“My apologies,” he offered sarcastically.
“Luke, being the noble brother, didn’t want me driving to Atlantic City by myself. Jake, my troublemaking brother, offered me a chaperone.”
Phillip’s fork stopped midway to his mouth and he grinned. “Let me guess who the hunky chaperone is.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “Nick! Now I’m stuck with him for the entire weekend! I know it sounds shallow. I mean my brothers will be cooped up in a hospital swapping out blood and I’m complaining about spending the weekend with Nick.” She sighed and tucked the loose strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail, behind her ears. “I’m pathetic.”
“Yes, you are.” Phillip agreed as he chewed.
“Keep it up and I will cut you off from my mother’s leftovers.” She warned as she made a feeble attempt to grab the plate, he had in front of him. He pulled the food closer to him and actually looked frightened. Taking a deep breath he took another approach. She watched him wipe his mouth before he looked at her. “Okay, why don’t you start explaining why spending a weekend with that yummy specimen of a man scares the shit out of you?”
“Once upon a time, Samantha Lanza was head over heels in love with Nick Foti.” She said sadly.
He raised an eyebrow. “How come this is the first time I am hearing this and why do you look so unhappy about that?”
She shrugged her shoulders and asked herself why she had buried those memories so deep within her. If he hadn’t come home this past year, she probably would’ve never given Nick a second thought. That’s a lie, a big fat one too. The truth was, no matter how hard she tried to bury her past with Nick, it always had a way of resurrecting. For the last seven years every man she dated, she measured to Nick. It didn’t matter that he was out of her reach. He was never far away in her heart.
”I don’t like to talk about it.” She said truthfully. “It wasn’t like we were ever a couple or anything. The minute the opportunity presented itself, he took off. He moved to Seattle and I barely heard from him, he had a whole new life there
“That’s all you’re going to give me?” He pouted.
“I had a crush on him since I was thirteen years old.” She paused and then smiled gloomily. “He never really gave me the time of day though. In fact, he dated most of my friends.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Until the summer I turned nineteen.”
“Then what happened?” Phillip asked intrigued. She smiled at him when she noticed he had even stopped eating and was now giving her his full attention. .
“My parents took us all to a resort for a weekend in the Catskills.” She shook her head as the memories flooded her mind. “I don’t know what came over me, but the night before we left, I decided I was going to make Nick Foti never forget me. He, Luke and Jake were sharing a room. My brothers had gone night swimming, and Nick had gone back to the room for something. I followed him.” Phillip raised his eyebrows, curiously. “I sort of tried to seduce him and began to undress in front of him.” She threw her head in her hands. She shook her head, embarrassed that she was that na?ve.
“Wait a minute, you stripped in front of him?” Phillip’s eyes widened, a grin threatened his mouth.
Sam peered at him through the cracks between her fingers and nodded reluctantly. “Don’t judge me!” She warned and then put her hands down. “The point is, that night he didn’t turn me down. Sure, he was scared and all, only because I was Luke’s little sister. That was why we stopped.”
“So you mean to tell me, you were naked in his hotel room and he didn’t make a move?” Phillip looked at her suspiciously.
“First, I was naked only from the waist up. Second, I didn’t say we didn’t do anything!” She put extra emphasize on the last word, and smiled as she remembered Nick’s mouth on hers. “I am twenty-five years old, and I can honestly say, without any hesitation, that at nineteen Nick Foti gave me the best kiss of my life.” She thought about it a moment and then nodded. “I’m pretty sure I’ve never been kissed like I had been that night, and I’m even more certain that I never will.”
Phillip raised an eyebrow. “That’s a pretty bold statement, Samantha.”
She grinned. “You’ve never been kissed by Nick.” She ran her tongue over her lower lip, almost remembering the taste of his kiss, knowing it was impossible.
He frowned miserably. “No, I haven’t.” He lifted his gaze to her and flipped her the bird. “I’m jealous you wench!”
She laughed. “Anyway, fast forward seven years later and I’m still bitter. I’m so angry he left after he promised me everything I had ever wanted.”