Love Makes the Difference (Sully Point Book 1) (12 page)

"You're right. From now on, you pick out the things to
try on. Go with what feels right to you. If you want comfort, you might go for
a maxi and some dressy sandals."

"Hmm. That could work. And yes, I do want to go out on
this date even if I'm nervous."

"Why should you be nervous? You have been out on a date
before."

Anna shrugged. "Yeah, in high school."

Holly stopped walking and Anna had to turn and walk back to
her. "Anna! Are you telling me you haven't been out on a date since then?
Not even at college?"

"After the crush I had on Matt in high school, well you
know it got pretty serious. I thought we had something special. But then it
turned out he was all about the conquest--once we slept together that was it. I
never found anyone after that. Maybe I didn't trust so easily any more. But
none of them were interesting enough."

"I see now why this is a bigger deal tonight than I'd
realized. Wow, Anna. All that time and...no one?"

"Nope."

Holly shook her head, thinking of the variety of men that
had been in and out of her own bed in the same amount of time. But today was
about Anna. "Okay let's go find you a dress."

They searched through two more stores before finding the
dress. A sleeveless maxi with a black background, V-neck and empire waist, the
dress was splashed with abstract flowers, almost as if they were splashes of
paint, in blues, greens, and white. Anna loved it as soon as she saw it, and it
fit perfectly.

Holly insisted on buying the black strappy sandals to go
with the dress. She suggested some silver hoop earrings for Anna to wear from
her collection back at the house. "Now all we need is an evening purse--"

"What? I have a handbag, have had it forever. It's good
leather."

"The operative phrase there is 'had it forever.' It's
fine for using with jeans and a t-shirt but come on, not with that dress."

"Oh all right. But I'm not spending a fortune on
something fancy. Something simple will be just fine."

"Believe me, I'm getting that after spending the day
shopping with you. So, tell me, just how do you feel about Sam?" Holly was
interested to see how Anna immediately blushed and looked a little flustered.

"I'm not sure. I like him. I think he's--well, handsome
is not an adequate term--and I like that he's creative, you know, being a
writer." She paused and looked into Holly's big brown eyes. "I could
see it, if he had fallen for you. You're beautiful. But me? What can he see in
me? I guess I don't trust that he actually wants to be with me. I'm just a
plain Jane not someone who--"

"Now stop, Anna. You always think you're plain, but you're
not. You have that gorgeous auburn hair that falls around your face perfectly.
Your eyes are the wonderful changeable kind that look green or brown depending
on what you wear, with flecks in them of other colors. You have a great body.
What about all that is plain?"

"But the whole picture, Holly. Nobody would say I'm
beautiful like you. And he could have anyone he wanted."

"You're way more interesting-looking than I am, Sis. Striking
is what you are. I think this Sam must be a man of some worth if he could see
past that crazy polyester bakery uniform to the real you. Stop thinking you
need to be something you're not. Clearly he likes you just the way you are."

"Yes, I have thought of that. It seems so unlikely, but
he does appear to be sincere."

Holly looked at her watch. "It's getting late. We need
to get you home to get ready. Are you going to buy that little black bag?"

"Yes, but don't worry so much. We have plenty of time
to fix me up."

Holly had thought they might need extra time to deal with
any nerves that Anna had, but it seemed like her sister had it all under
control.
I think I'm more nervous for her than she is!

* * * *

Anna waited with Holly in the front room of the house. It
had been a parlor in the old days. Now it was more of a study for her father. She
looked down at the dress and smiled. She liked the way it swirled around her
legs when she walked. Then she heard the car out front and felt that fluttery
feeling inside her stomach--Sam.

Holly shooed her out the door onto the porch, and then
followed a few steps behind her. Great, Holly was going to play Mom for this
encounter. Anna sighed.

Sam walked up the porch steps and stopped. "Anna, you
look great. That dress looks like a painting."

"Thanks, and yes, I thought it looked like one too."
She turned to look at Holly. "Okay, Mom, I'm leaving now."

Holly laughed and patted her on the shoulder. "Have a
great time."

