Forgiving You: A Bluebell Valley Novel (8 page)

Sam

When Sam opened her eyes the next morning, she smiled at seeing Austin still sleeping by her side. On his belly, his hand under the pillow, he seemed a lot more peaceful than she’d ever seen him before. Sam could still remember when they’d met in the liquor store, how lonely he seemed to be. Now that he was asleep beside her, Sam could almost see a smile on his lips.

Pushing the blanket away, she got out of bed and put an old t-shirt on. She had to be at the bakery in less than thirty minutes, even if she didn’t want to. She could have called in sick, but nobody else could take over her shift except her mother, and she didn’t want to wake her up this early.

When she looked outside her kitchen window, Sam could see the sun rising. She was going to have a rough day at work today, since she hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep, but that wasn’t going to stop her. After all, she had a smile on her lips that she wasn’t able to erase. She just wanted to be done as soon as possible so she could keep fooling around with Austin.

She poured herself some cereal as she remembered what had happened the previous night. She’d had such a great time with him. She had felt like he cared about her more than anybody ever had, and that simply made her love him more.

Was she in love with him already? It was hard to tell, but if she wasn’t there already, she would be soon. Her life seemed much more exciting now that Austin was a part of it.

But he would have to go back to New York, eventually. She tried not to think about it, but even if Austin had promised not to leave her, she knew he would have to. How could they be together if his life was on the other side of the continent?

Sam dismissed the thought as she started eating. She wasn’t ready to ask herself so many questions. She just wanted to enjoy her week with Austin. Spending time with him made her feel more alive than she’d felt in years.

She finished her breakfast and put a pair of black pants on and one of the white t-shirts she always wore to work. She was about to put her hair up in a ponytail when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Maybe she could leave her hair down today? She could still feel Austin’s hand playing with her blonde strands and remembered how good it felt. She touched the wild lock that always fell across her face, putting it behind her ear the way he’d done. A shiver ran through her, and she realized she was going to be late if she didn’t leave now.

Grabbing a piece of paper, she scribbled a few lines on it and left it on the bedside table where Austin would see it when he woke up. She stopped for a few seconds, taking one last look at the peaceful man sleeping in her bed.

Her feelings for Austin were definitely back. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so hard to leave him just to go to work. Leaning down, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek before leaving the room.

“Well, you look happy!” April said as she walked into the bakery. Sam was leaning against the wall, letting the concrete cool her down. She’d been working by the oven for an hour already, but now it was time for her morning break with April. They both sat down as Sam pushed a cup of coffee in front of her friend. “Come on, tell me what happened!”

“After we talked Friday, I… I went to Austin’s orchard. I knew I’d find him there.”

“You didn’t!” April gasped with a wide smile on her face.

“I did,” Sam whispered, laughing. It had taken her a lot of courage to go there, but she would have regretted it far more if she hadn’t.

“What happened then?”

Sam told her all about the box that she had brought there, how she had ended up facing a camera and admitting things to Austin that she hadn’t planned to tell him. She fast forwarded to their date last night and where she and Austin had been.

“He was so cute, you know. He fell asleep while we were watching the movie and his head dropped on my shoulder. He was so innocent.”

“So he didn’t turn into a shark when he became a businessman?”

“Not at all,” Sam admitted. She’d been scared of that too, but after seeing all the things that Austin had prepared for her on their date, she couldn’t imagine him running a company worth several billion dollars. “He’s the same man who left for college that one day. Except that now, he’s got more money. But he still has the same big heart. Oh, and he has a bit more confidence, too, but I like that.”

“I’m really happy for you,” April said as she grabbed Sam’s hand across the table.

“Thanks,” Sam replied. “Maybe he can introduce you to one of his wealthy friends?” She winked at April and they both started laughing.

April looked at her phone, checking the time. Sam knew she had to go soon, but she was really enjoying her friend’s company.

“Time to go?”

“Yeah,” April replied. “Please keep that smile on your face. It looks so good on you.”

“I will.”

“And tell Austin that if he breaks your heart again, I’ll break his legs.”

Sam started laughing as she looked at April’s serious expression. “I’ll tell him.”

“You better!”

They both stood up, and Sam threw her arms around April’s neck.

“Have fun today. I’ll see you later,” she said to her friend, hugging her tightly. She knew April wasn’t so lucky when it came to her love life, so if Sam was going to be in a relationship, she wanted her friend to feel loved too. There was nothing that would come between them.

