Chapter 22
Sam watched with a dumbfounded look on her face as Jack quickly left the theater. She was still extremely confused and now in denial over what had just happened. Had Jack tried to get sweet on her? Was Sara still outside on the phone, unable to prevent her husband from overstepping his bounds? Had Daniel witnessed it and possibly gotten the wrong idea that she had welcomed it?
She turned back and stared at the three empty seats that surrounded her and reality began to sink in. She saw Jack’s two large sodas ensconced at the foot of the aisle seat and felt bile creeping up into her throat. Sara had told her that Jack could be quite flirtatious, but she’d assured Sam that it was all harmless. Sam really began to question the veracity of that notion. Even if Jack hadn’t gotten further than flirting, Sam was worried that he might have, if either Sara or Daniel had been gone longer. She wondered what would happen if she told Sara. Would the other woman seriously consider that her husband was taking a liking to her best friend?
Her eyes drifted over to the seat next to her and she found a large bucket of half-eaten popcorn perched on Daniel’s seat. She mentally kicked herself. She shouldn’t have been thinking about how Sara would take it when she was so worried about what Daniel had seen. At first, she wanted to get up and go after Daniel, but she was quite emotionally confused and even hurt that he would think she was doing anything she shouldn’t be. They’d know each other for more than three months and were the best of friends – hell, more than that. They had such deep understanding and commitment in their relationship, but now it seemed that he didn’t trust her, and would no longer trust her.
Sam bit her lip to hold back the tears that threatened to surface. It barely occurred to her that the movie was still on. She quickly glanced at the screen when she heard one of the main characters speaking. Her brow furrowed deeply as she realized she couldn’t follow it and didn’t know what the heck was going on. Deciding it was a waste to keep sitting there, she decided to head out of the theater. She felt like she was in a trance as she slowly picked herself up off the seat and traversed the aisle toward the door.
After she made her way down the long corridor, she fervently scanned the lobby hoping to see any sign of Daniel, or even Sara. She silently prayed that she wouldn’t run into Jack. Right now he repulsed her; not just for the way he flirted with her, but for the way he treated Daniel. It couldn’t be more obvious that Jack was scheming to get the younger man out of the theater so he could talk to Sam. The way it coincided with the time Sara was taking a phone call was a dead giveaway. Sam shuddered at the thought.
Neither Sara nor Daniel was anywhere to be found, and Sam didn’t have the heart to go back and watch the rest of the movie. She felt numb and decided to stay in the lobby, finding a little spot up against the wall. She sat on the floor, pulled her legs up and rested her arms on top of them. She didn’t care if anyone thought she looked ridiculous. She was so distraught over what happened; what a complete stranger thought of her appearance was the least of her worries.
Daniel escaped the comfort of the air-conditioned cinema for the warm and humid evening air outside. He wasn’t exactly thinking rationally but he had a good excuse, as he was still in disbelief over what he’d just seen. He thought Jack made a jerk out of himself when they’d first met, but he seemed like a decent man after he apologized. For this, Daniel was willing to give him another chance.
All that changed after tonight. He thought something was up when Jack kept conjuring up every poor excuse in the book to get him out of the theater. The spilled-my-Good-n-Plenty one was the last straw. Daniel would have read him the riot act but he wasn’t about to make a fool out of himself in a theater full of strangers, and he didn’t want to embarrass Sam. He felt like kicking himself when he realized that Jack had planned it during each of the times Sara was out of the theater, in hopes that he could be alone with Sam for a while. It was painfully obvious.
What upset Daniel the most was the fact that Sam didn’t seem to be resisting Jack at all. They hadn’t noticed right away that Daniel had come back, so he was able to see and hear most of what had gone on. True, it wasn’t anything more than words, but he didn’t rule out the fact that it could have gone further. He hated himself for thinking that Sam would welcome such advances. They were solely devoted to each other. After he noticed that Jack was very friendly with her at the party, she didn’t seem to entertain the thought and reassured Daniel of how committed she was to him. Was he starting to doubt this?
He wondered if he was all wrong in his thinking – that Sam didn’t welcome Jack’s flirting and that she was actually quite upset about what happened. He wondered if this wasn’t what it looked like. He shook his head bitterly upon thinking of that tired old sitcom cliché. But, what if it held true? He loved Sam so much that he had to give her the benefit of the doubt. Why was he finding it so difficult to do that?
