Love Makes the Difference (Sully Point Book 1) (13 page)

"Yeah, she wasn't at all surprised. Really rather calm
about the whole thing. I think she likes Sam quite a bit."

"That Tom Anders guy doesn't even look like Sam Carter!"
Cody protested.

"Next time you see him, you'll see the resemblance, I
bet," Holly replied. "What I wonder about is if it were to become
public, how would Anna deal with that kind of publicity? You know his books are
wildly popular but it's the movies that made him truly famous. Hanging out with
celebrities and all that. I wonder if she's up to the kind of life he leads."

Frank looked at his daughter thoughtfully. "I think she's
stronger than we have all thought, Holly. She sure looked pretty in that dress
tonight."

Holly felt herself smiling. "She picked it out. I think
you were right when you said Anna is finally a grown-up. She certainly had
definite opinions in the stores when we shopped."

Frank drank his beer. "You know, you just might end up
having to find a new baker."

Holly felt surprised then realized he might be right. "As
long as Anna is happy, that's what matters. Besides, it's early days yet."

Frank shook his head. "Not as early as you think."

* * * *

Anna was pleasantly full after a delicious meal of saltimbocca.
"I'm glad we went there. Too bad we were too full for dessert. Although, I
pretty much get enough of sweet things in my day job."

Sam laughed. "I'd think so. That's a good restaurant.
My lobster tail and beef tenderloin were perfectly cooked." They got into
the car. "How about taking a ride out to my place for a walk on the beach?"

 Anna thought about it for a moment. Was she ready for a
walk on the beach with Sam?
Hell, yeah,
her libido answered. "That
sounds good."

The dinner had been fun, talking about all kinds of topics,
from what kind of music they each liked, to favorite books. They'd spent longer
on the books than anything else as they were both avid readers. They'd laughed
and talked seriously too, and Anna felt a bit as if she were floating on air.
Never in her life had a man paid such attention to her every word. It was a
heady feeling.

"So how would rate this date so far?" Sam asked
with a grin. "Using our movie scale rating of five stars as best."

"Oh definitely, five. It's been a great date--I'm not
counting the beginning at home with Patrice, since that was before the date
officially started."

"Wow, a five-star date? Maybe we should forego the walk
on the beach because the only way it can go now is down."

Anna laughed and liked the way her laugh and Sam's mingled
in the little car. Being in the roadster was like being in their own world, where
nothing from outside could touch them.

Impulsively, she said, "I'd love a road trip in this
car with you. The seats are totally comfortable and the car just zooms along.
It's like we're all alone in our own fantasy."

Sam's face was filled with astonishment as he briefly
glanced from the road to her. "A suggestion for future activities? I must
be doing something right tonight."

She felt herself blush. "I can't believe I just said
that."

"The Aston-Martin roadster does seem to have qualities
I've never appreciated until this moment."

They pulled into the driveway of his house, and walked in
and through the house without putting any lights on. The light from a full moon
was shining off the edges of curling waves, giving the night a glow. Anna felt
Sam take her hand in his and she realized that she was happy. That moment
looking out at the ocean, feeling the strength of his hand around hers, sensing
his nearness, was filled with more than she'd ever expected from life. She felt
happiness and surprise mingling together. They began to walk down the beach.

"You're quiet all of a sudden," Sam said softly.

"I'm happy. Those moments don't come often in life. You
have to experience them when they do."

"I want to give you more moments of happiness, Anna."

They stopped walking and turned to each other. He gathered
her up in his arms and met her lips gently at first. As she wrapped her arms
around his neck, the kiss deepened and became full of mutual desire and
passion.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Anna pulled away and
said, "Sam--"

At the same time he said, "Anna--" They laughed
and then he said, "I want you, tonight, now."

She gazed up into his eyes, darkened in the night but
shining in the moonlight. "That's what I was going to say."

He looked startled. "You were?"

She grinned at him. "Yes. Let's go back to your house."

"Absolutely!"

