Page 55 of Tell Me Again
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sam was easy to spot in the crowded waiting area in the main terminal of the Denver International Airport. Although she sat on her own, an empty seat on either side and a baseball cap low on her head, her beauty set her apart. As Trevor approached, he could see a few of the other passengers throwing sidelong glances at her, which she either didn’t notice or chose to ignore. Instead her concentration was focused on the laptop perched on her legs.
He knew the moment she noticed him because her whole body stiffened as she snapped the computer shut.
“What are you doing?” she asked, as he lowered himself into the seat next to her.
“Going with you.” He placed his carry-on bag on the floor between his boots and sat back. “I called and texted, but you didn’t answer.”
“I didn’t get them.”
He smiled at the blatant lie. “You got them.”
“Maybe I don’t need you to hold my hand through this,” she said irritably. “I’m a big girl, Trevor. I’m used to taking care of things.”
If she was pissy, he’d struck a nerve. That was good.
Or bad.
Given the bewildering labyrinth formed by his feelings for Sam, it was hard to know. There was a good chance she was telling him the truth. She’d made it without his help for years. Why would now be any different?
Then he glanced down to where her fingers drummed across the top of the computer. They were trembling slightly.
She followed his gaze and, when she realized what he saw, fisted her hands together.
“I’m fine on my own,” she repeated.
But he understood that Sam was as skilled at hiding her vulnerability as he was. “I’ve got a ticket and a hotel room. You’re stuck with me.”
“What about Grace?”
“She’s staying with a friend overnight.”
“I hope not the one who helped her sneak out?”
Trevor smiled because she sounded like an overprotective parent. Just like him. “A different friend.”
“How did you know my travel arrangements?”
“I talked to Mary Henderson.”
“I’m surprised she told you,” she said softly.
“You shouldn’t be alone for this.”
She didn’t answer for several moments, and he expected her to bite off a retort about her independence or resilience or whatever.
Instead she said a simple “Thank you.”
He reached over and laced his fingers with hers, the silence between them surprisingly comfortable as the bustle of the busy airport moved around them.
Trevor was fine until they started boarding the plane. Slowly he felt the familiar tendrils of anxiety slither around him. Awesome. His plan for being the hero was about to be derailed. He played it off as best he could, messing around with his bag and schooling his expression to match the same mildly bored look he saw on the faces of the people surrounding him.
He could feel Sam’s gaze on him but ignored it. He checked his watch and then pulled out his phone, pretending to leave a message for Grace.
By the time they were seated with seat belts clicked shut, he’d morphed into full-fledged panic mode.
“What’s going on?” Sam whispered after the flight attendant had made a final pass through the cabin.
