Secret Tastes (Secret Dreams Contemporary Romance 4) (16 page)

"Can we talk, Adam?" Sam asked softly.

"Sure," he answered, confused, bewildered and totally scared.

Sam walked out of his bedroom and he followed. She sat on a one-seater, worrying her bottom lip.

Fuck. Something was seriously wrong. She didn't even want him to sit next to her. With heart pounding, he sat on the sofa, adjacent to her.

"What's this about, Sammy?" he asked quietly.

"We should stop seeing each other," Sam croaked.

A weird feeling of hot and cold blanketed his body. "Why?" he whispered, leaving his seat and kneeling in front of her.

Sam looked at him and forced a smile. "I'm sure that one of these days, we could go back to being good friends again. For now, I need time to be away from you."

Adam gaped at her, his heart being picked and scratched by something sharp. "Why? Tell me, Sam," he pleaded.

Sam took a deep, shaky breath, looking like she wanted to cry.

"Baby, please tell me what's wrong," he said gently, trying desperately not to lose his composure.

"We can't go on, Adam," she said, gulping.

"I don't understand," he whispered, cupping her face.

Sam removed his hands from her cheeks, placing them on the armrest of the chair and letting them go. "I know about Byron Bay."

Oh, fuck. How did she hear about that? "Then you know it was just a mix up in room bookings, right? Nothing happened," he said nervously. Damn it, he should have told her about it himself.

"I know exactly what happened, Adam, so don't lie to me," Sam said coldly, her eyes blazing.

"But that's the truth!"

Sam shook her head. "I can't believe you're lying to me. How can you expect me to think there's a future for us when you still want Sandy?" She rose from her chair and picked up her bag.
 

Adam stood up and grabbed her arm. "Sam, I don't want Sandy anymore. How can I prove to you I'm over her?"

"If you're over her, why did you stay with her that night?" she asked, tears cascading down her face.

"I tried to find another accommodation but everywhere else was fully booked," he reasoned desperately. "I'm sorry I didn't find somewhere else to sleep. I should have bunked with my parents or something, but I didn't want to be a bother to anyone."

"Are you saying that night didn't mean anything to you?"

"No, that night didn't mean anything to me whatsoever," he confirmed emphatically.

"I don't get it. I just don't," Sam said walking toward the door.

"Sam, please. Tell me how I can prove to you it's you I want, not Sandy," he pleaded.

"Oh, Adam," Sam whispered, looking at him with teary eyes that held hope, hurt and uncertainty.

"Please, Sam. How?"

"I need you to stay away from me for a while," she answered softly after a long silence. "Don't even contact me. Then after that I want you tell me
honestly
who you missed more—me or Sandy."

He frowned. "There must be another way for me to prove—"

"No, Adam," Sam interrupted. "It's the only way I can be certain. You've gone back to Sandy before. More than once. We both need this time apart. We both need to be sure."

"For how long?" he whispered.

"Three and a half weeks. The same length of time we were apart when I went back to Melbourne with my parents."

His heart broke as he watched Sam walk out his door. He couldn't believe this was happening, but he could understand her reaction. He slept in the same room with his ex-girlfriend whom Sam disliked with a passion. Even though nothing happened, he could see why she was doubting his feelings for her.

Three and a half weeks of staying away from Sam was a freaking long time. He didn't agree with it, but if that was what he needed to do to convince her that she was the one for him—and that he was absolutely over Sandy—then he'd do it.

Sam rose from her couch when the doorbell rang. Either one of the girls had arrived, or that was the pizza she'd ordered.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Hi, Jaz," she said, greeting her best friend with as much enthusiasm as she could manage in her state of despondency.

"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Jasmine asked.

"Pizza."

"Cool. What can I do to help?"

"Nothing. I ordered them."

Jasmine looked at her in surprise. "Oh. Did you work today?"

"No. I was home all day."

"Just didn't feel like cooking?"

"No," she answered flatly.

"Hmm. Something's wrong."

She gave Jasmine a small, confirming smile. "Let's wait for Kris and Ari to arrive and I'll tell you all about it."

