Page 6 of Tell Me Again
Trevor spun toward her. “She’s not your responsibility. You don’t get to make rules.”
Sam snorted in response. “You want her hitchhiking?”
“Hell, no.”
“Then don’t give me grief for telling her not to.”
He moved closer, into her personal space. “She’s not yours.”
Grace put her hands on her hips. “You two realize you’re arguing about something you agree on?”
They both glanced at the girl and then Sam met Trevor’s dark blue gaze and saw one side of his mouth begin to lift. She turned away. He was the enemy. He’dwrongedher, and she was too raw right now to handle anything but animosity from him.
Yet she understood his reasons for doing what he had. And as much as she craved getting to know Grace, Sam wasn’t exactly well known for her caring, maternal personality. A few years earlier, her party-girl antics had almost eclipsed her modeling fame, and it was hard to live down that kind of reputation. What if she screwed up her chance with Grace? What if she failed her the way she had Bryce?
She placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “I want the opportunity to get to know you.” She let out a sigh before forcing herself to add, “But your dad will make that decision. He wants what’s best and has clearly done a great job of raising you.” Her heartbeat calmed as memory took over. It had been so long since she’d allowed herself to revisit the unique bond she had with her sister. “There’s so much I want to tell you about your mother.”
She heard a sound from Trevor that might have been a growl but ignored it. “Bryce had the biggest personality of anyone I’ve ever known. You look just like her.”
“Just like you,” Grace replied, her voice catching on the last word.
Sam shook her head. “There’s something in your eyes, a sparkle, that Bryce had.” She laughed softly. “Hardly anyone could tell us apart, but there was always a difference. Even our mom got us mixed up, and we took advantage of that to play so many tricks on her. Only...” She stopped, drew in a shallow breath as her heart started to race again. “Your dad was the only person who never confused us.”
“Really?” Grace asked, looking at Trevor.
He shrugged and Sam wondered if he was having as much difficulty controlling his emotions as she was hers. She told herself she’d learned from her mother’s mistakes and would do better with Grace than her mom had with her. Sam might be scared, but she wasn’t resentful or manipulative the way her mom had been. Most importantly, she could not walk away from this girl.
“Please, Trevor,” she said softly, her palms sweating. “Give us a chance.”
“You can’t stop me from contacting her,” Grace added, still so sure of herself and her father’s love that it gave her the freedom to say exactly what she felt. Sam and Bryce had never had that with their mother, not if they didn’t want to be backhanded for sassing. Sam had been backhanded more times than she could count.
“My terms,” he muttered after a moment. “We’ll do this on my terms.”
Sam felt her body sag with relief and then tense again as, a moment later, Grace was plastered against her, thin arms snaked around her waist.
Sam blinked and met Trevor’s unreadable gaze over the top of Grace’s head. Tears pricked the back of her eyes and she looked away. She hadn’t cried in years, and this was no time to start.
The girl was bouncing on her toes now, all thoughts of sleep and tears banished in the glow of getting her way. “I’m sorry you’re not my mom, but I can’t wait to spend time with you,” she said, her voice hesitant but hopeful. “I can’t believe you were really a famous model. Do you have any of the clothes you wore? Will you help me break into the business? Maybe we can do a spa-night sleepover.”
Sam didn’t know where to begin with answers or even if they were expected. She’d walked away from that world and had no intention of looking back.
To her relief, Trevor held up his hands. “Hold on, Gracie. I told you my terms. We’re taking this slow. I’m sure Sam is busy, and you’ve got school. You can’t be running down to Denver all the time. Did you bring anything with you?”
“My backpack,” the girl mumbled, her excitement effectively squashed.
“Go get it. Sam and I will work out the details.”
Grace groaned. “This is my life. You can’t just make decisions for me.”
“If you’re lucky,” he said, leveling what Sam could only describe as a “dad stare” at her, “I won’t make the decision to lock you in your room for the next five years. Go, Grace. It’s late.”
With an annoyed huff, Grace turned and disappeared into the family room where Sam had first found her.
Suddenly the kitchen felt too quiet, the air still bristling with so many unspoken questions and accusations between her and Trevor. But underneath was a tiny ripple of gratitude that made her limbs tingle. He hadn’t said no, and getting to know her sister’s daughter was an unexpected gift, like a rainbow after a thunderstorm. She had the sudden urge to reach out to him, but instead pressed her fingers to her lips, surprised to find a smile there.
“Actually, I’m up in your area quite a bit. I run a summer camp for disadvantaged kids out of Silver Springs.” She paused, remembering the day she’d had before her whole world had been turned upside down. “I’ll be at camp every day for at least the next month. Several of the cabins were badly damaged in the storm. The contractor I normally use retired last year, and I’m having trouble finding someone who can take on the repairs right away.”
Trevor’s eyes widened and his head jerked back. “You don’t model anymore?”
