Chapter Three
1131 Words
Sam arrived at Hilton Head Airport with her mother, father, brother, and best friend in tow. She was happy for the support. She couldn’t believe her work had brought her this far. She’d always believed that with her personality she’d be holed up in a lab somewhere close to home and living quietly, perhaps with cats.
Okay, no. Not cats, I hate cats, but perhaps a few dogs and maybe a turtle.
“Sam?” her mom interrupted her thoughts.
“Yes?”
“The line’s moving, honey.”
“Oh, right.” Sam pushed her bags forward.
Pepper smiled reassuringly. “You okay?”
“No, I’m petrified,” Sam whispered.
“You’re gonna be fine… and I’ll be there in a few weeks to make everything better.”
Sam smiled. “That does make me feel a little better.”
“Do you have your happy pills?”
“I’ve already taken one… not that it’s making much difference.”
“You don’t take off for two hours, Sammi, you’ll waste them.”
Sam shook her head. “I don’t care. I don’t think I could have gotten in the car if I hadn’t taken one.”
“How many did the doctor give you?”
“Four.”
Pepper snorted. “What happens if you take them all before you even get on the plane?”
“That’s what red wine is for.”
Pepper giggled.
“Ma’am? I’m open over here,” called a ticketing agent.
Sam walked with her small group to the agent. “Hi. Here’s my passport and ticket number. I tried to check-in online, but I was told I needed to come to the counter.”
The woman smiled and Sam was sure the thick layer of makeup would crack with the action. “Let me have a look.” Her fingers flew over the keyboard as she checked Samantha’s ticket. “Hmm. Well, the reason you weren’t able to check in online is because your ticket was re-classed.”
“What do you mean?”
The agent took her bags then handed her a boarding pass and other paperwork. “You are now flying first class.”
“Oh, wow. Thank you.”
“You’ll find the first-class lounge just past security. You can wait there until boarding.”
Sam smiled and turned to her group.
“Shall we have dinner before you board the plane?” her father suggested.
“Are you sure you want to drag this out?”
He chuckled. “I’d like to keep my little girl here in Savannah until my death, but apparently, there’s a big world out there she insists on seeing.”
Sam sighed. “You waited three whole hours to lay on the guilt trip. Well done, Daddy.”
“Impertinent child.”
Her mother laughed. “You have no idea what impertinent means, dear heart.”
He grinned. “All right, everyone, let’s eat. I’m in the mood for seafood.”
“Shocker!” Dalton retorted.
Sam grinned at her brother. She was surprised he was there, to be honest. He usually avoided the forced family get-togethers, and for some unknown reason, he was avoiding Pepper even more these days. They had said their good-byes the day before, so Sam hadn’t expected him to see her off.
“Dalt, can I bug you for a minute?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Sure.”
Sam pulled her brother aside and made sure the rest were out of earshot. “Do you know what’s going on with Pepper?”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s lost weight and she looks exhausted.”
“She works a hundred hours a week, Sam. She probably is exhausted.”
“Well, can you at least keep an eye on her? Just check on her once in a while. You know what her mom’s like. I hate that she’s living back at home.”
“I’m sure she’s fine, Sam. She’s a big girl.”
Sam huffed. “Just do this for me, okay? I’m worried.”
“Fine, sis. Whatever.” He frowned. “I’d hoped you’d grow out of the bossiness.”
“And I hoped you’d grow up. If wishes were horses…”
He mimicked her in a sing-song voice, but was interrupted by their father calling them back to the group. Her father took her mother’s hand and the couple moved toward the restaurant, while Dalton followed.
Sam hung back and linked her arm with Pepper’s. “Hey, are you really okay?”
Pepper smiled brightly. “Um, other than the fact you’re leaving me? Perfect.”
“Not long, right?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I have something for you,” Sam said as she rummaged in her purse.
“You do?”
“A going away gift.” Sam handed her a wrapped package.
“You never got the whole concept of a going away gift, did you?”
“Go with it, Pepper. You’ll love it.”
Pepper ripped off the paper and laughed. A mini-book on fifty ways to cook with pomegranates lay in the palm of her hand.
Pepper squinted at the pages. “Is it for pixies?”
“I know, right? I couldn’t believe it was real. I thought we could set up one of my microscopes and you could read out a recipe to me and we could experiment.”
Pepper laughed. “Oh, my funny, funny friend. Don’t go,” she joked as they caught up with the rest of the family.
“What happens when you arrive, button?” her father asked.
“I’m being met by their recruiter, Duncan MacKenzie, or his assistant, Payton. One of them is going to take me to the hotel and then pick me up on Monday to take me to the lab.”
Her father frowned. “I don’t know about you being alone with a man you don’t know in a strange city.”
Sam agreed… on the inside. “He’s very professional, Daddy. I’m sure he’ll make sure I’m safe. It’ll probably be Payton picking me up, anyway. Don’t worry so much. My cell phone will be with me at all times and you have all the contact numbers to the lab.”
Her mother squeezed her hand. “I’m so proud of you, sweetie. You’re stepping out of your comfort zone and doing something very brave.”
Sam smiled. “Thanks, Mom.”
Dinner continued and before Sam knew it, it was time to leave her family and head to security. With tear-filled good-byes taking up a good ten minutes, she had to make a run for the gate, but luckily, she made it with just enough time to spare.
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