Stealing Second: Sam's Story: Book 4 in the Clarksonville Series (13 page)

“Yum,” Marlee said with a grin.

Helene headed back toward the house, but then turned around. “Sam? Your father just got home from playing golf. He said he’d come out in a minute.”

“Thanks, Helene.”

True to Helene’s word, Sam’s father walked out a few minutes later. He still had on his pink Ralph Lauren golf shirt and white pants. His skin was tanned from playing golf and tennis all summer. He ran a hand through his boyish blond hair and strode toward Sam and her friends.

Sam started to stand up, but her father put a hand out. “Don’t get up, girls. I came out to say hello and see how your party was going.”

“We’re fine, Daddy. Let me introduce you. You know Susie. And this is my friend Marlee.”

“Hello.” Sam’s father nodded at Marlee and Susie.

“Hi, Mr. Payton,” Susie said.

“Hi,” Marlee echoed.

“And you remember my friend Lisa.” Friend. What a cop out. Sam’s heart was pounding in her chest, and with good reason. Her father had almost caught them in bed together.

“Nice to meet you again, Mr. Payton,” Lisa said.

“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you girls, too. I hope you’re enjoying yourselves.” He glanced at the sandwich spread. “I think I’ll go get a roast beef sandwich.” He waggled his eyebrows and headed toward the catering table.

Sam let out a slow breath. “Well, that was short and sweet.”

“For a second contact,” Lisa said, “it went okay.”

Sam nodded and took a breath to calm her pounding heart. Her throat felt dry. She needed water. “Anybody need another drink?”

“Sure,” Marlee said. “How about a Coke?”

“You got it. Anybody else?”

“No, thanks,” Lisa said. Susie shook her head.

“Be right back.” Sam got up and put on her cover-up. No sense getting Steve and Travis worked up any more than they probably already were with four teenage girls sunning themselves in bathing suits.

Sam’s father ate his sandwich heartily at a stone table near the door to the house. Sam’s mother sat down next to him. They were speaking in low tones, but Sam could just make out their words from her vantage point at the drink cooler.

“She doesn’t have many friends,” her mother insisted. “We should let her do this, Gerald. Dr. Boyle says—“

“I don’t give a flip what Dr. Boyle says,” Sam’s father interrupted, the irritation in his voice obvious.

Sam took her time at the cooler, hoping to hear what it was her mother wanted him to let her do.

“They’re nice girls,” her mother continued. “See the strikingly pretty girl with the braid?”

“Lisa.”

“Yes. She told me she knows first aid. She has three younger siblings, for goodness’ sake, so if anyone got hurt, she could help them.”

Sam’s father didn’t respond. He simply took another bite of his sandwich.

Sam’s mother sat back and folded her arms. “What if Helene stayed with them?”

Sam took a quick breath.
The lake house. They must be talking about
the lake house. C’mon, Daddy, let us go.
Sam reached for a cup and filled it with ice, one slow cube at a time.

Sam’s father dabbed at the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “Can they all swim?”

“Yes. I’ve watched them all afternoon. They’re good swimmers.”

Sam could feel her father’s eyes on her. He took a deep breath. “All right. I guess it will be okay.” He stood up. “Let’s go tell them.”

Sam’s eyes flew open wide. She scurried back to her chaise lounge with Marlee’s Coke and a cup of ice. She tried to appear nonchalant as she handed them to Marlee. She’d completely forgotten to get water for herself, but she didn’t care. Her parents were headed right for them.

“Girls?” Sam’s father said. “Sam’s mother and I would like to offer you the use of our lake house over Labor Day weekend. How does that sound?”

“Really, Daddy?” Sam asked calmly, even though she wanted to leap up and yell her head off. “We can go?”

He nodded. “Sure. Mother says you can all swim.”

Sam smiled at how quickly her friends nodded in agreement.

“Well, good.” He turned to Sam. “We’ll have Helene call their parents to make sure it’s okay.”

Ahh, ever the businessman, Sam thought. She wouldn’t be surprised if he made them sign waivers, too.

“Thanks, Daddy. We’ll be safe.”

“I know you will.” He turned to go.

Sam’s mother hesitated a brief moment and then grinned. “This is so exciting, Samantha Rose. We’ll make a shopping list for Helene tonight.” She turned away, the grin still big on her face.

“
Impresionante
,
muchacha
,” Susie said, her eyebrows raised high. “How’d you pull that one off?”

