Brick by Brick

Part Twenty Eight

Chapter Twenty Eight

Joel stared at Sammy. It had been a long four weeks and he'd missed her every day, which was crazy when they hadn't seen each other for over a year until recently. She was sat cross legged in the middle of his lounge in jeans and a t-shirt and rather seductive bare feet. There was nothing alluring or contrived about her, she was just Sammy, but there was never a more welcome sight in his home.

He wouldn't lie to her again, not after all their ups and downs, but that didn't mean he wanted to divulge all that her mother had said in that ugly confrontation.

Instead of dealing with it, he bent to scoop Eleanor into his arms giving her a bit kiss.

"You want a biscuit?" When she nodded he looked at Sammy who nodded. Taking her into the kitchen he opened a tin with one arm and retrieved a biscuit. But that wasn't going to distract Sammy from her questions, he knew that about her.

When he turned to head back to her, Sammy was stood in the doorway watching him.

"You avoiding me?"

He shook his head far too quickly, "not at all."

"Will you tell me? What happened with Monica?"

He shrugged, "I just felt you all needed some space."

"She's admitted that she said something, I just don't know what."

Eleanor was wriggling so he lowered her to the floor then opened the fridge and reached for a beer, "look she was just postulating, that's all it was. And I was feeling a little superfluous."

"Joel, I don't believe that, I'll drag it out of her, but I thought we were in a better place than this. You should tell me things like this."

He groaned, talk about emotional blackmail, "she asked me to leave, that's all."

Tilting her head to study him she lifted an eyebrow, "that's it. I think you should leave. And what you just said ok?"

He ran a hand over his face; he didn't want to come between her and Monica, not knowing how upset Sammy had been. But she was looking at him with a mix of eagerness, but also anger. He didn't want her to hate him.

"She knew I wouldn't just go." He took a deep breath, "she threatened me, but that wasn't why I left. I just didn't want to see things get messy. You..." he ran his hand through her hair again, "I don't want you to fall out with her because of me."

She sighed, "I love her and hate her all in one, I won't stop being there for her, regardless of what she's said, but I need to know what was said, the levels she'll stoop to. Honestly, please."

He groaned, "she said she'd tell you I made an unwanted move on her, her on her death bed and all that. When that didn't work, she threatened to tell you I had ulterior motives for being around." It sounded so awful that he had to add, "it's like Daniel all over again."

Shaking her head rather dramatically, the anger pulsing off her, she stepped towards him, "she reached new depths of depravity that woman, JUST when I think we're starting to get along. I could punch her you know?"

"That's why I didn't want to tell you."

Throwing her arms around him, she stunned him by hugging him tightly, "I don't want her to ruin our friendship though, you're important to me. Ok? I REALLY appreciate all you've done for us."

He reciprocated the hug, his chin resting on her head for a moment, until the smell of her shampoo something lemony invaded his nostrils. As his body suddenly responded to her proximity, he moved her to arm's length and smiled.