Page 59 of Quarterback Sneak

“No, he was fine. He…this is all my fault. If I hadn’t embarrassed him by overreacting to his flirtation with that skank, we would have never have left the party in the first place. I shouldn’t have lost my temper.” She worried the phone and the pulse machine beeped faster in her agitated state. “I should have kept my mouth shut.”

“What happened at the bar wasn’t your fault.” How many times had he heard similar excuses from his mother? How many slaps, kicks, and punches did it take before she had finally said enough? The spark in Sam flamed brighter and he allowed his anger to shine through. “I saw him flirting with the waitress. He was disrespecting you in front of your friends and colleagues. You had a right to be angry. Stop making excuses for him. You’re not doing him or yourself any favors. Yes, this is difficult but he left you here and didn’t even have the decency to call and find out if you were even alive.”

“You don’t understand. I love him and he loves me. He’ll be back. He—”

“He’s not coming back and love has little to do with it. It’s about respect.” Sam wanted to shake the stubborn woman, instead he curled his fingers into his palm. “He left you here when you needed him. When are you going to say enough is enough? There are more important things in life then just loving someone.”

As the words spilled from his lips, Ivy’s earlier statement hit him. He’d considered himself a logical man and had tried to carry the logic into every aspect of his life. Sitting in the hospital room with Beth and counseling her on a dysfunctional relationship opened his eyes to his own blindness. For the first time since their conversation, he truly understood Ivy’s argument. Now he had to find a way to make amends. His future depended on it.

Ivy finished speaking with the insurance guy, her head pounding from the adrenaline rush. Her best friend could have died. She retrieved some headache medication from her purse and went to the water cooler. The nurse had said that Beth had been taken for tests and that Sam had gone to the cafeteria for coffee. Ivy considered joining him but her residual anger towards Aaron and Sam still simmered.

Perhaps she’d overreacted to the entire 3Square debacle. Was putting a positive spin on life truly a bad thing?

No, but suppressing her own emotions and hiding who she was just to be with a man wouldn’t cut it. She loved Sam. Every inch of the man yet he’d called it quits. He’d broken up with her. She put her hands over her face. Love wasn’t enough. Aaron and Beth’s relationship proved that. She didn’t have the full story about the DUI but the fact that Aaron wasn’t at Beth’s side told its own tale.

The sound of footfalls, a man’s heavier step in sync with the clicking of high heels on linoleum, caught her eye. Howler approached with a petite brunette in a navy dress, her long dark hair swept in a loose bun at the base of her neck. He stopped in front of Ivy and offered a grim smile.

“Howler, what are you doing here?” Ivy asked.

He ran a hand through his close-cropped black hair and plopped down in the chair next to her. “Sam called us. He said Beth was arrested and needed help. Raina here agreed to assist.”

Ivy glanced from Howler to the woman. Up close, her face was flawless with skin to die for. “I’m not sure what you can do. Obviously, you were out on a date, I’m sorry to have pulled you away.”

“Not on your life,” the woman said.

“As if,” Howler snapped at the same instant, thumb scanning the phone in his hand.

The woman gave him a disgruntled look, which he returned in kind. She held out a manicured hand to Ivy. “My name is Raina. I am an attorney. I understand your friend has been arrested for a DUI.”

“She has. She is in doing tests right now, but she should be back to her room soon.” Ivy dragged a shaky hand over her face, both emotionally and physically exhausted.

Howler hopped to his feet, impatient energy emanating from him. “Sam’s in the cafeteria getting coffee for he and Ivy. Do you want a cup? Black, right?”

Raina’s eyes widened at the question, surprise emitting from the blue depths. “Yes, thanks. Black is fine. “

He nodded in response and slipped his phone back in the pocket of his navy suit. “I’ll be back. In the meantime, be on the lookout. I caught a glimpse a few news vans outside. The wolves like to seek Sam out, especially since Cassandra let it leak that Ivy was his girlfriend.”

“Sheep in expensive wool clothing. Don’t these people ever give up?” Ivy asked, and then she straightened her shoulders. After tonight, when the world found out she was no longer seeing Sam, those annoying people would disappear. “Never mind.”

“I understand exactly what you’re going through.” Raina nodded, her smile sympathetic.

“Right, you’re friends with Sam.”

She shook her head. “Sam and I dated for a while. But don’t worry, I’m not a scorned ex-girlfriend. We simply weren’t a good match and I, well, I was at fault. He’s a decent man if not a bit too perfect, and I…I’m sure you don’t really care.” She trailed off, looking uncomfortably at her feet.

Ivy’s pulse began to pound and she licked dry lips. Either she could keep her mouth shut and work through her dilemma with Sam, or confide in this woman, someone who’d been in her shoes. What do you have to lose? Sam. She’d lose Sam if she didn’t figure this out. “How did you handle this whole fame thing without going insane?”

Raina shook her head, a mocking smile crossing her wide mouth. “I didn’t handle it. I drank, something I rarely do. Sam is a wonderful guy. But he’s really hard to be with. One on one, he’s great, but then you add in his adoring fans. When they’re around you simply disappear into the background. Then the press steps in and you wish you could disappear. They compare you to supermodels and actresses and point out when you go to the grocery store without makeup. Come on? Who puts makeup on to go to the grocery store?”

Ivy certainly didn’t.

“And don’t get me started on his charity. Yes, he is a humanitarian. I admire him, despite my bitching. Before I met Sam, I felt good about myself by just donating once a year to the food drive during the holiday season. After Sam, I felt guilty about everything.”

Everything she said, every word, heralded back to Ivy’s own uncertainty. “I am glad it’s not just me.”

“Looking back, I realize most of my issues with Sam had nothing to do with him. It was me and my crappy father, but that’s a whole different story. I understand the pressure you’re going through. While Sam and I were together, things were good for him. Now everything’s screwed up in his life, it can’t be easy for you or for him.”

Ivy inhaled a deep breath and bit her lip, moisture watering her vision. Although Raina was a perfect stranger, she had spent time with Sam. From what her experiences were, they mirrored Ivy’s. “I can handle everything that’s happening in his life –”

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