Page 98 of Tell Me Again
She’d warned the board of what was coming and met with them the morning after the images were released. The group’s chairman had assured her they’d find a way to spin the story so she didn’t have to distance herself from the camp, but Sam insisted. It was the right decision for Bryce Hollow and for her. The familiar tune of the bond she’d shared with her twin had become stale and off-key. She was ready to release herself and develop her own individual freedom.
There’d been a few reporters hanging out on her street the first day and a flurry of calls and requests from the media. Peter had handled everything and had seemed both shocked and overjoyed that several magazines and fashion houses had also contacted him, begging for her to come out of retirement. She was considering her options, only so she could leave the camp with a healthy financial foundation as she walked away.
Most of her energy was spent thinking about her future. The fact that it might not include Grace and definitely would be absent of Trevor was the sticking point she couldn’t get over. He’d broken her heart, but she understood his intentions and knew their shared past had shaped and damaged him just as it had her. Most of all she missed both of them.
Kendall, back from her honeymoon, Chloe, and Jenny had rallied around her, taking turns camping out at her house and refusing to leave for the first few days. They’d watched a lot of chick flicks and eaten the food Ben sent over from the restaurant. She’d taken Frank on long walks through the neighborhood once the reporters had gotten tired of waiting for her and left. He seemed as happy at the end of a leash, sniffing tree trunks and other dogs, as he had been romping through the open spaces at camp.
If her dog could adjust so easily then she’d pull up her big girl panties and make the best of it as well. She drove home, planning on another stroll through nearby Wash Park to enjoy the gorgeous spring weather. She felt almost normal when she was outside.
But in her house, the memories of spending time there with Trevor and Grace swirling around like a thousand bits of dandelion fluff, her emotional equilibrium was constantly tested. It had gotten so bad she’d taken to sleeping in the guest bedroom, unable to go near the bed and sheets that might still hold his scent.
She parked on the street and was just starting up her front walk when a man stepped out from behind a tree and shoved a microphone in her face. “Have you offered your niece any advice on the modeling industry, given your troubled past?”
Sam blinked at him.
Taking her silence as an invitation, he moved closer, looming over her. “Do you really think you’re the right role model for an impressionable young girl?”
Her head spun with the implications of his words, but before she could form a response, a hand wrapped around her shoulder and moved her out of the reporter’s line of sight.
Trevor.
“My daughter,” he said, “is lucky to have someone like Samantha Carlton in her corner.”
Sam gasped and heard the camera hit the concrete.
“Now I suggest you get the hell out here.” Trevor kept his arm around her as he shifted toward the other man. “Before I lose my temper.”
“Can I talk to the girl?”
Trevor growled a response, and Sam peeked around his shoulder to see the reporter pick up the camera and hurry to a small rental car parked across the street.
“Let’s get you in the house,” he said, “in case there are any more of those jerks lurking around.”
He started to steer her up the walk but she pushed away from him. “What the hell, Trevor?” she demanded. “What was that guy talking about? How did he know about Grace?”
“You haven’t seen the story?”
“I’ve been in a classroom all morning taking an exam and my phone...” She pulled her cell phone from her purse and realized it was still in “do not disturb” mode. She hit the button to turn it off and multiple texts and missed calls from each of her friends and Peter lit up the screen.
“What did you do?” she practically hissed.
“Can we go in the house?”
She shook her head.
He blew out a breath. “Fine. Let me start with I’m sorry.” He lifted his hand but she took a step back and he fisted it at his side instead. “I’m sorry for the things I said and for being an ass. I was such an ass.”
“No arguments there,” she muttered, and his mouth curved.
Not a smile. She couldn’t take it if he smiled at her now, not with her heart hammering and her whole weak and traitorous body yearning to step into his embrace. The breeze picked up and ruffled his hair. It was a little too long at the collar, like he needed a cut. Like he needed someone to take care of him.
“We are better together, just like you said, only I was too afraid of getting hurt to risk it.”
“You have to protect Grace,” she said softly, because that was the only thing that had made his rejection bearable.
“Not against you. She needs you, Sam. I need you.” He took a cautious step toward her. “I love you.”
“Don’t say that.” She turned on her heel and moved toward the house, but he quickly blocked her path.
