Page 65 of And Then Came You

What a liar. A beautiful, heartbreaking liar.

Not something, Sam.

Someone.

And that someone isn’t me.

With trembling fingers, I type out a response.

Lexi: Don’t bother. I’m tired and done for the evening.

Then, without a second thought, I turn off my cell phone right after instructing the front desk to hold all calls. Should Sam suddenly decide to find me, I want him to know he’s shut out of my life, just as he shut me out of his.

Sam is a game I no longer want to play.

* * *

Ileave the conference a day early, too heartsick and embarrassed to stay the duration.

I don’t see any point to sticking around.

The good part of leaving at two in the morning? No one is there to stop you.

Certainly not Sam, although the front desk said he requested they ring my room several times.

Apparently the man doesn’t enjoy being told no.

In my frenetic haste to pack my things and get the hell out of Dodge, I step over several pieces of paper slipped under the door.

I don’t bother to pick them up. If it’s a hotel bill, I’ll settle it at the front desk and if it’s from Sam, then I don’t care to know what he has to say. I don’t give a damn what his reasons are for standing me up after I was willing to give him my heart.

I wonder how many other women he’s done this to? I know I’m hardly unique, at least where Samuel Bernard is concerned. That was my first mistake. Believing him when he claimed I was special.

Now, I’m taking time for myself, far away from the man who haunts my dreams. I need to decide if being friends with Sam is even an option I want to consider, now that my heart is so inextricably tangled.

After some black coffee, an aspirin and a nap, I dare to turn on my phone. It comes alive with a litany of messages, all from Sam.

I don’t have the bandwidth to deal with him right now.

I’ve listened to men and their excuses for most of my adult life.

Time to play a new record.

Dialing a number, I listen to the phone ring.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Maybe it’s a sign.

“Lexi, I was just thinking about you.”

“Hi, Damian. Any chance we might connect soon?”

His deep chuckle resonates over the line. “Absolutely. How does Thursday look?”

---