Determined: To Win (Determined Trilogy Book 3) (4 page)

“Actually no. I kind of fell into it. I was supposed to be a Sociology major at school, but I took an art history class to satisfy a Gen-Ed and fell in love with the subject. So here I am.”

“And this was at UC Berkeley?”

“Yep.”

“I see.”

“Did you go to college, Gina?” I really did not know much about this woman, and I would take any opportunity she gave me to learn more. A cloud passed over her expression. I could tell I had touched on something that made her nervous. “I mean, you don’t have to share, if you don’t want to,” I added, quickly, hoping I hadn’t offended her with the question.

“Oh, no it’s ok. I went to school back east, at NYU. I dropped out when John and I got married.”

“Your ex?”

“Yeah.” She pushed away her empty plate. “Let’s not talk about him, though. I’ve already wasted too many years on him.”

“I understand. Well, I should get back to it. I still need to measure the bedrooms and the office. Thank you for lunch.” I wiped my hands on the napkin and started to stand up.

“Of course. Thanks for eating with me. I will be in my office, just knock if you need me.”

I retreated to the living room and reclaimed my trusty notebook and tape measure and headed down the hall toward the wing containing the bedrooms. I sighed as I took a quick scan. They were huge, just like the rest of the place. This was going to take a while.

I spent another two hours carefully measuring and making detailed notes. I noticed that only one bedroom was furnished with a mattress and a cheap table lamp. It was sparser than my college dorm room.
Man, Gina must have left in a hurry,
I thought. I started to make up a story in my head. Had she walked in on her cheating husband? Where? At his office or at home? My mind went wild, and I had to recheck a few measurements after getting lost in my elaborate fantasy world.

I was working my way down the hallway, outside Gina’s office when the quiet was interrupted by intense shouting. I froze for a moment, worried, until I realized she was on the phone. I couldn’t quite make out what she was saying, the closed door muffled the words, but she sounded angry. Very angry.

I paused a few minutes outside the door, waiting for the noise to die down. I needed to get into her office to measure. I stood there for a while. I think I heard the word ‘stuck’ over and over. Was she mad about being stuck with something? Finn? Lawyer fees? Then abruptly the noise stopped. I was about to reach up to knock when the door flew open.

4

“Fuck, Sam, what are you doing there? What do you want?” she said gruffly, her voice tight and threatening. She looked pained. “Were you listening in on my call?”

Her anger knocked me off kilter. “Sorry Gina. I, uh. No, I just finished, and it just sounded like you were on the phone, so I was waiting. I’m done with everything except for the office. I can do that now, if you’d like.”

She looked beyond annoyed, and it made me nervous and, honestly, a little bit afraid. My expression must have given me away.

“Maybe another day, Sam.” She exhaled and looked down at the floor and then back up at me. “Sorry. I was just talking to my ex. He’s being a little bitch.” Her voice was tired and tense. “I fucking hate that man. I want to just fucking cut his head off.”

I looked everywhere but at her. I wasn’t really comfortable with this level of agitation. My parents had been married for thirty years and rarely fought in front of us kids. I rubbed my forehead with one hand. “That’s okay. You know, we don’t have to finish today. We can pick up next week, if you want.”

She frowned and sighed. “That might be for the best. Thank you for understanding.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s only two-thirty. You can still make it back to the city before traffic.”

“Are you sure there isn’t anything else you need today?”

“Not unless you have a bottle of vodka inside that tape measure, Sam.” Her sour expression finally started to ease.

I tried to smile back, hoping it would ease her. “I’m all yours as of Wednesday. Monday I have my last day at the children’s center, and Tuesday is my last day at the gallery.” We started to walk together to the door.

“Sounds good, Sam. Thanks for coming by. And sorry about that.”

“Forget about it. Have a good weekend, Gina.”

“You too, Sam.” She closed the door behind me, and I joined Elliot in the waiting car.

“Done early?” Elliot asked, as I climbed inside.

“Yeah. Gina had something she needed to do.” I exhaled, letting go of the tension I didn’t realize I was carrying. “But don’t worry. That house needs a lot of help. It’s going to be a big project. Hey, Elliot, do you mind if we swing by my place? I need to grab something before we go back to the city.”

