LITMIR.BIZ

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staff at the White House,” Angela said as Harry returned to the room to check on Nick.

      “Can you imagine being her chief of staff?” Harry asked. “I need to meet this saint of a woman.”

      “Bite me,” Sam said, though she was relieved he was making jokes. That must mean Nick’s situation wasn’t as dire as it had seemed for a while there.

      “Who’s she biting now?” Nick muttered.

CHAPTER SEVEN

      SAM HAD NEVER been so relieved to hear him speak. She sat on the edge of the bed and ran her hand over his face. “Only you, babe.”

      “Better be only me.” His eyes opened slowly, and his brows knitted as he took in the room. “What the hell?”

      She glanced at Harry before she filled Nick in on where he was and why. “You wouldn’t wake up. Scared the living hell out of me.”

      “And me,” Harry said. “I was afraid she’d sue me for saying you’d be fine in a couple of days.”

      “Andy has agreed to take my case pro bono,” Sam said, smiling at Nick.

      “That traitor,” Harry said of his and Nick’s mutual friend.

      “Scotty,” Nick said in a low rumble.

      “Is home with Tracy and doing better than you are.”

      “That’s a relief. When can I get out of here?”

      “Probably tomorrow or the next day,” Harry said.

      “Aw, come on,” Nick said, groaning. “I feel a lot better. Let me go home.”

      “Dude, you were out cold an hour ago,” Harry said. “You’re not going anywhere.”

      Sam pointed a thumb at Harry. “What he said.”

      As if it was too much effort to keep them open, Nick closed his eyes. “Thought you guys were my friends.”

      Sam leaned forward to kiss him. “We’re your best friends.”

      “You might want to cut out the kissing unless you want what he’s got,” Harry said.

      “Too late to worry about that.”

      Nick’s arms came around her, keeping her right where she wanted to be—close to him.

      “They’re hopeless,” Harry said to Angela.

      “They certainly are. We’ll remind her of this when she’s barfing her guts out in a couple of days.”

      “Worth it,” Sam said.

      Nick tightened his hold on her and for the first time since he wouldn’t wake up earlier, she was able to take a deep breath. He was okay, and that was all that mattered.

      * * *

      HOURS LATER, NICK ordered Sam and Angela to go get something to eat. They’d talked to Scotty by FaceTime on Angela’s phone so he could see that Nick was doing better and they could see that he was fine. Tracy had gotten him to eat some of the soup Celia sent over, and he’d even asked for ice cream.

      Nick, on the other hand, wasn’t interested in food of any kind yet. “You guys go grab something. I’m not going anywhere.”

      “Are you sure?” Sam messed with his blankets until she was happy with the way they covered him. They’d fielded another call from his dad, as well as Graham and Laine O’Connor. Nick’s adopted parents were also concerned about him.

      He put his hand over hers. “I’m sure.”

      “Come on,” Angela said, tugging Sam’s arm. “I’m starving.”

      She’d kept them entertained with the increasingly desperate texts she’d received from Spencer as the day progressed. The kids were making a man out of him, or so Angela said.

      They went to the cafeteria where Sam forced herself to choke down a turkey club even though she didn’t really want it. Angela said she’d be no good to anyone if she didn’t take care of herself. In deference to the day from hell, Sam indulged in a rare diet cola. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

      “Best thing I ever tasted,” she said of the icy-cold soda.

      “So I was going to call you today about something else.”

      “What’s up?”

      Angela dipped a French fry into ketchup and popped it into her mouth. “Mom’s in town and she wants to see you.”

      Sam shook her head from the word town on. “Not now.”

      “I think you need to see her. She has some news you should hear from her.”

      “What kind of news?”

      Angela shook her head. “It’s not mine to tell.”

      “Seriously?”

      “You know I would if I could.”

      Sam blew out a deep breath. “This is just what I need right now with all the other crap I’ve got going on.”

      “What was that thing with Freddie earlier?”

      “Something for work that fell into my lap after I was suspended.”

      “Is it something that’s going to get you into deeper shit than you’re already in?”

      “Perhaps, but it could be such a huge big deal that no one will care about my role in it.”

      “I know you’ve got a lot going on, but you need to see her. I wouldn’t ask you to if it wasn’t important.”

      “Does Tracy know about this too?”

      “Yes.”

      “Great, so everyone knows but me.”

      “That’s the way you wanted it when you cut Mom out of your life, Sam. We chose not to go that far. What do you want me to say?”

      Her mother had left Skip for another man the day after Sam, their youngest child, graduated from high school. Sam had sided with her dad, and she’d do the same thing again if she had it to do over. Lately, however, especially after what’d happened with Stahl, she’d been thinking it might be time for a ceasefire with her mother. She’d yet to follow through on those thoughts, but Angela had presented her with a golden opportunity.

      “How long is she in town?”

      “The rest of the week.”

      “Set something up for a couple of days from now. Let me get my guys out of the woods first.”

      “I’ll take care of it and let you know.”

      During fifteen years on the job, Sam had had her share of scrapes and close calls, but nothing like what her ex-colleague had put her through in the basement of Marissa Springer’s home. The incident had served as a wake-up call that life is short and grudges are pointless.

      Though she’d probably never again be close to her mother, it was time to put down her sword and allow her mother back into her life. Having Scotty’s adoption finalized was another good reason to bridge the chasm with her mother. He had asked a few times about her mom, and his curiosity had cemented her resolve to make a move—eventually. She hadn’t expected to make that move today.

      Nick was sleeping when they returned to his room, so Angela offered to stay with him while Sam took Angela’s car home to check on Scotty.

      “He fell asleep about twenty minutes ago,” Tracy whispered when Sam came in to find Scotty sleeping next to Tracy on the sofa. Tracy ran her fingers through Scotty’s hair as he slept, and the sight of her sister tending to her son made Sam weepy again. Enough with the waterworks today!

      Sam

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