Page 62 of Ideal Life

There was no reason Sam would think anything strange of it. Still, her pulse trembled as she waited.

The thing was, she might be waiting for hours if Sam was busy unpacking boxes of books or chatting with customers or even just reading. He often left his phone in the little office on the second floor of the lighthouse, and he didn’t wear a smartwatch or Omni 3Ds or any of the other tech that Talia found useful. Which made him maddeningly difficult to reach when she wanted to hear from him.

Sam: Who is this? I don’t think I’ve heard from this number in a while. I don’t rendezvous with strangers. It’s dangerous, you know.

She laughed, relief filling her chest.

Talia: I know it’s not Sunday, but can we do Taco Bell?

Sam: Are you trying to get out of paying by changing the day?

She sent him an animated emoji of herself arching a brow and wrote “See you soon.” Then she shut off her computer and grabbed her purse, leaving the building before she could change her mind. It was only 5 p.m., which meant it was five hours earlier than she usually left the office.

But this was important. Ideal Life Queen Elizabeth had said so. And the queen always knew best.

Sam

Sam’s parents were sightseeing in San Francisco today, so it worked out that Talia wanted to hang out. But when she walked into Lighthouse Books, he blinked twice and had to make an effort to keep his face neutral.

She was a sickly shade of pale and the bags under her eyes were more pronounced than usual, and it wasn’t just because of the fluorescent lights overhead.

Kenneth, though, wasn’t trained in subtlety. “Damn, Talia,” he said from behind the register. “You burning the candle on both ends? You look like shit, no offense.”

She paused in the middle of the floor, before she plastered on her CEO smile and said, “Don’t be a dick, Kenneth. This is what a powerful woman looks like, and you’re just intimidated.”

Kenneth hooted and slapped his knee. “Touché, Talia. Touché.”

On the way to Taco Bell, Sam watched Talia as she drove. This close, he could see how her collarbones stuck out too sharply beneath her skin. Her normally shiny hair was dull, and she slouched in her seat, her shoulders slumped forward.

He’d suspected something was wrong this week when she didn’t respond to his daily texts. But he also knew not to push her, that Talia would clam up more if you asked directly about how she was feeling. Sure, you could get away with a “How are you?” But if you tried to make her open up deeper when she didn’t want to, she’d just clamp shut even tighter. Sam had to draw her out on her own terms.

When they arrived at the Taco Bell in Pacifica, Talia left all her devices in the glove compartment, honoring Sunday Lunch rules even though it wasn’t Sunday.

Then they went inside, and she ordered the same thing as always—a beef soft taco, a side of chips and nacho cheese, and cinnamon twists. Sam, on the other hand, studied the menu for a good minute.

Talia tapped her finger on her watch, pretending to be impatient even though he knew she was actually curious about what he would order. And because helping her relax was step one in getting Talia to share what was really going on, he erred on the side of ridiculous.

“Today’s theme is ‘supreme superlative’—I will only eat items that have the word ‘supreme’ in them.”

Talia snickered.

The Taco Bell cashier was a lot less impressed by a thirty-five-year-old acting like he was eighteen.

But Sam didn’t care whether the cashier was amused, only if Talia was. Back when they were in college, he used to make up themes all the time for their Taco Bell runs. It had been years, though, since he’d done it, and now Sam was committing to it. He ordered a Crunchwrap Supreme, a Double Decker Taco Supreme, and a Chalupa Supreme.

“For here or to go?” the cashier asked, bored and monotone.

“For—” Talia began.

“To go,” Sam said. “Let’s go to the beach to eat.”

The chilly wind whipped Talia’s hair everywhere as they walked along the cliffside beach. It had been a little warmer earlier in the day, but now the temperature had already begun to dip, even though sunset was still a couple of hours away.

“Samuel Jason Chang, this was a terrible idea,” she said, although there was an undercurrent of laughter in her tone.

“Just wait and see.”

Sam took off his coat and wrapped it around her. Hearing her soft sigh as she sank into the warm shearling was more than worth it to him to brave the cold.