Before he could agonize over it any further, he heard a familiar voice not far away …
“Well, fine, just add the baby’s breath in small bunches between the roses and carnations! Stella, I’ve done as much as I can without actually being there with you guys …”
Daniel’s eyes widened as he witnessed Sara mired in another call with her employees. From around the corner he could see the exasperation in her face. He began to pity her; not so much for the seemingly hard time she was having on the phone, but for what her husband had done behind her back. True, it was only flirting, but in Daniel’s mind it was still cheating on her. He wondered if he should say anything to her.
“Okay, you think it’s taken care of? Okay then, I’ll be there first thing tomorrow. Until then, don’t let it get to you. You guys are doing a lovely job from the sound of it … okay.”
Daniel watched as she ended the call and stuck the phone back on her belt with a frustrated sigh. She then looked down at her watch and was about to make her way back around the corner to the front doors when the sound of a sneeze pierced the air and made her turn around.
Daniel silently cursed as he reached for a tissue, his allergies getting to him once again. He blushed as he noticed out of the corner of his eye Sara looking at him.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?” she said quietly as she made her way up to him.
Daniel looked into her eyes and then lowered his head. He had no idea where to start.
“Isn’t the movie still going?” she tried again. “It’s only …”
She trailed off when she noticed his glum expression, almost as if he’d lost his best friend. The fact that he remained quiet told her that it was something serious.
“Did something happen?” she asked as she lowered her head in order to meet his gaze.
Daniel was almost afraid to face her. Deep down he knew it was ridiculous. She wasn’t Sam and he hadn’t done anything to her personally. But he knew she was a nice woman who loved her husband and didn’t deserve to be cheated on in any way, shape or form.
“It’s Sam, isn’t it,” she guessed.
Daniel sighed heavily and Sara knew she was correct. In truth, she was partially correct.
“What happened?” she prodded. “You can tell me.”
Daniel nervously raked a hand through his hair and then turned to face her. “Okay,” he said with a touch of reluctance in his tone. “You’re probably wondering what was going on while you were attending to your phone calls.”
Sara looked at him, bewildered. “Uh … no,” she began, holding the word out. “Why?”
“Jack kept trying to get me out of the theater so he could get cozy with Sam,” Daniel blurted out.
Sara’s face contorted in confusion. “What?”
He sighed before continuing. “The first time, he had me get both him and Sam another large Coke, despite the fact that Sam didn’t even want one. Then the next time you left, he gave me one of the lamest excuses – that he dropped his Good n Plenty’s and wanted more.” Daniel’s voice rose in exasperation. “I-I don’t know why he couldn’t get them himself. He told me he didn’t want to miss any of the movie. When I came back, he was sitting in your seat and sweet-talking Sam.”
Sara’s brow furrowed. “What was he saying?”
“’You’re a sweet person,’ ‘you smell nice,’ ‘you move so gracefully,’” Daniel answered bitterly.
Sara looked at him thoughtfully before a grin spread across her face and she began to chuckle.
Daniel looked at her. “What’s so funny?” he asked incredulously. He was quite taken aback from Sara’s reaction. Here he was, telling her that her husband was cheating on her and she was laughing over it?
Sara shook her head. “I’m sorry. It’s not that I find it funny, it’s just that … it’s not a big deal.”
Daniel gave her a confused look.
“Jack’s always been a real flirt. Whenever we’d go out somewhere, like to dinner, he’d sneak in a flirt with other women. He just likes to fool around. Sam knows that he’s harmless.”
Daniel didn’t know whether to believe the last statement or not, but he certainly didn’t believe the rest. “Well, it looked pretty serious to me. And, before you say that it couldn’t be, I saw that he had his eye on her at the party.”
Sara’s smile faded and she averted her eyes. She seemed to be seriously considering the fact that Daniel might actually be right. Daniel felt a little twinge of guilt when he realized that he struck a nerve.
“I thought he understood that we – Sam and I – were a couple. I thought that what he was doing was pretty much harmless. And then I witnessed him trying to advance on her just minutes ago … the things he said to her ...”
“And what did she say?”
Daniel shrugged. “I didn’t hear much of what she said, but I don’t think she dismissed any of it. She didn’t seem to be bothered by it … to tell you the truth it’s what bothers me the most.” He suddenly felt a huge lump in his throat.
Sara quashed the spark of anger at Jack that had briefly flared up inside her and looked at Daniel pitifully.
“She told me after we left your house that she didn’t notice Jack being flirty with her. What if she was lying? What if she had noticed and even welcomed it back then?” Daniel asked.
“What are you saying?” Sara asked quietly.