"Yes, have a perfectly great time," a voice called
out from the street.

"Patrice!" Sam whispered in shock.

They all watched as the woman walked up the sidewalk to the
bottom of the porch steps. Anna felt like she'd fallen into a scene in a movie.
Stuff like this just didn't happen in her life.

"Found yourself a sweet little local girl to play with
on holiday, Sam?"

"Patrice, what the hell are you--never mind. Just
leave. Get out of here."

"Not so fast, Samuel. I wanted to see what was keeping
you away from the city...and my bed. And what do I find but the local donut-maker
is serving up more than confectionaries."

Anna felt like she was in shock, even as she felt Holly
bristle behind her. Sam's face went from shock to rage in a heartbeat.

"Shut up, Patrice," he said in a dark voice. "You
don't know what you're talking about. I broke up with you months ago and that
was the end of it. Now leave."

"You only left because I let you go. Now I want you
back. Say good-bye to your little slut there and come with me."

Sam was shaking his head, muttering, "She's crazy!"
when Holly brushed past Anna and stalked to the front of the porch.

"Get the hell off our property or I'm calling the
sheriff. You're clearly deranged."

This seemed to anger Patrice even further as her face
flushed an ugly deep red, her features appearing sharper and more twisted. "Nobody
tells me what to do, whoever you are, blondie. Got another one, Sam? Your dick
has been pretty damn busy out here at the beach."

Holly turned to Anna. "Go inside and call Dad and then
call the sheriff. I don't like this. She may be dangerous."

Anna hesitated then did as her sister asked. She noticed
when Sam began to go down the steps, Holly reached out and grabbed his arm to
keep him up on the porch. Anna thought that was probably a good idea since she
didn't trust Patrice not to attack him at close quarters.

She called her father who was working at the loft and
quickly told him an old girlfriend of Sam's was at the house causing trouble.
He said he'd be right there. Then she called the sheriff's office and asked him
to cruise by because of an unwanted person on their property causing trouble.

As she came back outside, she heard Patrice spewing off more
about Sam. Then she said, "You know you have no choice but to come with me
Sam, to be with me again, because I know your secret."

Sam shook his head but also looked chagrined. What was this?

Patrice continued in a louder voice. "I know you're
really Tom Anders. I could have the paparazzi here in a heartbeat with one
phone call. You love your privacy. Well, you can say good-bye to it."

Holly looked at Sam and whispered, "Tom Anders? That's
your real name?"

"No," he said, clearly exasperated. "My real
name is Sam Carter. My pen name is Tom Anders."

"I didn't even recognize you," Holly said. "I
guess you do look different out here as opposed to some Hollywood premiere. You
kept this from Anna?"

Anna moved forward to touch Sam's arm. "No, I already
knew about it, Holly."

"She already knew about it," Patrice parroted back
in a sickly sweet voice. "The little slut thinks she can live in that
world. She's a plain, introverted, misfit--I'm sure she'll fit in just fine at
the fancy parties. Oh yes, I've learned what I could about your new bed
partner, Sam. You've lost your mind, obviously."

Anna felt herself stiffen at Patrice's words. Then Sam put
an arm around her shoulders and after a minute she let herself relax against
him. She heard a car, and saw the police cruiser had pulled up in front of the
house. The sheriff got out of the car and came up the sidewalk.

"What now? You called the cops? Why you little bitch! I'm
going to hurt you--"

"Hold on there, ma'am," Sheriff Jones said. "I
wouldn't go making any threats if I were you." He looked up at the porch. "Anna,
Holly...is this woman causing you some trouble?"

"Yes! And she doesn't seem to want to leave even when
asked," Holly answered, relief in her voice.

"You can't make me leave!" Patrice shouted at the
sheriff.

"Actually, ma'am, I can. Come along now. Is that your
car? It's time for you to be moving on."

Patrice stared at him, shaking with rage, and then she
looked back at Sam and Anna. "You think this is over? It's just beginning."

She marched to her car and drove away. The sheriff followed
her.

Anna's father drove up as she left. He hopped out of his
car. "What's going on?"

