“Okay,” Amanda said, frustration nearly closing her throat.
PJ nodded, then turned back to the kitchen. The conversation was over. Amanda tucked the food close to her chest, then ducked her head and made for the door. If she moved fast enough there was a pretty good chance Sam wouldn’t see her while he was hearing the day’s specials. She moved smoothly, quickly, but not quickly enough. Just as she slid by him and his crew, his assistant turned and bumped into her. She stumbled back a step, her ass bumping the corner of a nearby empty table.
“Oh shit. My bad,” Sam’s assistant said.
“It’s okay.”
“Hey, it’s Cha-Cha.”
Sam of course spun around, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Amanda.”
“Hey. Nice to see you. I—uh, I have to get going.” She took off for the door, but not without feeling the brush of Sam’s fingertips on her arm as she rushed by him. He was following her. Maybe if she walked fast enough she could get back to her car and accidentally run him over before she was forced to talk to him. She hurried down the street, and just as she turned the corner where she’d parked her car down a muraled alley, she heard him call after her again.
“Amanda! You dropped your phone!”
She froze, then patted the pocket of her down vest. “Shit.” It had definitely slipped out. She headed back just as Sam came around the corner. For some reason the moment she saw him tears sprung to her eyes. She couldn’t explain it, but she didn’t want her worlds to collide. Not like this.
“What’s going on?” he asked, worry creasing his forehead.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing. You’re crying.” Sure enough a few jerk-face tears slid down her cheeks. “Did something happen in there? Do I need to go back and fight a vegan?” His well-intended threat only made her cry harder. She wanted to tell him what had happened, but levels and levels of embarrassment kept her from disclosing the whole truth. Again.
“Some—one of my coworkers came in and they weren’t kind to the staff. I was trying to smooth things over so she doesn’t become the first person to ever be banned from a vegan breakfast spot.”
“Sounds like your coworker is an ass, but why are you crying?”
“Because my coworker is an ass.”
“Jesus. Right. Come here.” Amanda knew she could keep her distance, but she didn’t stop Sam from pulling her into his arms. It was a friendly hug, lacking the heat they’d shared before, which made things so much worse. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had someone really comfort her. She pulled away, suddenly, brushing the tears from her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize.”
“I just—this industry is a lot sometimes. You know?”
“I do. I definitely do.”
“I seriously do not know why I’m crying. This isn’t even about me,” Amanda said, and immediately she knew that was a lie. There had been a month where Dru refused to eat. Anything. Kaidence actually encouraged it. She was impressed with Dru’s drastic weight loss, and she was in between shows, so her complete lack of energy didn’t seem to matter. Silly Amanda was actually worried about her health. Every day she tried something different. A different restaurant, a different smoothie, a different designer protein bar endorsed by the most trustworthy of housewives.
Nothing worked until she’d tried Delightly. She’d finally gotten back to incorporating a few more places into Dru’s diet, but Delightly was her go-to. She didn’t want to think about what was going to happen now that she was literally banned from eating there. But none of that was Sam’s business and she wasn’t going to tell him.
“Delightly is just the only place our whole room agrees on. I’ve been coming here for years. I’m just upset that she was mean to PJ and his employees.”
“Hey, you busy this weekend?”
Amanda felt her eyebrow shoot up. What the hell did this weekend have to do with Dru’s tantrum. “No, why?”
“Come out to the ranch.”
“What? No. Sam, I—” Surely he couldn’t be thinking about sex at a moment like this.
“This isn’t about me. Or us. You’re clearly stressed. It just so happens I know a guy who can comp your whole stay. Did you even get to see the spa?”
“No.”
“You won’t even have to see me. I don’t live at the ranch. You spring yourself from work Friday night and come on down. Enjoy the ranch. Ride a horse, pet a llama or one of our more friendly sheep.”
“What about the dogs?” Amanda sniffled. “Can I spend some time with your dogs?”
“Of course. You didn’t meet the other two. Hell, if you want, we’ll go down to the shelter and pick up a few more. All the dogs you can handle.”
Amanda couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “I have to think about it.”
“Here. Unlock your phone for a second.” Amanda unclenched her hand and reached for her phone, which he was still holding. Her fingernails had been digging into her palm so hard she knew her hand would ache when the adrenaline passed. She took her cell and unlocked it with her tear-streaked face before she handed it back to him. His thumbs flew over the screen as he spoke.
“Give it some thought and if you decide you want to come through just text or call me. I’ll take care of everything.” He handed it back and she stopped herself from immediately texting him so he’d have her number saved. She still wasn’t sure if she wanted him to be able to contact her. Her eyes lingered on the freshly saved contact, TEX,
