For a week now, Sam had wanted to know if Jeremy had asked Chan out on a second date. Every time he opened his mouth to make the inquiry, however, he got interrupted, and it was driving him crazy. Then of course, he chided himself for caring, for being too interested. After all, it was supposed to be none of his business.
He took another sip of his beer, put it down, and relaxed back in his chair as he watched Jeremy on the other side of the lively, busy restaurant. His cousin was talking on his cell phone. A few seconds later, he hung up and returned to his seat with them. Sam wondered if he’d called Chan to finally ask her out for a second date.
The restaurant was very busy tonight. It was, after all, a Saturday night. No doubt, the bar next door was packed full of people as well.
At their table, sitting beside Sam, was Nina, while opposite them was Jayden McCartney and Alec Hasting. At the head was Jeremy, who kept flicking his eyes to his cell phone.
Jayden eyed Sam and cocked his head to one side. “What’s up? Looks like you’re having some love trouble.”
Sam turned his attention to his friend. “What love trouble. I’m not even dating.”
“It takes time to do that sort of thing,” Alec said in his strong Scottish brogue.
The men understood, as Alec himself had been divorced from his first wife before meeting Ruby. It had taken him a while before he finally accepted his ex-wife Amy really was leaving him for another guy. The hurt. The betrayal. The loneliness.
But Sam’s wife Sarah hadn’t left him for another guy. She had died in a car accident. And yes, for three years now, he’d felt the pain and the loneliness of losing her, his other half, the woman he’d loved with all his heart.
Jayden glanced at Nina sitting beside Sam and wondered if perhaps there was something more than just friendship between the two. Now she was leaning closer to the man so her arm touched his. Jayden had been sure the two were in a serious relationship since he and his wife had first met with them on Wednesday night for dinner.
Of course, Alex had told him in the privacy of their bedroom later she didn’t like Nina very much, and in her opinion, Sam deserved someone better. When he asked her what she meant, she said there was something beneath all that charm and all that beauty that was just plain wrong. Jayden didn’t understand what his wife was mumbling on about and suspected Alex just didn’t like Nina.
“Love trouble?” Nina asked, raising her perfectly shaped brows at Sam. “Our Sam? Since when do you have love trouble? You didn’t tell me you’re dating?”
Sam noted the accusation beneath her tone and frowned at her.
Jeremy said, “If anyone were to have love trouble, it’d be me.”
Jayden turned his attention to Jeremy. “Oh?”
“A serial dater like you?” Nina laughed. “Surely, Jeremy, if you’re having love trouble, it’s because you’re serial dating. What? Are all those girls finally catching up to you? Have they finally found out you’re dating more than just one?”
Jeremy frowned at Nina and thought what a bitch she was. He often wondered how Sam could put up with her. Couldn’t the woman read the atmosphere, that none of them wanted her in their lives? Most of all Sam? Yes, she might have been Sarah’s best friend. But Sarah was dead, and it wasn’t Nina’s job to take her place. Jeremy knew that was exactly what she was trying to do. To become Sam’s next wife.
Jeremy turned his attention to Jayden and Alec. “Come to think of it, how do you two do it?”
“What?” Alec asked.
“How’d you get Ruby to fall in love with you?”
“Well, that’s different for everybody,” Alec replied, shrugging.
He wasn’t going to go into details about how he’d kidnapped that innocent, spirited Ruby, locked her up in his castle, and wooed her until she fell in love with him. Hell no! It was their love story. Weird and funny as it may sound, it was their love story. Every time he thought about it, he felt a warm glow within his chest and he smiled with delight. Then, of course, he’d usually make wild, passionate love to her after thinking about their tempestuous encounter.
Jayden nodded in agreement. “Yes. Definitely different for everybody.”
Jeremy leaned forward. “How did you meet Alexandra? I’m pretty sure you two weren’t in the same circle.”
Jayden chuckled. “Yeah, well… a friend, Peter, introduced us. I was on holiday in Queenstown at the time, and Peter was considerate enough to help out. Things got off from there.”
