Needs A Little TLC (Spinning Hills Romance 2) (22 page)

They sprang apart, and Sam half-turned to see Emily standing behind them, eyebrow raised, looking completely unembarrassed.

“I’ll, uh, tell you how it goes,” he said, before turning to leave.

 

Cassie sat frozen in place, her hands gripping the edge of the stool she was sitting on, unable to look at Emily. “Sorry about that,” she finally squeaked, not looking up.

“Don’t apologize to me. I mean, I already knew there was
something
there, you were able to get Sam to wear sideburns after all, but I didn’t know you two were—you know. But don’t worry, I’m immune. I work with Holly, and Dan stops by from time to time. They’re still in that honeymoon phase.”

Cassie looked up. “No. I mean, I know all of you are good friends with Heather and that their divorce is recent. Sam and I aren’t—any-thing. I mean, I don’t know what we are, other than conflicted, connected, and confused, and I don’t know why that just happened, it wasn’t planned, but whatever I am, I’m not insensitive and I’d die before hurting his ex or Jake.”

Emily gave her a playful nudge. “Don’t worry. I’m not judging you. I get it.”

“Really?”

Emily nodded. “Really. And you don’t have to worry about Heather. She’s dating and doing her thing and doing well. She wants Sam to do the same. You’re right that Jake might need some time, and it’s very good of you to think of them both.” Emily put her hand around her shoulder and gave her a quick, tight squeeze. “It’s why I consider you a friend, too, even though I haven’t known you long. Your heart is in the right place.” She removed her arm and handed her a piece of paper. “And that, and your parents’ joint statement, is what we based your statement on. Read it over, make changes, and we’ll get it all typed up and ready to go. It’s not perfect, because perfect never sounds real.”

Cassie took the paper in both hands and read.

Cassie nodded slowly. “It’s the truth,” she said.

 

Sam phoned the couple’s Realtor as soon as he was out the door and asked to set up a meeting with the couple. They agreed to meet during their lunch hour at their Realtor’s office. Sam headed to the apartment to change into a crisp white shirt, khakis, and a sports jacket. He slicked his overgrown hair back and looked in the mirror. It was his businessman look. His contractor look consisted of worn, muddy boots, old jeans, and flannel shirt over a T-shirt, but it didn’t seem to impress banks or buyers.

When he got back downstairs, Johnny and their mother were sitting on the sofa, talking quietly. Johnny looked upset. “You’re being unreasonable, Ma,” he was saying. How many times had he heard those exact words coming from their own father and his own mouth? It never seemed to matter.

Marianne stood up when she saw Sam, her jaw set, her posture rigid. It was the look she got when she wanted control. “I’d like to talk to you, Sam,” she said before letting loose. “It’s gotten back to me that your business is in trouble.”

Sam closed his eyes and breathed out a sigh. How the hell had it gotten back to her? Only Johnny, Dan, and Cassie now knew, and none of them would say a thing.

“Do you know how humiliating it was to find out from a perfect stranger instead of hearing it from you?”

“What perfect stranger?” Sam asked.

“A bank employee was running his mouth off, having fun repeating rumors at other people’s expense,” she said bitterly. Sam and Johnny exchanged a look. How often had Marianne done the same thing? “Why didn’t you tell me? Do you know how humiliating it was to find out through someone else?”

“It’s Sam’s business. He doesn’t owe us explanations.” Johnny shot up. “The bank, however, owes Sam a huge one. And an apology. What the hell was that guy thinking? Who was he?” he demanded.

“The rumor mill is always churning, Jonathon. We’re the ones who have to watch where we’re stepping so we don’t fall and get pinned under its wheels.”

“And walk around paranoid? No. The fault lies with the employee for shooting his mouth off. Not Sam.”

“Then sue the bank. They deserve it. But the man wouldn’t have anything to talk about if the business weren’t in trouble. And Sam does owe us an explanation, this business is your father’s legacy.” She turned to Sam. “How did this happen?”

Sam felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. This was his father’s legacy. He’d played Monopoly with it. He took a deep, steadying breath, manned up, and faced his mom and Johnny. He’d need to talk to Dan, too. “I took a carefully thought-out, calculated risk, but I made a big mistake by downplaying the role outside forces could play. I fell behind on loans, but the bank is working with me, because it understands the dynamics, knows it’ll profit, and wants to hold on to future business with me. I still strongly believe the venture will pay off, though, not just for the business, but for Johnny and Dan, and for the entire town.”

Marianne’s lips thinned. Her anger was always palpable to those who knew her, but never outwardly visible, unless you knew the stress-triggering signs. Sam braced himself. Johnny sat down, slumped back, and looked at the ceiling.

