Frog Prince Page 16

  ”Sam told me he's driving you to see your parents. Do you mind if I tag alone?”

  She’d been wrong. She’d thought her friend was going to ask about Chase, not Sam. Before Rebe could stop herself or even figure out why she was doing what she did, she’d pulled away from Kandi and sat staring at her, unable to speak, but her eyes opened wide.

  Rebe couldn't believe her reaction to such a simple request and from Kandi no less. She wouldn’t have believed it, but knew it was a good dose of truth, the way it hit her in the chest with such force.

  For heaven sake, Rebe didn't want her best friend to make the drive with them. WTH? They'd been born three days apart, had lived next door to each other their entire lives, and had gone through school together, even opting for the same college. And had left home together and now resided in the same city. They were family. But she still didn't want her with them on the trip. She couldn’t look at Kandi, couldn’t say the words. How would she explain it when she didn't even know the reason?

  “Oh my, God,” Kandi yelled. “You don't want me to go, do you? Rebe? What in the world is wrong with you? You're going home. I live next door. Why don't you want me along?” A light suddenly went off and Kandi screamed. “You want to be alone with Sam. Why?”

  “I do not.”

  “Rebe, you’re such a liar. You’re falling for Sam. He's everything you don't want and you're falling for him.” Kandi pounced on her and began squealing. “This has taken way longer than it should. I'm so happy.”

  “Don't be. You can come on the road trip with us. In fact I insist that you come.”

  “Now you're afraid. Well, guess what? Sam's afraid also. He's the one who asked me to tag along. I think that boy has it bad for you, and I don't think he trust the two of you together for such a long trip there and back.”

  “Sam asked you to come?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not surprised. When we first discussed the trip, he said it would be great if the three of us could make the trip together.”

  “Then why did you act so surprised, or as though you wanted to kill me and stuff me in the back of Sam’s car.

  “Cut it out. Did I tell you that Sam has added a few words to his opinion of me? He called me a featherbrain and an airhead. He's so mean to me.”

  “Yet, he's always there when you need him.”

  “Because of my brother. He told me he’d promised Jamie he'd take care of me.”

  “Please, Rebe, do you think Jamie didn't know how Sam feels about you, or for that matter how you feel about him? You're just too stubborn to admit it. And Sam’s got way too much pride to beg.”

  Though the laughter in Kandi’s eyes was contagious Rebe refused to give in to it. “I don’t want Sam to beg me. You both seem to forget I'm in a serious relationship.”

  “Oh, please. Do you think because you keep saying those words it will make it come true? Chase is so not for you and you’re not going to marry him. Yes, you like that he's good looking and he can be a lot of fun. And I get it, he gets the job done and you get the big ‘O’. But that's not all there is to a relationship. I mean you could sample Sam, and see if he can get the job done before you dump Chase.”

  Disbelief made Rebe’s mouth drop at what Kandi was proposing. “You can't be serious. I am not sampling Sam.”

  “You've sampled his kisses. Tell me something, can he kiss?”

  “I will not answer that question,” Rebe responded indignantly feeling her nether regions heat up. “That is so none of your business.”

  “You’ve told me things about Chase.”

  “Not really intimate things?”

  “Get real, telling me how he makes you…cry for Jesus is about as intimate as one can get. Besides, kissing isn’t intimate. Well, I’ll take that back. It depend if it’s your lips or you’re being kissed a bit farther south as to whether it’s intimate. Has Sam kissed your southern regions?”

  This time Rebe was unable to hold back the laughter. She hit out at Kandi.

  “Come on tell, Rebe, tell me, how Sam kisses?”

  “If you’re so interested in how Sam kisses, why don't you kiss him and find out?” Rebe said indignantly

  “Because unlike you my friend I know when a man is smitten with another woman. Even if said woman is unaware of it. Besides, I prefer my kisses to be something he and I both want to do, not something done as an experiment, or because the guy might not be what I've imagined in my mind he should be.”