Daniel started to lose the grip on his composure and his eyes glistened with tears. “After we left your house, we went out to dinner and then came back to my place. We had coffee and talked about everything under the sun. We shared our innermost thoughts and feelings. It was one of the greatest nights I’d ever spent with her. Then, last week, she showed up at my door on my birthday with a cake and an embarrassingly extravagant gift … well, to me, anyway. She kept insisting that it wasn’t.” He laughed bitterly.
Sara studied his face, her sympathy growing. Daniel stopped laughing and sighed heavily. He turned back to Sara and continued, “What if it was all a lie?”
Sara looked at him incredulously, surprised by his question and not thinking for a second that Sam would ever be like that to him.
“What if she’s really taken to Jack?” he continued, averting his eyes. “What if, all the time we’ve spent together since your party and all the things she’s done for me, is her way of letting me down easy?” He looked back up at her for her reaction.
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” she asked, still surprised.
Daniel sighed again and shrugged his shoulders.
“You honestly believe that she would do that to you?”
“I … I don’t know,” he replied as he clutched his hair in frustration. “I don’t want to believe it. I love and care deeply for her. But, if it is true, I …” He trailed off and shook his head.
“Daniel, listen. I know what kind of a person Sam is. She’s sweet, caring, loyal, and tries with all her heart to do the right thing. She’s a great friend. I can’t ever see her going out of her way to hurt the ones she loves.”
Daniel looked at her intently.
“And she really loves you,” Sara finished with a slight smile.
Emotion briefly flashed across Daniel’s face. He looked like he really wanted to believe her.
“You should hear the way she talks about you. Even when she was going to date that Joe, she was upset and thought it would somehow be cheating on you, even though you two weren’t an ‘item’ yet.”
Daniel’s eyes widened slightly.
“Oh, yes, it’s true,” Sara confirmed. “Even back then, she really, really cared for you. I don’t see how she’d throw everything she has with you away as a result of my husband trying to woo her.”
Daniel looked down at the pavement and nodded.
“You can’t be sure that she welcomed what he was doing. You just told me you didn’t hear much of what she said. You’re jumping to conclusions here, Daniel. You should talk to her about it, but before you do, you need to give her the benefit of the doubt.”
Daniel sighed once again and blushed faintly as he looked back up at Sara. “I guess I’m being silly, aren’t I?” he asked sheepishly.
Sara smiled kindly at him. “Hey, we’re all a little silly every now and then.” Her tone turned somber. “And I guess I was silly for believing that all of Jack’s flirting over the years was harmless. Suppose it’s about time that I lay down the law.” She stopped herself and rolled her eyes. “God, saying that makes me feel like I’m dealing with a kid … and sadly there’s some real truth in that.”
Daniel gave her a sad smile. “I hope you guys can work things out.”
Sara nodded. “Me, too. I really do love him. Even though he’s a big kid, he’s always been a real sweetheart to me – a real companion. We have so much in common, and he never fails to put a smile on my face. I wouldn’t want to lose him over something as ridiculous as this. I only hope he understands.”
Daniel snorted inwardly. He realized how much Sara loved Jack and he wanted her to be happy as well, but Jack seemed like such a dense guy. He only hoped that the older man would understand and mend his ways.
“Come on, let’s go back inside. I’m sure Sam’s pretty upset,” Sara said. “We all need to talk.”
Daniel nodded and followed her around the corner to the entrance.
As they made their way back inside, Daniel felt his heart begin to wrench with guilt. On the far side of the lobby he witnessed Sam sitting up against the wall. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and looked utterly miserable. Her face was red and her cheeks were tear-stained.
“Sam?” Sara tried as she bent down.
Sam finally looked up and made eye contact with her.
“Are you okay?” Sara asked.
Sam was about to answer when she looked past Sara and saw Daniel standing off to the side. He looked like he was embarrassed and couldn’t bring himself to face her. He’s probably still mad at me, she thought. That thought only made her feel like crying again, but right now she felt emotionally drained.
“Where’s Jack?” Sara asked.
Sam felt her chest tighten as she thought back to how awkward Jack made her feel. “He said something about needing some fresh air,” she replied, sounding a bit like a mind-numbed robot. She supplemented the reply with a tiny shrug.
Sara looked at her briefly, confused.
“I think I know where he is,” Daniel suddenly blurted out. He didn’t notice Sara and Sam’s bewildered expressions as he headed directly for the Men’s room.
Sara watched him walk away and then turned back to Sam. Her eyes filled with pity when she realized how upset Sam was. She sat next to Sam and nudged her.
“Sam, are you okay?” she asked.
Sam gave her a protracted stare and then shook her head slowly.
“Tell me about it,” Sara coaxed.