"Trouble," Holly replied. "Major trouble,
unless I miss my guess. That woman isn't going to leave it at this, you guys."

Sam nodded his head. "I'm afraid you're right. I can't
believe she's doing this. I was only with her a couple months. She found out
about the pen name because she was snooping in my papers. She's a conniving,
manipulative, lying--well, I guess you can see what she is. I only wonder what
she'll do next. That concerns me."

Frank came up the porch steps. "Somebody needs to
explain all this to me."

Holly seemed to gather herself together. "I'll do that.
You two," she motioned to Sam and Anna. "You need to go on your date."

"I don't know, Holly," Anna said hesitantly.

"I think she's right. We should go. We can't let
Patrice spoil our date." Sam took her hand in his and tugged. "Come
on, let's go."

Anna resisted for a moment, and then she tossed a smile at
her father and Holly. "All right, I'm going."

She heard her father as she got into the roadster. "What
the hell is going on?"

* * * *

Sam drove in silence, trying to decide what to say. He had
the radio tuned to a rhythm and blues station and after a few minutes, he said,
"Do you mind this station? I can change it."

"No, I like this."

"How are you, Anna?"

"I'm not sure. That woman is incredibly...mean."

He laughed abruptly. "Mean. Yeah that's one word for
it."

"What I'm trying to say is that I've never met anyone
so vicious in all my life. Just with words she tried to tear down whatever
might be between us. I think I feel sorry for someone who sees the world the
way she does."

"You feel sorry for her?"

Anna gave a little laugh. "Well, not all that sorry.
But I think she must lead a really miserable life. And I realize that I can't
let her words hurt me. That would give her too much power."

"You sound wiser than I feel tonight. I wanted to pick
her up and bodily throw her into the street."

"But you didn't."

"No, I didn't. What I wonder now is, what will she do
next? I have the ugly feeling she is about to expose my name to the world. Do
you think you're ready to be seen with the Sam Carter who is also Tom Anders?"

"You think she'll do it?"

"Yes. And I think I should do it before she does, so that
it's my decision."

He waited as Anna thought. Finally, she said, "You don't
have to tell them about me."

"What if I want to? Because they'll ask, all the
reporters always want to know who Tom Anders is currently seeing."

"I think first you should just come out from behind
your pen name. Later, after we've had some time to see...where this leads...then
maybe..."

Sam let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been
holding. "That sounds reasonable. You're handling this whole thing better
than I would have expected."

She turned in her seat to look at him. "You still don't
know me very well yet. I'm not some frail, helpless damsel in need of rescue.
Sure, I may like my alone time and I'm certainly not an extrovert, but that
doesn't mean I'm not strong."

He glanced at her and smiled. "I'm beginning to see
that. Tell me the truth--do you still feel like going to the restaurant
tonight? We can always do something else."

"I am starting to get hungry again. Let's go eat some
Italian food."

"Sounds good to me too--along with a stiff drink. Only
one, because I'm driving."

"Would you ever let me drive this car?"

"Um...sure," he said bravely.

She laughed. "You're shaking at the thought of it."

They pulled up in the parking lot of Alberto's and got out
of the car. As they walked to the front door of the restaurant, Sam took Anna's
hand in his. He was pleased by how comfortable, how right it felt to hold her
hand. Anna looked up at him and smiled, eyes sparkling.

He gazed at her and said, "You really are lovely
tonight."

She ducked her head for a moment then straightened up and
looked at him directly. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Thank you, Sam."

"Not so hard, was it?"

"No, not so hard. I might even get used to you saying
such things to me."

They walked into the restaurant smiling at each other.

* * * *

"Okay, you're telling me that Sam is actually that
writer Tom Anders? For real?" Cody asked. He'd shown up after her father
had, and Holly was explaining the whole Patrice thing to them.

"But I don't think he's ready to go public with that
yet, so you guys can't say anything to anyone in town," Holly told them
firmly.

Her father shook his head. "This woman sounds like bad
news. She was trying to be hurtful not just to Sam but to Anna as well. I don't
like this. But Sam has seemed like a good guy to me. And you say Anna knew all
about this?"