The Chase by Amber Riel (best novels for students .TXT) 📕

          Lainie smiled as she copied what Samantha had done with the napkin.

          “Nice trick,” I said as I smiled at Lainie.  Keep it up kid.”

          Lainie placed the napkin on the table and smiled at me then went back to eating.

          I began to eat and enjoy my meal as well.

          Once Samantha and Lainie left the room, I pushed my empty plate closer to the vase which sat on the table and leaned back in the chair.  I was too full to try to move one bit.

          Ron and Annie were still at the table, still working on their plates as they made goo-goo eyes at each other.  Honestly, I had felt kind of awkward and kind of like the third wheel, seeing that Samantha and Lainie were out of the room.

          Now this is really awkward, I thought as my eyes shot back and forth between the couple.

          “So, Louis, was that part in your prayer about Sam having a safe trip all for Lainie’s sake?” Annie asked.

          I shook my head.

          “Or are you glad that she had a safe trip?”

          “Annie, leave him alone,” Ron kind of hissed.

          “Oh come on,” she wasn’t going to give up, “you heard him…. You can’t tell me that---”

          “That’s between him and God…. Not you…. Louis, don’t listen to her…. She just wants to play match maker which is what I was telling Sam earlier today….”

          “Annie, do you think I really care if your sister had a safe trip or not?” I asked.  “I only said it for Lainie….” I didn’t want to talk about Samantha, especially with cupid sitting in the room.  “I was only being nice,” I partly lied but I figured that Annie would never find out anyway.

          “See, Annie,” Ron replied with a tone which meant ‘I told you so.’

          Annie shook her head with a disapproving look on her face.  “I’m not buying it, Louis.  I kind of think that you are trying to push my sister away but it isn’t working for you.”

          We could have gone on about the subject all night.  I doubted that Annie was ever going to actually be willing to give up one bit.

          “She’s not my type,” I simply replied.

          I watched as Annie’s left eye brow raised.  “Oh really?”

          “Yea.  She’s not a girl I want or need in my life.”

          “And who would be that girl?”

          “Good question…. Christy was….”

          I watched as both Ron and Annie frowned at my words.

          “She was my wife….”

          “She’s dead,” Annie replied with sympathy in her tone.  “And if you decide to join her then you’re going to have to deal with us because we will not let you kill yourself to be with her….”

          “Annie,” I replied, softly.  “I don’t plan on killing myself…. I was just saying that she was the girl I needed in my life…. I know she’s gone but neither of you understand the pain of losing the one person you were willing to share the rest of your life with…. You two have each other and I’m happy for both of you but I’m not ready for another relationship.”  I stood up.  “Thank you both for having me over…. I’m going to go wash up.”  I left the room.

          Ron walked with me as I headed out of the door and toward my car.  “Look, Ron, I wasn’t going to say anything in front of the women but when I arrived here today from bringing Lainie to the park I had this bad feeling…. I looked around but I didn’t see anything which seem out of place but I still had a bad feeling about something,” I explained.

          Ron nodded.  “Thanks for the heads up; I’ll be on the lookout then.”

          “Okay.  If anything does go wrong, call to let me know because I don’t want anything to happen to any of you.”

          Ron nodded again as we walked over to my car.  “Alright, man…. Oh and I’m sorry about Annie,” he said as he kind of laughed.  “She just doesn’t want to see you or Sam to end up alone.  She means well although she could lighten up.”

          I laughed as I thought about that and shook my head.

          “I am kind of curious though…. What do you think about Sam?  Don’t worry; I’m not going to tell Annie…. It’ll be our secret.”

          I kind of smiled.  “Honestly, she is kind of cute,” I admitted.  “When I saw her at the airport, I couldn’t help thinking how beautiful she was…. She was more beautiful today than when I met her at your wedding…. Don’t say anything…. I’m not looking for a relationship right now and I don’t want Annie using that against me.”

          “Don’t worry, man…. I told you it’s our secret…. No one else has to know…. Especially Annie.”  He laughed.  “You know you could be a little nicer to Sam though.”

          “I know but that makes it harder because I feel like if I get to know her then nothing could turn into something and….” I debated if I should continue my thought or not.

          “Christy isn’t it?”

          I nodded.  “I know she’s gone but…. I’m worried…. If I move on then that means that I lose her…. She was the first girl I have ever loved and then not even six months of marriage goes by and I lose her to cancer….”

