“This house is a wreck.” Sam gestured around. “How did I think I could do all of this myself?”
Jordan clutched at his heart in mock indignation. “You’re not alone. You have me.”
“Even worse.” Sam smiled. “You’ve just been watching me for the past two hours.”
“Rude!” Jordan scowled at her. “I did bring you beer, didn’t I?”
“That you did, my friend.” Sam touched the neck of her bottle to his gin and tonic tumbler. “And for that, I am eternally grateful.” The two of them sat sipping their drinks in thoughtful, companionable silence.
“Does all of this have to do with a certain someone?” Jordan slyly began after a minute, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Someone whose name rhymes with….” He paused and frowned. “Wait, nothing rhymes with Alex. At least nothing all that good.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “That’s unfortunate.”
Sam glanced at him and then slouched lower into the couch. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, really?” Jordan smirked. “You just totally glossed over the fact that you’re going to meet her for coffee. And, well, right now, you’re acting even more neurotic than usual, so it’s clear that something is on your mind.” He gestured to the room around him. “The Sam I know would’ve torn through this house in a few hours. You’ve barely even finished one wall.”
Sam slugged his arm again. “It’s not like I have the best help.”
“Again, rude!” Jordan smacked her back lightly on the arm. “These magazines need alphabetizing. Did you know there is aPeoplein here from 1999? That’s likelastcentury, Sam.” He flipped through them again, his face scrunching up in thought. “Maybe I should do them by year instead.”
“Jordan.” Sam shook her head at his antics. He wasn’t overly helpful when it came to chores, but he was still her best friend.
He took another sip of his drink and looked up at her. “Let’s get real. We both know that I’m just here for the emotional support.”
“Is that what you’re doing here?” Sam smiled. “You could have fooled me.”
“Seriously, Sam.” Jordan turned to face her, setting his drink on the table before him. Concern was evident on his handsome face. “What’s up? Talk to me.”
Sam stood back up and began to pace. She was trying to put her finger on precisely what was tugging at the corner of her mind. It wasn’t just Alex. It was everything. She was back home, and everything felt exactly as it had when she was younger. After being away for so long, after all the things she had tried to become, she was realizing she was still the same person she had been when she left. The only thing that was missing was her mother.
She turned to face Jordan. “It’s like I never left,” she whispered, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
“That’s just it. You never do leave. Yeah, your geography might change.” He got up and walked toward her. He reached out and took her into his arms. “But this place, these people. Theyareyou. It’s in your blood. It will always be a part of you.” He pulled back and looked her in the eye.
Sam untangled herself from his embrace and looked at him, wiping tears from her cheeks. “When did you get to be so wise, Jordan Davies?”
“Well,” he said, pointing at his chest. “They don’t call me Dr. Davies for nothing!”
“Whatever.” Sam grinned. She picked up a roll of tape and thrust it at him. “It doesn’t exempt you from working. At least not in this house. Let’s get some work done, Dr. Davies!”
“But Sam…” Jordan’s face turned serious again. “You know that does mean that Alex will always be a part of you, too.” He picked up a roll of painter’s tape and purposefully turned his back on her, beginning to fidget with a window. “You just have to figure out what you want that part to be.”
For a minute, Sam watched him work, forehead scrunched in thought. She knew he wasn’t wrong. She just didn’t know what to do about it yet.
Chapter Four
Sam woke the following day to a pounding noise. She couldn’t tell if it was a result of the beers from the night before or if it was real. She rolled onto her back and opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling, waiting to see if she heard the noise again. She groaned and glanced at the clock. It was only 8:36 a.m. and she was still wiped. Jordan had stayed until well after midnight, having experienced a strange burst of productivity around ten p.m.
Just when she was thinking that she really should get up and get started on her massive list for the day, she heard the noise again. Okay, someone was definitely knocking. She groaned again and pushed back the covers. She racked her groggy brain, trying to remember if Melissa was supposed to come by the house. She pulled on a pair of sweatpants and checked her reflection in the mirror. As was usual these days, she looked like a wreck. She heard another knock and hastily pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail. “Coming!” she called and hurried down the hall.
Sam threw open the door to find Alex Weaver standing on her porch for the second time in a week.
This time, there was none of the timid woman from before. Alex leaned casually back against the porch railing, holding a takeout cup of coffee in one hand. Another was sitting on the railing beside her with a small white bakery box next to it. At the sound of the door, Alex looked Sam’s way. The cup in Alex’s hand paused midway to her mouth, which gaped halfway open. Alex’s eyes moved down thelength of Sam’s body, then slowly back up again. Sam felt herself coloring under the weight of that gaze. She looked down at what she was wearing—a tank top, sweatpants, and no bra. She hadn’t had time to change when she heard the knocking. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked back up, her eyes meeting Alex’s. She sensed something between them was trying to shift at that moment, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to let it. She shook her head and looked away to break the connection.
Alex cleared her throat and pushed herself back from the railing, a faint blush staining her cheeks. She thrust out her arm, which was holding the second cup of coffee. “Um, I was just…” Her cheeks reddened further. “I thought I would…”
Sam cocked her head to the side. This was interesting. The stammering was cute. It also might have been the first time ever in their relationship that Sam felt she had the upper hand. Honestly? She didn’t hate it.
“I just figured…” Alex’s voice trailed off again. “Here.” She pushed the cup out in front of her again. “Take it.”
