He picks up on the fourth ring of the second call.
“Are you seriously calling me in the middle of a holiday?” Sam asks when answering the phone. “A holiday in which you know my family takes incredibly seriously?”
“My mother is crazy,” I hiss.
“And this is news to you?”
“She invited a guy over to join us for dinner.”
“And?”
“He’s a gynecologist.”
I’m met with dead silence before Sam bursts out laughing. “It could be a good thing,” Sam gets out between spurts of giggles. “Maybe hereallyknows his way around the female anatomy.”
“He lives in his mother’s basement.”
More hysterical laughter. I bite the inside of my cheek, wanting to stay grumpy, but Sam’s amusement is infectious. And I suppose it is alittlefunny. “Why doesn’t he live in his childhood bedroom?”
“He told me the walls are too thin, and he was tired of his mom overhearing him fucking the girls he brings home,” I deadpan.
“Oh god,” Sam says, disgust evident in his tone. “He really said that to you?”
“No, Sam,” I roll my eyes. “I didn’t ask this random ass man why he lives in his mother’s basement as opposed to any other room in the house.”
“You really need to work on your sarcastic voice.”
“Sam, I called you because I cannot put up with either of these people for one second longer.”
“Can you leave?”
“It’s a four-and-a-half-hour drive home,” I respond hesitantly.
“I mean, you have to make that drive eventually, right?”
“What am I supposed to do, spend the rest of the break alone?”
“Is it better than spending it with your mother and the gynecologist?”
“You make an excellent point.”
“Don’t I always?”
I run a hand through my hair, already wishing I were home with my cat. “How’s Milo?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood. My mother never allows Milo in the house. She claims she’s allergic, but I know she just doesn’t want cat hair on her furniture. So, Sam takes Milo home with him during breaks—his mother absolutely adores her and insists she sleeps in her room at night. I’m sure Sam’s dad loves that.
“Happy to be fawned over by her biggest fan,” he says, and I can hear the fondness in his voice.
“Your mother spoils her.”
“Probably why Milo loves her better than me.”
“Honestly, Milo might love your mother more than me,” I laugh.
“Look,” Sam says gently. “I love you. You know I love you, but we also know that you’re stalling. I have to go. I brought Derekhome with me to meet the family, and if I’m gone much longer, he’s going to think that I abandoned him.”
“Aw,” I coo. “You brought Derek home with you?”
“Don’t make a big deal out of it,” Sam grits out.
