Everything in Sam froze this time, the numb disappearing into ice. How she could be frozen in place and burning up at the same time made no sense.
“My name is Sam. Or Samantha,” she said. “I’m not sure who you think I am, but I am Sam or Samantha.”
“Can I give you some advice?” Catiana asked. She didn’t move closer, but it felt like she did, and Sam took a step back.
“You can do whatever you’d like,” Sam said, placing her hand on the door. Another step and she could push it closed. Flip the lock.
Push it closed. Flip the lock.
“Running from your past will only make you miserable,” Catiana said, like they were girlfriends sharing tips. “Embrace it.”
“Is that what you’re doing?” Sam asked, distracting Catiana enough, so she’d get to talking and then she’d be distracted and Sam could slip inside. “Embracing your past, I mean?”
“I loved Tanner,” Catiana said. “He was my guy, you know?”
Well, she did. But also, “You hurt him.”
“Have you ever made a mistake?” Catiana asked, and any hint of the grinch facade fell away.
Dammit, in another life, Sam and Catiana could’ve been friendly. But today there was a lot happening in this meet-up, things Sam would be better able to address if her blood sugar levels were more stable and she had some warning.
“I have,” Sam said. Because those words from Catiana seemed to bop her upside the head. Yes. Uh-huh. She had made mistakes. Loads of them.
She didn’t doubt that Catiana still had feelings for Tanner. It made sense that she’d hang onto something, someone, as good as him.
“He’s moved on.” Sam adjusted the food in her arms. “If you love him, or you loved him, let him keep going forward. Not drag him backward.”
That sounded reasonable.
“I want another shot with Tanner,” Catiana said. “I’ve been trying to connect with him for ages, and I finally got through. I know that’s probably hard to hear, but it’s true.”
The damage she did to Tanner wasn’t the kind of thing a person could just bounce back from.
“Here’s how this is going to work,” Catiana said, and Sam sort of wished she didn’t look like a fairy princess when she spoke. Or that she’d ever had a consideration that they could’ve been friendly. “You are going to break it off with Tanner. In return, I won’t tell a soul who you are. No one.”
Sam waited for the other shoe to drop.
“But if you don’t, then I’m going to tell everyone.” She paused. Lifted a shoulder. “Everyone.”
Perhaps Sam should stop the continuation of this conversation and go back to the original plan of getting back into the safety of the apartment.
Catiana was a desperate person who wanted an old boyfriend back. She was a lot of things, but Sam didn’t think she’d truly hurt her. Not physically. It’s not like she’d brought a tarp, rope and a shovel. But, even so, she held more power in her hand than she knew.
“You had a chance with him,” Sam said, taking another half step back.
Catiana started forward. Shit.
“Can I please come in?” Catiana asked. “We’ll figure the details.”
“That’s a bad idea. I’m sorry. I wish you all the best, but this isn’t my place to let you in. And you really shouldn’t be here.” Quick as she spoke, she finished the movement backward, pushed the door closed, and flipped the lock.
She could call for help. Maybe the police helped with things like this?
But what would she say? My boyfriend’s ex followed me, delivered my dinner, and then asked me to break up with him?
They probably wouldn’t respond to that. Besides, if she did that, she’d have to tell them why it was such a blow that Catiana knew she was Sami Jo.
She did not want to discuss that.
