Stealing Second: Sam's Story: Book 4 in the Clarksonville Series (14 page)

“C’mon, everybody.” Sam leaped out of the van the moment Marlee put the gearshift in park. “We’re just in time.” She beckoned for her friends to follow her past the canoe and kayak rack down the sloping lawn leading to the lake shore.

“Sam,” Lisa said, “your house is beautiful.” Her face softened when she looked at the lake. She reached for Sam’s hand and squeezed. Sam squeezed back, but then let go. You never knew who was watching.

“I’m glad we got here in time. I wanted you guys to see the sunset.” Sam glanced over her shoulder. “Are you coming, Helene?”

“I’m trying to keep up. You girls are twenty years younger than I am, remember?”

“
Dios mio
, I see why you wanted us here before dark,” Susie said.

“The sunsets are incredible.” Sam was happy that their first moments at the lake house were accentuated by Mother Nature’s amazing beauty. Yellows and oranges topped the trees on the far side of the lake.

“Sunsets are weird,” Susie said.

“Let me field this one,” Marlee said to Sam, Lisa, and Helene. She turned to Susie. “How so?”

“The sun’s not actually moving. The earth is, but we can’t feel it.”

Marlee put her arms out and stumbled as if she’d lost her balance.

Sam and Lisa snickered. Helene smiled.

“
Aay
, shuddup, you guys,” Susie said.

“Hey, Susie. Marlee.” Sam pulled out her iPhone. “Let me take your picture. Turn around and I’ll get the sunset behind you.”

“Cool.” Marlee moved closer and linked arms with Susie. They both grinned at the camera phone.

“Okay, girls,” Sam moved to get the now red and orange sky in the background behind her friends, “say ‘East Valley Rules!’”

“No way, man.” Marlee frowned, but had a twinkle in her eye. “If I remember correctly, we beat you the last time we played. Or did you guys conveniently forget that?”

“Are you kidding? Coach Gellar won’t let us forget for a minute.” Susie rolled her eyes. “We’ll say ‘cheese,’ so I don’t end up getting divorced tonight.” She flashed a lopsided grin at Marlee.

Sam took the few more pictures and then handed her phone to Susie, who took photos of Sam and Lisa.

Helene put her hand out for Sam’s phone. “Okay, all four together.” She motioned with her hands for them to squeeze together. After taking a few pictures, she held the phone out for Sam to take back, but Lisa grabbed it instead.

“Sam and Helene now. Hurry before the pretty colors disappear.”

Sam put her arm around her nanny and smiled. Lisa snapped a couple of pictures and started to hand it back. “Wait,” Sam said, “take one more, okay?” She glanced at Helene. “Rabbit ears?”

Helene chuckled. “Of course.”

Sam spread two fingers behind Helene’s head, and Helene did the same to her. Helene chuckled which made Sam chuckle, too, and it wasn’t long before everyone was giggling.

“Your parents would be appalled at our behavior.” Helene gasped trying to catch her breath.

“Who cares?” Sam blew out a sigh. “They’ll never see these pictures, anyway.”

Lisa kept taking pictures until Helene said, “Okay, girls, let’s get the cars unpacked. The mosquitoes are attacking.”

Reluctantly Sam and the others followed Helene back up the sloping lawn to the driveway. Within minutes they had the van and Helene’s car unpacked. The suitcases were stacked in the front hall and the grocery bags were on the kitchen counter.

“Sam,” Helene said, “why don’t you get the girls situated upstairs while I put these groceries away.”

“Okay.” Sam grabbed her bag and directed her friends to grab theirs. Sam only needed one small bag, since she already had a lot of clothes in her room. She slung it over her shoulder and helped Susie with her massive suitcase.

“What have you got in here, Sus?” Sam lifted the back while Susie pulled it from the front.

“I brought my igneous rock collection,” Susie said with a straight face.

Sam let her end of the suitcase drop. “You did not.” She whipped her head around toward Marlee. “Tell me she didn’t.”

Marlee rolled her eyes. “You never know with this one.”

“
Aay
,
muchacha
, I didn’t bring my rocks. I just need a lot of things.”

Sam sighed dramatically and picked up her end of the suitcase again. After several minutes, the slow moving parade finally made it up the stairs.

“You two are in this room right here.” Sam pointed to the room at the top of the stairs. “You’re right above Mother and Daddy’s bedroom, but since they’re not here, you’ll have complete privacy.”

