him long enough to make him talk quickly and get him to leave.

             
“Let’s clean this up first then we’ll talk.  Wait here while I get the first-aid kit,” Alex told her.

             
That wasn’t going to happen.  Sam needed Alex to get out and leave her alone so that she could clean her wounds up on her own.  She needed to be alone so that she could do some thinking on her own… particularly about him and Conrad’s case.

             
“Alex –”

             
His nose dipped down to hers as he growled, “Sam, stay.”

             
She froze. 

             
His glare was hard and his jaw was harder.  He released her, got up and headed towards the bathroom while Sam stayed there and examined her wounds for the first time.  Her hands were scraped but not badly enough to where she shed blood.  Carefully pulling off the cardigan that she managed to wear before she met with Wendy, she glanced at her arms to see that she did bleed and that the blood had dried off sometime in between her getaway and now. 

             
Sam was so occupied looking at her wounds that she didn’t notice Alex returning until she heard him barked,
“Sam!”

             
She jumped in her seat, looking up to him.

             
His eyes glared with anger as he made it across the room and back next to her on the couch.

             
“What the hell did you do?” he demanded as he pulled her arms to close to him.

             
Sam tried wiggling her arms away from his grip but it didn’t work.  “Nothing.  Give it here, I’ll clean it.”

             
“No, Sam.  You’re hurt.  I’ll do it.” 

             
She rolled her eyes.  “I’m not handicap.  I can clean it myself.”

             
“Sam.”  That was all he said, not giving her the first aid kit or anything. 

             
She loudly sighed.  “Fine.”  She stretched out her arms in front so that he couldn’t have to pull her to him again.

             
She hadn’t noticed before that he had also brought a bowl of warm water and towel.  He dipped the towel in and, as gently as he could, wiped the wound clean.  “Tell me, what did you do?” 

Apparently they were back to this question again.  She figured she could tell him but what she did was none of his business.  It was client confidentiality and Sam refused to say anything. 

              But, she knew him and knew he wouldn’t give up until she told him something.

             
Anything.

             
So she thought of the most basic answer anyone could tell someone else.  “I… fell.”

             
He stopped, raised his brow and moved his face back an inch.  “You fell?”