He kept his mouth shut after that. Like hell he was going to retell the tale of his love life, where he hired the innocent, shy Alexandra to be his girlfriend in order to fool his family. On top of that, like hell he was going to tell anyone he’d lied to Alex about being gay. This was, of course, all in order to make her feel sorry for him so she’d help him out.
He had been a selfish jerk back then; he knew that. Although, he didn’t regret it one bit, because, man, thanks to that, he now had Alex, the love of his life. She and their son Andy were everything to him. They were his light and his life, and he loved them to bits. Every time he thought about them, his heart glowed with happiness. A smile was never far from his lips whenever their image popped up in his mind. He’d admit he was one of the luckiest men on the planet.
“Why are you interested in this all of a sudden?” Sam inquired.
Jeremy chuckled. “Maybe I’ve finally found the woman I might really fall in love with.”
“Oh?” Sam raised his brows. Though he seemed relaxed to everyone, he was in fact quite stiff and tense.
Nina laughed. “I feel sorry for the woman who’s falling in love with you, Jeremy. She’s going to have a lot of heartache.”
Jeremy frowned at her, offended. Sam wasn’t impressed with Nina’s behavior either.
Jeremy said, “So, Jayden, any advice you can give a guy about relationship?”
“Are you having trouble?” Sam asked his cousin.
“Not usually,” Jeremy said. “But this one didn’t appear that willing. Normally, we’d be on our second or third date by now, and you know…”
Sam understood what Jeremy meant. Under normal circumstances in Jeremy’s dating life, he’d be onto second or third base. He and the woman would be having hot, intense sex almost every other night. But the thought of Jeremy and Chan being so intimate made Sam sick to his stomach. It made his heart ache with jealousy. It was such a strong, powerful emotion, a type Sam had never felt before in his life until he had met Chan, and he didn’t know how to deal with it.
Nina suddenly got up from her spot and said, “Excuse me.”
The men nodded at her as she heading toward the restroom located outside the restaurant, across the corridor.
Jeremy leaned forward and said, “Bro, is Nina really organizing Lilly’s birthday party?”
Sam nodded.
Jeremy looked uncomfortable. “What about Marian? Is she okay with that? More importantly, is the little princess okay with that?”
Sam said, “Nina insisted she do it this year, and Marian and Lilly gave her the okay.”
Alec asked, “Your daughter’s birthday?”
Sam nodded. “She’s turning seven this year. It’s next Saturday.”
“We’re still around,” Jayden said. “Mind if we join in?”
Sam laughed. “Of course not. Bring Alex and Andy around. Lilly would love that.”
Jeremy chimed in. “And Alex’s friends, too. Sam told me there are lots of girls?”
Alec said, “Are you sure that’s okay? There’s a few of them.”
Sam laughed. “No problem. The more the merrier.”
Jayden nodded. “I’ve just met the Chandler sisters for the first time this afternoon. They’re charming. But yes, Alex has quite a number of very close friends.”
Alec laughed wholeheartedly. “Ruby being one of them. Seriously, I never thought the world was that small.”
Jayden chuckled. “Yep.”
“The Chandler sisters?” Jeremy asked, curious.
Suddenly, his phone rang, distracting his train of thought. He quickly picked it up, excitement on his face.
Sam thought it might be Chan calling Jeremy back. He had suspected Jeremy had called the girl just before but wasn’t sure if that were true or not.
A moment later, Jeremy said, “Sorry. I have to meet up with some friends.”
“Who is it?” Sam asked, knowing he was being a bit nosy in his cousin’s business. But heck, he couldn’t help himself.
Jeremy laughed. “Ethan Taylor. He’s in town for business for a couple days. We’re meeting up with some other friends for drinks tonight. I might bring them here. The bar is great.”
Sam nodded, and Jeremy, after excusing himself from Jayden and Alec, rushed out the restaurant.
