Andrea grabbed Samira’s arm and stopped them both in the middle of the sidewalk. “You mean you finally did it?”
“You’ve been so busy I haven’t had the chance to catch you up. We did it. And it was amazing.”
Andrea squealed in excitement as they resumed their walk to the hotel. “Tell me everything. And hurry up before we get back to work.”
“I’m not telling youeverything. But I can’t believe what I’ve been missing. He was so careful with me. Made sure I was ready,” she trailed off with a sigh.
She had to smile as she remembered their night together. She couldn’t think of anything that could have made it better. Everything had been perfect until the following morning. She forced her thoughts elsewhere before she got upset over an already resolved issue.
“What’s the matter?” Andrea asked. “Your entire demeaner just changed.”
“We got into a huge fight the next day. Well, it wasn’t so much a fight as it was me getting upset over something and then disappearing for a week. You know how I am,” she answered.
“That’s how you were. But you’re getting much better with that. I’ve noticed the change in you. I think spending time in your hometown did you some good. You’ll walk away more whole than you started, which will be good for business.”
Samira hesitated for a moment before agreeing. The thought of walking away struck a nerve. She was going to have a hard time walking away from her hometown again. She had gotten closer to her aunt and accustomed to the way she felt when she was there. And then there was the situation with Andy. Walking away from him would be next to impossible, but the idea of making that drive regularly made her feel even more exhausted than she already was.
“Samira? You are going to walk away, right?”
“Of course. I’m just going to miss that house after all. Don’t worry. I’ll be okay.”
Even as she reassured her boss, she wasn’t entirely certain she was telling the truth. She wouldn’t be okay if she didn’t figure out how to handle everything. She was still carrying the weight from her hasty decision fifteen years before. She had to thinklong and hard and do some soul searching before she decided what to do about it all.
***
Andy brought the boat back into the harbor once they had caught their limit. It seemed to take longer to catch their limit when he was tired, or the weather was terrible. He still hadn’t figured out how to talk his mother into agreeing to have the business signed over to Eddy. After putting some feelers out, it was clear the discussion would cause a huge blow up. His mother was clearly not over walking in on Samira and him in the kitchen.
Eddy silently stood ready to secure the boat to the dock. He looked as ready to get the day over with as Andy was. It was cold, and the steady rain only made it worse. Even in his long orange rain slicker and pants, it was impossible to avoid the chill that cut down to the bone.
“You feel like finishing up the rest of the week on your own? You and your nephew?” Andy asked.
“If you want me to. Better get used to it, huh?”
Andy gave him a hard pat on the back as he walked past. “I’m beat. I’ve been staying late at the shop trying to get a large order out. We took it on because I thought I’d be able to talk to my mom without chickening out by now. But here we are.”
“You know I’m willing to take over before it’s official. Working out here in this weather is hard enough without having another full-time job to go to afterwards. Take the rest of the week. Hell, take the rest of the season off if you want. You know I’ve got you covered.”
Andy picked up a basket of oysters and carried it from the boat with Eddy following behind. They unloaded their catch in silence, hoping to get it over with as quickly as possible. Andycouldn’t be sure what the last straw was, but he knew he was completely over the cold weather and even more over working on the boat. He had to talk to his mother. Before he did, he needed to see Samira.
He secured the shanty even though his mother was due to arrive any minute. From the time he took over his father’s boat, she had insisted on taking care of everything that didn’t involve being on the boat. His father usually took care of everything aside from all the fishing up during crab season, but he figured his mom was bored and lonely without his dad around.
After taking a hot shower and changing into dry clothing, he climbed into his truck with hopes of going to the shop to get ahead on the order. The shop was where he went to calm his soul. Whenever something was on his mind, he had an easier time thinking things through while he cut or sanded wood. The manual labor combined with the scent of fresh cut wood was instant stress relief. It was unusual for the shop to be a cause of his stress.
Before he realized what he was doing, he turned his truck onto the highway toward Washington, DC. He didn’t know Samira’s address in the city, but he knew what hotel she worked at. Glancing at the time, he figured he should make it there before she went home. He had been feeling unsettled ever since their last night together. They had talked through a lot of things, but they hadn’t had sex since that first night—then his mom practically walked in on them. He couldn’t shake the feeling that she was pulling away.
Chapter 14
Samira’s smile never faltered as she listened to the angry guest complain about the room. He had reserved a discount room online and was unsatisfied with the location. He wanted a higher floor, but none were available, and he only booked a standard room. As rude as he was, she still would have upgraded his room if there was one available. But there wasn’t.
“Sir, I’m sorry you aren’t happy with the room. We don’t have any vacant rooms on a higher floor or with a city view. I would be more than happy to do what I can to make your current room more comfortable. Extra towels? Turndown service?” Samira offered.
“When I asked for a manager, I thought I would get someone to actually help me,” he complained.
“Sir, I apologize for any confusion when you booked your room. That sometimes happens when booking through a third party. How about we provide you with a complimentary breakfast tomorrow morning and give you credit for a future night’s stay?”
“Breakfast would be nice, but I’ll have to see if my wife will even want to stay here again.”
Samira reached into her drawer and provided a voucher allowing for breakfast for two in the hotel restaurant. “I understand. Enjoy your breakfast, and we hope you’ll come back next time you’re in town.”