“Thanks, hon! You too,” April replied.

They both loosened their embrace and Sam watched April leave. She was alone again, with ten minutes before she had to open her store. And all she could think about was Austin.

When Sam looked at the clock in her office, it was already past ten. Her eyes were closing slowly as she wrote up orders. This was her Monday morning task, but it was taking her so much more time today. She only wanted to go back home and cuddle in bed with Austin, but she had things to do.

She tried to concentrate on her order forms again when someone knocked on her door. Usually, nobody even knew that she in there until she came out for lunch.

“Come in,”

The door opened and her mother appeared. “Someone wants to see you,” she said. Sam noticed that the smile she had on her lips was unusual. “A nice-looking young man.”

Austin was there. Sam stood up from her chair so quickly it almost fell over. This was the distraction she needed. Her mother looked at her funny when she passed her to get to the front of the bakery as soon as possible, but she didn’t care. Spending some time with Austin, even if it was just a ten-minute break, was better than staying in her dark office.

When she arrived at the front, she saw him sitting with a chocolate croissant and a cup of coffee. He had apparently taken a shower, as Sam deduced from his wet hair. She blushed as she imagined him naked in the shower, wondering how his body looked with all that water running over it. She tried to think of something else as her cheek became hotter, but there was nothing else that came to her mind.

“Good morning,” Sam said as she sat down beside him. “Did you sleep well?”

“Like a baby,” he replied with a smile. “It would have been even better if I could have woken up by your side, but you were gone already.”

“I’m so sorry about that, but I had to―”

“Don’t worry, I get it,” Austin said, stopping her. “Here, I brought you these. I thought you’d like them.” Reaching to the chair next to him, he handed her flowers.

“They’re beautiful,” Sam said as she smelled them. “Wait, where did you get them?” There was only was flower shop in town, and it was the one owned by April.

“Just across the street. Why? The woman who sold them to me was a bit awkward, I have to admit. I don’t think she said a full sentence to me.”

Sam laughed as she imagined her best friend trying to talk to Austin, but being too intimidated by the man to be able to speak properly.

“Thank you. They’re great,” she added. “I’ll put them in my office. They can brighten it up.”

“You took over in your dad’s office?”

“My mother isn’t that great with paperwork, so I have the office, yeah.”

“Can I see it again? I haven’t been in the place in years.”

“Sure,” Sam replied with a smile. The bakery wasn’t very big, but as kids, it was the greatest place for them to play. Not much had changed since Austin had left, except maybe his perception of it. But Sam didn’t mind giving him a tour again. It was a good distraction.

“Come on.” She grabbed his hand on the table and pulled him behind the counter. The office was to the right, the ovens on the left. Sam decided to show him the ovens first, letting him explore as she stood in the doorway.

“What’s this?” Austin asked as he reached for the jar on top of a shelf. “Is it―”

“My savings to go to Italy, yes.”

“You don’t even have a hundred dollars in there,” he said, counting the bills and coins.

“It’s difficult to save after I have to pay for my car and my apartment.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, because I’m taking you there,” Austin said as he walked closer to Sam. As he neared, she took a step back but hit the wall behind her.

“Austin…” she whispered as she glanced around to see if there was anybody coming. Her mother was back behind the register, which meant she wouldn’t be able to see anything.

He was still getting closer. She could feel his warm breath on her face, his lips so close to hers. He was teasing her, staying just far enough that they weren’t kissing yet. Sam’s body was on fire, her heart pumping her blood way too fast.

She couldn’t resist anymore and pressed her lips against his, kissing him with all the passion he had built up inside of her. There was something about Austin that she couldn’t resist. She wanted his arms around her, his lips on hers, his hands in her hair.

He pressed against her while she dropped her flowers to explore his body with both hands. She could feel herself getting dizzy as he kissed her back with an intensity she didn’t know he had.

Soon, they were both out of breath. Grabbing his hand, Sam pulled him to the other side of the building, where her tiny office was hiding. Once he was in, she closed the door behind them, making sure to lock it. When she looked back at Austin, she loved the sparks she saw in his eyes. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Austin

Austin had been in Bluebell Valley for almost a week. Sam was at the bakery again and he jumped in his truck as he had lots of things to fix on his parents’ orchard. His week in Bluebell was almost over, but he didn’t want to think about that yet. It was Friday, and he would keep himself busy until Sam could join him.

