I sat my briefcase on my desk and put one hand on either side, leaning forward and looking at her. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“We had a job on the schedule as a possibility for next week. I went ahead and added it into the estimating program in case you wanted to play with it,” she said, her face falling a bit. “And I’m really sorry about today, Max.”
“Yeah, well, shit happens,” I sighed. “Thanks for entering that one. I’ll log in from home tonight and see if it’s worth our time. At this point, we need something big.”
“I hate that you’re working all day here and then all night at home, too. You need to try to rest a little. You’re wearing yourself out.”
She was so right. Every bone, muscle, fiber in my being ached. I didn’t have the energy to even walk to my truck, let alone pour through more projects when I got home.
“The boss doesn’t get to rest until the work’s done,” I smiled halfheartedly. “I’m gonna need you to come in early for the rest of the week if you can. It’s all hands on deck until we get something figured out.”
She grinned. “Of course. No problem.”
I don’t know if it was the light coming in the window or the feeling of knowing she was there to help, but Sam seemed so grown up standing there. She had been in my life for a long time, but I didn’t really know what was going on in hers. “What are you doing tonight? Anything fun?”
She tucked her tongue into her cheek, her eyes glimmering before responding, “I’m going out again with Blaine.”
“Ah, how’s that working for ya? Nice guy?”
She shifted her weight. “He is. He’s a super nice guy. Very cute, very sweet.”
I nodded, happy to see her happy. “That’s good. He has a job and a clean criminal record?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course. Stop acting like my big brother. This guy is a total catch . . . if I can get him to get past his hang-up on his ex-girlfriend.”
“If anyone can do that, it’s you and your relentlessness,” I laughed.
“You mean it’s not my award-winning personality?”
I pressed my lips together. “Ah, no.”
“Thanks a lot!” she giggled. “No, seriously, he’s really great. We’ve gone out a few times, but he seems kinda skittish. All I know is that some girl put him through the wringer. He’s told me bits and pieces—that they were going to get married and then she wound up pregnant and he wasn’t ready for it. By the time he kind of got his head wrapped around it, he heard she aborted it. It kind of messed him up, I think.”
“Wow,” I said, my mouth dropping. “That would mess with your head. I feel bad for the guy already. Just give him some time to come around. It’ll work out if it’s supposed to.”
Sam bit the inside of her cheek and I knew her head was going a million miles an hour. She dipped her chin and looked at me through her lashes, a mischievous grin on her face.
“What?” I asked, knowing I was going to get talked into something.
“Want to do me a favor and scan him for me?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She gave me her best innocent smile. “Bring Kari and have dinner with us. Get to know him and see if he’s worth keeping around. I’m a goner for his baby blue eyes and if he isn’t going to be able to get beyond this stuff in his past, maybe you can clue me in. You need a distraction tonight, anyway.”
I lifted my briefcase off the table and returned her smile.
“Come on, Max. What do you say? Help me out.”
“Let me run it by my Kari, but I think it sounds better than sitting around tonight, wallowing in defeat.”
KARI
The ER had been relatively calm all day, allowing me a bit of time to reflect over the past 24 hours. I just couldn’t get my head wrapped around Samantha West. She seemed so sweet and so likable, and then she could come across so sneaky. It just drove me crazy all day.
Am I just jealous? Am I that girl that sees things that aren’t there, that reads into things because I’m afraid?
Dr. Manning noticed my unusual quietness and asked me about it. He and I had forged some sort of friendly relationship; I liked him. He never crossed the professional line, but we had a natural give-or-take between us. It was like I had worked with him, known him, for a long time.
When he asked me what was wrong, I tried to play it off. He flashed me the smirk I’ve come to notice is reserved for me and said he was “waiting on me to stop lying.” Reluctantly, I gave him a rundown of the day before. He said it was his medical opinion that Samantha needed someone to keep an eye on her. I agreed.
But Max knows her better than Connor or me . . .