“Speaking of which,” Alec said, a smile on his lips. “I wonder how the girls are getting on.”
Jay chuckled. “Up to a lot of mischief I would imagine.”
Sam couldn’t help but notice how content his two friends were. He used to be like that once, when Sarah was still alive. But now, even though he had his darling daughter Lilly, he still felt a little empty and cold inside sometimes, especially during the dark, lonely night. It was as if no matter what he did to make himself happy, it just wasn’t enough. There was something vital missing in his life, like he was living but not really living and breathing but not really breathing.
“Speaking of the devil.” Jayden chuckled, his eyes on the door across the restaurant. “What are they doing here?”
Sam and Alec turned in that direction as well, and they saw a group of women there, heading toward the bar area. Alex and Ruby were amongst them.
The group of females was about to turn the corner when Alex caught Jayden watching them. She scurried over, and Jayden couldn’t help but wanted to pull her in his arms. Ruby saw her fiancé Alec as well and came over gleefully. Their friends, curious, followed behind.
“Hi, Alec,” Ruby said. “I want you to meet my friends.”
Alexandra came over to stand behind her husband’s chair and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders. Jayden, as comfortable as ever, stroked his wife’s hand and kissed her on the lips.
Behind them, Soriya and Dara glanced at each other and snickered delightfully. Then they expected the same lovey-dovey performance from Alec and Ruby. They weren’t disappointed. Alec pulled Ruby into his arms and gave her a passionate kiss, at which Ruby scowled.
“That’s enough, mister. We’re in front of my friends.”
Alec just laughed it off. “Sorry, sweetheart,” he apologized in his strong Scottish brogue.
Isabella, Georgina, and, of course, Dara and Soriya all sighed dreamily.
“Aww, he’s got such an awesome accent,” Soriya said. “I feel my body quivering with love. Quick, help me, Dara.
Dara chuckled and patted her sister’s shoulder to calm her down.
It was then Sam noticed the girls. Their facial features struck something deep in his core, and he realized they looked oddly familiar.
“Alex,” Jayden said to his wife. “Why don’t you do the introductions?”
Alex nodded and turned to her friends. “Guys, this is Sam Harrington.”
“Harrington?” Soriya shrieked out in delight. “Like the Harrington?”
Sam chuckled. Oddly enough, he found this young woman very charming and delightful.
He said, “Just Sam Harrington.”
Dara shook her head. “No. No. Not just Sam Harrington. You’re like the Harrington, as in the owner of this hotel chain?”
Sam didn’t know how to respond to that. He simply nodded. Yes, this was yet another charming, delightful young woman. Then he wondered what their names were. He was pretty sure they were sisters.
He didn’t have to wait long before Alex said, “Sam, these are my friends. These two pretty, outspoken darlings are Soriya and Dara.” Then she nodded to the other girls. “Georgina and Isabella.”
“Nice to meet you,” Georgina said.
“Same here,” Isabella said.
“Oh my gosh!” Soriya gushed in delight. “It’s so awesome to actually meet you in person, Mr. Harrington.”
“Totally awesome,” Dara said. “My company is going to be working for yours. We’re designing and decorating your new hotel and resort.”
Sam laughed. “Cooper and Hunter, is it?”
Dara nodded furiously. “Yes. Though I’m very new. I started three months ago. We just moved from New Zealand, by the way, my sisters and I. And so excited to be here, starting a new life and everything. It’s so awesome!”
Sam couldn’t help but feel this sort of happy radiance reaching out to him from the two sisters. They sure were friendly and outgoing. Then, of course, the word awesome reminded him of his darling Lilly. It was her favorite word now. Every time when she thought something was amazing, she’d use the word awesome. She even made both Timothy and Jason, Marian’s grandsons, use it, too.
“Awesome,” he said.
“Yes,” Soriya said. “Awesome.”
Dara chimed in. “It’s our family favorite word.”
The girls laughed.