They’d have dinner with his parents, who had pressured him during the whole week to get Sam back in their house. He’d tried to protest, wanting to spend time with Sam alone, but he couldn’t always push the date further and further away. Today was a good day, though, as Sam finished working early. She would come to the orchard during the afternoon and they could pick peaches together first.

He parked his car in front of his parents’ house twenty minutes later. Both of them were already outside, picking fruits from the trees. There were also a couple other cars, people from the city who came to pick their own fruits.

Austin got out of his vehicle and headed toward the barn. He’d fixed the water pump early this week; now it was their lawnmower that needed to be repaired. His father had borrowed the neighbor’s until he could fix his own, but he hadn’t found the time to call someone. It was the perfect task for Austin, who knew more than enough about machines and engines.

It was a hot, dry day. Austin flung the barn door open wide, enjoying the fresh breeze that came through. It was still not cool enough for him to work correctly, so he also removed his shirt, thinking nobody would come back there. The families that were playing around the orchard would stay far from the barn, so he didn’t need to worry about them.

Feeling a lot better, he opened the top of the lawnmower, ready to get to work.

“Showing off, are we?”

Austin turned to where the voice had come from and he saw Sam smirking at him. She seemed to be having fun looking at his sweaty body. He couldn’t hide his smile as he dropped his tool, walking in her direction.

“I’m so hot,” Austin said with a smile. He knew it wouldn’t be long until Sam was running away from him, not wanting to get his sweat on her. He was actually surprised that she stayed in place for so long.

“I think you need to cool down,” she mumbled as she touched his arm. They were only a few inches from each other now, and she still hadn’t moved.

“Come,” Austin said as he grabbed her hand. He knew exactly the way to cool down now that Sam was here.

He started running and Sam followed him, laughing as they headed into the trees. He’d heard the two families leave earlier, so he knew it was only them in the orchard at this hour. His mother would be cooking and his father would be cooling off in the shade.

It didn’t take them too long to finally arrive at the back of the orchard where the river ran. The current had slowed down after spring and it was perfect for swimming. As kids, they’d spent so much time here, splashing each other while eating juicy peaches.

Austin made sure there was nobody around before removing his jeans.

“What are you doing?” Sam giggled.

“What do you think I’m doing?” Austin replied as he jumped in the middle of the stream. When he came back to the surface, Sam didn’t have a shirt anymore and she was removing her shorts. He couldn’t hide the smile on his lips as he watched her get undressed. A few seconds later, she was running his way and met him in the water, laughing the whole time she was in the air.

Austin swam her way when she finally surfaced, wanting to be as close to her as he could. Looking into her perfect green eyes, he couldn’t imagine his life without her anymore. He needed Sam more than he wanted to admit.

As he grabbed her by the waist, trying to keep both of them afloat, Sam’s hands explored his face, pulling it closer to her. Austin didn’t wait very long to kiss her, his lips enjoying the water on hers.

They stayed in each other’s arm for a while until Sam went underwater. When she came back up, she was trying to float, but failing. Austin looked at her with a grin on his face.

“Can you help me? Like you did when we were kids?”

“Come closer to the edge,” Austin replied as he swam Sam’s way. When he could finally touch the bottom of the river, he stabilized himself. Sam came closer to him and tried to float on her back again. This time, Austin had a hand under her back and another under her legs. He kept her afloat as he slowly turned into a circle. He knew Sam liked that.

She opened her eyes and glanced at Austin before looking at the trees over their heads. The river was partially hidden below a copse of willows, which made the place a lot more romantic. There was only a bit of direct sun coming in, as it was already starting to set. A few rays of sunlight made it to Sam’s face, giving it a lovely glow. Austin leaned to kiss her once more, not knowing what he was going to do when he would have to go back to New York City. He doubted Sam would want to come with him, but that was something he was going to have to ask her. Not now, though—he was enjoying their special moment.

Austin stopped turning and Sam came back on her feet. They both stood in the water, locked in an embrace, silently communicating their love.

Austin gave Sam his hand to help her out of the river. The temperature had cooled down already and there was a fresh breeze blowing through the trees.

