Inspiring but not sappy. Must match décor.’” Sam scrunched up his forehead. “I don’t understand. What is this?”
I set my elbow on the table and leaned my head against my hand. “Piper’s latest request. Well, demand is more like it.”
“Are you supposed to give this list to Paul?” Sam ran his fingertips over the words like they were written in Braille.
I shook my head. I pointed to my chest. “She told me I had to do this for her. Just me.”
“Why you?”
“Well, I may have, um, unintentionally made her mad. I think she wants me to do this for her as some kind of payback.”
“It doesn’t take much to make Piper mad,” Sam observed, picking a stray fry off his plate. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. She thinks you’re Samantha who works at the bookstore. You’re not and you don’t.” He shrugged. “You don’t have to find anything for her. Trust me, she’ll get over it, and you’ll have a great story to tell your friends back home.”
I hesitated. “There’s more.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“It’s about Paul.”
He lifted his other eyebrow.
“She, um, she said that if I didn’t agree to find this for her today, she was . . . she was going to fire Paul.”
Sam blew his breath out slowly in understanding, the air ruffling the brown hair hanging over his eyes. “And so you said yes.”
“I had to. If I’d blown her off and called her a psycho—which I was seriously tempted to do—then she would have fired Paul when he got back with Bootsie.”
Sam looked at me for a long moment. “You don’t even know Paul,” he said quietly, a touch of wonder in his voice.
I shrugged. “He said he was already on thin ice with her. And if she fired him, then you’d lose your job too. I didn’t want to risk it.”
“Then, on behalf of both of us, I’m glad you said yes.” He tapped his finger on the words spread between us. “But you don’t have to do this, you know. This isn’t your problem. This is just some crazy request from some crazy celebrity. Let me handle this, and you can walk away, free and clear.”
I bit my lip. My once-delicious lunch sat in my stomach like a rock. “I can’t just walk away. I told Piper I would do it, and I’m not a liar.”
“It’s not your responsibility.”
“I know. But I have to at least try. Besides, I’m afraid that if I don’t bring her back what she wants, she’s going to fire him anyway.”
“Piper isn’t going to fire my brother; she relies on him too much.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Sam’s silence stretched past confidence and into uncertainty.
He looked over the list of requirements again. “So what is it she wants, exactly?”
“Artwork. Something that she can hang over her fireplace.”
“A one-of-a-kind?”
“Signed.” I tapped the paper and exhaled in frustration. “I don’t have the kind of money it’ll take to buy a signed, one-of-a-kind piece of artwork that is inspirational and moving and original and fresh.” I leaned back in my chair. “I barely have enough money to cover lunch.”
Sam waved his hand, his attention still on Piper’s list. “Don’t worry about lunch.”
“I can’t let you pay—”
“We had a deal,” he reminded me. “Lunch is on me.”
“The deal was Vanessa’s story in exchange for lunch. You never finished the story.”
Sam pushed aside the salt and pepper shakers and flipped over Piper’s photo. “This is the better trade. I’ll tell you Vanessa’s story over dinner.”
My heart lifted in hope. “And what makes you think we’ll be having dinner together?”
Sam rolled up the photo and handed it back to me. “Because a job like this will take all day.” He signaled the waitress to bring the bill. “And because you’ll need my help.”
Chapter 10
Sam
Help? The word felt slippery in his mouth. Why had he offered to help? He should have just said he would do it alone. He worked alone. He liked working alone. Alone didn’t
I set my elbow on the table and leaned my head against my hand. “Piper’s latest request. Well, demand is more like it.”
“Are you supposed to give this list to Paul?” Sam ran his fingertips over the words like they were written in Braille.
I shook my head. I pointed to my chest. “She told me I had to do this for her. Just me.”
“Why you?”
“Well, I may have, um, unintentionally made her mad. I think she wants me to do this for her as some kind of payback.”
“It doesn’t take much to make Piper mad,” Sam observed, picking a stray fry off his plate. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. She thinks you’re Samantha who works at the bookstore. You’re not and you don’t.” He shrugged. “You don’t have to find anything for her. Trust me, she’ll get over it, and you’ll have a great story to tell your friends back home.”
I hesitated. “There’s more.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“It’s about Paul.”
He lifted his other eyebrow.
“She, um, she said that if I didn’t agree to find this for her today, she was . . . she was going to fire Paul.”
Sam blew his breath out slowly in understanding, the air ruffling the brown hair hanging over his eyes. “And so you said yes.”
“I had to. If I’d blown her off and called her a psycho—which I was seriously tempted to do—then she would have fired Paul when he got back with Bootsie.”
Sam looked at me for a long moment. “You don’t even know Paul,” he said quietly, a touch of wonder in his voice.
I shrugged. “He said he was already on thin ice with her. And if she fired him, then you’d lose your job too. I didn’t want to risk it.”
“Then, on behalf of both of us, I’m glad you said yes.” He tapped his finger on the words spread between us. “But you don’t have to do this, you know. This isn’t your problem. This is just some crazy request from some crazy celebrity. Let me handle this, and you can walk away, free and clear.”
I bit my lip. My once-delicious lunch sat in my stomach like a rock. “I can’t just walk away. I told Piper I would do it, and I’m not a liar.”
“It’s not your responsibility.”
“I know. But I have to at least try. Besides, I’m afraid that if I don’t bring her back what she wants, she’s going to fire him anyway.”
“Piper isn’t going to fire my brother; she relies on him too much.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Sam’s silence stretched past confidence and into uncertainty.
He looked over the list of requirements again. “So what is it she wants, exactly?”
“Artwork. Something that she can hang over her fireplace.”
“A one-of-a-kind?”
“Signed.” I tapped the paper and exhaled in frustration. “I don’t have the kind of money it’ll take to buy a signed, one-of-a-kind piece of artwork that is inspirational and moving and original and fresh.” I leaned back in my chair. “I barely have enough money to cover lunch.”
Sam waved his hand, his attention still on Piper’s list. “Don’t worry about lunch.”
“I can’t let you pay—”
“We had a deal,” he reminded me. “Lunch is on me.”
“The deal was Vanessa’s story in exchange for lunch. You never finished the story.”
Sam pushed aside the salt and pepper shakers and flipped over Piper’s photo. “This is the better trade. I’ll tell you Vanessa’s story over dinner.”
My heart lifted in hope. “And what makes you think we’ll be having dinner together?”
Sam rolled up the photo and handed it back to me. “Because a job like this will take all day.” He signaled the waitress to bring the bill. “And because you’ll need my help.”
Chapter 10
Sam
Help? The word felt slippery in his mouth. Why had he offered to help? He should have just said he would do it alone. He worked alone. He liked working alone. Alone didn’t
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