“If you think we’re weird,” Dara said, “which we’re totally not, it’s not our fault. It’s Chan’s. When she was a teacher, she used to use that word with the kids at school, and it got stuck with us, too.”
Soriya nodded. “Right. It’s her fault.”
Sam felt his heart skip a beat at the mention of the name Chan.
Shit! Why the heck did he suddenly feel like he was so close? Oh God! He needed to know. He needed to find out. He knew without a doubt these two sisters were related to Chan. It was hard to miss, for heaven’s sake. Their features were so similar. There was no mistake.
“Chan?” he asked.
“Our eldest,” Dara said. “We call her Chan. It’s her nickname. Her real name is Chandra. Like the moon in Sanskrit.”
Sam’s eyes brightened in delight. “That’s a very beautiful name,” he said, and he knew without a doubt now he was very close. He couldn’t believe it. The world was so small, just as Alec had said only a few minutes ago.
“Oh gosh, the kids love her. It’s so unfair.” Soriya moaned. “Even little Andy prefers her over us.”
Isabella chuckled. “Maybe some people just have the gift with children.”
“And you’re not one of them,” Georgie chimed in teasingly.
“Speaking of children,” Jayden said, looking up at his wife. “We’re invited to Lilly’s birthday party next Saturday.”
“Really? That’s awesome,” Alex said. Then when she realized she’d just used the word awesome, she chuckled. “I think it’s contagious.”
A chorus of laughter followed.
Ruby asked Alec, “Are we invited, too?” At Alec’s nod, she clasped her hands together with glee. “We have to go shopping for some presents.”
“Alex and Ruby’s friends are invited as well,” Sam said, looking at both Dara and Soriya.
The sisters glanced at each other and then said, “Awesome!” in unison.
Sam was delighted. For the first time in three years, he was looking forward to having people coming around to his house for his daughter’s birthday party. It wasn’t the fact that he didn’t like having Lilly’s birthday party at home; it was just that it was always so dead with just him, Lilly, Jeremy, and Marian and her two grandsons, Jason and Timothy. Of course, there were other kids from Lilly’s school as well, and there were Nina and her close circle of friends. But that was about all.
His mom Fran had managed to join in with the celebration last year, but she wouldn’t be able to make it this year.
So the party had always been so uninspiring, especially for him. But this year… this year was going to be different. These charming girls were joining in, and he knew Lilly was going to really enjoy herself and love it. He couldn’t wait. More importantly, he couldn’t wait to meet the eldest sister Chandra at the party.
Suddenly, Sam felt
like some twenty-year-old young man again, looking forward to partying and dating. It was ridiculous but true.
Once again, the group laughed at the sisters’ comment. It was then Nina returned from the restroom, her face beautiful and lovely. As she took the seat beside Sam, she eyed the group of young women with suspicion and hostility. Her eyes locked on the two younger ones because she noted Sam was paying them too much attention and he kept smiling at them. It was as if he really liked them. Heck, if only he smiled at her like that, she’d be getting her wedding dress ready for the expected proposal.
Of course, she didn’t miss the fact these two, who she assumed were sisters, looked very similar to the pretty young woman in the restroom either, the one in the white dress.
Alex noticed the hostility in which Nina regarded them and straightened up. “We better go.”
Jayden gave her a peck on the cheek. “Have fun.”
Alec gave Ruby a kiss as well before the girls departed.
Soriya said, “Oh, and we’ll bring some salads and satay kebabs. Chan makes a mean satay kebab.”
Sam laughed. “Sure,” he said, and he was definitely looking forward to those kebabs.
They were heading toward the bar and out of earshot when Soriya said to her sister, “That woman gives me the chills.” She even quivered in trepidation to show her point.
Dara knew who her sister was referring to. It was that woman who came to sit beside the hunky billionaire Sam as if she owned him. She’d glared at them like they were her mortal enemies or something.
“She’s none of our business,” Dara said. “Just don’t get involved with her. That’s my best advice. She looks like she could kill.”
* * * * *
CHAPTER 21