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___________ c h a p t e r e i g h t
The next morning comes, with Sam being abruptly woken up by her mom calling for her.
She groans, going to brush her teeth before coming down.
"¿Qué paso?" she yawns.
"Llego esto para ti," Gianna hands her a bouquet of peonies, wrapped up in cellophane and tied with a lilac ribbon.
I'm not giving up, - Steve
"Jeez," her eyes widen, and the smile forms before she can stop herself.
"Who are they from?" Gianna questions, even though she read the card already.
"Um..." she prepares to lie, before remembering who her mother was. "You read the card already, didn't you?"
"Of course I did," she scoffs, pouring a cup of coffee for Sam. "So why is Steve sending flowers to our door?"
"Honest?"
"No, lie to me like always," she rolls her eyes, as the girl sits down. "I'll make you something to eat while you fill me in."
For a second, she contemplates closing off. It's what she would've done two years ago. But she'd felt guilty about how much she and Bianca were hiding, so talking about boys was suddenly simple.
"Steve tried to ask me out," she takes a sip, and the older woman starts cheering as she pours the eggs in the pan.
"This is good, no? We like Steve. Your father even likes him, which says a lot."
"I know, I know, it's just... Well, you know Steve. He's got a revolving door of girlfriends because he can't figure out what he wants, and it'd just be way too risky for me to jump into a relationship like that."
"You make it sound like one of your father's cases," she starts adding the omelette ingredients with a laugh. "Love's not logical."
"I'm just saying, his feelings switch every other day. Mine don't."
"You're my perfect girl, okay?" she smiles softly.
"Thanks mom, but that's not what I need to hear-"
"But you have one problem. You are a... what do they say? A wuss, you are a wuss."
"Excuse me? Shouldn't you be encouraging the safe route? Shouldn't you be happy I'm not out dating the biggest player around?"
"It's good to play it safe. You get by when you play it safe, but if I'd played it safe, I would've never married your father. Worst of all, I wouldn't have you and your sister," she puts the plate in front of Sam, who immediately digs in.
"But-"
"And love? Love is supposed to be risky. It's about putting it all on the table, being willing to trust a someone with your heart."
