Ruby Red 3 - A Romance for All Time (Complete)

Chapter 6

Ali's bold blue eyes sparkled in the sun. Even over video.

"Looks like another day in paradise."

The eyes looking at Sam crinkled as a smile broke out on her face. "Paradise is wherever you are my love."

Sam could not help mirroring her expression at the cheezy line. He opened his mouth to respond when the image shook as if an earthquake hit and the screen whipped around to fill with the face of an older woman. The crinkles around her hazel eyes were etched permanently in her tanned skin and covered in thick makeup. Coral coloured lipstick saturated her overly plump lips. Sam immediately recognized his former boss and Ali's friend Brenda Marino.

"Sammy!" she squealed in delight. The name had the opposite effect on Sam, causing his insides to turn upside down. It evoked images of Vicky drawing out that name, pleading with him, coaxing him. Thinking about Vicky led to flushes of guilt then anger. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to push aside the past, stay in the here and now.

Sunny days. Blue eyes. Ali. His future.

"Brenda. You look well."

"I'm flipping fantastic now that I have my bestie back with me." Brenda looked off camera at where Ali must be sitting. They were outside on a patio somewhere. Was it the Diamond Club? Brenda and her husband Brad owned a string of resorts across North America, including this one. Sam had briefly worked there as a bartender under the alias Sam Fremont when he ran away from his life as a Harrington. It was arguably the best time of his life as he met and fell in love with Ali.

"What?" Brenda was talking to Ali and the camera moved again, bringing his fiancée back into the picture.

"Are you at the club?" Sam looked at his watch. It was 10 am in New York. With the 3 hour time difference it would be 7 am where Ali was. Puzzled, he wondered why she had driven to her friend's resort so early. Ali was not known for getting out of bed until absolutely necessary.

"Sam, I can see you thinking."

He absently rubbed his forehead. Ali claimed a crinkle in his forehead formed when he was concerned or upset.

Those blue eyes flashed in a look Sam knew as defiance. "Things didn't go well with my mother so I opted to stay at the Diamond Club."

A little stunned, Sam felt concern spiking. "Are you okay?" He should be with her. She should not be alone. "What happened?"

Ali bit her lip for a moment. This was Ali's tell. She was deciding something. Normally Sam found it adorable or often downright sexy, like when she was deciding how to tease him in bed. But not this time. Was she deciding how much to say in front of Brenda? Or was there more?

"We had a disagreement." Ali sighed, "I didn't want to make things worse. I thought this was best." Another look off camera, probably at Brenda. This was a private conversation they should have later. Deciding to change the subject, Sam told her the Beeton's sent their love and hoped for her father's speedy recovery.

"Thank them for me, Sam. I appreciate their... support."

Bells went off in his head. Feeling the tension build in his shoulders Sam tried to relax. "We're all here for you Ali. My parents too. Just say the word and I'll be there." He held his breath, hoping she would say yes, ask him to come to her.

There was no lip-biting this time. "Thank you, my love. It means the world."

The disappointment at Ali not wanting him to be with her bit at Sam. Rationally he respected Ali's request to handle this situation on her own. She was a smart, strong independent woman. It was one of the many things he loved about her. Still, the irrational fear of being away from her kept rearing up, threatening to make him the possessive boyfriend he did not want to be.

"I should go before traffic gets crazy. I'll call you tonight."

Not wanting to hang up Sam blurted out, "I love you."

The smile was back on Ali's face, wiping away the dismay. "And you know I love you more."

Sam felt some of the stiffness leave his shoulders. This was their signal to each other that everything was okay between them. Absentmindedly he rubbed the platinum ring on his finger. When Ali proposed she had presented this ring to him with the words "I love you more" inscribed inside. It acted as a constant reminder of her love.

"Today. But I'll love you more tomorrow."

Sam heard a loud groan from Brenda, reminding him their conversation had listeners. With one last goodbye, he reluctantly hung up the phone.

As his office filled with silence, Sam's brain started over-analyzing. Was staying with Brenda a good or bad thing? The woman was one of the only friends who had stuck by Ali after her divorce. Most of the other society snobs had shunned her like a day-old donut, preferring the company of couples or choosing to side with Jack's money and influence.

Brenda was different. Perhaps it was because her husband, who was almost a decade older than Brenda, was often away from home. Some thought it an odd friendship - Brenda being significantly older than Ali herself. Sam wasn't sure just how much older, but he guessed the woman was in her mid to late '30s. When Ali started having money problems, Brenda stepped up and even without knowing the whole situation, had helped her friend. No questions asked.

Well, that wasn't quite true. Brenda asked a lot of questions. Of a lot of people. She was a gossip, getting high off of the trade of information and secrets. It was one of the reasons Sam and Ali had had to keep their relationship from her in the beginning. But when they came out of the shadows as a couple and he revealed his true identity, Brenda had been happy for her friend.

During those months after the split from Jack, Ali had been rudderless and looked to her friend for guidance. Brenda was all too happy to take Ali under her wing. But it went further than just a mentor. Brenda had lived vicariously through her newly single friend, pushing Ali to sow the wild oats neither of them had had a chance to before getting married. The truth was the older woman could be a bad influence on Ali.

As Sam wondered what Brenda might push Ali towards now, the sound of bagpipes blasted from his phone. It was Leif's ringtone, an inside joke about their shared Scottish heritage.

Picking it up, Sam could imagine the redhead stepping around his fellow New Yorkers as he strode down the street.

"Sam," a car horn bleated in the background. "I'm headed to HBC. You coming?"

Hank's Boxing Club was as old as the hills and Leif swore he did his best thinking there. Sam had scoffed at the concept when Leif first invited him, claiming boxing was not for him. He preferred running, pounding the pavement rather than fellow humans. It was one of his favourite ways to see the city, racing through the mostly deserted streets as the city came to life. The mist hanging over the park with the rising sun, the smell of fresh bread wafting through the back alleys, the feel of the runner's high as adrenaline surged through him. Every day the city that never sleeps offered new routes, vistas and opportunities.

But like a true politician, Leif had worked on Sam, eventually convincing him to give it a shot. Or a punch. Despite his reservations, Sam found he liked it. The feeling of his gloves knocking into the punching bag. Trying to anticipate his opponent's moves while planning out his own. Seeing possibilities and countermoves spiralling out before him. It was like chess, but physical. Plus, it was a great work out. For body and mind. The rhythm of the exercise allowed him to turn his brain off.

Sam had planned on skipping today, the foundation needed his attention. Suddenly a few rounds in the ring appealed to him. Not thinking for a bit sounded good.