Just The Way You Are(78)

"Well, there must be a few things about Sam," he said with a mocking note on Sam's name, "that you really like. What are they?"

"He's—he's gorgeous," she said helplessly. "Strong, rugged, handsome. I love his forearms. I know that sounds stupid, but he's got these great muscular arms, and his hands, they're rough and callused, but they can be incredibly—"

"Okay, okay, I get the picture. He turns you on with his hands. What else? And please, let's skip the other parts of his anatomy. There are some things I'd rather not know."

"Sam has a good heart. He's smart and funny. He tells these awful knock-knock jokes that are so stupid but so endearing. And he's good to people, kind, loyal. He's someone you can count on. He's a friend."

"Now you're making him sound like a Boy Scout."

"No, because he's not perfect, he's very human." She thought for a moment. "He can lose his temper, leave his clothes around the house. He can drive me crazy with his need for solitude and the way he keeps his thoughts private, but I guess what I really like best about him…" She paused, wondering if she could put it into words. "He makes me better. Or at least he makes me want to try to be better. He gives me confidence. He makes me feel safe enough to just be myself."

"So tell me again why you're getting rid of him?" Jimmy said dryly. "Because it sounds like you have a lot of reasons for keeping him around."

"Tessa is why we're not together anymore."

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot about her. You know, you'd make me happy if you'd just hang on to Sam."

"So it's that way," she said with a teasing smile. "I sort of figured."

"It's that way for me. Tessa seems hung up on this guy she hasn't seen in almost a decade, who hasn't sent her a Christmas card or a birthday present or listened to her whine about her job or her aching feet. I don't get it."#p#分页标题#e#

"It's simple. Sam and Tessa were in love. I got in the way. Megan got in the way. Maybe their love would have lasted if I hadn't been in the picture. Maybe it wouldn't. But they'll never know unless they have a chance to find out."

"It's a big risk," Jimmy warned her, his expression more serious. "I think Tessa could actually talk herself into sticking around here if it meant getting Sam back."

"Really?" she asked, somewhat shocked, although wasn't that what she'd told herself all along might happen?

"But I don't think she can have her career and have Sam. I'm not sure she's figured that out yet."

"She wouldn't give up her career. It's all she ever wanted."

"Tessa has started believing that Sam is all she ever wanted."

Alli stared at him, still not quite sure Tessa would or could give up her career for Sam. "I thought…"

"What did you think?"

"I thought if anything Sam would go with Tessa."

"How could he? His business is here. His family is here. And what the hell would he do with Tessa anyway? Hang up her clothes, comment on her hair, follow her around like a puppy dog? She doesn't need a fisherman."

"That's true. I never thought about that part."

"Take him back, Alli. Save us all from this madness," he said dramatically.

"They have to decide for themselves. I can't fight for Sam anymore. It's his turn to fight for me." She paused, sending him a mischievous look. "But that doesn't mean you can't fight for Tessa. I wouldn't mind if she had another distraction."

"I bet you wouldn't. Unfortunately, it's tough to compete with a memory of some out-of-this-world love affair."

"Tell me about it. I've been trying to do it for the past nine years." Alli stopped as she saw Tessa, Sam, and Megan come into view. They were walking like a family, with Megan skipping between them, her hands in theirs.

The scene tore at Alli's heart. It was one thing to lose her husband, but she couldn't lose Megan as well. And it was that thought that made her throat tighten and her words come out sharper than she intended. "About time," she said. "The tide won't stay out forever."

"I think we'll be all right," Sam replied. "What's the plan?"

"Fill up the bags." Alli tossed him a burlap sack. "Megan, you stay close to me or your daddy. The mud can get so thick it will suck you down like quicksand if you're not careful. And the rocks are slippery, so don't go jumping about," she added.

"But have fun," Jimmy interrupted.

"Yeah, right," Megan grumbled.

"We will have fun," Alli promised Megan, softening her voice and her expression. "We're going to find a pearl today and you're going to help us do it."