Sam shrugged. She had no idea. And she didn’t care.

The Lake House

SAM SAT ON the top step outside the mansion trying not to be nervous about the long weekend ahead. Waiting five whole days had been pure torture. All week, she expected her father to call her into his study and tell her he’d changed his mind, but he hadn’t, thank God. Sam tapped her foot and looked past the meticulous flower gardens and the manicured lawns toward the eastern white pines surrounding the front gate. Even though they lived in one of the biggest towns in the North Country of New York State, it was oddly quiet. It was so quiet that Sam could hear the bees buzzing in the flowers and the crows cawing in the pines.

Helene came out the front door and sat down. She cradled the remote control that would open the gate once Marlee, Susie, and Lisa pulled up in Marlee’s van.

“Are you excited?” Helene said.

“Oh, my God, yes. Thanks for coming with us. There’s no way Daddy would’ve let us go without you chaperoning.” Sam put air quotes around the word chaperoning.

“I think your parents realize you’re not a child anymore.”

“I wish.”

“Having your friends over Saturday opened their eyes, I think. I know your mother was more than impressed with Lisa.”

“Eee,” Sam squealed. “Too bad I can’t tell them about me.”

“You’ll know when it’s time for that, honey.” Helene patted Sam on the knee.

Yeah, like never
. Sam cleared her throat. “Where did they go this weekend, anyway?”

“Syracuse. A Republican fund-raising gala. A thousand dollars a plate.”

Sam shook her head. “My parents are conservative Republicans. How am I ever going to come out to them?”

Helene shrugged and stared toward the front gate. She had a faraway look on her face.

Sam watched her nanny out of the corner of her eye. If her parents didn’t think she was a child anymore, did that mean Helene was leaving them soon? Leaving her? Was she at least going to Switzerland with them over Christmas break?

“Helene?”

“Hmm?” Helene turned her head slightly.

“Are you going—“

Before she could get the question out, the buzzer to the front gate rang in the house.

“There they are.” Helene pressed the button on the remote control to open the gate. She stood up and headed toward her Prius.

Sam also stood up, her stomach fluttering at the thought of spending a long weekend, not exactly alone, but with Lisa.

“Oh, honey,” Helene said, “what were you saying?”

“Nothing.” Sam waved her hand in dismissal. “I’ll ask you later.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, yeah.”
I just want to know when you were leaving me
.

Marlee pulled her van around the circular drive and stopped in front of the granite steps. Lisa slid open the side door.

“Your chariot, my dear.” Lisa smiled and slid over on the seat to make room. Lisa’s devilish grin threatened to melt Sam to the core.

Sam couldn’t help the smile bursting from her. She grinned at Lisa and then tore her eyes away to say hello to Marlee and Susie. She was about to hop into the van, but had second thoughts.

“Hang on a second, you guys.” Sam walked to Helene’s car. Helene was putting on her seatbelt. “Are you sure you’re okay driving an hour and a half by yourself? I feel bad.”

“I’ll be fine.” Helene pointed to her massive purse on the passenger seat. “Somewhere in there I’ve got the
Fiddler on the Roof
soundtrack.”

Sam’s jaw dropped open. “How did you know?”

Helene narrowed her eyes. “I have my sources.”

“Who?”

Helene patted Sam on the arm. “Susie.”

“That little sneak.” Sam turned around and pointed an accusing finger in Susie’s direction. Susie held up her hands innocently. Sam turned back around to face Helene. “I’m still not sure if I’m trying out for the play.”

“Of course you are.” Helene grinned mischievously.

“C’mon,
muchacha
,” Susie called from the van, “we’re burning daylight. You’re the one who wanted to get there before dark.”

Sam headed toward the van and wagged her finger at Susie. “You’re in big trouble.” She hopped in the backseat of the van and slid the door closed. “Why is everybody so sure I’m going to try out for that stupid play?”

“Because you are, baby,” Lisa said with a grin.

“Yeah,” Sam laughed, “maybe I am.” Sam wished she could give Lisa a hug but didn’t want the security cameras to record them. “Hey, Marlee?”

“What’s up, Two?”

“I know how to get there, but it’ll be easier if you just follow Helene, okay?”

“You got it.” Marlee put the van in drive and followed Helene’s lead car down the Payton driveway.

“I missed you,” Sam said low to Lisa.

“Me, too.”

