Play for Me (21 page)

“What?” asked Sam, somewhat amused.

“I iron my own clothes.”

“You what?” shrieked Sam. “You iron? No one irons anymore,
except maybe me.”

“Nope. They taught us that in the Navy.” Ian spun his
noodles around his fork and scooped the food into this mouth. “This is pretty
good stuff, Samantha. What else do you cook?”

“You haven’t met my mother, but she’s a great cook. I used
to help her around the house all the time. Oh.” Sam looked away, realizing she
hadn’t told Ian her parents were coming.

“What’s wrong?” Ian had noticed Sam had paled.

“My parents,” said Sam, meeting Ian’s gaze. “I spoke to my
parents last night. They’re coming here in two weeks.” Sam grabbed her glass of
wine and took a drink.

Ian studied her carefully. “I can take this two ways; one
you’re not too keen about them coming because of me? Or is it something else?”

“Oh, Ian. They cannot wait to meet you.” Sam looked at Ian
carefully. “Are you okay with meeting them? I mean, my mother.” Sam tried to
joke. “You can ask Jett. She’s a real trip.”

“I’d love to meet your parents. Why wouldn’t I?” Ian set his
fork down. “Um, what did you tell them about me?”

“I just told my mother I had met someone special and she
wanted to know about you. At that point, I was still in Los Angeles. Now she
knows I’m in Maui and she did ask if you and I were living together, and I told
her no. We had just started seeing each other.”

“Someone special? I’m honored.” Ian smiled fondly at Sam and
then he turned serious. “What did you tell them? You didn’t answer my question.”

“I told them you were an architect working on Jett’s house,
why?” asked Sam, wondering if she had said something wrong.

“You didn’t tell them I used to be a Navy Seal?” Ian held
his breath.

“No. Isn’t that classified information? I would never tell
anyone,” said Sam firmly, and Ian breathed a sigh of relief. “Speaking of
which, this Navy Seal thing? You’re still active, right?”

“That’s classified. Sam, no matter how far our relationship
goes, there are things I can’t tell you. Trust me; it’s for your good.”

“I know, I know. I read a lot of books.” Sam got up from the
table and reached for the wine bottle. “Do you want some more?”

“I want you.” Ian grabbed Sam’s shoulders and planted his
lips on hers. Sam didn’t put up a fight.

****

“Hey, Sam. How do you like the place?” Jett had called Sam waking
her out of a sound sleep.

“Jett! It is totally awesome. I feel like I’m in heaven.” Sam
glanced at the alarm clock to see the time. Midnight. “I’m not settled in just
yet. I have to pick up some stuff, but not too much. I can’t wait to go
exploring.”

“Have you taken a look at the house, yet?” Jett sounded
worried.

“I plan on going out there tomorrow. I didn’t have time yet since
I just got in today.” Ian rolled his eyes, and Sam ignored him.

“Good. Give me a call tomorrow. I really want this. I can’t
wait to see the look on Michelle’s face when she sees it.”

“Sure. What time is good to call you?” Sam tried hard to
concentrate on the conversation, but Ian’s hands roamed her body, making it difficult.

“Probably tomorrow evening. Yeah, that’s good, around eight
pacific time. Later.” Jett ended the call.

“You are so soft,” whispered Ian. His eyes held Sam’s green
ones. “I can’t keep my hands off of you.” Ian nuzzled Sam’s neck.

“Then don’t.” Sam snuggled into Ian’s body until a wet nose
once again interrupted them and she jumped back. “I have to take Cracker out. Sorry!”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll be waiting for you when you get back.” Ian
smiled at her seductively.

“Are you going to spend the night?” Sam hoped he would say
yes.

“If you want me to. Am I being too forward?” Ian looked
unsure.

“No, not at all. I had hoped you’d say yes.” Sam smiled at
him fondly.

“Good.” Ian watched Sam take Cracker and he plopped down on
the bed. Once again he vowed he would never let Sam go. Ever.

“Hey,” said Sam as she slipped back into bed. Ian had fallen
asleep and snored softly. Sam didn’t know whether or not to awaken him since he
slept like the dead. She leaned on her arm and studied his face, memorizing
every curve and line. Smiling she lay down next to him and fell into a blissful
sleep.

“I can’t believe I fell asleep on you,” moaned Ian as he
kissed Sam’s ear with his tongue.

“It’s okay,” said Sam stretching. She turned to face Ian. “What
are our plans for today?”

