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“I wasn’t aware there’d be travel involved. I don’t know if that’s something I’d be able to do without serious thought.”
“Can I ask why?” Charlie inquired.
“I have a son,” she said, pride illuminating her face. “He’s four. Just started preschool. I don’t know that I could leave him for that long.”
Learning that Sam had a child came as a huge surprise. She looked young to be a mother, and yet it made perfect sense. One of the first things I noticed about her was her maturity. Her ease and confidence made her that much more alluring.
I had to take some time off to take care of a loved one.
“Can’t the father watch him?” Liam asked.
“He’s not in the picture.”
I held my breath. Not in the picture? What bastard in his right mind would leave his own kid behind?
“We’d be more than happy to cover any childcare expenses,” Charlie pointed out. “We like to take care of our employees. In our line of work, it’s the least we can do.”
“That’s very kind of you, but that’s not what I’m worried about.” She glanced down to her lap, wringing her long, elegant fingers together. “I’ve never been away from him. It’s always been just the two of us. I could leave him with my grandmother, but she’s getting up there in years. It’s a lot to think about.”
Liam and Charlie both looked at me, a silent conversation passing between us. Sam didn’t know this, but we’d been searching for a viable candidate for weeks. I knew she was the one we’d been waiting for. We needed someone who not only looked the part, but someone we could realistically see as part of the team.
Everyone else we’d seen missed the mark. Too tall, too loud, too timid for the role. We needed someone who was honest, sure in herself. In the short time I’d known her, Sam managed to tick all of our boxes. My gut told me that she was it. She was the one, and I’d settle for no other.
“What can we do to convince you?” I asked.
Sam sighed. “Well, I guess I could—”
Just then, the door to the office swung open. Kris entered with a heavy sigh. “God, that took forever. Dealing with paparazzi is a fucking nightmare.”
Charlie smiled. “Glad you came back in one piece.”
“Kris,” I said, gesturing toward Sam. “This is Sam. Sam, this is Kris Monroe—”
She went pale, eyes wide like a deer caught in the headlights. “Kristoffer?” she gawked.
“You…” he murmured, caught off guard.
Sam shot out of her chair, fumbling to grab her purse. She looked like she’d just seen a ghost. “I, um… I’m sorry, but I have to go. Now. I have to—” Sam nearly collided into Liam in her haste. She was out the door by the time I could even think about stopping her.
In a flash, she was gone.
Liam, Charlie, and I stared at Kris in confusion.
“The hell was that about?” Liam demanded.
“Do you two know each other?” Charlie asked.
Kris pinched the bridge of his nose. “You remember five years ago on Valentine’s Day, the day after we broke up with Jessica?”
My eyebrows shot up. We never talked about Jessica. She was the reason none of us tried finding another special lady to welcome into our lives. We were so lovestruck with her when things first started out that we didn’t see it coming when she got up and left.
You guys are just too much.
“Oh, shit,” Liam grumbled. “I remember now. You went to some bar after she dumped us.”
“And you said you met a girl…” I realized aloud. “It was her?”
Kris nodded slowly. “It was her.”
