I became very surprised when we were met by a salesman who was clearly beside himself with glee that he scored Sampson Cooper but was still trying to act cool.
After his effusive (but trying to be cool) greeting, Sam told him, “Need to lease my woman a Jeep Cherokee. Thinkin’…” he trailed off, glanced through the lot then looked at the man and finished, “green.”
I stopped breathing.
The man chirped excitedly, “Absolutely! Let’s get you a test drive. I’ll go get some keys. Be right back!” Then he sprinted (yes, sprinted) into the building.
“Uh… what’s going on?” I asked and Sam looked down at me.
“Gettin’ you a ride,” Sam answered.
“Um, shouldn’t we go to a car rental place or…” I looked around then back at him, “do they do day and week rentals here?”
Sam’s head cocked slightly to the side and he repeated, “Day and week rentals?”
“The threat is over, honey. I mean, I want to meet your Mom so I’ll stay for that but then I have to go home and sort out my life.”
“Right,” Sam agreed. “But what are you gonna drive while you’re here?”
“A rental car and I don’t need anything fancy. Just a compact from Avis or something.”
That was when Sam’s brows drew together and he asked, “No, baby, I mean when you’re here.”
The emphasis on the final word didn’t mean as much to me as it obviously meant to Sam so I wisely decided to tread cautiously.
“Let’s back up,” I said quietly. “What’s going on and this time maybe you should add some details to your answer.”
Sam studied me a moment then did as I requested. “You live in Indiana.”
I nodded.
“I live here.”
I nodded again.
“You need to go back there, family, friends, whatever. When you’re there, you’ve already got a ride.”
I nodded yet again.
“When you’re here, you need a ride. So I’m seein’ to you havin’ a ride.”
Okay, although there were more words to this explanation, I was still not following.
“Yes, and I can rent one from Avis or something, like you did when you were in Indiana.”
Sam’s head cocked to the side again and his brows drew together again at the same time which I thought might be a scary combination.
“Baby, I live here.”
I was getting kind of impatient. “I know, Sam.”
“And you’re my woman.”
Uh-oh. Not this again.
I had a feeling there was an additional nuance to me being his woman that he thought I should get that I did not.
“Sam –” I began to tell him this but he turned fully to me, lifting his hands and curling his fingers around either side of my neck, his face dipping to my face, his was serious so I shut up.
And I would find he was serious when he said, “This isn’t a vacation for you. You’re not here a few days to relax and enjoy the beach and then goin’ home never to come back. I didn’t just buy four vases because my woman wanted to fill the house with flowers. I bought four vases because my woman’s livin’ at my house and she’s the kinda woman who fills the house with flowers.”
Oh boy. I had a feeling that explained the garlic press.
Sam went on, “I dig that you gotta sort out what you gotta sort out at home. When I’m there with you, we’ll sort out what I gotta sort out when I’m in Indiana with you once you got what you gotta sort out sorted.”
Right, I followed that… kind of.
He kept going. “But we don’t have shit to sort for you when you’re here except this, gettin’ you a ride. So I’m sorting it.”
Light was dawning.
“Are you saying I’m going to be here often enough to need a car?”
This got the head cock, eyebrow draw and narrowed eyes which was definitely scary.
“Uh… yeah.”
“Oh,” I whispered.
“You with me?” he asked.
“Um… yes,” I answered then foolishly queried, “Am, I, uh… paying –?”
I didn’t finish.
Sam cut me off with a firm, unyielding, deeply growled, “Kia.”
I pressed my lips together.
Then I ventured, “Okay, then, uh… can I point out you already have a gas guzzling utility vehicle and perhaps we should spare the environment another gas guzzling utility vehicle?”
Luckily, that made Sam grin, his hands went from my neck to become arms wrapped loosely around me and he kept grinning down at me when he replied, “You can point it out but you’re still gettin’ a Cherokee.”
This was when my brows drew together.
“Sam! I have to drive it.”
“Yeah, and it’s safe, if you don’t drive reckless and roll it. Someone hits you and you’re in a Cherokee, they may not come out breathin’ but you will.”
This point held merit so I didn’t debate it.
Sam finished with, “But you can pick the color if you want.”
Well, that was something.
I glanced through the lot and, I had to admit, the green was really cool. It was so dark, it was nearly black. And since Sam’s truck was black, they’d kind of match.
I looked back and told him, “I like the green.”
“Right,” he muttered, grinning again.