          “Just because you move on doesn’t mean you’re going to lose her…. She’s still going to be there in your mind and your heart…. She wouldn’t want you to give up your life because she can’t be here for you anymore…. It’s been a couple of years…. Time heals wounds.... You don’t need to be alone for the rest of your life.”

          I leaned against my car as I listened to Ron speak.  He kind of sounded like the pastor at the church I went to the way he spoke although he wasn’t preaching.  I looked up at the window and noticed Annie and Samantha in the window, chatting.  I raised an eyebrow and looked over at Ron.  “What do you think they’re talking about?” I asked as I nodded toward the girls.

          Ron turned around and looked up.  He kind of laughed as he shook his head.  “Probably having a similar conversation like we’re having,” he replied as he turned his attention back toward me.  “Although, Sam’s situation is far different from yours.”

          “Really now?”

          “Yea…. She meets jerks and with the way you’ve treated her so far you’re probably number one on that list.”

          “I wouldn’t doubt it.”

          Ron kind of laughed.  “Try to lighten up on her when you see her…. She might start throwing darts at you if you’re not careful.”  He laughed.

          “She doesn’t seem that cruel….”

          Ron raised an eyebrow as he looked at me.  “After how you treated her?  I wouldn’t be surprised if she had.”

          “Yea yea.”  I opened the door to my car and began to climb in.  “Well thanks again, man.  I better be on my way home.”

          “See ya.”

          I climbed into the car and cranked the engine.  I pulled out of the driveway and began heading home.  Samantha…. Sam…. I kind of smiled as her name popped into my mind.

          I tossed and turned on my bed as I began to slowly wake up.  The sunlight was my wakeup call and was telling me that I shouldn’t have slept in.  I sat up on my bed and looked around.  “Good morning, Louis,” I told myself as I shook my head.  I worked the laziness out of my body as I began to stand up and stretch.  I heard my bones crack as stretched my arms and legs.  I had even cracked my neck and back while I was at it.  Okay.  Okay.

          I made my way out of the bedroom and into the small but prefect sized kitchen and stopped at the coffee maker.  I had prepared a couple of cups of coffee and decided to wait.  I walked over to the living room wireless phone and picked it up.  I dialed my boss’s number and waited for someone to answer.

          “Hello,” a women’s voice came on and I couldn’t help but smile.

          “Paula, is George around by any chance?”

          “Yea…. Hold on…. Let me get him.”

          “Thanks.”

          “No problem, Louis.”

          I waited for a few moments until I heard George on the other end.

          “Hello?” the man asked.

          “Look, George, this vacation is boring can I please come back to work?”

          “Let me think…. No you are not a loud to come back to work for another week and I will not a loud you to try to letting you come back early,” I heard the man laugh as he spoke although he was serious.

          “Come on, George…. I’m bored…. I need to do something.”

          “Louis, look you’re a good guy and a hard worker…. You deserve this break and if that means that I have to fire you for a week for you to have a break then I will do it…. I’m serious I will do it.”

          I kind of laughed as I shook my head.  “Then what am I supposed to do for this week?”

          “Um…. Something fun…. Go out…. Have fun…. Oh and did Ron’s sister-in-law arrive yet?”

          “Yea actually she arrived yesterday…. I had to go pick her up from the airport.”

          “Same one his wife is trying set you up with?”

          “Yep…. Same one….”

          “Give her a chance and go out with her while she’s here….”

          “No…. You know why I can’t do that….”

          George grew quiet for a moment.  I could hear him breathing from the other end.  “You can’t live your life without taking chances…. Christy wouldn’t want you to do that to yourself….”

          “You agree with Ron and his wife too then?”

          “Yes I do.”

          I took a deep breath and sighed.  I wanted to know what it was about everyone disagreeing with me.  I had my reasons but they kept disregarding them.  Why were they doing that?  Why didn’t they seem to take in my feelings for consideration?

          “Look Paula and I are trying to have a little alone time before I go to work so I’m going to go ahead and let you go…. And please consider what everyone else is trying to tell you before you abandon ship…. Okay?”

          I sighed.  “I’ll try.”

          “Okay.  Bye.”

          “Bye.”  Beep.  I placed the phone on the hook and fell onto the soft thin black couch in the room.  It was another decoration Christy had picked which I couldn’t seem to throw out.  Any happy memories I shared with her, I didn’t want to throw them out and destroy them.

          I walked into a small little shop and looked around.  It was filled with books on the shelves and a few toys along with DVD’s and Blue-Rays.  I walked over to the shelves and began searching through the books.  I wasn’t looking for anything in particular; I just had to do