Hiding Out (7 page)

Haley looked at Sam, reaching out to her, looked at the door, then back to Sam.  She made her choice.  Stifling a sob, she fled the room.

He wanted to go to her; he wanted to be with her like he had never before wanted to be with any woman.  Sam didn’t feel the welcome relief at her departure that he had grown accustomed to when other women left; instead he found this aching emptiness.  And then Adam waltzed back into the room. 

“Well, I think that went well,” he said sarcastically.

Sam scowled at him. “Everything was going very well, thank you, until you showed up unannounced.”  He swept over to his desk and took a seat in his swivel chair.  “And you know; if you ever bothered to call before you showed up, I could have saved you the trouble of a visit.” 

“You wound me,” Adam said, clearly enjoying this.  “So, I gather I ruined your plans.”

Sam glared at him.  “I don’t have any plans.”

Adams eyes widened.  “
You
don’t have any plans.  You
always
have plans.  For example, you planned on being married by thirty.  Now you’re thirty-three.  How’d that plan work out?  Whatever did happen with Gabriella anyway?”

“I thought I told you we were never going to speak of it,” Sam said angrily.  He watched as Adam merely took a seat and waited patiently.

“Obviously, you are over her now.  What’s the harm in sharing with me?  Stop acting like we aren’t family.”  He laced his fingers behind his head.

Sam sighed.  “You are going to laugh at me,” he said quietly.  “You are going to think I’m a fool and tell me you told me so.”

If he was hoping to hear false promises from his brother, he was going to have to wait for another occasion.  “Probably,” Adam remarked.  “But I care about you.  I care about your happiness.  And I will stick by you no matter what.”

Sam studied him and knew his words were true.  So, he finally vented what had transpired three years previous.  “I went home for lunch one day to surprise Gabriella.  But apparently the surprise was on me.  I found her in bed with her personal trainer.”

Adam sat upright at this news.  “The trainer you were paying five hundred dollars a week?”  Sam nodded.  “What did Gabriella say?”

He gave Adam a wry smile.  “She wasn’t sorry.  She was angry that the engagement was about to be called off and that her lifestyle was going to have to change.  She was furious that she would have to leave my apartment and my money behind.”  He sighed at the memory.  “And she blamed me for all of it.  She said that I didn’t spend any time with her, that I gave my energy and my heart to the company and there was nothing left for her.”  He stood up and went to pour himself a drink.  He took a healthy swallow.  “In retrospect, she was probably right.”

“You didn’t love her,” Adam said gently.  “You loved the idea of her.  She would have been nothing more than a typical trophy wife: cold, beautiful, and empty.  You decided it was time to settle down and she made herself available.”

“She was dad’s personal assistant,” Sam remarked.

“Yeah, and the inspiration for your Interoffice Dating Policy.”  Adam watched his brother for a moment.  A thought occurred to him.  “You’re afraid that you are about to repeat that mistake with Haley, aren’t you?”  He walked over to his brother and laid a hand affectionately on his shoulder.  “Haley is nothing like Gabriella.  Nothing,” he repeated.  Sam spun around and glared at him, thinking Adam was focused on the superficial outward appearances as he made the comparison.  Adam continued.  “Haley is special.  Give her time.  Be patient.”

It was official.  Everyone in his life expected him to handle her with kid gloves.  And by God, so did he.  Sam looked at Adam.  “I guess I have an errand to run.  Will you excuse me?”

Adam smiled.  “Now that’s a plan,” he teased.

Chapter Three

There was a knock on the door.  Haley looked at it.  She wasn’t expecting anyone.  She never had any visitors.  She glanced at the clock.  It was seven thirty in the evening.  Who could be at the door at this hour?

“Olly olly oxen free,” he called quietly.

Haley’s heart beat rapidly in her chest.  She tiptoed quietly over to the door and looked out the peephole.  Sam had stepped back from the door so that she could see him.  He was holding her doggie bag from the night before and a new take out bag.  She opened the door a crack.

“Olly olly oxen free, huh?”  She wore an uncertain smile.

“Yes.  That’s the cry of hide-and-seek,” he said matter-of-factly.  “That’s what the kids say when they can’t find someone who hid too well.  It’s supposed to let them know that it’s safe to come out, that it’s time to start another game.”

She opened the door a little wider.  Her entire body was visible now.  And she was still wearing the clothes he bought her, a realization that warmed him.  “Are we playing a new game now?”  She bit her lip while she awaited his response.

“Yes,” he said, closing the gap.  “Now we’re playing sardines.  Remember?”  He moved until they were toe-to-toe, then he wrapped one arm around her in a makeshift hug.  “Let me in,” he whispered into her hair.

Haley shivered; her face pressed against his neck, the scent of him filling her, but was unafraid.  “Okay,” she said quietly.

They ate in a comfortable silence, each lost in his or her thoughts.  Together they cleaned up, working in a harmony that should have taken years of practice.  And once they were finished, Sam walked over and took a seat on the couch, wondering if he was being a bit presumptuous.  Haley glanced at him then opted to sit in the window seat. 

“Do you sit there often?”  He asked in an attempt to make conversation. 

Haley was gazing out the window.  “Oh, yes,” she sighed.  “I sit here every night.  I stare out at the skyline, the people, everything.  I marvel at the fact that I’m even here, in this city.”

“You may be here, but you certainly aren’t a part of it,” he stated sadly.

She faced him with a furrowed brow.  “What do you mean?”

“Well, you don’t exactly partake in the many splendors of our fine city, do you?”  He gave her a challenging look.

Drawing her knees up to her chest and locking her arms around them, Haley shook her head.  “No, I don’t,” she answered truthfully.

