Sam's Promise (Blackwater)

“The guys are onboard, but I need to go over everything with Mom still. I didn’t want to hit her with it the first day out of the hospital.”

She scooted higher up on the bed until her face was aligned with his and said, “If she agrees, then you have yourself a manager.”

Sam winked. “How about a kiss to seal the deal?”

She placed little butterfly kisses along his jaw and chin before finally taking his mouth. His lips were too tempting, though, and she soon became distracted. Sam’s arms closed around her, holding her tight as he deepened the kiss.

“God, I’m addicted to you.” He groaned as he licked her bottom lip. Julie arched against him, but it was Sam who came back to the present and gently pulled her away. “You need a break,” he explained.

When Julie cuddled up next to him, she could feel his heart beating beneath her cheek. “I want more of this—ending the day in your arms,” she whispered. “It’s nice.”

“Me too,” he admitted.

Julie laughed as she thought of Wanda. “Your mom, the matchmaker, is going to be thrilled. You do realize that, right?”

Sam snorted. “No doubt there are times when the woman knows me better than I know myself.”

Chapter Ten

It was Friday night, and Julie had spent all her spare time with Sam. They’d gone to the movies, to dinner, even bowling, and they’d made love more times than she could count. Now, as Julie looked around the room, she realized how similar the scene was to Thanksgiving. She was right back where she started, sitting at Wanda’s large oak table with every eye on her. She knew now what the fireflies must feel like in the glass jar. The one exception was the man sitting to her right. Sam was staring at her as if she hung the moon, and with his support, she knew she could do anything.

“So, you’ve agreed to this, Julie?” Wanda asked, the first to speak.

Julie tamped down on her mounting nervousness and said, “Yes. I know I haven’t graduated yet, but I think I would do a good job as manager. If you’ll have me, of course.”

Wanda nodded. “I’d be crazy not to hire you as the manager.” She looked around the room. “And all you boys think that turning the diner into a bar and grill is the best solution?”

Several of them nodded, except River. Wanda frowned. “River?”

“The diner is yours, Mom, always has been. I want whatever makes you happy.”

Wanda smiled as she reached across the table and patted River’s hand. “The diner is ours, son. And it pleases me no end to see all of you taking such an interest.” She looked down at the table and said, “But I do have an apology to make.” When her head came back up, her eyes looked troubled. “To all of you.”

“Mom?” Sam asked, concern etched into the hard lines of his face.

“It’s my fault it’s come to this.” Several disagreements filled the air, but Wanda merely held up a hand, effectively halting the stream of remarks. “I’ve never been good with money. That was your dad’s thing, and I’m afraid I was too proud to ask you boys for help. If I had, then you wouldn’t all be forced to take time out of your lives to fix this mess.”

“Wrong,” Sam shot right back.

“What?” Wanda said, surprise in her expression.

“You said yourself the diner is ours,” Sam explained.

Wanda nodded. “It is. Your father and I both wanted it that way.”

“Then we’re the ones who should be apologizing for not stepping in to do our part.”

Vance spoke up, adding his two cents. “We left it all on you, and we should’ve known better. It’s too much for one person to handle.”

“Not that it matters now,” Reilly inserted. “Sammy has come up with a way to make things right.”

“It’ll be a lot of work,” Brodix said as he flipped open a pad of paper that looked as if it had numbers scrawled on it. “I’ve been running some numbers, and we’ll all need to

pitch in, but Sam’s plan can work.”

“Mom, is this what you want?” River asked, still looking worried.

Wanda grinned. “I can’t think of anything I’d want more.”