"Okay. Let me get us some drinks. What do you feel like?" Jasmine asked.

"I have white wine in the fridge. Three bottles. And I have some red. We can finish them all."

"Oh my God. Samantha Lane wanting to get drunk is not a good sign. Now where are those two girls?"

*******

"What was his reaction?" Kris asked.

"He said he didn't want to end it. But I insisted," Sam answered.

"What I don't understand is why you didn't tell him about the picture of him and Sandy," Ari said gently.

"I didn't see the point. I'm sure he knew what I meant when I said I knew about Byron Bay."

"Byron Bay happened when you weren't sure yet how you felt about each other," Jasmine said.

"And I still don't know how he really feels. How do I know he's definitely over Sandy when he went to fuck her while I was away?"

The other three girls glanced at each other.

"What?" she asked, irritated and knowing she was taking the anger she'd been suppressing out on them.

"Nothing. You were cussing, that's all," Kris said.

"Well, I'm mad," she declared, close to tears.

"We know, honey," Jasmine said. "You have every right to be."

Sam went quiet. Did she really have the right to be angry? Nothing was promised between her and Adam. No declarations of love and commitment had been made. She buried her face in her hands.

"So what do I do?" she blurted out.

"What do you want to do?" Kris asked.

She breathed in deeply and let it out slowly. "I want to see if he'd chase after me instead of Sandy. I can't ignore the fact that they had a history of getting back together after breaking up."

"So you're not going to do anything? You'll let Sandy continue to wear him down?" Ari asked.

"He slept with her
after
we got together. How do I know he's not seeing her now? And to be honest, I feel like I'm someone wrecking a relationship here."

"Don't be silly," Kris admonished. "They'd already broken up when you came into the picture."

"And am I in the way of them reconciling?"

Ari sighed loudly. "Why do you think the boys don't like Sandy much? They don't think she's good for Adam."

"And yet he keeps going back to her," Sam pointed out. Her eyes widened as a thought hit her. "He must really love her." Tears started running down her face. "That must be the reason why he couldn't let go of Sandy even though she's some bitchy gold-digger. He must really love her, even if he thinks he doesn't want to," she repeated, her voice breaking.

"Oh, dear," Kris murmured. Her cousin put an arm around her and hugged her tight. "Honestly, Sam, I don't think that's true. Adam doesn't look like a man in love when he's around Sandy. But I can see why you think that. I agree with you that Adam must prove he's over Sandy. He has to show that what he feels for you is more than just lust. You're not built for casual relationships, honey."

"No," Sam agreed, taking the tissue Jasmine handed her. "So do you think he'll choose me over Sandy?" she asked in a small voice.

"We don't know. Only time will tell."

"Please tell the guys not to get involved. I don't want anything or anyone influencing Adam's decisions. If he does come back to me, I want to know for sure it's because he really wants to, not because my best friends are his best friends' partners."

The girls nodded, agreeing with her.

*******

"I'm really grateful you're here to help with these orders, Sam," Rowena said sincerely.

Sam smiled at her boss as they worked together on the desserts for John's birthday party. "No problem. And don't worry. I'm not vindictive enough to put something undesirable in their food," she joked.

Rowena laughed, then turned serious again. "Bella will be passing by sometime today."

Sam glanced at Rowena in surprise. "Why?"

"She just wants to make sure everything's going well. Some clients are like that. They want to check that everything's on schedule and that we're cooking the exact food they ordered."

"I haven't heard of clients like that before."

"They're rare, but they do exist," Rowena replied. "Anyway, Brian would deal with her when she arrives. He'll escort her in here for a couple of minutes, just to show her we're working our butts off and that her food will be great. You can hide away in the office while she's here."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," she said. She was a professional. She could handle it.

"Um, Sam," Rowena said tentatively.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You do know that Brian's interested in you, right?"

Sam sighed. "I've kind of been noticing that, yes." When Brian saw her in tears that day after meeting with Bella in the garden, he'd been a shoulder to cry on. She'd disclosed to him that she'd seen an intimate picture of her boyfriend and his ex—who happened to be Sandy, the person Brian had spoken to on the phone.

