Breathe Me

Chapter- 10

Chapter Ten

Catherine

"THIS IS YOUR house?" I asked, peeking around the foyer and taking in the expanse of staircase that made up the entire front entrance. It was enormous and looked like it was pulled right out of a plantation in Gone With the Wind. The banister was polished to a bright, reflective shine, and the travertine tiles extended in an ocean of stone from the foyer to deep into the house. It was a mini mansion, and I'd never stood in such a big house before. I felt underdressed, like I had just stepped into a movie star's home. I peeked down at my shorts, tank top and plain flip flops and really felt like a bum. I'd only seen part of the house the day I'd spent the night, and it had been mostly the bedroom. I'd left through a side door off the kitchen which led to the driveway and hadn't looked back as I drove away. Who knew the place was so big? I fought the urge to spin around and fly out of the house as fast as I could.

"Yep, had it custom built. Though I think it's way too much house for just me and Cam." Samuel walked back into the foyer and handed me a cocktail. I stared at it with a slight horror in my eyes. It was two in the afternoon. Way too early to get slammed.

"What's this?"

"A Shirley Temple. You like those, don't you?" He winked and downed his drink. From the smell of it, his was hard liquor. I wrinkled my nose at the realization that he'd given me a virgin drink, knowing how bad drinking was for me. It was a tough pill to swallow, but he was in the right. I was not a good drunk person.

"So why'd you get such a big house made, then? Seems like you'd get a smaller one if you really thought that."

Sam laughed, his smile revealing a small dimple in his right cheek. "It was more of the future I was looking at. I always wanted a bunch of family and friends at my house. But it's just me and Cam for now. Doesn't seem to be the way things are going so far."

I finished off my drink and he promptly took it from me and hurried away. I followed and found myself at a bar next to an indoor swimming pool.

"Good golly, you have swimming pool?" My eyes widened at the expanse of blue before me. "You like swimming, I see." God, I felt so dumb. Who'd have a swimming pool inside their house if they didn't? Geez.

"Yeah, but I don't get to jump in nearly as much as I'd like." He handed me a fresh Shirley Temple and turned to stare at the glistening surface of the water.

"Honestly, Sam, I didn't peg you for a rich boy." I leaned across the bar and watched him in my periphery. He was lost in his thoughts.

"I'm not a rich boy. I grew up poor, you know that. Lots of hard work and luck got me here." He turned and studied my face, looking like he was searching for something. "I didn't peg you as someone to settle for a job you don't really like and give up on your dreams of traveling the world and having a family."

I flinched at his accusation, though his eyes remained calm and studious. "You don't know anything about me." I slipped the second empty glass toward him on the counter, feeling glum at his observation. Maybe he was right, but I sure as heck didn't want to admit it.

"I know more than you think I do. I know you don't really care for dealing with sick people all the time. I know you used to tell me you dreamed you'd have a huge family one day, and I know you haven't seen the world like you said you would, just part of the US. We dated, remember? You had dreams, you had aspirations. How's that for knowing you or not? Why haven't you seen the world, Cath? You don't have any responsibilities or family to anchor you down. What've you been doing all this time?" He sipped his Scotch, watching me as I squirmed at the edge of the bar.

I hated to admit it, but he was so right about it all that it made me want to vomit. "I-I don't know. It doesn't matter. Dreams don't come true for me. That's all. I just try not to get disappointed."