  “You're talking about me obviously, and you're beginning to sound like Sam. I haven't changed in the kind of guys I likes since high school. Why are you acting like Sam, like I all of a sudden decided on a type?”

  “You were never this bad. You didn't behave like this until you began writing romance novels. It was then you started this nonsense about having to be with a heroic looking guy. I think you’re forgetting that it’s much better to be with a hero than someone who looks like a preconceived idea of one. . I don't get it. Why don't you take a look at your behavior and take a look at Sam's. Pretend you're both fictional characters. Wouldn't he be in love with you? Wouldn’t you end up falling for him? I’ve read your books and I know how the story would end. You’d live happily ever after?”

  “Enough of this.” Getting up to return to the dance floor Rebe turned and said over her shoulder. “There is no such thing as happily ever after. If there were our group would still be a foursome. Jamie would still be alive.”

  When the phone rang waking her early on Sunday morning Rebe was sure it would be Chase. For some reason he was always more interested when he was unable to reach her. And for Friday and Saturday she’d been out of touch. Yes, it was childish. But she’d been hurt and annoyed that he didn’t want to meet her parents,’ that he didn’t think they were that serious. Wasn’t that the point of them being in a committed relationship? She’d gone back and forth with her logic, hating that she vacillated

  She took a breath on looking at his number at the caller ID. It would have been even more childish of her to not answer, so she did. “Hi, Chase,” she said trying to make sure there wasn’t the least bit of enthusiasm in her voice.

  “Where have you been all weekend. I came over twice, and I’ve called you repeatedly. And I’ve left you a dozen texts, none of which you even bothered to answer.”

  “Kandi and I had a girl’s night on Friday. Saturday I had things to do.” She waited knowing for the first time in his life Chase was feeling jealous and his confidence was wavering. She’d said what she had in the manner she had in order to make him wonder. That was mean of her. Or was it? If he were truly a hero he would have told her he’d love to visit her parents and if she were truly a heroine she’d let him off the hook. LOL. She never claimed to be a heroine and had no plans at the moment of letting Chase off the hook.

  “Rebe, I’m getting the feeling that you’re pissed at me. Is it because of what I said about going to visit your parents? I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I’ve been thinking about it and I don’t think what I said to you was my being a good boyfriend. I’m sorry about that. I’d like very much to go with you to visit your parents.”

  She needed to give Chase one more shot. Sitting up in bed Rebe glanced across her bedroom to the vase of roses Chase had sent to her. A heroic move, right? What if it was fear of the things she’d had with Chase for the past two plus years that had her thinking of Sam? It could be possible. Why hadn’t she thought of Sam in a romantic way before Jamie died, before she was with Chase? She had thought of him that way, for only a nano second, she realized but pushed it away.

  “I think you’re being a bad girlfriend at the moment. I’ve never refused your calls, never not told you where I was going to be. I thought we made a pact that the weekends were for us, no matter what,” Chase said in his calm lawyer voice.

  He did have a point. And what the heck. Did she not have a voice? Shouldn’t she have told him how she’d felt about his not wanting to go to a place where she didn’t want
him to go? She was nuts. Crazy.

  The sudden realization of her mental status brought the beginning of an internal battle between her head and her heart. Her heart was screaming, ‘no, don’t do it. End it and run to Sam’. Her head was screaming. ‘Chase is safe; you didn’t want to become lost in another person. You’ll never become lost in Chase. He may break your heart, but he’ll never be able to break your spirit or take away your will to live.’

  “Rebe, your mind is so far away. I can tell you’re not even listening to me. It’s only fair that if you have me on trial I receive a chance to redeem myself. We haven’t had a fight. I haven’t cheated. I had a moment of panic. Will you condemn me for that? I was serious when I told you I wanted a commitment with you. I’m trying and I’ve come more than half way. Are you willing to take the next step?”

  Chase was right. Oh crap. He had a point and she wasn’t a quitter. She did owe it to him and to herself to see if there was anything to their relationship besides the fact that they looked good together, had fun, and were great in bed. Not bad really, not when she'd always sworn she wanted nothing more.

