Page 46 of When Love Is Unexpected

"Well, you never wanted to be with me."

"That's not true," I say. "I wanted to be with you. I care about you very much."

"That's not what I mean," he says. "You refused to be with me. Have you been intimate with him?"

"Are you asking me if I slept with Sam?" I can't believe what I'm hearing.

"Have you?"

"You're being disrespectful, Eric. Sam and I are friends. We've never been more."

"But he's in love with you. You know that. You have to know that."

"We're just friends," I say.

"Meet me so we can talk."

"No," I say. "You're upset, angry, hurt. Nothing I say is going to make you feel better. Meeting you is not going to make me change my mind. It's over."

"Please don't go to San Diego with him."

"Why not?" I ask.

Just then, I see Sam walking into the living room. Concern is etched on his face.

Chapter 10

Sam

"Sam," I hear Loren's voice as I leave the garage.

When I reach Laila, she puts her palm up as a warning to let her handle it.

I put my palms up in surrender and mouth an "okay" before crossing my arms. I can feel my jaw clenching as I watch Laila using her last thread of patience on Eric.

"I'm sorry," she says into the phone. "I'm sorry that you're hurt, that you feel I used you, and that you're angry."

She stops talking and listens for a few seconds before continuing.

"Those are all valid feelings," she says, "but I can't help you work through them because the only answer for you is for us to get back together. That's not going to happen."

A few seconds tick by. I can hear Eric's voice rising from where I stand.

"Eric, if you need someone to talk to, my dad is always—."

He cuts her off before she can finish talking. His tone is loud and aggressive.

"That's enough," I say and reach for the phone.

She doesn't say anything but takes a step back and, with one determined glare that doesn't need words, says, "Stop."

"I'm going to hang up now, Eric. I'm sorry I have to do this."

With that, she ends the call.

"I'm glad we're leaving Cold Spring," she says, putting her phone in her back pocket. "I think distance might help both of us."

"He's out of control," I say. "Are you okay?"

---