Sam’s chest heaved as she took in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. “God, I don’t know where to begin,” she said, her voice full of anguish. She turned to look at Sara and saw the sympathy in her eyes. “Sara, I … I felt so awkward, you have no idea.”
“Awkward?” Sara asked, furrowing her brow.
“When Jack started making all those comments to me … I smell nice, he likes the way I move …”
“… And you’re a sweet person,” Sara finished for her.
Sam gave her a curious look.
“Daniel told me,” the other woman replied.
Sam felt a huge lump threaten to close up her throat when Sara mentioned Daniel’s name. She tried unsuccessfully to hold her tears back and searched her purse for a tissue. “It was so obvious that he was trying to get Daniel out of the theater so he could sweet-talk me,” Sam continued, her voice wavering. “He really caught me off-guard when he started pulling that. And then when I saw Daniel standing there, I felt like I wanted to crawl into a hole and bury myself.” Her voice was quite bitter and she sniffled loudly. Sara pulled her into a hug.
“And now Daniel’s mad at me,” she continued, her voice muffled by Sara’s shoulder. “I don’t blame him one bit. I … I don’t deserve him.”
“Sam, please don’t talk like that,” Sara said in soothing tones. “He really cares for you.”
Sam sniffled and pulled away from Sara, looking at her expectantly.
“He told me outside just before that he loved and cared deeply for you. He was actually afraid that he was going to lose you to Jack.”
“He said that?” Sam asked.
Sara nodded. “He told me that he didn’t hear much of what you said to Jack in return. Somehow he thought that you had welcomed Jack’s advances.”
Sam sighed miserably and the pangs of guilt were replaced by hurt. “The fact that he thinks I would do something that I shouldn’t … it really hurts me, Sara.”
“I know, Sam. I told him he was jumping to conclusions. He did feel embarrassed about that. I told him to give you the benefit of the doubt before he talks to you. I think I convinced him, but he probably needs a bit more convincing from you.”
Sam nodded. “Of course. I just hope that it won’t take much convincing. The last thing I’d want is for Daniel to not trust me.”
Sara gave her a sad smile.
“What are you going to do about Jack?” Sam asked quietly.
Sara sighed heavily. “I’m going to have to have a talk with him about this flirting business. He’s flirted with a lot of women over the years. I always thought it was harmless, but after this incident, I’m not so sure. I’m going to get to the bottom of this and ask him to tell me point blank what’s really behind it. I just hope I can make him understand that I won’t tolerate this crap any longer. And I hope that he’ll accept that.”
Sam studied her face and nodded. “I hope so, too.”
Jack was situated in front of a sink in the Men’s room, having emerged from one of the stalls seconds earlier. After washing his hands, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and began to replay the preceding events in his head. He almost felt guilty. He admitted to himself that he did find Sam to be a sweet woman who was quite attractive. Was he actually starting to harbor feelings for her? He was married, for crying out loud.
He rubbed his face and then dried his hands with paper towel. It was at that moment that the door swung open and Daniel entered. His expression was stern and Jack realized he wasn’t going to get out of this scot-free.
Daniel looked him over for a moment before asking, “What are you doing?”
Jack immediately looked down at his hands as if he was afraid to face Daniel. He looked back up at the younger man. “I was …” he trailed off. He seemed unsure of what to say.
“… Getting some fresh air,” Daniel finished for him.
Jack nodded silently. “How’s the movie going? Is it over yet?” he asked in a lame attempt to change the subject.
Daniel wasn’t about to dignify that with an answer, so he merely glared at Jack.
Jack shrugged. He pulled the door open and was about to leave when Daniel rushed ahead of him and slammed it shut. He stood with his back up against it, his eyes aglow with anger as he looked at Jack with his arms folded across his chest.
Jack looked at him, almost confused as to why Daniel was denying him any means of exit. “Do you mind?” he asked, a touch of irritation in his voice.
“Yes, I do,” Daniel shot back. Deep down, he was glad that no one else was in the room. Jack looked at him curiously, prompting Daniel to elaborate, “I’m not letting you get out of this. What the hell were you doing with Sam?”
Jack seemed to play dumb as he gave him another curious look.
“You know what I’m talking about,” Daniel said hotly. “You kept scheming to get me out of the theater so you could flirt with her. I heard what you said to her.”
Jack gave him a small shrug. “Okay, I admit it: I find Sam attractive. Actually, she’s not only attractive; she’s sweet. I can’t help it – they’re the qualities I appreciate in a woman.”
Daniel’s eyebrows drew together and his mouth dropped open – an expression that was a mix of anger and disbelief. He was completely exasperated by what Jack had said. “Gee, I’m trying so hard to get through to you and it doesn’t seem to be working, so let me put this into words that you can actually understand: I saw her first.”
