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Sam glanced at the woods, then set his sights ahead as they began to walk, his voice strained. “Yeah.”
“Do teenagers still go there to make out?” Why am I talking about this? What’s wrong with me?
“Nah.” He cleared his throat. “They conduct all of their business on Snapchat as far as I can tell.”
Maya opted to change the subject, because she shouldn’t have mentioned the nook in the first place. “Is Ben okay? He seems stressed.”
Sam glanced at her. “I think he’s got a lot on.”
Maya nodded, still feeling as if it were more than that. “Are you sure that’s all it is? Because I’ve met him for a coffee every day I’ve been in this week, and he seems really distracted.”
Sam was silent for a second, so she glanced over. He was watching the ground as they walked. “I’ve not noticed. But I’m getting a lift with him tomorrow, so I’ll ask.”
“Can you let me know if there’s anything I can do to help, with whatever it is?”
Sam looked up, a strange expression on his face. “Of course.”
They made their way to the crossroads and then down the hill into the housing estates. He stopped at the point that they’d have to cross over, and looked at her. “Do you want to see something before we go to yours?”
“What?” she asked.
“My favorite house,” Sam said. “Their lights entry isn’t on the Facebook page yet.”
Maya’s curiosity got the better of her. “Go on, then.”
Sam smiled, and she followed him farther down the hill, and around the corner until they weren’t far from his place.
“Check this out.” He pointed along the street, and the whole area was lit up like Blackpool Illuminations.
Maya had never seen so many houses on one street go all out before. However, it was still apparent which property Sam was referring to. A smile spread across her face as she took it in. Inflatable Santa, penguins and all. “That is genius.”
“Right?” Sam said, standing next to her to admire it.
“Good choice, Mr. Holland,” Maya said as they turned to retrace their steps. “You should apply to be a judge, and sway the vote.”
Sucking his breath in through his teeth, he shook his head as they crossed the street. “That’s a hard panel to get on. You need to be a mover and a shaker in town.”
Maya shrugged. “You’re the assistant manager at the ski resort. Doesn’t that hold any sway?”
He shot her a weird look. “Doubt it.”
They neared a little closer to Maya’s estate, and she noticed how, disappointingly, the lights became more sedate as they went. “My parents’ area is so boring compared to yours.”
Sam glanced over. “I have to admit, I thought your taste in lights would have been the opposite to mine.”
“Why’s that?” Maya asked as her house loomed into view.
He shrugged. “The houses around your way go for a more conservative look. Plus, Cat hates all the inflatables and stuff. She thinks it’s tacky.”
Maya clenched her jaw. What’s Cat’s opinion got to do with mine? Their tastes had never run the same. Not since Sam anyway.
Her pulse spiked as she remembered anew the humiliation she’d felt that night, when she’d trusted him, and Cat. A little bit like how she’d been beginning to trust him again now. Surely that was a mistake, when he’d proven in the past that her instincts toward him were all wrong? And wasn’t it insensitive that he was assuming she wouldn’t like something just because Catriona didn’t? Plus, he was being hypocritical by insinuating that she preferred a classic aesthetic with regard to these decorations, when he was the one who’d dumped Maya and her nonclassical looks for a more traditionally Scottish-appearing woman. It had been clear that was what Cat was getting at when she’d relayed that Sam had said Maya wasn’t his type. She clenched her fists in her pockets.
Sam must’ve sensed that he’d said something to piss her off, because he remained silent for the remainder of the short walk.
As they approached her house, the wave of hurtful memories swelled. They stopped at the bottom of her driveway, and before he could speak, she did. “By the way. You’ll get a call from the Glenavie garage tomorrow.”
He frowned. “I will?”
