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‘Hey, pretty lady. Want to go for a walk?’
They headed out to the jetty, walking side by side, but not hand in hand, like she would have liked. Still, with the sea spread out all around them, Samantha had the lightheaded feeling of walking on water.
He pointed down to the wooden planks. ‘When I was a kid, I snagged a toe on a loose nail and had to get stitches and a tetanus shot. I still have the scar.’
Samantha made a mental note to look for that scar later. Now she had questions. ‘Why don’t you tell me anything?’
Roman looked genuinely confused. ‘I just told you a funny story from my childhood.’
There was nothing funny about tetanus. ‘You tell me anecdotes, but not the stuff that matters. Like your grandmother, for example.’
‘I’m pretty sure I told you about her. Her name is Candace. Remember that whole thing?’
She lowered her voice even though they were pretty much alone out on their end of the jetty. ‘You didn’t say anything about her health issues.’
Roman sputtered a response. ‘Sure, she had some issues. Still does. I mean, she’s not the same since the stroke, but she’s better now. Stable.’
Samantha felt terrible. It was clear that she’d touched upon a sore spot. Roman didn’t want to talk about his grandmother’s health on a sunny beach day. Could she blame him? ‘I’m sorry. It’s not important.’
‘I wasn’t hiding it from you. It didn’t come up, that’s all.’
Samantha was confronted with the truth. The way she felt had nothing to do with his grandmother. Her frustration stemmed from something else. ‘I’m getting “maybe” vibes from you.’
He cocked his head. ‘Explain.’
She spelled it out. ‘Mixed signals, Roman. Like maybe you don’t want this. Maybe you’re just not that into me. Whatever the case, it’s fine. I just need to know.’
He stepped away, astonished. ‘You think that I – Roman Carver, of sound mind and body – for some reason, don’t want this?’
The sea breeze had picked up, making a mess of her hair. Samantha stood her ground. ‘Am I wrong?’
‘You couldn’t be more wrong,’ he said. ‘How do you get through life with that kind of wrong thinking?’
‘What is it, then?’
‘Reading your blog posts changed things.’
‘I knew it!’ she cried. ‘You think I’m a train wreck.’
‘No, Sam … I think you’re fun and smart and complicated and loving. It’s changed how I see you, how I feel, and I had to hit pause and sort myself out.’
Samantha turned away and stared out at the sea. He thought her fun and smart and complicated? She felt the same about him. There was no use putting a casual spin on it. She liked him and he liked her. It was as simple as that. However, it was worth noting that she was booked on a 2 p.m. flight out of Tobago on Sunday. Hitting pause right now might not be the way to go, but she was willing to do it.
She was about to tell him all of this when he smirked and said, ‘Just how badly do you want me?’
Samantha tried to shove him into the sea. He yanked her to him. ‘I’ll take you down with me!’
They laughed and held each other tight. ‘I don’t want to get stuck in the Friend Zone,’ she said. ‘If that makes sense.’
Exploring her feelings for Roman scared her to death, but something inside her dared her to take the leap.
He gently gathered her curls in one hand and brought his mouth to her ear. He whispered, ‘Come home with me today and I’ll show you how good a friend I can be.’
She shivered in the afternoon heat. ‘I can’t wait.’
‘Let’s go,’ he said.
It was her turn to hit pause. ‘Can’t. I’ve booked a steel drum lesson at three.’