They walked with his arm around her shoulders and hers about
his waist. As they made the curve along the edge of the beach, the house came
into view. It was glowing. The house was on fire.

* * * *

Neither Sam nor Anna had their cell phones on them, but a
passing motorist had already called the fire department. Even as they ran up
the beach to get to the house, they heard sirens in the distance.

Once they were close, Sam said, "It looks like it's
more in the front of the house. I want to get my laptop if I can, and my
wallet. They're both at the back part of the house."

Anna shivered even as she felt the heat coming off the
burning building. "I don't think that's such a great idea, going in there."

Sam looked back at her and then called out, "I'll be
right back," as he dashed into the house. She could barely make him out
through the smoke as he ran, bent over to avoid the thicker smoke above.

Anna remembered that her new evening bag was in there with
all her identification, driver's license and credit cards. Not worth going into
that to retrieve.

About the time she started to really worry about Sam, he
came out, coughing, one arm cradling the laptop and the other carrying the
painting.

She rushed to him. "Are you okay?"

He stumbled over to the picnic table and set down the items
from the house, gently propping the painting on the bench. "I'll be fine
once I get some water." He coughed some more. "I tried to save the
goldfish but..."

Anna glanced down at the table and saw his laptop, wallet,
keys, a leather folder with a clasp, and...her evening bag. "Sam...you
shouldn't have bothered to get my bag. But that was really very sweet of you."

He smiled, coughed, and gave her a hug. "I hope the
painting isn't too badly damaged."

"Can't tell much in this light."

They heard the firemen and saw one coming around the
building. After waving him over, they learned the fire had been purposely set.
It wasn't some kind of electrical accident as Sam had thought.

Anna looked into Sam's troubled eyes. "Could Patrice
have done this?"

The fire chief came closer. "Do you know who set the
fire?"

Sam nodded his head. "Possibly. There is a woman who is
very angry with me and very vengeful. She threatened us tonight. She could have
done it."

As Sam gave information about Patrice to the fire chief,
Anna walked a few feet away and stared at the burning building. It was going to
be a complete loss. That old wood went up fast. Sam was lucky he'd made it out
of there.

It made her feel...scared to think that Patrice set the
fire. But who else could it be? Sam had no enemies in town. If Patrice did
this, she might do anything. What if she tried to harm Sam? Anna whirled around
and looked at him. Tall and handsome even with soot smudged on his face, Anna
knew that she had crossed a line with him tonight. She'd been ready to cross a
few more lines, actually, before the fire. Suddenly, she realized he had no
place to go. His home had just burned up.

An idea crossed her mind. An insidious, treacherous idea
cloaked in virtue. There was her loft...soon to be her home, to live in.
Nothing said Sam couldn't spend the night there. Or more than one night. If she
happened to stay with him...the couch did fold out into a bed. And her new bed
was being delivered in two days.

The fire chief walked away, folding up a notebook and
shoving it into his back pocket. Anna came close and took Sam's hand in hers.
He looked surprised and pleased at the same time. "Did he believe you?"

"He said he'd check with the sheriff, but yes, I think
he did. He didn't seem impressed with the Bettencourt name--Patrice's family is
rich and well-known in the city--which is good." Sam ran a hand through
his hair. "Ugh. I need a shower. And some clothes. Plus a place to stay. I
should get checked into a hotel."

Anna cleared her throat. "Hmm. Even though I know
Maelynne would have kittens if you checked into her motel, I may have a better
idea."

"Yeah?" Sam said in a distracted tone. He was
opening up his laptop.

"Yeah. How about my loft? You could stay there...with
me."

He was suddenly very alertly paying attention to her. "Is
there a bed in the loft that I didn't see?"

"No, but the couch folds out into one. It's not the
best bed, but--"

"I'll take it. Come on, let's gather this stuff up and
drive to some place still open to get me some clothes and then..." His
voice trailed off.

"What? What is it?"

"The car. You don't think she torched my car do you?"
He began to run around the house to the front.