“I know you, and I believe you thought it through. I don’t think you would play fast and loose with your dad’s hard work or Johnny’s education. But for the life of me, I don’t understand why you feel the need to share profits with Dan. I know you think I have it in for him, and God knows I’m tired of defending myself, but wouldn’t you pay your loans off sooner if you didn’t have to hire him and then share profits with him? Unlike Johnny, he already has an education. An education he paid for when you generously bought him out.”

Sam stared at his mom. There was bitterness in her tone and malice in her eyes. She rarely went this far. The humiliation and stress over his circumstances had brought it out, he knew. But there was no reasoning with her when it came to Dan. He would never understand it. He’d stopped trying to.

Johnny straightened again and looked at their mom, hardened and ready to try. It was a battle he’d lose. Sam lifted his hand to stop whatever words his brother was about to say.

How could he love her and see all the good things she’d done, while knowing all the hurt she’d caused, too? How could he feel grateful for some things and yet so angry and resentful about so many others?

Sam turned on his mom and tried to keep his voice low and even. No, she wouldn’t listen, but if he didn’t say something, he’d feel like a traitor. “Dan and Johnny received the same amount from me when I bought them out, so what makes you think it was enough to pay for Dan’s law degree when it wasn’t enough to pay for Johnny’s education? I’m not helping my brothers, they’re helping me.
Dan came back to help me.
I don’t have enough crews or contractors to work on these properties. You say God knows you’ve tried, but He and I and everyone else who matters know you haven’t.” And with that, Sam shook his head, turned, and left to deal with the next difficulty on his ever-growing list.

B
y the time Sam arrived at the Realtor’s office in Centerville, the couple was already inside. Still reeling from the confrontation with his mom, Sam had come prepared to tell them off, too, but when they looked up at him, jittery and seemingly unsure of themselves, Sam swallowed his anger. They simply didn’t look like the type of people who were after a confrontation. Whatever he’d say to the couple had to be deserved.

The last thing he wanted was to be like his mom, taking his frustrations out on others.

He sat down in front of them, took a piece of his own advice, and decided to listen to what they had to say before reacting.

The Realtor introduced them and they all shook hands. Lauren, the wife, squeezed the man’s hand and spoke first. “First and foremost, we want you to know we love the house. The moment we walked in, it fit. The girls chose their bedrooms, and I began decorating in my head.” She smiled. “I can already see them playing in the yard. And we liked Cassidy and Ralph, the agent who originally showed us around, a lot. Her father’s scandal yesterday didn’t change our minds; if anything, we felt for her.”

Her husband, Will, nodded. “But when we saw her up on stage with you last night, looking like she was having the time of her life while her parents’ lives crumbled, it just seemed very callous to us, almost mocking. Like she truly didn’t care about what her mom was going through. We don’t want to do business with someone like that.” Will hesitated and Sam felt his anger rise. He was about to tell them what he thought of their stupid analysis and how he didn’t want ignorant people like them as his neighbors, but the man continued. “Lauren and I both come from homes broken up by affairs. We can’t help but feel for Mrs. McGillicuddy. Family means everything to us, and we’re trying to teach our girls the same values.”

The Realtor jumped in. “They still want the house and they understand Cassidy Morgan—er, McGillicuddy, deserves a commission because her efforts did get them in to see the house, they just don’t want her to be at the closing.”

Sam stared at them a long moment, trying to gather his thoughts. The couple had come to a quick, one-dimensional conclusion and were being simpleminded in their adherence to it. Like his mom.

But unlike his mom, they didn’t seem to have any pettiness or malice in them. Cassie’s words came back to him. She’d liked the couple. She wanted him to try to talk it out.

He decided to give it a go. “Look—I’ve known Cassie since she was six. There’s not a selfish bone in her body. When she found out the reason you two no longer wanted her on board, she backed off, understanding why her actions could have been misconstrued. I can’t tell you everything Cassie has done for her parents, because that’s their private matter, but I can tell you she didn’t take to that stage to have fun. She took to it because she’d made a promise to a few people in town who felt like they weren’t being heard. She spent the entire day yesterday running around like a madwoman trying to please everyone. You have a right to choose not to do business with her, but I also have a right to choose not to do business with you if you persist in this one area. My loyalty is to her, not the sale.”

The couple looked lost, like they didn’t know what to do or what came next, and their Realtor took over. She got up and held out her hand, saying, “Thank you so much for coming in and listening to our concerns, Mr. Amador. Let’s give the Moyerses some time to consider everything and we’ll get back to you soon.”

Sam shook her hand, grateful for the smooth way she’d handled the meeting. He then nodded at the Moyerses and left, feeling oddly at peace with the couple.

