She rolled her eyes as he nuzzled her jaw. “You’re obsessed with food.”
“I’m obsessed with you,” he said.
Sameera smiled; his words made her heart sing. “Don’t tell my mom. I have her convinced she caused all of this. She set the ball rolling by hiring you to cater the Eid party. If I’m lucky, she will have learned her lesson and never interfere in my life again.”
Their eyes met, and he smirked. “I would never contradict my girlfriend. Even though my plan was to courier you a box of samosas and a six-pack of cranberry ginger ale the day after the firm’s holiday party.”
“Take a girl out for dinner first,” she said back to him.
“It’s a date,” he said. They stared at each other for another long moment, until Sameera shook her head, trying to center herself on what was happening right now, her family and his waiting for them. Though what she really wanted to do was stay outside with Tom. He made her feel safe, known ... loved?
“We should head back inside. Andy has probably already claimed squatters’ rights by now,” she said, and he sighed. “What are you going to do?”
He leaned down and planted a lingering kiss on her lips, then the sensitive spot on her jaw. “Now we can go, beautiful,” he said softly. “With you by my side, I can figure out anything.”
Inside, there was a clear standoff between Andy and Tom’s parents, with Nadiya trying to mediate, as usual.
“Tom isn’t here. We should wait for him before talking further,” Nadiya was saying, voice tight.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Andy said, lazily eating a bowl of fruit. “Rob and I have a verbal agreement.”
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far,” Rob started, more flustered than he had been since they all arrived. “We’ve talked things over, and I do think a ski resort is a good idea, in theory. But I haven’t signed anything yet.”
Andy smiled at his host. “Rob, you told me this was what you wanted. That all I had to do was get Tom on board, and I could start building. We both agreed it would benefit Wolf Run, too.”
At the door, Tom snorted. “It’s not like you to be this slow to understand, Andy. Or maybe you’ve been so busy trying to manipulate me, you didn’t realize what was really going on. My dad has been playing you this whole time.” He walked around the table and resumed his seat, Sameera beside him. The uncertainty that had shadowed his eyes and bracketed his mouth was gone now, replaced with a steely determination. Andy noticed the change right away, and his smile faltered.
“You haven’t lived here in years. This isn’t your home anymore. Why not sell it and make tons of money?” Andy looked around the table, hoping to gather support. Everyone stared back, unimpressed.
“Read the room, dude,” Esa said. He glanced at Rob. “Both of you.”
Rob cleared his throat, looking from Tom to Andy, then back at Barb and Cal. He knew the time for dissembling was over. “I might have led Andy to believe I was on board with the ski resort,” he started, clearly uncomfortable. “It was a good idea. We get serious snowfall here, and Lord knows Wolf Run could use the business. Our town gets smaller every year, with good people leaving and never coming home.”
“You mean people like me,” Tom said. “Is this your latest tactic to lure me back? Pretend to throw your weight behind a deal with my best friend, hoping to goad me into returning because I was, what? Jealous? You can’t honestly think this plan would work.”
A faint smile crossed Rob’s face. “Brought you home for the holidays, didn’t it?”
Tom shook his head. “I came back to visit because I missed you. Not to move back. You pull this every time I return, Dad. You belittle my life in Atlanta, call my business a hobby, and refuse to take anyinterest in my life outside of Wolf Run. If you want to know why I stayed away for so long, I suggest you look in the mirror.”
“Oh snap,” Esa said. Beside him, Calvin had his mouth open in shock.
“I never meant to push you away,” Rob started.
“Then why do I feel like running every time we’re in the same room?” Tom asked. Sameera put a hand on his shoulder; she could feel him trembling with suppressed emotion. He turned to her. “Sameera is the only reason I stayed this time. She’s why I felt like I belonged. Sameera and her family have made me feel more comfortable, more accepted in my own home, than you ever did. Dad, if you want to have a relationship with me, you need to start accepting my choices, even if you don’t agree with them. Or at the very least, stop trying to control me.”
Sameera looked at her mother. Tahsin’s guilt over these words, which so closely mirrored Sameera’s own, was writ large on her face.
Rob’s face crumpled. Naveed stepped toward him, and Barb laid a comforting arm across his shoulder, but he shrugged them both off. “I know I haven’t been a good father to you,” he said to Tom, and his voice cracked. “After Pam died, I was lost for a long time. I know you suffered. I regret the way I behaved, and I’m trying to be better.”
Tom looked pointedly at Andy and raised an eyebrow.
“Being better is an ongoing process,” Rob allowed.
For his part, Andy watched this confrontation with a look of confusion. “Wait a minute. Are you going to sell Cooke Place to me, Rob?”
Rob shook his head. “Never going to happen, son.”
Andy drew himself up. “Then you’ll be hearing from my lawyers for breach of verbal contract. Also because I have a lot of money, and you hurt my feelings.” They all stared at him, aghast, and he grinned. “Just kidding. But this was not cool, Rob. Why didn’t you just call your son and lay a big guilt trip, the way my mom does? It works a treat, I promise.”