“Of course, Sam. Not a problem.”

We cut through the hills of Marin County and headed over the Richmond San Rafael bridge on the way to Oakland. I didn’t really
need
to grab anything from my place; I had already moved most of my important belongings a few weeks ago. But I did want to talk to Clark and Leslie, to give them a heads up that I might be moving out. I mean, that I
was
moving out. Boy, why couldn’t I just embrace it? I was moving in with the love of my life. There was no ‘might’ about it. It was happening. David and I were moving in together.

When we finally rolled up to the craftsman home, the light of the afternoon was just starting to wane. Leslie was out in front of the house, talking with Greg, our neighbor. I popped out of the car and darted over to say hello.

Greg had lived across the street for almost two months. He was a good looking guy, strong and tall like David, but with salt and pepper hair and fine lines around his eyes. He and I had gotten coffee a couple of times, but I had been intent on keeping our relationship to only gentle flirting. Besides, he was too old for me. And I had what I really needed across the bridge.

“Hey guys,” I said, walking up to them.

“Well, speak of the devil. Sammie,” Leslie reached out to hug me. “It’s good to see you. We were just talking about you. Neither of us had seen you around much lately.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the city. Oh, and I got a new job. Did I tell you that?”

“No, doing what, hon?” She was surprised and I understood. I was always going off about how much I loved working for Curtis at the gallery.

“I’m working as an art buyer for someone up in Tiburon.”

“Really?” Leslie raised her eyebrows.

“That sounds exciting,” Greg chimed in. “So you are leaving the gallery?”

“Yeah. The new job is full-time. Tuesday is actually my last day at the gallery.”

“Wow, Sammie. That’s a big step. Congratulations.” Leslie hugged me again.

Well, this was as good a time as any. Might as well break the news. I really wasn’t sure how Leslie was going to react. Part of me was glad Greg was there; having someone else present might keep her reaction in line. Or mine. Maybe that was what I was worried about.

“So … that’s not the only news,” I said slowly. Greg and Leslie both raised their eyebrows at me expectantly. “You have to promise not to hate me, Leslie.” She nodded. “I’m moving in with David.”

Leslie’s eyes opened wider, along with her mouth. Greg’s expression didn’t move much. I think he was stunned.

“Say something, guys.” The silence was killing me.

“Oh, hon, that’s great. Is it a little fast? I mean, I don’t mean to judge, I just want to make sure you are happy. David? The one I’ve seen with you?”

I nodded.

She took a deep breath, and her lips started to form a smile. “That’s wonderful. Congratulations. But you will have to promise to stop by for dinner now and again. I can’t eat all of Clarks cooking on my own, you know.

“Yes, of course.” I broke out into a big grin. I hadn’t fully let myself realize how happy I was. “Thank you, Leslie.”

“Sam, I hate to run after the big news, but I have to wash some dishes otherwise we won’t have anything to eat for dinner. Will you email me details?”

“Of course.” I gave her another hug before she went up the stairs to the house, leaving Greg and me on the sidewalk.

I turned to Greg.

“Well, give him my congratulations. He has himself a catch.” He leaned in and gave me an awkward semi-hug. “Oh, I have to go, but before I forget; I was hoping to run into you. I got you this in Arizona.” He pulled a small figurine out of his pocket. It was a glass cactus ornament.

“It’s a glass cactus ornament.”

Greg chuckled. “Yes, Sam. It is. It made me think of you. Pretty but dangerous.”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “Me? Dangerous?”

“The forbidden is always dangerous, Sam. Don’t forget that.” He turned to cross the street. “We should get coffee soon. Text me next time you are over here.”

I stood there on the sidewalk and nodded slowly as he darted across the street. I glanced down at the small glass figurine.
Pretty but dangerous, huh?
Greg could have been describing himself.

5

Back in the city, I busied myself by getting ready for the gala that evening. Since I started dating David, I had gotten somewhat more used to the fluff-and-puff routine, but tonight was different. I knew how important the event was to David, and I wanted to make him proud. Or at least not embarrassed. Yes, bargained with myself, I would settle for not embarrassing him.