Jack stared at Daniel and appeared struck by what the younger man had just said. When he first met Daniel, he seemed quite meek and Jack nearly doubted that he had a backbone.
“There’s a reason why Sam was my date this evening, and why she was my date at that party of yours,” Daniel continued sarcastically. “And, furthermore, Jack, you have a wife.”
Emotion briefly shone in Jack’s eyes and he looked like he’d been hit by a ton of bricks. He averted his eyes and sighed. “Yeah … I know,” he answered quietly before turning away from Daniel and heading back over to the sink.
Daniel’s face contorted in confusion. “You know??? That’s the best you can do??” he asked incredulously.
“Yes!!” Jack shouted. He took in a sharp breath and slowly let it out in an attempt to calm down. There was one nerve inside him that knew what he was doing was wrong, and Daniel’s words had struck it.
Daniel studied Jack’s face, which had gone from pale when Daniel brought up his wife, to red after he lashed out at the younger man. Jack now looked like he was in agony. Daniel nearly pitied him for a moment before realizing that perhaps he was beginning to learn the error of his ways.
“This isn’t the first time, is it?” Daniel finally said, breaking the silence.
Jack averted his eyes and shook his head slowly. “Yeah, I admit it,” he finally said, scrubbing his hands through his short, brown hair. “I’ve flirted with other women before … actually for quite a while, now. I did it right in front of Sara, and she never seemed to think much of it. I …”
Daniel looked at him intently.
“I’ve realized the bitter truth now,” Jack continued, his voice thick with regret. “I’m just a big kid. Sara is a good woman with a good heart, and she deserves someone who’s mature and serious once in a while … not me.”
Daniel looked at him pointedly. “Bullshit. I know you love her and she loves you. She told me outside that she thought what you were doing was harmless. It took me quite a bit to convince her otherwise. All this time she trusted you, Jack. She told me she loves you and that she would hate to lose you over something so ridiculous.”
Jack looked at Daniel thoughtfully before a faint smile tugged at his lips. “Yeah. To be honest, I’d hate to lose her over something like this.”
Daniel shot him a confused look, and Jack’s smile faded.
“Daniel, I owe you a big-time apology,” he began. “I was totally out of line with the way I was … advancing on Sam like that. It was as if I was completely oblivious to the fact that you two were a couple. I was only thinking about myself – not about how my actions might have been affecting you, Sam, and especially Sara. Not to mention I acted like a real jackass, sending you to do my bidding like that.”
Daniel blinked, apparently not expecting Jack to be so forthright.
“I know we didn’t exactly start off on the right foot, and I can imagine what you think of me after all that’s happened tonight. But, I really hope you can forgive me – if not tonight, then sometime in the near future.”
At first, Daniel wasn’t too sure whether he should believe Jack right off the bat, but the sincerity in the older man’s eyes conveyed the notion that he should at least think about it.
“Well,” he began tentatively, “I appreciate you being honest with me, Jack. I really hope you understand that Sam is my girlfriend …”
“I do,” Jack insisted.
“I really hope so,” Daniel continued. “I mean, after the way you acted, I’m not finding it that easy to trust you.”
Jack nodded in understanding. “Look,” he finally said after a beat. “I promise you that I will be on my best behavior as far as Sam is concerned. I recognize that she’s your girlfriend. I like her, I think she’s a sweet person, but I love Sara and I want to do everything I can to keep us from breaking apart.”
Daniel thought for a moment and then his lips twitched upward in the faintest of smiles. “Okay. I think I can accept that. Just remember that I’m holding you to it.”
“I will,” Jack confirmed. He gave Daniel a slight smile.
“Good,” Daniel answered quietly, his smile growing a bit larger.
“You’re a great guy, and Sam is lucky to have you,” Jack added.
Daniel’s brow knitted in confusion. “You think so? I thought you said I was a geek,” he smirked.
Jack held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I didn’t mean that to be a bad thing. Hell, some of my best friends are geeks!”
“I’m sure,” Daniel mumbled under his breath, amused.
Jack chuckled slightly and shook his head. “What say we go back out and rejoin the girls? We definitely have a lot of explaining to do.”
Daniel nodded before leading the way out of the Men’s room, still a bit surprised in Jack’s relatively quick turnaround.
“You’re a good man, Daniel Johnson.”
“Jackson,” Daniel corrected, furrowing his brow.
“I knew that,” Jack grinned.
Daniel rolled his eyes and snickered softly before
they made
their way back to Sam and Sara.