“Thanks, Sam.” Marlee opened the door and carried her bags into the room. Susie dragged her mammoth suitcase through the doorway by herself. They closed the door behind them.

Sam turned to Lisa. “Okay, our room is way at the other end of the hallway. Unfortunately we’re right above Helene’s room, so, uh, you know.”

“Gotcha.” Lisa nodded. “She might be able to hear us. C’mon. Hurry up. I need to kiss you.”

“Ooh, c’mon.” Sam broke into a run.

Once they got Lisa’s suitcase and Sam’s bag into the room, Lisa shut the oak door behind them and pushed Sam against it. She moved to within inches of Sam without touching her.

Sam’s breathing quickened. “Oh, my God, you are such a tease.”

Lisa smiled devilishly and leaned closer, but still didn’t make contact. Sam felt Lisa’s breath on her lips.

Sam couldn’t take it anymore. With a moan, she pulled Lisa to her. Their lips met in a fury of need. Sam wrapped her arms around Lisa’s back and was about to move her hands lower when Helene call for her.

“Sam?”

Sam groaned. “Bad timing, Helene.” Reluctantly she pulled away from Lisa, and opened the door to her bedroom. “Yes?” she called down the stairs.

“Come on down for a minute.”

“Okay, be there in a sec.” Sam turned to Lisa. “Why don’t you unpack? You can put stuff in my dresser. Just move my clothes over.”

“Okay, but when you come back, I want to pick up right where we left off.”

There was no mistaking the gleam in Lisa’s eye. Sam’s stomach flipped. “I’ll,” she cleared her throat and tried again, “I’ll be fast.”

Sam raced out the door and down the stairs.

“What’s up Helene?” Sam figured her nanny needed help with her suitcases, so she headed to the front hall. “Do you want help with these?” She picked up the bigger of the two.

“I do actually,” Helene said. “You can put them back in my car.”

“What?” Sam put the suitcase down.

“I’m not staying here with you girls.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that
mon petit hibou
is all grown up and deserves this weekend with her friends without her nanny ruining the fun. I have a reservation at the Seagull Inn up the road. Your parents don’t know about this new arrangement, so don’t spill the beans, okay? I’ll call you later on tonight to make sure you’re all right.”

“Okay,” Sam said tentatively. As much as her insides were doing double and triple happy dances, she was confused. “Are you sure this is okay?” Sam thought about how big the house was. She didn’t know anything about the hot water heater or the central air conditioner or what to do if something went wrong.

“Honey,” Helene cupped Sam’s chin. “I see the worry in your eyes. You’ll be okay. You and your friends can solve any problem that comes up. And you can always call me. I’ll be two miles away. Okay?”

Still stunned, Sam nodded.

Helene pulled Sam into a hug. “It’s about time somebody treated you like you could think for yourself.”

Sam hugged her nanny back, trying to wrap her mind around the amazing turn her weekend had taken. “Uh, Helene?”

“Mmm?”

“You’re suffocating me.”

Helene laughed and kissed Sam on the forehead. When she pulled

back, Sam saw a gleam of tears in her nanny’s eyes. Without another word, Helene grabbed both of her suitcases and headed out the door. Not quite sure what was happening, Sam watched the door close. She raced to the window and watched Helene drive away.

Alone At Last

SAM RINSED THE last plate and put it in the drying rack. Lisa wiped the countertop, rinsed out the rag, and dried her hands on the dishtowel draped over Sam’s shoulder.

“I like doing dishes with you,” Sam said grabbing Lisa’s hands.

“Me, too.”

Sam pulled Lisa closer and looked through the open doorway into the living room. Satisfied that Susie and Marlee were out of eye shot she wrapped her arms around Lisa’s waist. Lisa snuggled into Sam’s embrace.

“You know what else I like?” Sam said.

“What?”

“You.”

“Get a room you two,” Susie called from the living room.

“Shuddup, Sus.” Sam laid her head on Lisa’s shoulder and whispered, “I didn’t think they could hear us.”

Lisa smirked. “It doesn’t matter, because we actually have a room.” She looked up at the ceiling toward Sam’s room.

“Mmm.” Sam squeezed Lisa tighter. “I love you.”

“Same.”

Sam, still holding Lisa’s hand, led her into the living room. Susie and Marlee were sitting so close together on the couch that Marlee was practically in Susie’s lap.

“Look who’s talking,” Sam said. “You’re the ones who need to get a room.”

