Page 41 of Securing Samantha

“What if I offered a different alternative?” Bryan picked up his fork and began rolling the pasta around his fork tines.

“What kind?” Samantha sipped her water while he chewed.

“We have corporate apartments all around the city. I don’t feel you really want to move to Seattle, and this puts you closer to your project. With you here, it might lessen the length of time in testing if you can walk them through your process. It creates some space between you and Whiskey. Maybe it’ll allow you a bit of breathing room. With the salary we offered, we can add in two flights per month for LJ to visit his dad or grandparents,” Bryan suggested.

Her heart sank at the idea of not seeing Whiskey. But if she moved to Seattle she knew her odds of catching him there slimmed. The change might be good for her and LJ.

“What about school? He’s only in kindergarten, but there’s next year to think about,” she asked.

“New York has some excellent public and private schools, and you may opt to have him tutored from home. There’re several groups which meet for playtime and field trips. I’ve set some of the executive’s family’s up and can make recommendations. One of our apartments became available three weeks ago. I haven’t filled it, and the surrounding area promotes family and kid friendly activities. I can schedule a visit tomorrow.” Bryan slid another breadstick from the basket.

“What happens if we decide not to see each other? I don’t want to sound rude, but I can’t consider such an offer without considering all the angles,” she added.

“The apartments stay available for our executives, we normally sign a contract, if they stay with us for longer than a year, they find their own place. If they leave in six months, no harm no foul. Sometimes we use it for contract negotiations or while testing products from suppliers overseas. Then they don’t have to keep flying in every time we test the product and want them here.” He concentrated on his food.

“What’s the rent?” Living in New York in a decent place screamed money. She bit her lip. Even with the hefty income, she wanted to save as much as possible.

“They’re already paid for. You’ll be responsible for utilities, and we have a town car service provided.”

“Then yes, I might be interested in it. Especially if it gets my product out faster.” Excitement bubbled at trying something new. Part of her problem in Serenity was the odds of running into the people she wanted to avoid. Kassie visited Bryanna’s bakery often. Now Catherine and her obviously worked out their issues. Her heart felt heavy. Then she found herself checking the supermarket for the team’s vehicles before entering. Finally, the pain at seeing Whiskey.

“Great, I’ll pick up the key after your meeting this afternoon and we’ll check it out tomorrow.” Bryan smiled. “I’ll admit the thought of keeping you here delights me. I don’t like waiting all week to see you.”

She smiled. This might be the new beginning she needed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Whiskey parked the truck and helped his son down. Samantha started walking down the steps of Saint’s porch as LJ ran toward her. “Hi, Mom, I had a blast,” he told her as he gave her a hug. She gave him a squeeze and a kiss.

“I missed you. Saint put dinner on the table. Go wash up and I’ll be right in,” she told her son as Whiskey walked up with his bag.

LJ took off when Whiskey quietly called him back.

“I believe you forgot your bag,” he reminded his son.

“I’ll take it.” Samantha reached for the bag. When Whiskey withdrew it from her reach, she glanced up at him.

“What did we learn this weekend?” he asked his son.

“Don’t make others do work you can do yourself,” her son repeated.

“Can you handle your pack for your mother?” Whiskey bent to LJ’s level.

“Yes, sir,” LJ took his pack and headed inside.

Samantha raised her eyebrows in Whiskey’s direction.

“We’re working on becoming a soldier. He learned how to make his bed properly and loved to watch us bounce a quarter off it.” Whiskey informed her as they watched their son climb the steps and announce he returned home.

“I stuck to his schedule. I wrote down everything in the notebook. We enjoyed the weekend. Do you think we might meet for coffee and discuss when I can have him next?”

“He’s supposed to spend next weekend with your parents. Did you talk to them?” She crossed her arms and kept her gaze on the front porch.

“I hoped to convince you to go with me. Leo and Catherine recently returned from their honeymoon, and I don’t want to ask him to leave her for the weekend. I can’t drive there and spring it on them. They’re older and I worry how they’ll take the shock,” he admitted.

She swallowed. Did he ever wonder how she reacted to his return then how it felt to get told to leave him in the cabin. Tears threatened and she refused to let him see them. She focused on her feet. “They’ll be thrilled to see you. I’ve put off LJ’s visits for fear he might say something. I can meet you there Friday evening. Why don’t I go first, then you can show up with our son? If we don’t plan on telling LJ right away, I want to make sure they understand,” she told him.

“Lass, I want to offer you an apology. I owe it to my son and you to respect any decisions you make. I shouldn’t have treated you the way I did. I must tell you the moisturizer you gave me stopped the itching. Did Shadow, by any chance, purchase your face cream?”

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