Page 78 of Cluelessly Yours

“I…uh…that time Grant and I ran into you here and Kendall showed up…I thought she was someone you were dating.”

“Oh shit,” I comment on a laugh. “No. Not at all.”

“Yeah.” She snorts. “I’m seeing that now.”

“Wait a minute… First Mary, then Kendall,” I state when my mind catches up to speed. “You must’ve thought I was some kind of serial-dating asshole.”

“Drop the asshole part, and you’re fairly close.” She cringes. “Talk about a lesson in never make assumptions, huh?”

“It’s all good. Understandable, even,” I answer, and Ialmostask her about Gavin. To, you know, clear up any assumptions I might’ve made. But something inside me doesn’t want to bring down the mood, so instead, I ask, “How much time do you have before you need to pick up Grant from school?”

“A few hours. Why?”

“Well—” I start to say, but Kendall cuts into our little powwow.

“Hey, guys. We’re going to head out.” She hooks her thumb over her shoulder and then wraps her arm around Dale’s waist. “Chanandler wants to eat, and Dale wants to sleep.”

“I’m definitely ready to crawl into bed,” Dale adds through a yawn. “But it was great meeting you, Sammy.”

“You too,” she says and smiles at both Kendall and Dale. “Both of you.”

“We’ll see you around soon, yeah?” Kendall asks and reaches out to give Sammy’s arm a friendly tap.

Sammy nods, and it’s not long before Dale and Kendall and Chanandler are gone, leaving Sammy, Dolly, and me to our own devices.

“So…you have a few hours to hang out?” I ask and turn Sammy’s body around so her chest is pressed against my chest. I beam down at her while playfully swaying us back and forth.

“I do.” She looks up at me with a little smirk. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, I was planning on visiting Kara today and was wondering if you wanted to come along?”

“You want me to meet your sister?” She’s a little uncertain, I can tell, but I don’t have any problems reassuring her.

“Actually, I’dlovefor you to meet my sister.”

“Yeah?” She searches my eyes, as if she’s trying to confirm my words with my truth.

“Definitely, Sam.”

“Okay,” she says and presses a soft kiss to my lips. “Count me in.”

I don’t waste any time grabbing Dolly’s leash and wrapping my free arm around Sammy’s shoulder, guiding us out of Central Park.

“How was Seth feeling this morning?” I ask, placing a hand to her lower back as we cross the street.

“Rejuvenated,” she says in a way that makes me laugh.

“I had a feeling he’d be good to go after I saw him scarf down two bowls of soup.”

“Honestly, his little ass was so peppy this morning, I probably could’ve sent him to school.” She snorts. “But the rules say he has to be vomit-free for twenty-four hours.”

“And that’s where Zoe came in.”

“Yep.” She nods. “Since she recently made the big decision to attend grad school in Texas next year, she’s been trying to get as many extra hours as she can to save up money.”

“She’s moving to Texas?”

“In the fall.” She frowns. “I’m happy for her, but selfishly, I’m not-so-happy for me. I have no idea what I’m going to do when she moves on and I have to find someone else.”

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