  Darn it to hell. It was all Sam’s fault for suggesting if Chase really cared, even a little bit that he’d want to go with her. Well heck, she’d not wanted him to care enough to do something big like that. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to care at all. The most she wanted was the fun loving Chase without the cheating. That would have been enough for her. But no, Mr. But in her business had ruined all of that.

  Sam was forever making her question the things she thought she wanted. And she couldn't get it out of her mind that he wanted her to …well what, be better, more unselfish… more what? And what the heck was it about her brother asking Sam to look after her. She was having a hard enough time living without her brother in her life.

  Once again Sam was right. Jamie had been her perfect hero. His death had left a huge hole in her heart, leaving her unable to talk about Jamie with anyone but Sam. She’d not had to put on a brave face with Sam, or even make attempts to get him through his own grief. He’d been close to Jamie and like her parents and other family and even Kandi and her family, they’d all hurt. She’d not been able to be there for any of them. She’d been selfish and had taken from Sam without a single worry. And because of his allowing her to grieve she’d been able to continue living. Two years later he remained the only person she’d ever talked to about Jamie.

  In more ways than one, Sam was different. He made Rebe do things she didn't want to do, like question her relationship with Chase. She wanted to be in 100%, but she wasn't. The strange thing of it was, she didn’t think her actions or lack thereof had any bearings on the fact that Chase had cheated on her, over and over again. She wasn't stupid. Well, not the way Sam meant anyway. She knew Chase was a dog and she'd been okay with it. Sure, she'd not played around on him. But that was because it wasn't who she was. Or it hadn’t been. Now all of a sudden one kiss from Sam had turned into several and she found herself wanting more from him, more from Chase and more from herself. Darn it all. Whenever she got to thinking about Sam she found it hard to stop. She heard a tapping on the phone and realized once again in their conversation her mind had wandered away from Chase and she’d left him hanging.

  “Rebe, please answer me. What’s wrong?” Chase pleaded, something Rebe was not used to him doing.

  “I’ve been thinking.”

  “About us?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you afraid?

  “I think I might be, Chase. I’m not sure if we can, or even if we should be attempting this. Look if you’re worried about our working arrangement I promise that doesn’t have to change.”

  “It’s not our working relationship at issue here. It’s our personal one. I want more. If I’m going to be a better boyfriend then you’re the one I want to be one for.”

  “That is such a strange way to put it.”

  “I know it might be. But you’re a writer; you have to know what I mean.”

  “Okay, maybe I do. You want to improve yourself and somehow you have me and our relationship tied into it. That doesn’t sound very romantic.”

  “Come on, Rebe,” Chase pleaded.

  It was time for Rebe to come clean. She had to admit it. Chase had been trying. Her state of flux was not entirely his fault. With a soft moan of apprehension she decided to attempt to explain to Chase what was going on. The thing of it was she didn’t entirely understand it all herself.

  “Chase, I’m not even sure exactly why I’m upset with you. All of it doesn’t have to do with my going home to see my parents. Some of it has to do with the way you behaved at the unveiling of Sam’s mural. I’d expected you to be a better sport. I think I’ve given you qualities I wanted you to have. That’s my fault, not yours.”

  “People can change, Rebe. I can change if the stakes are high enough, if I want to badly enough. I want to change, for you and for us.”

  Rebe knew she should ask Chase once more if he wanted to go with her to visit her parents. Heck he was practically asking her to. Didn’t he say he wanted a second chance? Didn’t he say he wanted to change? She thought about it, but couldn’t get past the fact that he’d already said he had no interest in meeting her parents. Still for some unknown reason she wanted to give them another chance to prove they were in a semblance of relationship. With a half sigh she decided to go at it from a different angle.

  “I decided instead of flying to see my parents I’m going to make it into a road trip. Sam is going with me.” Silence greeted her for an unbearably long time.

