She looked up from the stove and took my breath away. Christ, I was having some sort of out-of-body experience, watching my future life pass before my eyes, or some crazy, whacked-out shit like that.
“Wine, white.”
I grabbed a bottle of wine from the hidden mini-fridge and poured a glass before making Sammy her drink. Then I tossed two fingers of Jack into a lowball and said, “Cheers, ladies.”
“Cheers,” Sammy called out.
Lynx took a sip of her wine, and I pretended not to see how her eyes glistened.
Nodding my approval, I looked around me. “I like the place.”
“It’s home for now,” Sammy said. “But soon, I’m going to head toward Lauderdale. I like that Las Olas area, the boutiques and stuff. I’m going to try and open one, sell handmade accessories ... Jeez, I’m sorry. I’m rambling.”
“Hey, that’s awesome.”
“And Landon’s up there,” Lynx called out from the kitchen.
Sammy blushed. “Not all the time. He still travels for work. But you know, I got that whole Stockholm thing going, or whatever you call it. He rescued me, so maybe it’s not that. I’m just kind of infatuated with him.”
Lynx turned and grinned at her. “Sam, you’re still rambling.”
“Ha, I know. Tell Mike what happened today.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Giving Lynx a pointed look, I said, “Try me.”
“I’ve been keeping a diary of all that happened, and Sammy got a wild hair to share it with some publishing guy she met at the bar. He offered me a book deal to write about what went down over there.”
I tossed back the rest of my drink, the burn taking away my trepidation. “You sure you want to?”
“At first I didn’t, but Sammy and I chatted about it. I went back again today to the shrink ... two days in a row ... look at me! She thinks it may be cathartic to help others, to teach or whatever.”
I lifted my drink to Lynx in a toast. “I’m behind you no matter what.”
“We’ll see. I still don’t know if that’s my calling. Plus, I’m going to be busy with tours for the hotel.”
“Babe, those tours can wait.”
“I need that job, Mike.”
“Want to eat on the balcony?” Sammy called from in front of the TV.
“Yes, so you get away from the news,” Lynx called back.
“Just taking a quick peek.”
“What can I do?” I asked, closing in on Lynx in the kitchen.
“Take Sammy outside. She’s not supposed to obsess over CNN. The world is still standing ... that’s all she needs to know. I’ll bring the food out.”
“Ten-four, boss.”
I headed over to Sammy, my basketball shoes sinking into the plush carpet. Asher set these ladies up, which should make me happy, but I’d rather it had been me. I made a mental note to start taking over shit when it came to these two.
“Come on. Your sister wants us to go outside and wait.”
Sammy rolled her eyes before she flicked off the TV and opened the sliding door.
