Page 35 of A Family Affair: The Plan
Sam tried to concentrate as Pete discussed the placement of the shower and toilet, but Sam couldn’t get that conversation out of his head. The guy’s words stayed with him as he drove to work, parked the truck, and headed into the clinic. Okay, maybe Pete was right. Samdidcare about Hope and there was no pretending he didn’t. They had to stop dancing around their feelings and have a “real” conversation, one that didn’t shy away from emotions or the fear of getting hurt. He checked his watch, calculated the hours until he saw her again, and then went insearch of his father. He found him in an empty exam room, staring out of the window. “Dad? Are you okay?”
His father turned to face him, his complexion pale, his mouth pulled into a tight line. “How could you choose the wrong woman—again?”
17
Sam stared at his father, tried to make sense of his words. Hadn’t the man been dropping hints about Hope for several days, ones that included what a smart woman she was and how Sam would be a fool to let her get away? “Dad, what are you talking about?” Whatwashe talking about?
His father rubbed his temples, blew out the classic Edgar Harrington sigh, the one that said more than ten paragraphs ever could. “I’m talking about trusting the wrong woman again, letting her infiltrate our lives.” Another sigh, this one louder, followed by a fierce, “Just when I started to believe things could get back to normal,thishappens.”
Hope had only spoken with his father once, but the man had become her champion, doling out comments about “surprises coming at unexpected times”. Sam had ignored him, just like he ignored his mother who insisted he invite “his friend” to dinner. He knew exactly what that would look like and that’s why he had a notepad of excuses to avoid that. But after his conversation with Pete, he’d decided it was time to take a jump into trust once again and he planned to do it with Hope. “Dad, what happened?Did Hope contact you?” No, she wouldn’t do that—not now, not since they’d gotten together.
“No, but her partner did.” His dark eyes turned darker, his voice shifting with anger and accusation. “He thinks he can waltz in here and buy this place and the land? Pompous ass, tried to tell me he was doing me a big favor by taking this property ‘off my hands’. And when I told him I wasn’t interested, do you know what he did?”
Sam could guess. He’d only spent a short time with Kent Barclay, but the man reeked of power and intimidation. “Did he threaten you?”
“Not directly, but he let me know if I didn’t play, he’d make life miserable, drive me out of business, and it would not be pretty. Do you know what he wants to do with this place?” His father didn’t wait for Sam to guess before he barreled forward. “He’s going to knock down the clinic and build a bed-and-breakfast, twice the size of Mimi’s with automation and a workout room. What the hell iswrongwith these people?” He shook his head, rubbed his forehead. “Why do they think they can come to our town and take over? Throw money and ideas at us and if we stand up for ourselves and say no, they’ll ruin us?What kind of people are they?”
“I don’t know, Dad, but Hope’s not like that. She came to Magdalena to study the Heart Sent as a model for future bed-and-breakfasts they plan to build.”
“She may not have come up with the idea of invading our town, but she sure offered up enough ammunition for her company to decide they want a presence here.” A frown covered his face. “How would that man know so much about this place and oursituationif she hadn’t shared it?”
His dad meant the strain between them and the fact that Sam wasn’t involved in decision making for the practiceandwasn’t inline to take it over. Whywouldshe sharethatwith her ex? “Let me talk to her and find out what’s going on.”
“You don’t have to find out anything because I already know, and I told you. They want to take over our town.” His face turned red, his voice rose three decibels. “They want to come in here, revamp everything, and turn this place into a fancy bed-and-breakfast and whatever other amenities people want. If we say no, they’ll try to squeeze us out. Well, guess what? Let them try. And you can tell that girlfriend of yours that when I see her, I plan to speak my mind.”
“Dad, she’s not my girlfriend.”
The raised brow and the harsh laugh said he was a fool for denying it. “Sure, she’s not your girlfriend. That’s right, these days you can sleep with somebody and they’re still not your girlfriend. I’m sorry, son, but she fooled us all. Your mother and I were just starting to think this girl might be our daughter-in-law one day, give us grandbabies, but…”
Sam pushed aside his father’s words and the possibilities tucked inside. “Dad, I’m going to fix this. Nobody is taking the clinic from you, and they arenotgoing to drive you out… Not if I have anything to say about it and I do.”
The look on his father’s face said he wanted to believe Sam, but when he spoke, it was the words of a beaten man. “There was a time when we had such plans…so many ideas…I never thought it would end like this.”
“You can’t give up. I’m going to talk to Hope and put a stop to this.” He took a step toward his father, placed a hand on his arm. “I’ll make this right. Trust me, okay?”
Were those tears in his father’s eyes? “I know you’ll do your best, son. I do know that.” He offered a puny smile. “I’m sorry she wasn’t who we thought she was… Most of all I’m sorry for you.”
Yeah, me too.Had she been playing him all along, trying to get close so she could get information and get a deal—any deal, no matter who got hurt? She wouldn’t do that, wouldn’t put whatever they shared in jeopardy. Would she? What exactly did they share? It wasn’t as though they’d talked about it, and they’d been very clear aboutnotwanting a relationship. Of course, he’d realized the stupidity of that remark the first time they slept together, though he tried to ignore it.Don’t think about the future or what this ‘thing’ between us does or doesn’t mean. Pete Finnegan had brought it all into focus, put sound to the feelings in Sam’s head and it was those feelings he’d planned to share tonight when he finished work, but this conversation changed everything. The only “sharing” he planned to do with Hope right now, involved questions and answers.
Did you know what your ex planned?
Did you tell him my father might be an easy target?
Did you target my dad?
Did you target me?
Is that what this thing between us was all about?
Getting a win no matter what?
A slow anger burned through Sam, grew as he anticipated confronting the woman he’d trusted. “I’ll take care of everything, Dad. Don’t you worry.”
A nod, a defeated, “I wish I hadn’t been so hard on you, wish I’d given you a chance instead of shutting you out.” His dark eyes turned bright, his voice hoarse. “I’m sorry.”
Mimi toldHope that Sam loved apple pie.Sweet with a bit of tangy is his favorite, she’d said. Hope had spent more time in Mimi’s kitchen than she ever had in her own and she’d livedin the place for five years! Why was that? Maybe because she’d slowed down enough to consider what she enjoyed. Or maybe because she had someone to encourage her… Ormaybebecause she’d finally found someone to share it with. Kent had preferred reservations or take out, and when on very rare occasions she cooked, he told her it took too much time and then proceeded to compare the mealandits lackings to the five-star restaurants he frequented. And the darn phone always sat within touching distance to his right hand like a third party—a party he found more interesting than Hope if the constant glancing, scrolling, and texting were an indication.
But Sam? He seemed to love her meals. Hadn’t he eaten three helpings of beef stroganoff the other night? And the chicken marsala? Oh, he loved that. It had been years since she’d attempted a pie, but there’d been a time when she’d been quite adept at it, back when she lived in the bed-and-breakfast. Her mother had tasked her with weekly pies: blueberries, cherry, pumpkin, apple…
