“She’s fine. She’s a tough one.” Dan tilted his head to the hallway. “Let’s give them a second. I’ll catch everyone up while Tanner chats with her.”
Finally alone, Tanner asked, “What did she say to you?”
“God, I thought for a second, in another life, we could even be friends. She’s like a chameleon,” Sam said.
“I know. I know her.” He understood this ability of hers to be sweet and then salt all in the same breath. “What did she say to you, Sam?”
Sam inhaled deeply. “That she knows who I am. That I need to break up with you so she can have a shot. And if I don’t, she outs me to the tabloids.” Sam shrugged. “Standard variety blackmail.”
His heart spasmed at that. Where did he even begin? At the part that involved him, that’s where he’d start.
“You understand that she was forever ago. I would not go back to that. To her. What we had when we dated was not healthy.” As illustrated by what happened when they broke it off. She broke it off. “We were just kids.”
“I wasn’t really worried about that part,” Sam said, with a distant look in her eyes. “I mean, I’m not willing to break it off. So it doesn’t factor.”
Why did that make his heart perk up to attention?
“So I-I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Sam said. “And my stomach is in knots over it. I’m trying to be tough. Sami Jo is about to be exposed.”
“No matter what she does, it’s going to be okay.”
“What about everyone around me?”
“You’ve got me. And you’ve got this entire team of people out here who have your back. Nothing is going to happen to the people you care about,” he assured.
“You can’t promise that.”
“You’re with me. That means you’re Dimefront as much as I am. That makes you family to everybody here,” he assured. “I can promise it won’t be like last time.”
“You can’t promise that, either.”
He couldn’t. He understood that. Hated that she was right, and the words were only lip service. He couldn’t really protect her, but he could damn well try.
“Why didn’t you come to me first?” he asked. The hit his pride took would be fine. He’d get over it. But the fact she hadn’t trusted him with this?
“Mach told me about Catiana. He warned me the night she showed up at Brek’s.” Sam leaned back and glanced up at him. Her eyes never got wet, and her jaw was firm. “I wanted to run. But then I didn’t. And I needed to know what I was dealing with, so I called him.”
Tanner did his best not to let that fester. He failed, but he sure tried.
“I wanted to tell you,” Sam said. “I just… I needed someone outside ofusto give me a reality check.”
“Mach did that?” Tanner asked, hoping like hell his brother came through for him.
“Mach and then Dan.” Sam’s brown eyes sparkled with a hint of wet. “They really love you, and they are livid.”
They could join the club. The way the thought of his ex made his heart ache for Sam, and the rest of him felt nothing? He needed to not see Catiana for a good long time.
“Are you gonna be okay?” he asked, careful with his tone so he didn’t spook her further.
“I am.” She nodded. “And I’m not running. Not from you. We’re going to figure this out. I’m tired of letting the wrong side win over a stupid song about cheese.” She chuckled a little, but her heart wasn’t in it.
It was more than a stupid song about ooey, gooey fried cheese—he understood that. He also got that right now Sam needed simple. So that’s what he’d give her.
Hands linked, they headed out the door and down the hall to the Green Room. Which was a stupid name for the room, since there was nothing green about it. Just white walls and faux-lux furniture with a mini fridge.
Courtney stood as soon as they entered the room. The fire in her eyes was not something he’d seen before. Not like that.
“She called you fluffy?” Courtney asked and Dan’s anger had clearly worn off on her. “I’m going to murder her with my socks.”
