AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I know, but now I owe you a hundred grand.Get it done before the end of the week, and that hundred grand will be in your bank account before you can blink.”
“I don’t know, Mr.Ford.I …”
“Sam, get it done.”He hung up, and I stood there.I swore under my breath as I realized I had burnt the egg.Valentina came in wearing her dress with her long hair wet.She wrinkled her nose and sniffed.
“Oh no.Did you burn something?”
“Sorry.I got distracted by a work call.I burnt your egg, but I can make another one.”
“You really don’t have to,” she said, smiling at me.
“No, I want to.”I opened the fridge and grabbed another egg.“Salt and pepper okay?”
“Yeah.So what was your work call about?”I stared at her for a few seconds, feeling ashamed and annoyed, and I didn’t know what I was going to do.
I had just spent the most miraculous and fun night of my life with a beautiful woman, and I was expected to break things off with her?Now I was supposed to hurt her?I didn’t know how I was going to do it, but I also didn’t know how I was going to walk away from a hundred thousand dollars.That would be a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for one job.If I had been smart and not gotten emotionally involved with her, then it would’ve been easy.But I’d made the number one mistake in private detective work.I’d gotten close to the person I was supposed to be tracking, and now, I felt all sorts of conflicted.
“Sam, you’re going to burn that egg as well,” Valentina said quickly, grabbing the spatula from me and turning it over.
“Sorry.It’s just been a crazy morning,” I said.
“Is everything okay?”She looked worried.“What’s going on?”
I chewed on my lower lip.I couldn’t tell her about the phone call from her dad.She’d hate me.
“My mom,” I said, not even knowing why I was telling her.
“Your mom?”She looked at me in surprise.“I thought she was dead.”
“No, she’s not dead.”I sighed.“She left my brothers and me when I was young and, well, she’s back.”
“She’s back?”Her eyes widened.“What do you mean?”
“She’s back in town.She wants to be in my brother’s and my life again, and she wants to get back together with my dad.”
“What?”she said.“How are you feeling about it?Are you okay, Sam?”
I shook my head.“Not really.I don’t really know what’s going on, and I don’t really know what to feel, but what I do know is right now, at this moment, I’m not okay.”She leaned up on her tiptoes and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?”Her eyes looked concerned.“I can cancel my meeting.I don’t have to go in and see this…”
“No, you need to go.I know how important it is for you to find a place for your puppy café.I don’t want you not to go because of me.”
“But I want to be here for you, Sam.”
“I’ll see you later.Here.”I handed her the sandwich.“Please, I’ll be okay.”
“If you say so,” she said, nodding.She gave me a kiss on the lips and then touched the side of my face.“I’m having dinner with my dad today, but I’ll call you afterward, okay?And I can come over, or you can come over to mine.”
“Sure.Sounds good,” I said with a slight nod.
“Great.I had a really nice time last night, Sam.”She smiled at me.“I know I keep saying this, but you’re such a good guy.I’m so glad I met you.I didn’t think there were great guys like you out there anymore.”I could feel my stomach twisting and knotting at her words, but there was nothing I could say or do.
I gave her a hug and a kiss on the forehead, and then I watched her leave.I wasn’t sure who I was madder at—Hamilton for doing this to his daughter or myself for letting him do it.
