My eyes followed.
Then my brain processed through the last ten minutes, the brilliant hour before that and the fuzziness of being in a different time zone and it hit me that he took Memphis with him while giving her head rubs.
Sam liked Memphis.
Awesome.
I smiled then rushed into the bathroom in order to accomplish the formidable task of folding fifty minutes (my mother was not wrong) of getting ready into twenty.
I failed and we were ten minutes late.
They were eating Dad’s brats and Mom’s onion rings, we arrived with Sam carrying bags filled with the gifts, not to mention the fact he was Sam, so no one noticed.
Chapter Fourteen
I Let You Down
Well, if I didn’t already know that the internet was prevalent in our society, not to mention people in a small town talked, the evidence of this would be overwhelming at Mom and Dad’s barbeque considering how many folks “popped by” to welcome me home from vacation like I’d come home from a two year Peace Corps assignment at a location where no communication could be had instead of being in Europe for five weeks.
At first, this upset me. Sam was not a museum display and although a few of the folks who “popped by” were cool, most of them were clearly there for the sole purpose of seeing him, they were star struck and thus acting like big dorks.
Sure, it could be said that just two weeks ago I, too, acted like a big dork when faced with sharing breathing space with Sampson Cooper but just then, I was jetlagged, tired and my mother, father and closest friends were meeting my new boyfriend for the first time and he just happened to be an internationally known and beloved hot guy. Even at the best of times and with a new boyfriend who wasn’t an internationally known and beloved hot guy, this would put me on edge. These weren’t the best of times so I didn’t have the patience for it.
But as time slid by, it penetrated that Sam was a practiced hand at this. He was friendly, accepting and had an ability to make people quickly feel at-ease.
What I didn’t know was if this was taxing for him.
This was because, almost the minute we hit my parents’ deck, after Sam met Dad, Missy, Rudy and our elderly widowed neighbor, Mrs. O’Keefe, Sam deposited me in a chair that was resting against the siding at the back of my parents’ house, bent to me and whispered in my ear, “We gotta be outside, you’re gonna stay right there.”
He lifted his head, looked in my eyes, his were serious so I nodded.
Clearly, if someone was insane enough to shoot at me in my parents’ yard during a barbeque, my position as decreed by Sam gave them a not-so-good shot.
Also clearly, Sam was not taking any chances with someone being insane enough to shoot me at my parents’ barbeque. That said, to actually be a hit man, you had to have some screw loose so obviously caution was a good way to go.
So, holding court in my chair at the back and with Sam called to meet half the town, I hadn’t had a second even to speak with him much less take his pulse.
Luckily, this died down but I still didn’t have a chance to make sure Sam was cool. This was because we got down to the business of a welcome home, everyone looking at the display on the back of my digital camera as they clicked through photos, them asking questions, me telling stories and giving out presents and those who meant the most to me in the world getting used to having me home and becoming comfortable with Sam.
This was until Ozzie, in uniform, popped by. I suspected Ozzie was there to see Sam but I also suspected he was there for other reasons, namely to see if I was still breathing.
What I knew was, the minute Sam saw him in uniform, got his name and shook his hand, Ozzie’s visit was going to take on a whole other meaning as defined by Sam.
Ozzie, being Ozzie, clocked this immediately and as he sat enjoying a Coke, his eyes often strayed to Sam.
Sam, being Sam, didn’t delay in sorting out what he felt like sorting out.
And this was done at three sips into Ozzie’s Coke (I counted) with a, “Ford, Sheriff, let’s have a minute inside with Kia.”
Ozzie sighed, unsurprised.
Dad’s eyebrows shot together and he looked at Sam then me.
“Is everything all right?” Mom asked.
Since it wasn’t, Sam didn’t answer. What he did do was get out of his chair next to mine then gently pull me up.
“All’s well, Essie,” Ozzie muttered, also straightening out of his chair and Dad followed suit, looking slightly bemused and not-so-slightly concerned.
“I’ll come with,” Mom decided and popped up.
Ozzie gave Dad a look, Sam gave Dad a look, Dad took in these looks and looked at Mom.
“Give me a minute with Oz and Sam, hon.”
“I don’t –” Mom started.