Sam (Chapter 3)
Wednesday, February 10, 1988 - 8:05 AM
The next morning Sam found himself spooning in bed with Maddie… her warm skin pressed against his… his arm draped across her waist. Her hair smelled, not of a Blue Moon, but of coconut and aloe… a familiar scent that reminded him of days lazing by the pool with Lydia. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, choosing instead to focus on the woman who was lying safe and sound sleeping in his arms. He stayed like that, not wanting to wake her.
When she did finally wake up and turn around to look at him, he thought she looked beautiful, well-rested… and with the softest smile on her face… a smile he liked to think he put there. But then the corners of her mouth turned down and the happiness he saw there turned to sadness. He asked her if she was okay, and she said she was, but he was not convinced. He thought the events of last night… David showing up at the restaurant the way he did… might be weighing heavily on her mind. After all, she did have to work with the man.
Hoping to cheer her up, he decided to go downstairs and make breakfast while she got ready for the day. He prepared her another omelet, this time with some of the ingredients he had bought at the food store the day before: tomatoes, onion, cheddar cheese and cilantro. It occurred to him that he didn't know if she really even liked omelets, but he hoped she would eat this one if he made it for her. No such luck.
'Sam, I'm sorry. I don't think I can eat this,' she said, as she walked into the kitchen rubbing her belly. 'My stomach feels a little upset this morning. Maybe something simple... a slice of buttered toast would be good. And maybe a cup of coffee.' She knew he tried to do something nice, and she felt bad, so she went to him and kissed him on the cheek. 'I'm sorry.'
'That's okay. Don't worry about it. New recipe… I should try it first anyway. I'll see if it's any good.' Sam opened up the cabinet and took out a loaf of bread. He toasted a slice and spread some butter on it. "Here you go.' He handed her the plate.
She placed it down on the kitchen table and went to pour herself a cup of coffee. "I'm impressed, Sam. You really seem to know your way around a kitchen. I don't remember you ever liking to cook before.'
'Yeah, well, a bachelor still needs to eat, right? Taught myself… here and there… watched some cooking shows. They're actually quite entertaining.' He, of course, didn't want to tell Maddie the truth… that he learned how to cook with Lydia.
Maddie suddenly noticed the time on the clock on the wall. 'Oh my, Sam… I need to hurry. I can't make a habit of showing up late to work.'
He walked over to her and put his arms around her waist. 'Maybe you could take the day off? We could go for a drive… maybe go to Catalina… walk along the beach, pack a picnic lunch. Wouldn't that be nice?'
'It would be wonderful, Sam, but I can't. I have responsibilities. How would it look to my employees?'
'I don't get it, Maddie.' He was having a hard time hiding the irritation he was feeling. 'It's your business. You're the boss. You don't have to answer to anyone.'
'I can't, Sam. I'm sorry, but I just can't.' She pulled away from him and practically ran out the door in a hurry. When the dust settled, Sam noticed that she didn't even touch the toast he made for her. Nor did she drink the coffee he made.
After Maddie left, Sam realized that she was right. He did show up in her life out of the blue, and it wasn't right for him to expect that she put her life on hold. He decided he would take it easy for the rest of the day. He stayed at her house… checked in with his boss… got caught up on some work. He read the newspaper, watched the news. He had lunch alone at a local coffee shop. All the while... thinking about how he was going to top last night.
At around four o'clock in the afternoon, Sam decided to surprise Maddie by showing up unexpectedly at her office. He wasn't sure how that would go, but Maddie was welcoming and clearly happy to see him. And even happier still was Maddie's plant-watering, rhyming receptionist, Ms. DiPesto, who could barely peel her eyes off of him. But it was David and his cordial behavior that put him most at ease. What better for two men to bond over than a late-night fistfight with a bully at a gas station. And though he'd never admit it to anyone but himself, Sam was quite proud of the shiner he had to show for it.
Once Sam had Maddie alone, he planned to tell her that he was going to cook a special dinner for her that night. He was thinking they would stay in… have some wine… watch the sunset… make love, but he was disappointed to find out that she had to work. They both agreed… there was always tomorrow, or maybe even… later that night.
With every hour that passed, Sam became more and more determined to wait up for her… no matter how late it got. When he got bored to the point of feeling like he was going to nod off, he decided to cook. She can't possibly be too much longer, and she'll need to eat dinner, he told himself. When the dinner got cold, he put it in the refrigerator. He started a fire in the fireplace and put some soft music on the stereo. At around midnight, he lit some candlesticks and watched them burn almost a quarter of the way down before he heard her pull in the driveway.
Thursday, February 11 - 2:25 AM
When Maddie walked in the door, Sam thought she looked exhausted. He hated the fact that this woman had to work these crazy hours. She certainly didn't need to. He offered to heat up dinner for her. It would only take 10 minutes, he told her, if only she wanted to eat. She didn't. Or maybe she'd like a warm bath. He could fill the tub, if only she wanted to relax and wash up. She didn't. He just wanted to make things better for her. That was all.
So, he proposed. Out of nowhere, the idea came to him. Or did it? Maybe it was there already… when he was sitting waiting for her… when he made love to her the night before… when he picked up the phone to call her from Tucson…
But she's unsure, confused… about something? Something that might be nothing, but it could be… something…
He thought maybe she was too tired to think straight, so he offered to bring her up to bed. She nodded and he took her hand as they walked up the stairs together. When they reached her bedroom door, he kissed her on the cheek.
'Go on, start getting ready for bed. I'll be right back. I just need to put the fire out… blow out the candles.'
Sam went downstairs, his mind racing. What really just happened? He hadn't planned to propose that night. Proposing at this point in their relationship was ridiculous. The rational part of him knew that. Since his arrival two nights ago, he hadn't even uttered the word "love" to her. Neither had she. But being "in love" was not really what this was about. In all honesty, he just wanted to take her away from this crazy life she was living. A detective agency? And not even a very successful one at that. Running around spying on people 'til all hours of the night! An office full of employees who act like children! A business associate who follows her around like a stalker! He'd listened to the stories she told him the other night. He saw the way David had no respect for her privacy. Why on Earth would she want to stay at a place like that? And with people like that?
And he could give her so much. Money, a beautiful place to live, stability, a family. She'd be the wife of an astronaut. How many women get to say they are the wife of an astronaut? And if she wanted to get out of the house, she wouldn't have to work, she could volunteer. Hell, she could start up her own charitable organization if she wanted to... raise money to send needy kids to space camp, or something like that.
And maybe he asked her to marry him so quickly, so spontaneously, because he'd dragged his feet for so long with Lydia. He'd let Lydia slip right through his fingers. Let the love of his life fall for another man, while he foolishly sat there thinking he had all the time in the world to commit. He just couldn't let that happen again.
But her response was not what he expected... what he hoped it would be. She's confused. But about what? What is there for her to be confused about? He knows her... knew her since she was a little girl. He knew her family... knew he could give her the kind of life Alex and Virginia would want their only daughter to have. Didn't she see that he knew what was best for her?
Sam finished up downstairs and headed back up to the bedroom. Maddie had gotten into bed and was already fast asleep. He thought it odd that she was facing the wall. But at least she'd come home... to him. That was something. He got undressed and laid down next to her. He couldn't fall asleep right away, so he stared at the ceiling until eventually sleep came.