Page 74 of Tell Me Again
Susan stepped forward. “You already have the secret, such as it is,” she said with a gentle smile. “Trying. No matter if they hate you or you hate them or everything you think and say seems like garbage, you keep trying.” Several of the other women nodded. “It’s as simple as it is difficult,” Susan added.
A taller woman with a dark brown pixie cut and vivid blue eyes—Dana—cleared her throat. “Ice cream and wine help too. Healthy stuff is important, but so are alcohol and chocolate.”
Sam chuckled, not her hyena cackle but an honest laugh. “I can do chocolate and a glass of wine.”
“And real friends,” Jill added, “who have your back no matter what. Raising a teenage girl is not for the faint of heart.”
Sam thought of Kendall, Chloe, and Jenny and took a deep breath. “I have those friends, and I think I’ve met a few more today.”
Susan leaned forward. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
“Did you really date Leonardo DiCaprio?”
Sam made a face. She hated talking about her past. Her small circle of close friends weren’t interested in who she’d been back in her wild days. She was lucky to have those women in her life. But she also understood the fascination with celebrities and she wastrying. For Grace. “We went out a couple of times, but it wasn’t serious. Our schedules never really meshed.”
Several of the women sighed. “What was he like?” Jill asked.
“Funny and charming,” she told them, “but not the man for me.” She tried to hide her gaze tracking to Trevor. He’d moved on to the foosball table and, from the looks of it, was having the time of his life getting his butt kicked by three members of the volleyball team. She’d had her share of famous men and none of them had held a candle to Trevor. So where did that leave her heart?
“Would you all like a tour of camp?” she asked instead. “I know Grace wanted to take the girls up to the ropes course.”
They called the girls over and headed toward the path that led through camp.
“You’ve got them eating out of the palm of your vegetable-loving hand,” Trevor whispered, and dropped a quick kiss on the top of Sam’s head.
She shoved at him. “Someone might see.”
“Pushing me away whenever we aren’t alone is not working,” he said, eyes narrowed. “At all.”
“As far as anyone realizes, there is nothing between us. You know that, and you know why.” She nodded toward Grace, who was on the path with her friends just in front of them.
Trevor’s phone let out a series of beeps, and he pulled it out of his pocket, frowning at the screen.
“Hey, Gracie,” he called, and Grace dropped back to walk with them. “There’s a problem on the job site and—”
“There’s always a problem on that job site,” she whined.
“Not always,” he said, “but I need to run over there. Can you ask one of your friends—”
“I can take her home and stay with her,” Sam offered immediately. “As long as it’s okay if Frank comes, too.”
“Our house is dog friendly,” Grace told her. “Right, Dad?”
“Frank is welcome,” he said, “but are you sure? I know you have class and I don’t want to impose.”
Sam smiled. “Grace is never an imposition. I’ll e-mail my professor and explain.” She turned to the girl. “Unless you’d rather be with one of your friends?”
Grace gave her an almost shy smile in return. “I’ll stay with you. Can we go to the craft store to buy supplies for my science project?”
“We can do that when I’m off work,” Trevor told her.
“I don’t mind,” Sam said.
“Thanks.” Trevor reached out a hand, but she shifted away from him. “I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Unless Ms.Stone needs you,” Grace added. She moved closer to Sam and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “The lady who’s building the house wants Dad to be her boyfriend. That’s why she’s always calling and making up reasons he has to spend more time there.”