Whatever happened, nobody was trying to screw anyone over. He decided to meet up with Dan next, to see what he’d learned.

When Sam got back to his office, he was surprised to see that Dan, Johnny, and Dr. Cornerstone and his teenage son Justin were all there. Dr. Cornerstone stood up and held out his hand, which Sam shook, asking, “What’s going on?”

“Dan found out who uploaded the original video. Dr. Cornerstone figured it out, too, and stopped by to set the record straight,” Johnny explained.

All eyes went to the boy. There could only be one reason he was there, after all. “Justin didn’t mean any harm,” Dr. Cornerstone quickly said. “He has a YouTube account titled
Spinning at the Hills
, he was at Huffy’s last night, thought the act was funny, and he uploaded it. He didn’t know Cassie’s name, so he tagged it ‘owner of Red Realty and Sam Amador.’ He, uh, posts lots of stuff about the town.”

“We’re thinking someone trolling for information found it and that’s how it got out,” Dan said.

“He took it down immediately when he found out what had happened, but by then it was too late,” Dr. Cornerstone added.

“I’m sorry,” the kid said, looking down at the carpet. Sam knew the look on his face. It was the look of every kid who had ever screwed up without meaning to.

Johnny put a hand on Justin’s shoulder. “Hey, we told you, it’s all right.”

Sam leaned on his desk in front of the boy. “Don’t beat yourself up, kid, you had no way of knowing who Cassie was or that it would get picked up like that. Relax.”

Dr. Cornerstone cleared his throat. “Thanks for understanding. I know we’ve had our differences, and I didn’t want you to think we did this on purpose. Megan and I like Cassie. It’s a shame she’s being put through this. But it’ll blow over soon enough. Like the catfight those two starlets had in the middle of the runway during Fashion Week.” He gave them a weak smile. “It was all the media could talk about then and now not one of them mentions it.”

“That was awesome,” Justin said, still sounding awed. Sam, Dan, and Johnny all laughed, knowing the kid was probably reliving how the popular teen actresses had torn off each other’s shirts.

“Or that presidential candidate who used campaign money to buy an Alpaca farm,” Sam added, frowning. He’d never quite understood the reasoning behind that one. “That was before the catfight.”

Dan nodded. “I can’t even remember who or what came before that.”

“The boy band kid who had the meltdown onstage at that awards show ’cause his girlfriend didn’t win song of the year,” Johnny reminded him.

“Right. Right. The kid with the helmet hair,” Sam said before looking at Justin and noticing he had the same haircut. “No offense.”

“None taken.”

“Well, we’ll be on our way. Thanks for understanding,” Dr. Cornerstone said to them before looking at Sam in particular. “To be honest, I didn’t think you’d be reasonable.”

Sam sent him a mischievous grin. “Don’t judge me yet, there’s still no way I’m on board with bringing in that stale bread sandwich chain. But I am ready to admit that the new soccer uniforms look good.”

Dr. Cornerstone rolled his eyes. “What a relief to know you approve.” He then smiled and said, “See you at the soccer game after school,” before turning to leave.

“I’ll go explain to Cassie what happened,” Sam said to his brothers. “It’ll do her good to know nobody here was out to hurt her.”

“You can also tell her you didn’t lose the Moyers contract. Their Realtor called while we were waiting for you, to say they decided to go with their gut and trust you,” Dan said.

Sam blew out a long, relieved breath. Talking things through had actually worked. “But before you go, we need to talk.” Dan walked over to stand in front of him.

“Not now. Whatever it is, it can wait.”

“No. It can’t. We still don’t understand why you didn’t tell us you were in trouble,” Johnny said, looking hurt.

Sam sighed. “Because I’m not in trouble. I’m handling it. Two contracts came in.” He stopped short of saying he’d be fine, because he couldn’t lie to their faces like that. He’d still be one month behind.

“How far behind are you on loans?” Johnny asked, crossing his arms and looking him dead in the eye. It was always a jolt to see him so serious.

Sam looked out onto the street. “I said I’m handling it. Things are looking up.”

Dan pushed off the desk and scrubbed his face impatiently. “Damn it, Sam. Do you know how frustrating you can be? Nobody ever knows what the hell’s going on with you. Try and see beyond your own pride a moment, will you? It’s been ten years, and we still don’t know what happened between you and Cass. We only just found out you lost your scholarship that semester you lost like twenty pounds and walked around looking like a hobo. There was never getting anything out of you.”

“Like you two are so forthcoming about your crap.”

“We’re not as bad as you, Sam,” Johnny said, and Sam hated the concerned tone in his voice.

“What the hell do you want me to do, lie on the couch while you guys each pull up a chair and ask me about my nonexistent issues?”