“Well, I’m going cycling this morning. Do you want to come?”

“Goodness, no.” laughed Sam shaking her head. “I haven’t
been on a bicycle in ages. I bet you do it all the time, right?”

“I do like to work out, yeah.” Ian flexed his arm muscle. “Check
it out.”

“Yeah, I did check it out.” Sam clenched his arm muscle. “Tell
you what. Give me some time to settle in, and then I’ll start working out to
keep up with you.”

“You promise?” Ian sounded excited.

“Bear with me here, Ian. I’ll have you know I’m an all-time
klutz as witnessed the first time you met me.”

“But you’ll try?” Ian tried not to beg.

“Yeah, I’ll try.” Sam got up but Ian pulled her back down on
the bed.

“I'll never forget when I saw you in the bathroom.” Ian
smiled dreamily. “I don’t have to go just yet.”

“Good.” Sam gave in to Ian, and let him have his way with
her.

After a quick shower with Ian and a long kiss goodbye, Ian
left Sam alone with her thoughts. She smiled, reliving every minute of the
night. She knew she should clear her head and get to work on getting settled,
finding her way around and visiting Jett’s house.

After breakfast, Sam decided to do some grocery shopping. Using
her phone, she located the closest grocery store. Opening the garage door, Sam
stared in awe of the shiny white BMW convertible. The car had everything with
all sorts of features she didn’t recognize, and swore she would take the manual
in to read it over. She started it up and cautiously backed it out of the
garage, glad that she had a BMW at home. It wasn’t as nice as this one, but
still. Sam took her time at the grocery store, marveling at all the different
brands of food and cringing at the prices. By the time she got home and
unpacked, she felt exhausted. Taking the car’s manual, Sam read over the
instructions while eating lunch and then went into the car and tried it out. It
had its own GPS system so she didn’t have to use her phone. Carefully, she
typed in Jett’s address and made a run to the house. It took about twenty
minutes to get there, but she couldn’t get into it because of the locked gates.
She’d have to ask Ian for the code, but as she stared through the bars of the
gate. Sam noticed the landscaping had changed and the ground had been prepared
for what Jett had wanted. Sam smiled, pleased that she could report the
progress to Jett. Pretty happy with her accomplishments, she had a big smile on
her face when she got home.

“Hey, Cracker,” said Sam as she walked in the door. The dog
appeared lonesome and very glad to see Sam. “I bet you miss your buddies. Come
here, I'll take care of you.” Sam hooked him up to his leash and the two of
them strolled down the beach. Cracker loved the ocean and ran through the surf,
biting at the water as it retreated. He'd be one smelly dog, but Sam figured it
was worth it. Her phone rang, surprising her, when she looked at the display
with a smile.

“Deb!” exclaimed Sam excitedly. “I was just thinking about
you.”

“I've been waiting and waiting for you to call me and I
thought I better call you before I die of old age. Girl? What is going on?”

“You’re never going to believe this. I don’t know where to start.”
Sam tried to organize her thoughts.

“Just start, okay?” Deb sounded irritated.

“Right now, I’m in Maui,” began Sam with a smile.

“Maui? What are you doing there?” asked Deb.

“Jett is having a house remodeled and I’m overseeing the
process. I have a beautiful vacation home and a fancy BMW convertible.”

“Can I come and visit?” Deb tried not to let her envy show.

“Of course, you can visit. I’ll be here probably six months.
My parents are coming in two weeks. Its better they come here rather than in Los Angeles. I think Jett would totally freak them out. I mean Jett has met them, you
know.”

“He did? When?” asked Deb, confused.

“Well, Jordan played at the House of Blues a couple of weeks
ago and Jett tagged along with him. They showed up at Mom’s and they were our
dinner guests.”

“I know, and I couldn't make it,” admonished Deb. She always
had had a crush on Jordan, but it was unrequited love.

“I know, I know, but it was all last minute. I even jammed
with Jordan.”

“What? Are you sure you’re the same Samantha Stevens I grew
up with?”

“One and the same. I tell you, Deb. Things are crazy. It’s
hard to stay grounded when your world is in constant motion. Working with Jett
is like that. One minute you’re doing this and then the next minute you’re on
to something else. I thought I'd be in Los Angeles answering his fan mail and
helping him out. Then due to his touring schedule, now I’m in Maui. Also, he
heard me play and he wants me to play on the tracks of his new CD, which will
come out after the tour.”