Susie grinned. “Thanks to you, we have one.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Lisa sat on the carpet with her back against the loveseat and patted the spot next to her for Sam to sit down. Sam put a finger up to indicate she’d sit in a minute. She turned the dimmer switch down lowering the lights in the room, and then put the gas fireplace key in its slot and turned it. With a flick of a switch on the wall, the fireplace burst into soft yellow and blue flames.

“That’s nice,” Lisa said.

Sam’s heart warmed at Lisa’s come-hither smile. “Oops, wait,” Sam said. “I forgot the most important thing. I’ll be right back.” She ran back into the kitchen and threw open the refrigerator door. She rifled through the groceries on the bottom shelf and found the bag she had stashed way in the back after Helene left. She pulled out her prize, hid it behind her back, and headed into the living room.

“Guess what I have.” She held the bag out in front of her.

“Is that what I think it is?” Lisa asked, her eyes getting big.

Sam nodded and pulled the bag off. “If you thought it was a bottle of white zinfandel, then you’re correct.”

“Ooh, Sam. I don’t know.” Susie gestured toward Marlee.

“Oh, my God,” Sam said. “Marlee, I’m so sorry. I totally forgot about...”
the drunk driver that killed your father
. “I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” Marlee said. “Nobody’s driving. Right?”

Sam shook her head.

“It’s only one bottle, so it’s not like we’re going to get piss drunk.” Marlee looked at Susie. “Are we?”

Susie shook her head. “It’ll be okay,
mi vida
. I promise.” She looked back up at Sam. “Let’s go for it.”

“Are you sure, you guys? Because we don’t have to.”

“No, let’s do it,” Marlee said. “I’d like to try it, actually, to see what all the fuss is about.”

“Okay.” Sam handed the unopened bottle to Lisa and ran back into the kitchen for a corkscrew and four of the biggest wine glasses she could find. Once the wine was evenly distributed, she sat on the carpet next to Lisa and held up her glass. “A toast.” The others raised their glasses. “To good friends.”

“To good friends,” Lisa, Susie, and Marlee echoed.

Sam took a sip of her wine and turned to Lisa. “Have you ever had wine before?”

“Once or twice, like, at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, but just a sip, not a whole glass like this.”

“Blah,” Marlee said after taking a sip. “It tastes like grape juice gone bad. This is an acquired taste, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess it is.” Sam chuckled. “My parents sometimes let me have an entire glass with dinner. I got this from our wine cellar.” She picked up the nearly empty bottle.

“I hope it wasn’t an expensive one,” Lisa said. “Will they miss it?”

“Nah, they have a few cases of this kind. I think it’s the cheap stuff they keep for unimportant company.”

Lisa took another sip. “It’s not that bad, I guess, but I wouldn’t know a good wine from a bad one.”

“Me, neither,” Sam agreed.

“It’s a waste of perfectly good grapes,” Marlee said and took another sip.

Sam clinked glasses with Lisa and at the precise moment she put the glass to her lips, the cell phone rang in her pocket. She deftly held on to the wine glass with one hand and pulled the phone out her pocket with the other. She read the caller ID. “How does she always know?” She handed her glass to Lisa, stood up, and headed toward the kitchen. “Hi, Helene.”

“How’s everything going?”

“Great. Susie made dinner. It was awesome. Chicken and rice, but you’re supposed to call it by some Spanish name. And Lisa and I did the dishes.”

“It sounds like you’re having a good time.”

“I am. We all are. Thanks for letting us stay here without you. Ooh, sorry. That sounded bad. I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Honey, it’s fine. It’s what I wanted for you.” There was something wistful in Helene’s voice.

“Are you okay? Is the Seagull Inn as glamorous as it sounds?”

“I’m fine. Don’t spare a thought for me, okay? Have fun with your friends this weekend. Be safe.”

“We will.”

“Make sure you turn off the fireplace before you go to bed.”

“How did you—“

“Nanny’s know all. Didn’t you know that?”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Sam grunted. “I’ll make sure it’s off. And I’ll check the doors and windows to make sure they’re locked.”

“That’s my girl.” Helene yawned. “Okay, I’m off to bed. I know you’ll be busy with the girls tomorrow, but call me sometime. Maybe before five? I’m taking myself out to the glamorous Village Inn for dinner tomorrow night.”

“No you’re not,” Sam said. “You’re coming here, and we’re cooking for you. You’ve cooked for me my entire life, so it’s only fair that I make Susie cook for you.”

Helene’s laugh was music to Sam’s ears. “I can’t argue with that logic. What time do you want me?”