Page 105 of All In
“What?” Cara questions, turning in her seat. “Oh.” She straightens up, getting ready for whatever is headed our way.
Without any more time to wrap my brain around this, they are standing right next to our table.
Chapter thirty-seven
Sam
“Hi, Sam,” Maria says with a warm smile, and a tremble in her voice.
She’s nervous.
“Hey, Maria. Nice to see you.” My eyes zero in on their intertwined hands.
Geoffrey grips her hand tighter.
My stomach twists.
Maria turns to Cara and extends her hand, her palm open and welcoming. “You must be Cara. I’m Maria. Nice to meet you finally.”
Cara kindly takes her hand while also shooting me a look that I can’t read. It’s a cross between pity, humor, and possibly shock that Maria knows who she is. I can’t place it. “You as well.” Cara looks at Geoffrey and offers him a handshake. “And you are…?”
With a strong grip, Geoffrey clasps her hand and shakes it warmly. “Geoffrey Reynolds. Nice to meet you.” His hand returns to Maria’s, not offering me a handshake in greeting.
Fine by me, dude.
Cara blushes as soon as their hands touch. He probably has this effect on every woman he comes in contact with.
Because, of course, he does.
Cara takes the lead in the conversation, which I am grateful for. As a friend should. And it occurs to me that this is what we are, and perhaps we have been for quite some time. Friends.
Instead, we have been pretending to be something we aren’t
Cara’s face lights up, and she excitedly points her finger toward Geoffrey. “Has anyone ever told you that you look like…”
“Channing Tatum,” Maria answers for him. With love, she looks at him, her eyes beaming with adoration as she rests her hand on his chest. “Yeah, he gets that a lot. But I think he’s more handsome than Magic Mike, if you ask me.”
Geoffrey lifts his chin in response to her compliment, and he pulls her close, his arm now securely around her waist.
I grab my scotch, the ice cubes clinking against the sides of the glass, and down it in one gulp. Cara’s eyebrow arches as she watches me.
Maria’s attention shifts to Cara again. “Did you enjoy your dinner? We only stopped in for a quick glass of wine and an appetizer. I’ve always wanted to eat dinner here, though.”
Maria’s smile is stretching from ear to ear. Her fake smile. I’ve seen her flash it before when she is trying to be nice, but deep down, she wants to cry.
“It was delicious. You should try the Cajun Chicken Pasta if you come back,” Cara answers. Maria nods, and an awkward silence hangs in the air.
This small talk is sucking the life right out of me.I shift in my seat to relieve the tension pumping into me.
Cara gives me a side glance and clears her throat before trying to resume the conversation. “Maria, I love your dress. Where—”
“I haven’t seen you at work in a while,” I quickly interrupt while studying the square cubes left inside my rock glass, turning it in my hand. “Did you quit?” I force myself to look away from my empty drink and glance in her direction. She sucks in a breath as my question hangs in the air.
“Wait, you two used to work together?” Geoffrey questions, pointing his finger back and forth between the two of us.
Interesting. She never told him that part. A small satisfied smile crosses my lips as I wait for Maria to answer both him and me. As she narrows her eyes,I can almost feel the intensity radiating from her. “No, we would just see each other in the parking lot. Sam is a psychologist at the hospital next door.”
“Psychologist, huh?” Geoffrey’s eyes focus on me at the mention of my line of work. “I’ve been looking for a new therapist. Do you—”