“Is this what you really want to do?” asked Deb cautiously. “You
always hated to perform.”

“As long as it’s in the studio, I’m cool with it,” responded
Sam. “I hadn’t performed in public in years and you know something? After being
a vice president doing meetings and such, I got over my stage fright.”

“Wow. That’s a lot to sink in.” Deb grew quiet.

“But you want to know the best part?” asked Sam.

“You met someone!” Deb sounded excited.

“I did. The day of my interview. Oh, Deb, he looks like a
Greek God and he’s even nice!”

“How did you meet him? Is he a musician, producer? Sam! Why
didn’t you call me?”

“He’s the architect of Jett’s house in Maui. He had a
meeting with Jett the same day as my interview. We rode in the limo together
and things just took off from there.”

“Let me get this straight,” said Deb, trying to grasp all of
this news. “Then he’s in Maui working on the house while you’re in Maui?”

“He lives here,” said Sam triumphantly.

“Ohmigod. Sam! Is he the one?” asked Deb in a hushed tone.

“Oh, Deb. He’s nice to kids, the elderly. He even volunteers
as a Big Brother to the children of Maui. Cracker just loves him.”

“Is Cracker down there with you?” Deb tried to process all
of this information.

“Of course. We just got done playing in the ocean. He’s
drying off as we speak. He’s not real happy about the heat, but I don’t want
him to smell like a wet dog.”

“I'd hope you’d come back to Chicago, Sam. I really miss
you. You’re my best friend.”

“Maybe one day I will. Never say never. I mean, two years
ago, if someone asked me what I’d be doing, I never would have imagined this.”

“How is Jett?” asked Deb, now very curious.

“He’s really a nice guy. Once our boundaries were
established, it’s like having another brother.”

“Speaking of Jordan, what’s he up to?” Deb tried to be
nonchalant.

“He’s touring with Trace Adkins. I don’t know for how long. I
should call him,” mused Sam.

“Tell him I said hi.” Deb became quiet for a moment. “If
things worked out with… wait a minute. You haven’t even told me this guy’s
name.”

“Ian. Ian Andrews,” replied Sam with a hitch in her voice.

“You have it bad,” laughed Deb. “If things go along well
with Ian, will you stay in Maui?”

“I don’t know.” Sam became serious. “To be honest, Deb, I
haven’t even thought that far ahead.” Would she? What about the apartment in Beverly Hills? Sam decided she would cross that bridge when she got to it.

“I even met Drew Stone,” admitted Sam

“Now, there’s a hunk. Oh, Sam! I am so jealous.”

“He’s a creep. Ian and Jett didn’t want me to meet him at
all. Apparently, he treats women like dirt. He wanted me to join his band and
to be his girlfriend. I told him no.”

“Do Ian and Jett know how good you are in self-defense?”
asked Deb.

“I told them, but I they didn't believe me. Oh, well. Enough
about me. What’s going on in your life?”

“I’m a free woman,” answered Deb with bitterness. “Paul
dumped me last week. Says he wants some ‘breathing’ room.”

“Uh-oh.” Sam became quiet for minute. The only man who would
make Deb happy would be her Jordan. She wished Jordan could see what a great
person Deb had become, but he had been too wrapped up into his music. “How long
have you two been dating?” Sam couldn’t remember.

“Almost a year. I thought we were really doing well, Sam. I
never said anything about moving in or getting married. We'd text during the
day and some days we don’t even talk to each other, so it’s not like I’m
nagging him.”

“Deb, it’s not you,” said Sam gently. “It’s him. Let him be.
Tell you what? Why don’t you come out here for a week? Think you can?”

“Sure, I have tons of vacation and plenty of air miles I can
use. Besides, I want to see this Ian.”

“So, maybe come after my parents are here. I mean if they
haven’t scared off Ian by that time.” Sam rolled her eyes.

“I’ll let you know. Oh, Sam, it's so good to talk to you. I
miss you so much.” Deb started getting emotional.

“Same here,” said Sam. She knew Paul’s breakup with Deb had really
hurt. “If you wanted to come out next week, that would be fine, too.”

“Really? You mean that?”

“The sooner, the better,” confirmed Sam.

“I’ll let you know my flight. I am so excited!!”

“Ciao, baby.” Sam smiled as she rang off. She went to check
upon Cracker and found him sound asleep, the romp in the ocean literally wore
him out. Smiling, Sam booted up her laptop and concentrated on the outstanding
number of emails for Jett.