Page 60 of Securing Samantha
“Lass, why did you bring me here? Will you use this house for someone? If not Michael, then who?” his voice came out gruffer than before.
“I’m not interested in keeping the house, I wanted the land around the mountain. I don’t want developers out this way and the mountain needs to stay secluded for our patients to heal. I hoped to sell the place, but she requires the right person. Someone willing to restore her to her original beauty. I still have to help Michael find a place in town…” She bit her lip.
Whiskey walked the length of the glass porch, he glanced into the kitchen. He envisioned him and Samantha dancing as they did every time he left. LJ running through the backyard with a plane in his hand. Watching the sunrise above the mountains while having a morning beverage. A kitchen table sat off to the side, dividing the room from the glassed-in area. With the doors open, the light appeared everywhere.
“Lass,” Whiskey whispered. “May I buy the house from you? We can find something for Michael and Lizzy. I’ll help you,” he offered almost frantically.
She cocked her head to the side as if contemplating his offer.
“I’ll go to the bank. What did you offer them? Did they accept?” He shot off questions at her while she waited patiently.
“Whiskey what do you want with two houses? You already own the only one in town currently empty. It holds that beautiful side area. It’s empty without Samantha’s products, but it needs something good to replace the bad. Victoria taught me to always find the good. I can’t think of anything better than kids. Almost perfect for a small pediatrician’s office. Too bad it’s not for sale…”
Whiskey’s eyes widened as if the idea struck him upside his head.
“Kassie, what if I sold Michael and Lizzy my place in town and I purchased this from you? I’ve got to move the rest of the furniture out and give it a good cleaning, but Samantha’s scents still carry throughout the house. It might provide some comfort for Lizzy.” His mind flew in a million different directions. Plans came to life in the once dark void of his mind.
Kassie laughed. “I thought you’d never offer.”
“Ach, lass, you set me up. Why didn’t you ask me?” he laughed. He felt freer than he had in a long time. He could breathe here.
“Because sometimes, we need to figure things out for ourselves,” she told him.
Hope ran around in circles wagging her tail, catching Whiskey’s excitement.
“Michael’s coming over for dinner with Lizzy tonight. They’ll meet us at your house. If we call the men to move everything out, Maddie, Carol, Victoria and I can help clean while Catherine covers me at the hospital. The Steven’s accepted my offer this morning and I’ll meet them in two hours to sign the contracts. Because they have already moved everything and I’ll pay in cash, we can take immediate possession. You can bring your things here.” Kassie started typing out her list.
“But I need to go to the bank, lass. How much will you be wanting for it? Will Samantha’s house be enough?” Whiskey’s excitement grew as he rushed to text Leo and the men. Matthew worked on finding Ragu and Leo might have meetings, but he might manage to snag a couple of them.
“I don’t know how long it will take to get everything out and the team left working other jobs,” he thought out loud as Kassie typed on her phone.
“Victoria’s men will be at your house within an hour. We have ten men and I’ll ask Joe and Jake to watch the girls. It’ll make Jake feel like he’s helping. He sometimes struggles with breathing. Joe will make dinner. I already have everything marinating. We’re set to go.” She smiled brightly at him.
Whiskey walked up to Kassie and cupped both sides of her head and kissed her soundly. “I might’ve earned a punch in the nose for kissing ya, but I can’t tell you what this means to me.”
“You don’t have to. You have this house to heal you, and I used the hospital to help me. Whiskey?” He met her gaze. “Chase returned to me. He was hurt too, but he found his way back. I hope the same for you.”
Whiskey pulled her into a hug and whispered in her ear, “Me too, lass, me too.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Samantha sat on the edge of the bed as LJ packed his insulated underwear, extra socks, and she made a note to pick up a pair of snow pants since he outgrew his current pair. Her son spoke excitedly about his trip home.
“Whiskey said I can bunk with him. He said he went to the store and bought marshmallows. I asked him why he didn’t make them like you. They taste better.” He wrinkled his nose. “He said he needed to ask you for the recipe. Do you think I can take it with me?” LJ packed his beloved helicopter in his carry-on bag.
“I’ll write it down. Remember, the team’s busy. You and Whiskey will spend a lot of time together. Mind your manners and do as he asks. On Christmas Eve, Whiskey will bring you to Kassie’s. You and Em will open gifts with us from Santa and then Whiskey said something about Santa asked if he might keep a present at his house for you because you are friends,” she reiterated what she and Whiskey agreed on.
They decided Santa only needed to drop off two presents each. Since Whiskey seemed very busy for a man without a job, he only responded if she texted. Frustration at his avoidance of her pulled at her last nerve. He never argued and when she suggested the plan, he responded yes. She thought about asking if he wished to arrive early in the morning and watch the kids open presents together, yet something held her back. If he barely communicated with her by text, he certainly didn’t want to share his holiday with her.
“I want to take the Christmas presents for the guys,” LJ reminded her.
“There’re already packed in my bag,” she reassured him.
He used his allowance and bought all the team coffee mugs. One said, “You’re # 1”, for Leo. Another said, “I live for Taco Tuesday’s” she didn’t even have to ask who the mug belonged to. Saint’s read, “My mama loves me”, and Shadow’s contained a man in an open doorway and his ‘shadow’ appeared in front of him. Chase’s mug carried a cartoon character, saying “What’s up, Doc?”. He bought each of the girls bows for their hair in pink, dark purple and light purple. Then her heart crumbled when he pulled out Whiskey’s mug. It was shaped like a barrel, and ‘Whiskey’ appeared across the label. On the back it said “# 1 Dad”. They didn’t tell LJ Whiskey was his dad. She wasn’t even sure her son noticed the back. He seemed excited about finding a mug with Whiskey’s name on it. The mug would be priceless in LJ’s father’s eyes.
Bryan agreed to pick them up in an hour. His flight to London departed an hour after they flew out for Seattle. Somehow it didn’t bother her, even as she thought it should.
“Whiskey said he borrowed a sled for me. I told him how mine broke last year and I didn’t want to go back to our old house to get it. He said I can be sad about my old house and to remember no one will hurt me ever again cause he’s there to watch over and protect me like the team,” he grabbed his small plane and packed it with his wings in the bag.