Sammy in Italy (Single Wide Female Travels #2) (13 page)

“Yes, she is.” I smiled as I followed his line of sight. “She’s really talented.”

“She’s more than that. I’m going to have to get her on my team before she puts me out of business.” He grinned. “And I had no idea that Sue had such a beautiful presence on the runway. Thank you for bringing them to my attention.”

“I’m sure they’d both love to hear that from you.” I gestured to the women as they began to file out from behind the curtain.
 

“I will do just that.”

As he walked away, that warmth, that sense of peace that I’d experienced for a brief moment during meditation, finally returned to me. I didn’t need to be anything more than who I was. My instincts always seemed to steer me in the right direction.

Max walked up to me with a bouquet of flowers. “Sammy, that was quite a surprise. You amaze me every day.” He leaned in for a kiss, then started to pull back right away.

I tangled my fingers in his hair and drew him back for a longer kiss. Then I looked into his eyes. “I’m done rushing through things and trying to prove myself. I’m ready to savor the time we’re sharing, whether we’re in Italy or back home.”

“Great.” He took my hands in his. “Because I want to do the same.”
 

Isabella walked up to me with a wide smile. “This was fantastic, Samantha. I’m so glad you chose to do this here. Listen, I went ahead and forwarded your number to your contact in Amsterdam. There’s been a bit of a shuffling of people there, so I don’t personally know your contact, but I’m sure it will all be fine.”
 

I raised an eyebrow. “If you’re so sure, then why do you look so worried?”

“If you have any trouble, just call me.” She patted my hand. “Enjoy your last night in Venice.”
 

“Thank you for everything, Isabella.”

When she walked away I looked at Max. “That was a little strange, don’t you think?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’ll be fine—just like she said.”
 

As we left the venue my cell phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number.
 

“Hello?”
 

“Hallo! This is Erik!” The jovial voice in my ear made it sound like he was shouting.
 

“Erik? I’m sorry, I’m not sure if you have the right number.”

“Samantha?”
 

“Yes, this is Samantha.”

“Then I have the right number. I’m looking forward to meeting you in Amsterdam tomorrow.”
 

“There must be some kind of mix-up. Usually my contacts are women.”

“No mix-up. I can wear a skirt if you like.” He laughed loudly.
 

I looked over at Max and raised an eyebrow. “No, that’s fine. I’m looking forward to meeting you too, Erik.”

“Wonderful. See you tomorrow.” He hung up before I could respond.
 

“Who was that?” Max laughed. “I could hear him laughing.”

“He’s my contact for Amsterdam. Erik.”

“Erin?”

“No, Erik. It’s a guy.”

“Huh. I thought it was going to be all women?” He shrugged. “I guess this should be interesting.”

“Very.” I bit into my bottom lip.

Live in the moment, Sammy, live in the moment.
I tried, but I couldn’t help but wonder exactly how I was going to get along with the boisterous Erik in Amsterdam.

I took a deep breath and cleared my mind. I was still in Venice, with the love of my life, and I was going to make the last few hours count.
 

“Uh, Max?”
 

“Yes?” He looked over at me.
 

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I gazed into his eyes.
 

“I think I might be.” He drew me close to him and returned my heated stare. “In fact, I know I am.”
 

I leaned close and kissed him. He returned the kiss.

The moment we broke apart, we spoke at the same time.
 

“Gelato!”
 

“Yes!” I laughed. “There’s always time for gelato.”
 

Dear Reader,

The
Single Wide Female
and
B.I.G. Girls Club
books are written for every woman out there who has struggled with their weight, self-esteem and any number of issues that we all face as we work to become the best versions of ourselves that we can be.
 

They are meant to be light-hearted and fun, but I do hope that they will inspire you—to REALLY live your life to the fullest, loving yourself completely as you do so.
 

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Sammy in Italy
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Enjoy!

Sincerely,

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P.S. Also be sure to see the previews following this page for two additional free books that you can download at Amazon. :)
 

Please enjoy the following preview for
 
Sammy in Holland (Single Wide Female Travels, Book 3)

Chapter 1

I fiddled with the corner of my ticket. With the flight delay it was a bit of a wait. Max stirred in his sleep but didn’t wake up. I took a deep breath and looked down at my ticket again.
 
I couldn’t quite figure out what had me feeling so nervous.

After I’d spoken on the phone to Erik, my contact in Amsterdam, I did wonder what was in store for me. All the other stops on the book tour had been hosted by women. It wasn’t as if I didn’t like the idea of a man hosting me. I just wasn’t sure what to expect.

The PA system came to life and announced the boarding of our flight.
 

