“Why not? That might save you a lot of trouble.”
Beth released a sigh, her shoulders rising and lowering with the release of her breath. “Sad to say, I’m not sure I can trust her to tell the truth. I suspect she’ll brush off the question. Besides, I do everything I can to avoid talking to my mother.”
Sam knew the two had a prickly relationship. “Sunshine didn’t tell you anything more about him?”
“Nothing. As soon as I asked about him, she shut up tighter than an oyster.”
“Maybe your aunt doesn’t want you to know. Didn’t you say all this happened thirty years ago? Sometimes it’s better to leave matters as they are, especially if the other person doesn’t have a clue you’re stirring the waters.”
To her credit, Beth appeared to give his words serious thought. “Maybe, but I’m curious. You know Sunshine has never married. I always thought it was because she was a free spirit. Now I’m not so sure. I think the reason she’s remained single all these years is because of this man and whatever happened between them.”
Sam still had reservations. While Beth seemed to have strong feelings on the matter, he feared she could be sticking her hand in a snake hole. “Are you sure your aunt wants you meddling in her past?”
Again she took a moment before she spoke. “No, but I can’t help thinking that if Sunshine still loves him after all these years, just maybe he feels the same way about her. What if he does and my finding him is what clears the path for them to reunite?”
Sam tightened his hold around her shoulders. “I had no idea you had such a romantic heart.”
“I want Sunshine to be happy.”
“She’s happy. That woman is brimming with joy.”
“Sure, she’s fun and quirky, but deep down I have to wonder.”
Sam mulled this over. “You realize Peter Hamlin is probably married and a grandfather by now,” he said.
“Maybe, and if that’s the case, then so be it.”
Sam remained unconvinced. “Your aunt is a famous artist, right?”
“Right. So?”
“So if this man she loved was so inclined, he wouldn’t have a problem seeking her out on his own, don’t you think?”
Beth groaned. “I hate it when you argue with me.”
“Are we arguing?” he joked.
“No, but you’re being reasonable and I don’t want to hear it. I’m determined to find him, Sam, and if I have to ask my mother I will, but only as a last resort.” She sighed again. “Are you going to say ‘I told you so’ if this blows up in my face?”
“Nope. Don’t think I’ll need to if that happens.”
“Probably not,” she agreed. “You’ve given me something to think about, though, and while I agree with most of what you said, I still want to learn what I can. Sunshine doesn’t need to know what I’m doing.”
Sam wasn’t convinced this search for her aunt’s lover was a good thing, but he had to admire her spirit.
Rocco groaned when Sam contacted him by phone Saturday morning about helping him with one of his vehicles. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” his friend complained. “An engine must weigh a ton.”
“Yup.” Sam didn’t argue.
“I could easily come up with a dozen excuses why it would be impossible for me to help you.”
“You could, in which case I have one word for you.”
“One word? All right, lay it on me.”
“Dryer.”
Silence followed before Rocco muttered something under his breath that would have cost Sam a good ten bucks if he’d said it in earshot of Owen.
“What time do you need me?” Rocco asked.
“I’m free all day. Let me know what works best for you.”
“How about next year?”
“Very funny. You’d do it if it was Nichole asking you, right?”
“Right. And it’d be the same with you if Beth asked you for something. You’d do it, right?”
“Most likely,” Sam agreed.
“Thought so. You gonna buy me a beer afterward?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“I’m not doing it without the promise of a cold one.”
Sam laughed. “Okay, it’s a deal.”
Apparently, Rocco wasn’t done complaining. “This is what I don’t understand,” he muttered. “How is it that two strong-willed men have found women who have the ability to twist us around their little fingers?”
Sam didn’t have an answer for him. “Can’t say.”
“Me neither, but I know if Nichole asked me to pack up the house and move to the moon, I’d seriously look for a way to make that happen. Makes no sense whatsoever, but because she asked, I’d do it.”
“I know what you mean,” Sam agreed. Crazy as he was about Beth, there was very little he wouldn’t do to make her happy. “The thing is …”
“Yeah?”
“If you asked Nichole the same thing, she’d do it for you, too. That’s love, my friend.”
“Oh, and when did you become such an expert on the subject?”
“Guess it must be close to six weeks ago now?” Sam admitted.
Rocco chuckled. “Personally, I’m glad to see you take the tumble. I never thought it’d happen.”
“Truth is,” Sam repeated, “I didn’t, either. Meeting Beth … man, I owe you.”
“Not me. You owe Nichole.”
“Right, but you’re the one who conned me into that dinner.”
“And you were so happy to attend,” Rocco teased.
Sam laughed.
“About as happy as I am to be lifting an engine out of that old car of yours,” Rocco grumbled.
After they finished Saturday morning, Sam kept his promise and treated Rocco to a beer at The Dog House. A cheer rose when the two men walked into the tavern. It used to be that Sam spent the better part of his nights at his favorite spot. In the weeks following Beth’s accident, he’d stopped by only a couple times.
“Sam.” Cherise called out his name as soon as he sat down at the bar. “I’ve been worried sick about you,” she said, wrapping her arm around his neck and leaning her head against his. “Where have you been keeping yourself?”
She smelled of smoke and rancid oil, which he didn’t think was supposed to be her perfume. Funny, he’d never noticed that about her before. He removed her arm from around his neck and hoped she got the hint.
“Hardly ever see you anymore, either, Rocco.”
“There’s a reason for that,” Rocco reminded her. “I have a woman now and she takes up my time.”
“Same here,” Sam said.
“You, too?” Cherise sounded shocked. “I thought, you know, that the two of us …”
“Sorry, Cherise, but it wasn’t meant to be.” It’d been a mistake to get involved with this woman, even on a casual basis. Fool that he was, Sam knew it and he’d done it anyway. She was another of the several regrets he lived with. Well, he was on another path now and he was glad of it.
The two men drank their beer, chatted with a few of their friends. Sam was surprised to find he didn’t have nearly as much in common with the guys as he once did. Someone suggested a pool game, something Sam and Rocco used to enjoy. Sam probably would have agreed if he wasn’t so anxious to see Beth.
She’d spent part of her day relaxing and getting ready for the next school week and had promised him dinner. He didn’t want her overworking herself and was eager to get to the apartment. He’d written a song he wanted to play for her. It was his first attempt at writing music, and he’d spent hours working on the lyrics. He wasn’t a great wordsmith and had struggled to put his thoughts down on the page and then match them with chords on his guitar. He was interested to see if Beth, with all her musical talent, would be able to pick up the tune on the piano.
Sam and Rocco left The Dog House no more than thirty minutes after they arrived. The tavern didn’t hold the same appeal it once had, and they both seemed to recognize it. Their lives had moved in other directions and that suited Sam. He realized his friend felt the same.