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I laugh at their continued banter as they move through the line. And Sam thought he didn’t know what it was like to have siblings.
“Hey, Carter. What are you doing here?” Tucker’s deep voice has me turning toward him.
“I didn’t have anything else to do on my Saturday, so I thought I’d bring a snack and say hi.”
Tucker’s eyes light up. “What did you bring?”
I open the container to show him.
“Score.” He reaches in and grabs one before anyone notices. “Damn, those are good. Thanks, man.”
Tucker goes to grab a plate behind Rodney and Rick. “Don’t you two go taking all the meat this time. Chief James still needs to eat.”
The second the words are out, Rodney and Rick put back half of what they took. I understand why Sam would do whatever it takes to go first. When he’s through the line, he grabs my elbow and directs me down a hallway I’ve never been to before. He leads me into a room where a bunch of beds are spread out, and I realize this is where they sleep.
Sam sets his lunch down on a bed, turns to me, and snatches one of the containers I’m still awkwardly carrying as if they’re glued to my hands.
He then proceeds to stuff about six treats into a quart-sized resealable bag. After he closes the bag, he slides it under his pillow.
“Okay, we can go back to the kitchen now.” He leaves, carrying one of the containers with his lunch stacked on top.
I bark out a laugh and hurry to follow behind him. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m a genius. You’re crazy if you think I’m not going to take extra of the snacks my boyfriend made for me.” He scoffs.
“Where were you guys?” Brody narrows his eyes.
“I was having a private moment with my boyfriend. Would you like details? It’s been a while since I embarrassed Rodney.”
The whole crew shouts no, yelling at Brody to shut up. My face flames, even though we weren’t actually doing anything dirty. I lean over to Sam after we sit down. “What would you have told them?”
“I knew they wouldn’t call me on it. I used to say whatever it took to make Rodney blush. It turned into a game for me, and they know I can make up some crazy shit.”
I laugh. I should’ve known he wouldn’t have said anything embarrassing about us.
The next hour goes by in a flash. I can’t keep up with the lighthearted ribbing or the inside jokes they share, but I’m still having fun being a part of their day. I wish I could stay the rest of the afternoon, but I know they have responsibilities to get to while they’re not on a call.
Both of the containers were emptied within minutes of opening them. I understand why Sam tucked a few away for himself earlier. Given how lunch went, I should’ve seen it coming.
Sam walks me back to my car, hesitating with every step to prolong our time together. When I’m standing next to the door, I’m reminded of my run-in with Chase.
“I have to tell you something,” I start.
“Uh-oh.”
“No, it’s nothing bad. It’s actually fantastic. I ran into Chase at the store this morning.”
“What?” Sam’s eyebrows fly up his forehead. “That’s not fantastic. Are you okay? What happened? Do I need to punch him? God, I want to punch him so bad.”
I press my fingers against Sam’s mouth to get him to stop talking. Then I laugh at his stunned expression. “Let me finish, please.”
He nods and presses a kiss to my fingers before I lower them.
“He started to say some shit about getting back together, but I shut him down quickly, and he finally got the message. He’s going to back off and leave me alone.”
“Are you sure?”
“Completely. I know him well enough to know that he’s giving up.”