Anna followed more slowly. She was betting that, of course,
Patrice had torched the car. She opened her evening bag and pulled out her cell
phone. "Holly? Can you and Dad bring me my car? What? No, nothing's wrong,
not like that. It looks like Patrice burned down Sam's house and his car..."

She heard Sam's voice raised as he yelled about Patrice. She
also heard Holly loudly through the phone. "Calm down Holly. And yes, she
torched the car too. So we need transportation...You will? Great. Thanks,
Holly."

The car was still burning in places. Anna sighed,
remembering the fantasy ride. She was glad she had enjoyed the moment.

Chapter 7

After picking up some clothes at the local discount store,
which stayed open late, Sam and Anna drove her car to the loft. Rather, Anna
drove and Sam sat in the passenger seat with his eyes closed.

"Are you okay?" she asked him as she shifted
gears. She noticed his hand was clenched on the dashboard.

"I'm terrified. This car could literally fall apart at
any moment. How old is this thing?"

"Thing? I've had this car since I started driving. My
dad gave it to me--said he knew it would never let me down and that it was
built like a German tank. And he was right, it's been a great car."

"Haven't you had to replace anything on it?"

"Only the brakes and the clutch. Dad says I ride the
clutch too much, and I did wear out the brakes."

Sam opened one eye and looked at her. "You're a scary
woman sometimes." He closed the eye and leaned back in his seat.

Anna shrugged. She knew her driving wasn't the best. Mainly,
she thought it was due to the fact that she lost focus. An idea would come into
her mind about her painting or a new recipe, and then all of a sudden she'd
remember she was still driving. She decided it was probably best that she not
mention that to Sam.

"We're here." Anna reached into the back seat and
pulled out the weekender bag that Holly had given to her years ago. It was a
very nice navy leather bag and inside it were some clothes  Holly had brought over
for her.

She walked to the door of the building and unlocked it. When
Sam came in she motioned to the elevator. "Might as well take the easy way
up, since our arms are full."

Sam looked cautiously at the elevator cage for a moment,
then shrugged and stepped into it. It bounced. "Uh, Anna, I'm not sure
this is such a good idea."

"No problem. It works great." She punched the
button and the elevator began rising--slowly. "Okay, so it takes a while,
but it's nice when you have too much stuff to carry on the stairs. I bring in
large canvases this way."

The elevator jerked to a halt and they exited, Sam with a
sigh of relief. When they walked into the loft, Anna exclaimed softly. "It's
beautiful!" She hadn't been to the loft in a couple of days. It looked like
Cody and her father had finished it.

She and Sam set down the things they were carrying. Sam put
the painting on the easel so that they could check it for damage. Anna examined
it up close and touched a finger to the painting. It came away with soot on the
fingertip. "Well that's not good. I'm going to have to do some research
about the best way to clean off the smoke residue without damaging the painting
underneath. How'd your laptop make out?"

Sam had the laptop open on the coffee table. "I think
it's about dead or will be soon. That sooty stuff had to get on the components
inside. It's all right--I had sent a copy of the most recent file to my email.
It should be sitting there. I also have it on a flash drive I keep in my
pocket. I always keep multiple forms of backup when I'm working. I guess I didn't
really need to bring it out of the house. Tomorrow I'll need to buy one."

Anna walked around the loft, ending up in the kitchen. The
red-painted appliances looked good. There was a counter now with barstools and
a new microwave sat on one end. She opened the fridge and found a bottle of
champagne, some beer, and two kinds of cheese. On top of the fridge were two
varieties of crackers to eat with the cheese. "You have a choice,"
she called to Sam. "Champagne or beer."

His voice came closer as he walked into the kitchen. "Your
first night in the new place...shouldn't we have champagne?"

"Sounds good to me. Here, you open it." She
started to hand the bottle to him, then stopped and looked at him. He was
covered in soot from the fire. "Okay, wait. Time to see if the shower is
working. Let's hold off on this champagne until you have a chance to clean up."