I know that growing up he didn’t have an easy life. His dad was some unknown one-night-stand that his crack-head of a mother had hooked up with, probably to get her latest fix. I had never even met the woman and I hated her, which was a really strong word to use but I really couldn’t help it.
Teddy had never come right out to say it but I know that he never really felt loved by her, or really anyone else for that fact.
Chase had been like a savior to him when they became best friends. Chase and his family welcomed him with open arms, and he really became a part of their family. But Teddy was right, the damage had already been done with the way his mother raised him, and I think that his cheating had really been inevitable. How could I have been so stupid not to see it coming?
I shook my head, trying to clear Teddy from my thoughts.
Breathe, Ally, breathe. You need to focus.
I walked through the entrance after easily finding my way, and took in the lush property surrounding me. This was the type of place the wealthy would frequent. You could just tell from the whole atmosphere. My heels clicked on the marble floor as I made my way inside. The grand lobby had a sleek, modern look with its dark wood accents and just a touch of the beach, which you could see from the wide windows surrounding the building, giving impressive views of the water.
“Hi, I’m here for an interview,” I stated when greeted by a man at the front desk. He looked up from where he was typing on a computer and gave me a wide smile, his overly tan skin wrinkling slightly at the corners of his mouth.
“You must be Ally then, the two o’clock interview. A pleasure to meet you.” He stuck out a beefy hand that I gripped firmly, before he moved to open the wooden partition. “Right this way.”
I followed him through the narrow hallway until he stopped at a door and tapped on it twice, peeking his head in and then moving aside to let me pass. “Good luck, dear. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”
“Thanks, Leo.” I heard murmured from behind a folder as I took a seat, and I jumped in surprise at the voice that was semi-familiar. I only met the guy once, but we had talked for hours, and I still hadn’t forgotten it.
“So nice to meet you, Ally—” His voice cut short as soon as he stood up to greet me and realized who was sitting there. I thought at first maybe he didn’t remember me, until he did a double take between me and the paper that was sitting on his desk, confusion crossing his face. “Sampson,” he finished, before sitting back down.
I squirmed in my seat as he waited for me to explain.
Of course, it was just my luck that my very first interview would be with Nick. The guy that I pretty much blew off with really no explanation. He probably thought I had been leading him on the whole time, which I really wasn’t, I just hadn’t expected to connect with someone like that so quickly. I had jumped straight into things with Teddy. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
“Sampson’s my married name actually,” I quietly explained, looking down to avoid those blue eyes of his that seemed to see right through me.
“Married?” he asked, his deep voice rising with a slight edge to it. “You didn’t bother to mention that. Most people would.”
“Look, I didn’t get into specifics with you, but I did tell you that I had just gone through a breakup.” I pointed out, chewing on the inside of my cheek to keep the tears at bay. If I hadn’t just had a run in with Teddy, I’m sure I would have been able to handle his line of questioning a little bit calmer, but of course that wasn’t the case.
“Ally Sampson,” he repeated once again, staring at me harder this time. “Why does that name sound so familiar?” He tucked his top lip in, flashing that set of dimples at me that had caught my eye the first time I met him. It gave him sort of a boy-next-door look that I hadn’t ever really been attracted to before.
“We-ll,” I dragged out, trying to decide how I would play this off. I could just make something up, but then he would easily be able to figure it out anyway. Or I could just tell him the truth. With my luck, he would be some closet fan boy of the Major Hoosiers. “I’m married, or was, or I’m going to be div—we’re not together anymore, but I’m married to Teddy Sampson.” When I saw no recognition, I added, “He’s the lead singer for the Major Hoosiers.”
“Oh,” he answered simply, nodding his head. “I’m not really into that type of music, but the guy seems like a bit of a douche.”
I burst into laughter at his description, my thoughts on Teddy being pretty much the same lately, but then the laughter turned a little hysterical until it was mixed in with tears. By this time Nick probably thought I was insane, and by the look he was giving me I’m fairly certain he was pitying me, too, which I definitely didn’t want.