  “So now I have to worry about not only hurting you, but I have to worry about Sam’s feelings as well? What about mine? Chase asked” Neither of you appear to care that it’s improper for you to continue playing kissing game. I’m almost positive that you never cheated on me in the past. So I’ve been wondering if this thing you’ve got going with Sam isn’t pretense on your part. Perhaps you’re getting even with me for my past shabby treatment. But, Rebe, you need to wake up. Sam is in love with you. This isn’t a joke to him. He’s out to wreck our relationship.”

  “That’s not true,” Rebe replied softly, not altogether sure that wasn’t exactly what Sam had in mind.

  “Yes, Rebe, it’s true. I don’t know how Sam went so quickly from not being able to stand you to being in love with you, but it happened. I was thinking about it and I figured that perhaps I owe you the couple of kisses you’ve shared with Sam. It may not even up the score but the divide isn’t nearly as great. Still, I think what you’re doing is going overboard and it’s not fair to me. The point of our making a commitment meant We, as in you and me, were going to get closer together. What are you going to do, run off any time you get upset with me about something? That’s being passive aggressive.”

  “You’re right.” Rebe waited for the information to sink in, that she’d actually admitted she was wrong in being angry with him and not telling him.

  If that’s the case, then I don’t get it. You’ve never had any problem reaming me out, telling me you were pissed. Since you’ve been hanging out with Sam, you’ve changed. I don’t like it.”

  Laughter was Rebe’s answer. “Chase, you and Sam have a lot more in common than you might think. He thinks I’ve changed since we’ve been dating and not for the better. So it would appear neither of you are my biggest fan.”

  “Rebe, I’m not joking.”

  Sighing, Rebe made herself comfortable. “I know,” she said. “I’m not doing this because I'm angry with you. I already told you that I was going to give us an opportunity to make this work”

  “So, why is Sam going with you to see your parents?”

  “Sam has met my parents several times. Don’t get upset but I had asked Sam to go with me before I ever thought of asking you. It was weeks ago. Actually Sam was the one who told me that considering we were in a relationship, I really should ask you to go with me. I asked, you said no. So I asked Sam again and he agreed.”

>   “Rebe, you have to admit you came at me from out of nowhere with that. And to top it off you were locked in my office with Sam. I was pissed. Can I come over? And we’ll discuss us. I’ll bring breakfast.”

  “And coffee?”

  Chase laughed. “Sure, I’ll bring coffee.”

  With a bit of a groan Rebe didn’t have to wonder how the conversation with Chase would go. She would ask him once more if he wanted to accompany her home and he would say yes. Better yet, he would ask if he could go with her and she would be the one to say yes. Either way she knew by the time he left her apartment he would be going with her. And she knew Sam was going to want to kill her. She had no choice but to call Sam and advise him of the changed circumstances and let the chips fall where they may.

  Sam hung up the phone from talking with Rebe and went immediately across the hall to Kandi’s apartment and banged on her door. He could barely contain his annoyance until the door was open. One look at Kandi’s face and he knew she already had the information he’d come to give her.

  “I don't believe her. Did she really nearly beg me to take her to see her parents? Did she not tell me her boyfriend had better things to do and couldn’t make it? And now she does this big turnaround because he’s suddenly had a change of heart. She told Chase we’re taking a road trip and asked him to come along. What nerve. I simply cannot believe she did that. I'm not going. I am just not going.”

  “Come on Sam, Rebe needs you. It’s the first time she’d been home since Jamie’s funeral. You know she had to ask Chase if he'd go. Matter of fact she told me you first suggested it.”

  “I did and he said no. He doesn’t deserve another chance to make things right. He only changed his mind when she told him I was going. I do not want to be bothered with him. I can't stand him”

  “I know. I also know that you're doing this for Rebe”

  Sam was dumbfounded. He’d planned to tell Rebe how he felt about her and see if there was something there between them. He thought he’d sensed it on several occasions and most definitely when they kissed. Then again that could be mutual attraction or lust. He wanted to see if there was more.