“I can’t really go into your house like this,” Sam said, looking at her wet underwear. Austin couldn’t stop smiling, even though he had to agree with her. They were going to have to change. All his clothes were in the house, and his parents were going to be there. He hadn’t thought of that when he’d jumped in the water.

“Let’s dry off a bit, first. We’re not in a rush, anyway.” Taking Sam’s hand, he sat down next to a willow. Sam sat in front of him, her back against his chest. He put his arms around her, grateful for being able to touch her like that. There were so many times when he was a teenager that he wished he could have run his hands over her body like he was doing at this moment. It was the best feeling in the world.

“When do you have to go back?” Sam asked after a minute of silence. He hadn’t wanted to think about it too much, but it was probably a discussion they needed to have. He had to go back to New York on Sunday, even if it was the last thing he wanted to do.

“I have a meeting to attend on Monday morning,” he admitted.

“Are you coming back?”

“Definitely.”

“When?”

“I don’t know,” Austin murmured. He would have a bigger workload than usual next week, since he’d taken a week off. That wasn’t something he usually did, and he couldn’t tell how his company had fared without him. He would only see the extent of the damage once he was back in his office.

“Would you come back with me?” Austin asked, knowing the chances were slim. Still, he had to try.

“I wish I could, but… You know I have the bakery to take care of.”

Austin nodded. Sam cared a lot about her family business, and he could absolutely understand. He cared about his own business, too, even though it wasn’t as challenging for him as it once was.

“I wish you could stay in Bluebell with me,” Sam said as she rested her head on his chest.

He could hear the sadness in her voice, but they still had two full days together and he wanted to make the most out of them. He knew it wasn’t much, but it was the best he could offer until he returned.

“It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure it out,” he said as he placed a sweet kiss on her cheek. Austin didn’t know how they were going to do it, but he wanted to make things work with Sam, whatever he had to do.

“We should probably go back to the house now and get you some dry clothes,” Austin said. “Actually, I might have an idea…”

They both stood up and Austin led Sam behind the house, telling her to stay put behind the trees as he tiptoed closer. His mother had done some laundry today and she was drying her clothes outside. There happened to be a couple of towels that were dry already, which was exactly what he wanted. Grabbing them, he went back under the trees and gave one to Sam.

“We’ll dry your underwear in the machine and you should be good for dinner in half an hour,” Austin said with a smile, his brain replaying the scene of Sam getting undressed and jumping into the water.

“What?” he asked as he saw the smile on Sam’s lips.

“Nothing,” she replied as she put the towel around her body and walked toward the house. He couldn’t be sure, but he had a feeling she was thinking about the same thing he was.

“Austin?” his mother called from the kitchen.

The door closed behind the two of them and Sam ran upstairs without being seen by anyone while Austin diverted his parents’ attention.

“Hey, Mom,” he said as he entered the kitchen.

“Dinner’s going to be ready in half an hour,” she said, stirring a pot full of broccoli. When she turned around, she finally noticed the towel around Austin’s waist and his wet hair. “What happened to you? Did you… You jumped in the river, didn’t you?”

Austin smiled before leaning in and kissing his mother on the cheek. “We’ll be ready.”

“We? Did Sam follow you in the river?”

Again, he simply smiled before leaving the kitchen. He could hear his mother’s sigh as he went up the stairs.

When he arrived in his old bedroom, Austin found Sam sitting on his bed, her towel still around her body, but her underwear next to her. His brain kept focusing on what was under the towel when they had more important things to do.

“Here, I’ll put that in the dryer for you. Hopefully, it’ll be ready soon enough.”

He grabbed her clothes before leaving the room again, opening the doors in front of the bathroom. The laundry machine was on the second floor, which happened to be very convenient. He put everything in, including his wet towel, before going back in the bedroom. When he came back in, Sam was standing in front of a shelf, looking at old pictures of him.

“I remember this one,” she said, pointing at the far right frame. It was a picture of him during the chess tournament they’d had at school when he was fourteen. The picture had been taken during the final game and the teacher had given it to him after. He was concentrating very hard on the match, deciding which move would be his next one if he wanted to win.

Even though Austin had always been a shy boy, he was a very competitive one. He liked winning, no matter what he did. He always knew what he was good at and wanted to prove the world what he could do. That was what had driven him to lose touch with Bluebell Valley during all those years, thinking it was the right move to make if he wanted to win at life.