Chapter 8: Sam

I head over to the Victorian that looks, from the outside, similar to the Winterfield residence. There's a wide lawn that separates our houses. I'm pretty sure my dad would love to move into something newer, grander, and in a more upscale neighborhood but my mom fell in love with this house twenty years ago and refuses to uproot the family.

As I let myself in through the beveled glass front door, I find my mom in the kitchen pouring over an old book of family recipes. My father's silver SUV is parked in the driveway, but he's conspicuously absent. My guess is that he's holed up in the sunroom that he's taken over as an office so he can work from home on the weekends.

Not that he spends much of his time here.

More often than not, he's traveling to the state capital or Washington DC when the senate is in session. Since Dad has been in politics for the last fifteen years, my mom decided it would be easier to give up her nursing job at the hospital so she can be here for me, my younger brother, Gavin, and sister, Arianna. Or Ari, as we affectionately call her.

Once she spots me, Mom does a double take as a smile spreads across her pretty face. "Sam! I didn't know you were going to drop by today. I would have prepared lunch." Her hands land on her slender hips as she gives me a mock frown. "You should have texted."

I nod toward the Winterfield house. "Violet asked if I could stop by and repair something for her grandparents."

My mother's dark blonde brows draw together in concern. "Is everything all right?"

"It's fine. A pipe in the bathroom needed tightening up. It was a quick fix."

My mother and I have the same blond hair and deep, ocean-hued eyes. Where she's more fine-boned, I take after my father. He's tall, broad, and played college football. I was groomed at a young age to follow in his esteemed footsteps. Not only with sports, but in law, and hopefully one day, politics.

"They should have called me. I would have been more than happy to get your father..."

Her voice trails off as one of my brows hikes up across my forehead. I can't see my suit-wearing father wielding a wrench, attempting to fix a leaky pipe in our own house, let alone at the elderly neighbor's next door.

The edges of her lips tremble upward before she finishes that thought, "Well, I could have at least called a plumber for them."

Her offer has a soft chuckle escaping from my lips.

That's exactly what she would have done.

She straightens to her full height of five foot seven before coming around the large, white marble island to give me a hug. This place might be old and full of charm on the outside, but it has been completely gutted and renovated inside. It's one of the many concessions my mother made in order to stay in this neighborhood.

She pulls away before asking, "Can I get you something to eat? We can order Chinese if you're hungry."

I shake my head. "Nah, Mrs. Winterfield made us grilled cheese sandwiches after I fixed the pipe." I pat my flat belly. "I'm stuffed."

"Did Violet come with you?"

"Yup. She wanted to stay and visit with her grandparents while I stopped over here. Mr. Winterfield hasn't been feeling well. He must have picked up a bug or something."

Worry creases her face. "I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe I'll pop over tomorrow and check on them."

I can't help but smile at my mom's concern. She cares a great deal about our neighbors, especially the Winterfields. Sometimes it surprises me that she married someone like my dad. It's not that my father is a bad guy but with his work schedule, he's absent most of the time and that leaves Mom on her own more often than not. Even though she's busy, I think she misses working at the hospital. Since Arianna is eleven and in fifth grade and Gavin is fourteen years old and in eighth, she still needs to be around for them. My dad is gone for weeks at a time, so he can't be counted on to help out at home.

That was one of the factors I considered in my decision to stick around and attend Barnett University. Although, I think we all realize that it was Violet's choice to stay that tipped the scale for me. I wasn't ready to relinquish her after high school. I wanted more time.

"I'm sure they'd appreciate that," I say, only now realizing how quiet the house is. It's almost too quiet, which is definitely odd. Gavin and Ari usually have friends over and my father, when he's here, is surrounded by staff. Even on a Sunday afternoon. "Where is everyone?"

"Your father is in his office making a few calls and Ari and Gavin are both at friends' houses. They'll be sorry to have missed you. They each brought a friend to the game yesterday." She beams. "They couldn't have been prouder of their big brother and how well the team is playing this year." Then she makes an exasperated noise in her throat. "Now that football is over, Gavin's already chafing at the bit. He can't wait to get back out there and play again. Although he did make the school basketball team this season, so that should keep him busy. But still, that boy is all about football." Her eyes sparkle. "Just like his big brother."

Gavin plays quarterback for the local Pop Warner program. Already he has an impressive arm. I wish I had more time to spend throwing the ball around with him. My dad's time is limited and playing catch in the backyard is low on the priority list.

Making a split decision, I offer, "Maybe I'll try to get back over here during the week so we can run some plays."

Her face lights up at the idea. "Gavin would love that. Both he and Ari miss having you around. You've been so busy lately."

She's not telling me anything I don't already know. "I miss them, too." Then I add because it's the truth, "I miss all of you."

"It's nice that you stayed close and we're able to see all your home games."

My mother hasn't missed one single game this season. Actually, she hasn't missed one ever. Peewee through college. No matter what, I can count on her to be there. Our family has always been her first priority. My father, on the other hand, rarely makes it to more than one or two of my games a season. He's always busy brokering a deal, attending fundraisers, at the state capital, or in Washington, DC.

Especially since his seat is up for reelection next year.

The only time I begin to question whether or not politics is really something I want to get involved in is when I see how much time Dad spends away from his family. It has to be about seventy percent.

Do I really want that for myself?

Not really.

It's not like I have to make any decisions right now. I haven't even been accepted to law school yet. Although, I'm not worried. I've got a three-point-nine GPA and feel pretty good about my LSAT. I know Violet is concerned that she didn't score high enough, but I think she'll be fine.

After what happened Thursday night, I've been thinking a lot about Violet and my feelings for her. In the back of my mind, I always realized that at some point, we would head off in different directions. But I'd been holding onto the hope that maybe she would finally wake up and see how perfect we are for one another.

Thursday night was the slap in the face I needed to finally get it through my thick head that what I've been hoping for all these years isn't going to happen. I need to start focusing on what's best for me and my future and stop worrying about what Violet is doing.

Trust me, that realization is a bitter pill to swallow.

I've spent too many years putting Violet's wants and needs ahead of my own. It's just going to take time for me to make those mental adjustments and stop thinking about the possibility of an us and start concentrating on me. She's been such an integral part of my life for the last eight years. I'm not even sure if I can turn off those thoughts.

But I have to, right?