After that, Brian had been extra attentive and sweet. He'd even been a bit touchy-feely, putting his hand on the small of her back once or twice, or touching her arm casually. The physical contacts were brief and innocent enough for her not to make a big fuss, but his gazes and smiles had been telling.

Kris had encouraged her to give Brian a chance so she would stop moping around for Adam. Ari and Jasmine were less enthusiastic about it, but thought she should at least consider the possibility of dating the guy. Even the girls weren't sure if Adam was really over Sandy.

"I want you to know that I don't have anything against my staff having a relationship with each other," Rowena said. "Your personal lives are none of my business. If the two of you want to date, you don't have to worry about me or your jobs. But if you do go out with each other, all I ask is that you don't let it affect your work. As you know, it's Brian's job to be a task master when things are going too slowly. You've seen him push us all when he feels we're taking things too easy. Others will notice if he gives you favourable treatment. Not that I've seen you slacken off. I'm just saying."

"Thanks, Rowena. Brian's a nice guy, but at this point, I'm not looking for a new relationship." She was still hanging on to hope that when the three and a half weeks of being apart were up, Adam would come running back to her, saying how much he'd missed her and that Sandy was never in his mind at all.

"Well, for what it's worth, I think Brian's a great catch," Rowena said.

"Rowena!"

"Speak of the devil," Rowena whispered. "Yes, Brian," she said in a loud voice.

"Do you have a moment?"

"Sure."

"She'll be back soon, Sam," Brian said.

"Take your time," she responded.

Only a couple of minutes had passed when Sam felt a hand on her arm.

"Come with me to the garden for a minute?" Brian said close to her ear.

"Why?" she asked in surprise.

"Just for a minute," Brian insisted.

"Where's Rowena?"

"She'll be back in a tick."

Sam grabbed a tea towel to wipe her hands and went with Brian. "Aren't you worried we'll get behind schedule?" she teased as they stepped out into the sunshine.

"You guys will catch up. You work fast. You know, I don't know why Rowena makes you work on the same station as her. Things will be a lot quicker if she puts you in charge of another station. But I think it's because she wants to take things easy and you make that possible for her."

"Are you saying that the boss wants to be lazy?" she asked lightly, perching herself on the edge of the outdoor table.

"Well, I guess the boss is entitled to be as lazy as she wants to be," Brian said with a chuckle, sitting next to her. "She's worked hard enough that she can afford to simply watch over you guys without lifting a finger. Frankly, I'm surprised Rowena's still working in the kitchen. But I guess she just enjoys cooking."

"I'm glad I work alongside her. I learn a lot from her, especially about the catering business."

"She's a very generous woman," Brian mused.

"Yes, that she is," she agreed. "Anyway, why are we out here?"

A strong breeze blew just then, letting a few tendrils escape her hair tie.

Brian smiled and reached out to tuck them behind her ear. "Bella's here. I thought you might not want to be in the kitchen while Rowena shows them around."

The light rebuke she was about to give Brian for his intimate gesture died on her lips, replaced by a different chiding. "I already told Rowena I'm okay to be there while Bella's doing her inspection." She was tempted to take a peek inside the kitchen, but pride stopped her from doing so. What if Bella caught her looking? She didn't want her to know that her presence affected her.

"I also wanted an excuse to spend a couple of minutes alone with you," Brian said, gazing at her intently.

"Brian—"

"Shh." Brian put a finger on her lips to stop her from talking. "I know you're not ready. You just broke up with your boyfriend. I'm willing to wait, Sam."

She took a deep breath, not really knowing how to respond to that.

"Can I take my finger off now?" Brian teased.

She nodded.

"You won't lecture me about this?"

She chuckled, shaking her head.

Brian did remove his finger away from her lips—to brush a stray strand off her forehead.

"Brian—"

"Sorry," he interrupted. "I know what you're going to say, Sam. I'll try not to do it again. I know that right now, we're just friends. There's nothing to talk about at this point. Okay?"