“I have a lot of events I’m expected to attend on a weekly basis.  Why, next week alone I have a fundraiser and a charity ball.  Go with me.  Let me show you the city.”  He could see that she was hesitant.  “I’ll keep you safe, Haley.  I promise.”  She was weakening.  “And I’ll make sure you have the right attire.”  She began to slowly nod. 

Growing braver, he said slowly, “May I ask you something?”

She straightened, knowing that his question was important, and no doubt difficult to answer.  “Yes, but I can’t promise I’ll respond.”

“Fair enough,” he said, getting up and sharing the window seat with her.  He wanted to be close to her, wanted her to be comforted enough by his presence to share with him what she hadn’t had the courage to share with anyone.  “What was it I said today that made you run away?”

Instantly, her demeanor was transformed.  He could see her visibly withdrawing into herself.  “I know you are curious about…my past.  I know that I keep putting you off,” she said quietly without meeting his face.  “And most of all, I know that you don’t have to come to me for the answers.  I know you could go to your friend Jake and have him investigate me to come up with all the information you desire.”  Sam went rigid.  “I appreciate that you are being so patient with me, that you are willing to give me time to tell you everything at my own pace.”  She looked at him expectantly, to see that he understood what she was saying. 

Sam knew what he had to do.  He only prayed it wasn’t too late.  Leaning over her, he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace.  He felt her tense momentarily then begin to grow more relaxed as he continued to hold her.  “I’ll let you be for now,” he murmured against her neck.  He pulled back slowly, his hands still on her upper arms.  “I’ll see you Monday?”  He was afraid.  He had looked around this apartment and seen not one single solitary item that seemed to be of her taste.  He sensed that she traveled light.  She was a temp.  She kept her money in a cookie jar.  She could leave at will.  And Monday felt so far away.

She nodded, but that wasn’t good enough.  “Promise me,” he said seriously.  “You don’t strike me as someone to make a promise lightly.  So, I’m asking you to promise me.”

Haley looked tired, but she gave a weak smile.  “I promise,” she said quietly.                    

It was all Sam could do to make it to Monday morning without checking on her. 
She promised. 
He reminded himself when he woke up Sunday morning and toyed with calling her to go jogging. 
She promised. 
He repeated that evening when he went to pick up food from his favorite Italian restaurant and thought about how a little pasta might do her some good. 
She promised
.  He thought all the way to the office on Monday morning, far earlier than he normally would arrive, except he couldn’t stand not seeing her anymore.

Sitting at his desk, he tried to concentrate on the presentation he would be giving at eleven, but that was difficult since he kept his door open intentionally and caught himself looking every time the outer door opened.  It was almost nine o’clock and she still hadn’t shown.  He jumped up from his desk and rose to pace.  Should he call Ellen?  Should he contact a neighbor to see if she had moved?  But before he could enact any of those plans, Haley stood shyly in his doorway holding a bag and a cup of coffee for him.  

Sam wanted to rush over to her, crush her to his chest, and hold her until she realized that she couldn’t live without him.  Instead he smiled and said, “Thank you for keeping your promise.  Did you almost change your mind?”

“Because I was nearly late?”  She asked with a smirk.  “No, actually, it’s entirely your fault I wasn’t here earlier.”

He watched her and realized that she was trying to play with him.  “My fault?  I can’t wait to hear this.”  He crossed his arms in front of his chest as though he were angry.

Haley rewarded him with a true smile.  “You see, I knew you had this big presentation today,” she began walking over to his desk.   “And I thought you might want to run through it with a practice audience so I could give you pointers.”  He chuckled a bit at that.  “So, I decided to check out our fine city, instead of rushing directly to work because a very wise man made me see I wasn’t a part of it.  That’s when I found this quaint little bakery that makes the most marvelous bagels.  I grabbed a couple to share and some coffee for you, tea for me.”  She watched him for a reaction, but wasn’t sure what she saw.  “Maybe I’m being a bit…presumptuous?”

Feeling like a huge weight had been lifted, Sam smiled.  “Well, let’s have at it, shall we?” 

They sat down and ate together, chatting like old friends, then Sam gave his presentation.  Haley applauded and told him that if it were up to her, she’d hire him.  And convinced that his world was perfect, he relaxed for the first time in days.

When he returned from his presentation across town, Sam felt confident that the presentation he and Haley had worked on together was going to be a huge success.  He gave her a thumbs-up as he walked in the door.  He collected his messages, and collapsed for a few seconds on the couch in his inner sanctum until he realized that the blinking light on his desk indicated he had a missed call on his private line.  Slowly, he rose, wondering who would call him on that line.  He listened to that message and gulped.  He had been so worried about Haley running off that he forgot to call off the investigation.

Opening the door slowly, Sam gave Haley a serious look.  “I have to go out.  I’ll be back soon, okay.”

Nodding curiously, Haley tried to bolster his spirits.  “Will you have time to talk to me later about this week’s social calendar?”

“You’ll really go?”  He asked a hint of wonder in his voice.

“It was an amazing offer,” she said honestly.  “How can I turn you down?”

He squeezed her hand ever so quickly and left the office.

For some reason, the distance to Jake’s office seemed greater today.  When he finally reached the closed door, he flung it open without knocking and began talking rapidly without offering a greeting of any kind.  “I need to call it off,” he said loudly and rather out of breath.

Jake dropped the pen he was holding and folded his hands on his desk.  “It’s nice to see you again, Samuel.  So good of you to come rushing right over.  Can I get you anything?  Drink?  Snack?  Warm towelette?  Cold shower?”