Feeling frustrated and confused, he sighed and went around to the front then joined the boys inside. They were eating their lunch with Mrs. Del Rio leaning next to them and laughing at something. Wyatt smiled as he went over, but he had to get his lunch to go.
He just didn't feel like eating at all right now. He felt like he would never want to eat another bite until he settled this thing with Sam. On his way out, he spotted him at a table and went over. He whispered to him. "I'm going on a hunger strike until you feed me something."
Sam jumped at that and gaped at him. To let him know he wasn't giving up, Wyatt eyed him seriously as he left. He wasn't going to lose him no matter what.
In contrast to his intensity, the kids were waving cheerfully to Sam as they went out the door. For the kids Sam had a smile, but for Wyatt he only had a pained expression.
Since his concentration was shot anyway, Wyatt decided to call Raquel. He needed a sympathetic ear.
"How come you're calling?" she asked instead of saying hello.
"Where's the love?" Wyatt asked and leaned back in his office chair. He let his head fall back until he was staring at the ceiling.
"Hey now," Raquel told him in a conciliatory tone. "I always want to hear from you. I know it must be hard for you."
"I won't argue with that," Wyatt said with a sigh.
"So what's wrong?" she asked gently. When he didn't answer right away, she turned more demanding. "I know something is up, so spill it."
"I guess you're psychic. I had my first and my second fight with Sam," Wyatt confessed. "I never thought that kind of thing was a big deal, but it's different with him."
"Because you're head over heels. Want to tell me what the fight was about?" she said.
"He thinks I'm going to leave, go back to Vienna or somewhere," Wyatt summed up.
There was a thoughtful silence on the other end before Raquel spoke. "Well, you are living in that tiny, little town. That's not you."
"I know, but this is where the boys need to be. And I think I'm fitting in OK. At first, it was kind of weird being in my brother's house when he's gone, but the place is feeling kind of like home lately," Wyatt told her.
"So you're thinking of staying?" Raquel said.
"I want to be where Sam is," Wyatt stated simply.
Another pause from Raquel followed. "Wow. So did you tell him that?"
"I didn't get a chance. He didn't want to listen to anything I said," Wyatt complained.
"I'm sure once you talk, you'll clear it up."
"I hope. But it scares me. The way he's turning away from me. What if he decides I'm too much of a gamble?" Wyatt said worriedly. "Sam is coming off a bad relationship. He doesn't want turmoil in his life. He likes this place because it's peaceful."
"And you tend to turn things upside down," Raquel said.
"What? I'm not some kind of troublemaker," Wyatt said getting a little defensive.
"It does sound like you might be starting to settle down. I guess raising kids will do that to you," she said. "So how are your nephews doing?"
"They are brave little guys," Wyatt said feeling so proud of them.
"They have you so they'll be OK."
"When you come down, you'll get to meet them and Sam, and see this place. And I can't wait to see you. We didn't get to spend much time together, and I was so rushed and out of it when I arrived," Wyatt reminded her.
"I can't wait either," Raquel said.
After he hung up and went back to work, he realized that talking to Raquel cheered him up a little. But too soon after that, Wyatt found himself brooding about Sam once again. He needed to straighten this out as soon as possible, but he didn't want Sam to feel cornered or pressured.
Wyatt wanted to be considerate, but he just couldn't let go of the fear that all this turmoil might be too much for Sam. He might make his case only for Sam to reject him. After all the bad things in his life, Sam needed someone he could trust. What if he decided Wyatt wasn't the man for him?
