Sam resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Missy had a reputation in high school. She went through boys left and right. But she had set her sights on Nate in their senior year of high school. At the time, Nate fully resisted, mostly because he was too busy trying to get Sam’s attention. Little did he know then, but there was no way that was going to work out in his favor. Apparently, after Sam had turned him down one too many times, he’d finally moved on to Missy.
“No hard feelings?” Missy asked, cocking her head. Her eyes gleamed.
Sam snorted. “You do know I’m gay, right?”
“As if anyone could forget.” Missy sighed dramatically. “It was all anyone could talk about for years.” Sam gritted her teeth at Missy’s flippant tone. She was fully aware that the scandal she hadcaused—well, she and Alex had caused—had taken a long time to die down. It was partly why she had spent so little time at home over the past years. “But then Mr. Bayer was caught stealing money from the church, and people moved on.”
“Missy—”
“Melissa,” she corrected.
“Melissa,” Sam repeated firmly. “I’m glad the town of Hicksville moved on after my scandal, but I’m not here to relive what happened all those years ago.”
“Oh, I know, sweetie.” Missy’s tone turned soft. She laid a hand on Sam’s arm. “I just want you to know that people have moved on. You should, too.”
Sam took in the woman standing before her. Missy—no, Melissa looked like a polished professional. Gone were the short skirts and skimpy tops from high school. She wore a sharp navy suit. Her hair was immaculately styled. But what was most surprising was the look on Melissa’s face. It seemed, dare she say it, empathetic. Missy Wilcox seemed to have changed a bit. Sam wasn’t sure how to react. She decided just to be honest. “I’m trying,” she said finally.
“Well, that’s the best anyone can do.” Melissa squeezed her forearm one last time before letting go. She clapped her hands. “Now, should we take a look at the house?”
After nearly two hours of running through every room in the house in minute detail, Melissa left. Sam sat at the kitchen table, looking at her now greatly expanded list. Most of the repairs were cosmetic, including painting everything, such as the deck and windowsills, adding a few handrails where stairs were present, and fixing some siding. A few were more big-ticket items. The house could use a new roof, water heater, and plumbing upgrades. They weren’t deal-breakers, but Sam had to decide whether she wanted to make any of the bigger repairs or sell the house as-is. As she perused the list, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone buzzing. She picked it up, glanced at the screen, and saw another text. Alex again.
Okay, so no lunch. How about dinner?
Sam’s thoughts turned back to Alex. She was confused, but also slightly intrigued. What could Alex possibly want after allthese years? Was she trying to be nice because of what happened to Sam’s mother? Or was there something else there? Where had she been all this time? Sam knew there was only one way to find out. Intellectually, she knew the right thing to do was to text Alex back. But she just wasn’t ready. The day had taken an exhausting toll on her. The list sitting in front of her was stressing her out even more. She swiped the notification off the screen and set the phone back on the table.
Sam woke the next day, resolved to put Alex out of her mind as much as possible and get to work on that list. That resolve was tested when she glanced at her phone and saw several new texts from Alex. She groaned and opened her phone.
The first one had come at eight fifteen that morning.How about coffee?
Sam?Followed fifteen minutes after that one. The final one came another fifteen minutes after that.Are you going to avoid me forever?
Sam sighed. Maybe it would be better to get it over with. She typed out a few words.Not avoiding…sleeping. I’m busy today with house stuff. How about tomorrow?
Alex’s reply was immediate.Tomorrow it is. See you then.
Sam shook her head and set the phone back on the table. She had all day and all night to figure out how to deal with Alex Weaver.
“I can’t believe Nadine Weaver baked you a pie.” Jordan’s tone was disbelieving. “Andthat you didn’t take it.” At that, his tone veered into incredulity. “Say what you will about Nadine Weaver and her homophobic ways, but she always did make a mean pie.”
Sam put down her paintbrush and turned to give him a wry look. “I’m not taking her pie until she looks me in the eye and apologizes for outing me to the whole town.”
“I mean, if she’s baking you a pie…maybe we’re getting closer to hell freezing over and the apology is just around the corner.”
“Funny,” Sam deadpanned. She turned back to the wall she was trying to paint and cursed. She really hated painting. Of all the things she could be doing with the house, painting was the worst.
Jordan was down from Pittsburgh to help her get a jump on the house repairs, but she took a minute to fill him in on Alex’s visit. As usual, he listened with a sympathetic ear, but Sam could tell by watching his face that something was simmering in the back of his brain. She was trying to keep the focus on the house so she didn’t have to address it.
“In another stunning twist of events,” she called over her shoulder, “I did agree to meet with Alex.”
Jordan paused from where he was diligently rearranging the magazines her mother had kept on a rack by the coffee table. “You did what, now?”
“I don’t know, Jordan,” she said, coming over to sit beside him on the couch. “What am I supposed to do?” She reached out and grabbed the beer that was sweating on the coffee table and took a long swig. “What am I even doing here?” She sighed, looking around at the mess.
“Do you mean existentially, or metaphorically, or…” Jordan’s voice trailed off. Sam slugged him in the shoulder. “Ow!”
“You know what I mean.”
“I know.” He grinned. “I’m just trying to lighten the mood.”