“You know I wanted to come over yesterday, but Mother and I had to do that grand opening at the new hair salon.”

“I can’t believe people pay your family to make appearances,” Lisa said. “It’s kind of weird.”

“I know, but they don’t really pay us. They gave us coupons for free haircuts, hoping we’ll come back. We won’t, but Mother says it’s our community service obligation to go to grand openings like that.”

“To help the poor and downtrodden, right,
muchacha
?” Susie butted in.

“Yeah, something like that.” Sam rolled her eyes and felt her cheeks burning. It was kind of embarrassing being paraded around East Valley like some kind of celebrity when she hadn’t earned it.

“Hey guys, guess what I did yesterday?” Susie didn’t wait for anyone to guess and said, “I set up a lab in the science center. Professor Harwood said I know more about rocks than most of the college students. I laid out all kinds of rocks on these long lab tables. There was quartz, calcite, gypsum, hematite, pyrite—that’s fool’s gold, sulfur, and—“

“Sus,” Sam interrupted, “you’re a rock hound. I bet you’re going to tell us what kind of rocks we have at the lake, won’t you?”

“
Si, claro, mi amiga
.”

Marlee chuckled. “Welcome to my world.”

Sam laughed and sat back against the bench seat. She turned toward Lisa and her heart did a flip-flop. Even though Lisa’s smile hadn’t been specifically for her, it was an amazing sight. Sam desperately wanted to put her arm around her, but didn’t dare. Not inside the Clarksonville County limits anyway. She settled for holding her hand instead.

“Oh, and guess what else?” Susie said. “I checked into that queer group. The Rainbow Council.”

“Yeah?” Sam said. “What’d you find out?”

“They have a pride festival in October.” Susie lowered her voice as if the forest might overhear. “They’re having carnival games, face painting, gay movies, and speakers and stuff. They’re having a band in the quad that night, too. I think.”

“Sounds like fun,” Marlee said.

Sam wasn’t sure what to think. There was no way she could go to an event like that.

“The flyer said the theme was gay marriage.” Susie grinned.

Marlee used her fist as a makeshift microphone. “Gay marriage— now legal in a state near you.”

“And Washington D.C., too,” Susie added.

“Geez,” Lisa said, “that’s so awesome. You know? To be able to get married? Legally. No hiding.”

Sam grinned at Lisa. God, to be able to have a life with Lisa, legally sanctioned by the state they lived in, to have children like Aunt Fran and Aunt Margaret, to say that Lisa Ann Brown was her wife. Her wife!

“Sam,” Lisa squeezed her hand tight, “where’d you go?

“Somewhere nice.” Sam took a slow breath. “Somewhere really nice.”

“Okay, get this,” Susie said. “There’s this national Coming Out Day on October eleventh every year. And it’s not only in the United States. A lot of countries join us in the celebration.”

“Why October eleventh?” Sam asked.

“There was some kind of big gay pride march on Washington on that date.”

“When was that?” Marlee asked.

“Late eighties, I think.”

“They’ve been having this Coming Out day every year since then?” Lisa said. “How come we’ve never heard of it?”

“I don’t know, but we’re supposed to wear rainbows or something that shows your pride. I don’t have anything like that, but maybe we could buy something at the festival. Do you guys want to go?”

“Not me.” Sam shook her head. “You know I can’t be seen anywhere near a place like that.” Sam felt, rather than saw, Lisa deflate. “But you guys should go. Text me pictures and stuff. It’ll be like I’m there.”

“It won’t be the same,” Marlee said, “but we understand why you can’t go, right guys?” She looked at Lisa in the rearview mirror.

“Yup,” Lisa said tight-lipped.

Sam looked at Lisa’s hand in hers. “I’m sorry, baby. Maybe I can go with you when I’m in college. Maybe by then I’ll be out to my parents. I just can’t right now.”

“
Dios mio
,
muchacha
s,” Susie said. “It’s getting heavy in here, so let me change the subject and tell you what I’m cooking us for dinner tonight.”

Leave it to Susie to gauge the situation and lighten the mood. They passed the first part of their journey listening to Susie describe the meals she was going to make for them. Flan apparently played a big part in the plan.

The sun was fairly low in the sky when Marlee pulled the van alongside Helene’s car in the driveway of the Payton Family lake house. Sam smiled as her friends oohed and aahed over the three-story house with its wrap-around porch and big picture windows. Lisa especially liked the outdoor fireplace overlooking the lake.