Normally, he was kind enough to provide me with an outfit for evenings out, knowing that I didn’t quite yet have a handle on what attire was appropriate for which event. And while at first the feminist inside my head objected, honestly, it ended up saving me a lot of time and trouble. Plus, his taste was excellent, and everything always fit perfectly. Who would have thought, headstrong little Samantha Sharp being cool with having her boyfriend dress her? Not me, not in a thousand years. But it’s amazing what love can talk you in to.

I started my prep for the evening and the shower felt good. The relaxing warm water made me realize I had been holding onto a lot of tension—probably from the new job, but also from the stress of telling Leslie I was moving out.
Jesus, Sam, relax. Leslie is a big girl. They will find another person to rent the studio. And you can always keep in touch with them. It’s not like you are falling off the face of the earth.
I tried to put the thoughts out of my mind and turn my focus to the night ahead.

Once out of the shower, I walked over to the vanity. My normal beauty routine consists of letting my wavy brown hair air dry and applying some pinkish lip gloss, but I knew a gala would require a little more than just the basics. Before applying my makeup, I decided to check out my outfit for the evening, knowing that the style might influence what kind of look I would go for.

I padded over to my walk-in closet, and sure enough, there was a garment rack with a zippered bag hanging from it. I undid the zipper and let the bag fall to the floor. I gasped. Wow. Before me was a floor length strapless red dress. It was stunning.

I yanked it off the rack, shimmied into it, and turned to the mirror. Wow. It was tight, but hugged my body in all the right places, emphasizing my bust and hips in a way that was very, very sexy. I chuckled to myself, surprised that David had chosen this dress. Usually he erred on the side of sophisticated, and while this dress was elegant, it definitely showed off my body a bit more than usual.

I took off the dress before returning to the bathroom so I could do my make-up without spilling on the dress. Since the dress was bright yet classic, I decided to do my face to match by going light on the eyes, just taupe eye shadow and a touch of black mascara, and painting my lips a velvety red.

I had slipped back into the dress and was just fastening some strappy heels as David came in to the room. He was already dressed in a tuxedo and bow tie, and as I looked up, my breath hitched. He must have changed at the office. He. Looked. Amazing. I seriously think he could wear a tux every day of his life and I’d never get tired of it. But he didn’t notice me notice him. His eyes went straight to the dress.

“Wow, you look fantastic.”

I stood up so he could get the full effect. “What do you think?” I said as I twirled.

“I think we’re going to have a problem tonight.” I gave him a quizzical look. “Every single man is going to be staring at you, and I’ve heard that you have a very jealous boyfriend.” He said, pulling me into him.

“Then my
boyfriend
shouldn’t have picked out this dress.” I breathed, as he dipped in to kiss my neck.

“Touché, Ms. Sharp. Touché.” He inhaled deeply, sending sparks through my system. What this man could do to me with just the slightest touch, it was insane. And once he had sufficiently brought my body to full attention, he pulled away, taking me in again with his eyes. “I suppose I wanted to show you off tonight. You don’t mind, do you?”

I went weak in my knees. I loved knowing that he coveted me and wanted to show me off with pride.

As I was reveling in the thought, a cloud came over his face.

I cocked my head at him. “What is it?”

“Hmm?” He blinked at me, obviously distracted.

“Where did you just go?”

He closed his eyes for a beat, and when they reopened, they met mine, and his voice turned soft.

“I was just thinking that it’s such a shame my mother never got to meet you.”

Oh.

I didn’t know what to say. I stayed silent, giving him room to continue.

“She would have loved you. One thing I remember is that she loved smart, strong women. Maybe that’s where I get it from.”

I gazed up at him. He was still holding me close, and I noticed his grip had grown tighter, as if he was afraid of letting go. I leaned into him and put my cheek against his chest.

“I would have loved to meet her. I want to know more about her. About both of them.”

He started to say something, but then stopped before starting again. “Sometimes I can barely picture them anymore.” His voice was quiet but full of guilt.

I pulled back and looked up at him. “That is okay, David. It was a long time ago. It’s normal. Maybe you can tell me what you do remember. So we can remember together.”