“Max.” I patted the top of his knee. “The plane is leaving.”
 

“Aw, I just fell asleep.”
 

I raised an eyebrow but decided not to point out that he’d been snoring on my shoulder for at least a half hour. He sleepily gathered our luggage. The flight itself was already scheduled to leave late, but the new delay had us arriving well after midnight.

It wasn’t a very crowded flight, which gave us the opportunity to sprawl out in our seats. Max looked over at me.
 

“Are you ready for Amsterdam?”

“I’m looking forward to it.” I smiled.
 

“You know, I did a little research about the place. Did you know that certain things are legal there?” He grinned.
 

“Oh, that kind of research.” I laughed. “Yes I did know that in fact.”

“So?”

“So what?” I raised an eyebrow.
 

“When in Amsterdam…”

“No way.” I shook my head. “The only thing that would likely lead to is me getting a very bad case of the munchies. That’s the last thing I need to do after our gelato tour.” I laughed, but I was definitely serious about wanting more food control in my life. “I did some research too. I’m looking forward to riding bicycles everywhere. That should give me the opportunity to work some of Venice off.”
 

“No more motorcycles?” Max pouted.
 

“Not this time. It’ll be Sammy powered.”
 

Max glanced away for a moment. “I’m not sure it’s such a good idea. You might get too worn out.”

“I don’t think so.” I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. I’m actually dying for some physical activity.”

“We walked a lot in Venice. I’m sure we could find some trails to hike in Amsterdam. Or maybe some other kind of activity.”
 

“But biking is so much fun. Besides, that’s how everyone gets around there. We won’t be able to avoid it, so we might as well enjoy it.”
 

Max glanced away.

I could almost imagine I heard him wince, and when he turned back around toward me, he was frowning.

“Okay, I guess that’s what we’ll do then. I’m going to get a little more sleep.”
 

I waited for him to rest his head on my shoulder again, but instead he propped his head against the window. I opened my mouth to protest, but his eyes were already closed.
 

He must be more tired than I thought. I stifled a yawn, realizing that I was tired as well. I closed my eyes for what I thought was just a moment.

When I opened my eyes again, the flight crew was busy preparing for our descent. It seemed like no longer than a minute, but it must have been much longer. I looked over at Max, whose head was still propped against the window. Before I could wake him, he opened his eyes.
 

“Finally, we’re here.”
 

“Didn’t you sleep?”

“A little.”

I kissed his cheek. “I’m looking forward to exploring Amsterdam with you.”
 

“Me too.” He grabbed our luggage from the overhead compartments and we headed off the plane.
 

It was easy to navigate our way through the airport, but when we reached the door it occurred to me that I had no idea whether or not Erik had sent a car for us. I also didn’t have a clue or an address to where we were staying.

I checked my phone to see if I’d missed any texts or calls from him while we’d been in the air. There wasn’t even an e-mail.

“We can find a taxi, I’m sure.” Max held the door open for her.
 

“To where, though? I have no idea where we’re supposed to be staying.” I heard the stress in my own voice as I listened to the ringing of the call I’d made. When Erik’s voicemail picked up, my heart sank. I gritted my teeth.

“Hi, Erik, this is Samantha. We’re here at the airport. I’m not sure where we’re supposed to be staying or how we’re supposed to get there. If you can give me a call back right away that would be great.” I hung up the phone and sighed. “What if he’s sleeping?”
 

“Hey, don’t worry.” Max rubbed the length of my arms. “We’re capable of finding our own transportation and a place to stay.”
 

“But it shouldn’t be like this. He should have someone here—the same way that all of our other hosts have had arrangements made for us. If he can’t get this straight, then what will the book signing be like?”
 

“Well, give him another call. If he doesn’t get back to us, I say we find our own way and connect with him after the sun is up.”
 

“Okay.” I dialed Erik’s number again. Once more it went to voicemail. I didn’t bother to leave another message. “Well, that’s that. It looks like Amsterdam is going to be a flop.”
 

“None of that, remember? We’re leaving the stress behind us.”

“Ugh. Max, you’re so right.” I planted as big kiss on his lips, then smiled. “This can be an adventure. I’ll look up what nearby hotels might be good for us to stay in.”
 

“I’ll see what I can do about getting us a taxi.”
 

A few minutes later we were on our way. Maybe my contact was sound asleep in his bed somewhere, but I looked forward to discovering Amsterdam anyway. It was nearly dawn and not yet light enough to see much of what we passed, but Amsterdam seemed to have an energy of its own—hopeful, light and full of potential.

End of the preview.
 

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To Love Again (Forty and Free, Book 1)

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