His brothers were silent for a moment. Too silent. When Sam turned to see what they were up to, they were exchanging a look.

Next thing he knew, they’d tackled him and he was on the ground. Sam fought with all he had and cussed like hadn’t since before Jake was born, but the two of them together overpowered him. They dragged him by his feet to the couch. He tried to make himself as heavy as possible, but still they managed to heave him up onto the couch, where Johnny sat on him while Dan pulled up a chair.

“You will be sued within the day if this is how you’re gonna get schoolkids to talk,” he said, barely able to talk and breathe at the same time.

“So, Samuel. Tell us about these issues,” Dan said in an overly soft, caring voice.

“Can’t breathe.”

Johnny lifted his butt off his stomach a bit, and Sam knocked him down. “Are you done?” he asked.

“Done? You never let us get started,” Johnny said, getting up from the floor.

“Yeah. And Johnny and I have a proposition.” Dan smiled in a way Sam didn’t like.

“Then spit it out already.”

Dan leaned forward. “I’m doing well and Johnny’s about to start his thesis semester. Paying us our share at a later date wouldn’t be a problem for us, and it wouldn’t be aid or assistance or help because we’d be charging something, you can call it interest, in return.”

Sam felt the hairs on his neck rise. What Dan and Johnny were proposing would be a huge help, if he could bring himself to take them up on it. But he was wary of the so-called interest they’d charge. “Go on,” he said.

Dan brought out a large white box from behind the desk. “Open it.” Sam walked to the box as if he were walking down death row. He lifted the lid and looked inside at what appeared to be a powder-blue tuxedo jacket with ruffled, satin lapels. His throat went dry. He looked up at Dan’s stupid, closemouthed, ear-to-ear grin.

“There are matching, bell-bottomed slacks on the bottom,” Johnny pointed out.

Sam looked at Dan and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m wanting to surprise Holly at our engagement party. You know she loves the eighties and a good laugh, and ‘Lady’ is one of her favorite songs. Ella likes it, too. I thought about it when we were remembering Johnny’s sweet sixteenth. Johnny’s agreed to be Lionel Richie.”

“Seriously? How many surprises are you going to plan for Holly at our expense? Next you’ll have us dressing in drag at your wedding.”

“Look, I know I’m pushing it. But Holly kept asking me questions about Johnny’s sweet sixteenth and laughing at the stunts we pulled, and she enjoyed the performance at Huffy’s yesterday a whole lot. The more I think about it, the more I think it’ll be a perfect memory for her. You know she’s an only child.”

Sam glowered at him. He hated when Dan used convincing arguments on him.

“Come on, be a good sport,” Johnny jumped in.

“Wait. How’d he get
you
to agree to this?” Sam asked, suddenly suspicious.

Johnny shrugged. “I think it’ll be fun. I didn’t get to dress up yesterday.”

Sam gave him a look before turning to Dan. “Not doing it. I still doubt I’ll need your help, and if by chance I do, I’d rather pay you double interest than wear that moldy suit. Where’d you find that thing anyway?”

“Dad’s closet. Mom keeps all his stuff,” Johnny said.

“Dad?” Sam said, before choking on his own saliva.

“Yep. The old man was quite the stud back in the day.” Johnny grinned. “And Marty’s dad has a white one just like it. I’m going to ask if I can borrow it.”

“Yeah, well, you two can make fools out of yourselves all you want. I’m not doing it.” He turned to leave. He didn’t have time for this crap.

“What if we help you finish Grandma Maddie’s house in record time?” Dan asked.

Sam paused. He turned around to catch Dan and Johnny exchanging yet another look. He narrowed his eyes, wondering what they were really up to.

 

Rosa and Emily brought out the final, printed statement just as Jessica came in, waving a charger, followed by Sherry and Ruby, who was angrily saying, “That snoop is persistent. I can’t get her to leave! I wish I could smite her.”

Cassie grabbed the statement and slipped off the stool. “You won’t have to. I just got an idea,” she said, heading to the door. “I’ll tell her she gets the statement first if she leaves me alone.”

“Whoa.” Sherry held her back.

Rosa put a hand on Cassie’s arm. “It’s not a bad idea, but Ruby and I should go and negotiate. If you go, she might get you to say something you’ll regret and you’ll only confirm you’re here. They won’t be interested in you tomorrow or maybe even later this afternoon.” She gave her a significant look. “This might be your one chance to do damage control for Red Realty.”

“That’s actually a great idea,” Emily agreed. “You two can be the ones to give statements about how hard Cassie was working yesterday on behalf of the town, and Jessica should go, too. She can speak as an employee.”

“That’s brilliant,” Jessica said. “Let’s think of a few brief talking points before we go so we don’t mess up.”