Sammy in France (Single Wide Female Travels #1) Page 4

  “Not at all.” He shook his head. “It’s perfect.” He held out his arm to me. “Shall we.”

  “Uh, just a minute.” I wiggled my bottom.

  “Hm?” He grinned. “Are we dancing?”

  “We’re trying to get your undies in the right place.”

  “Oh my, sounds like we’ll just have to go shopping.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Do I get to pick?”

  “That sounds like a dangerous idea.”

  “It’s only as dangerous as you let it be.”

  “Hm. Maybe I should do the picking.”

  “Where’s your sense of adventure, Sammy?”

  “It got lost with my panties!” I laughed.

  Max slid his arm around my waist and we walked down the sidewalk.

  “Should we call for Cateline’s car service?”

  “Yes, but let’s stop in here real quick first.” He pointed to a small boutique.

  We ducked inside. The shop was eclectic, with lots of little unique items. There was a small assortment of underpants to choose from. Max picked up a pair of tiny black lacy panties.

  “Perfect!”

  “Only if you’re wearing them.”

  “What?” Max’s face drained of color.

  “Well, it only seems fair, since I’ve been wearing yours all day.” I smiled.

  “Okay, okay, you can pick your own underwear.” He sighed.

  I found a few plain ones in my size and took them to the register. I paused when I saw the clerk behind the counter was a young man. Could I really endure buying underpants in front of him? I looked over at Max, who seemed to be mesmerized by a set of fuzzy dice.

  “Max, I have to use the restroom. Can you check out for me?” I handed him the underwear before he could answer.

  Max walked up to the register. I watched from the corner of the store as the clerk picked up each pair of underpants, then looked at Max. When he got to the last one he sighed.

  “Sir, I think we have a problem here.”

  “What is it?” Max frowned.

  I tried not to giggle.

  “Well, let’s forget that you clearly do not have very good taste, and talk instead about the fact that these are not your size. You’re going to be back tomorrow to return them. Go try them on if you don’t believe me.”

  Max looked over his shoulder. I knew he was looking for me.

  I hid behind a stack of chairs.

  “They’re not for me, they’re for my wife.”

  “Oh, sure, of course.” The clerk rolled his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want to try them on?”

  “No. Thank you. They’re for my wife. Sammy.”

  “Sam? Is that your wife?” The man nodded with a smile behind the counter. “Don’t worry sir, I understand.” He bagged up the underwear and scanned the credit card.

  When Max walked toward the door his cheeks were red. He caught sight of me hidden behind the chairs.

  “That wasn’t very nice of you.” He quirked an eyebrow and held out his hand to me. “You owe me.”

  “I’m sure that we can settle up somehow.” I grinned and snatched the bag from him. “Besides, you might have to borrow these one day. It wouldn’t have killed you to try them on.”

  “It might have.” He grimaced. “There’s a restroom around the corner if you want to change, and I can call the driver while you’re doing that.”

  “That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day! I love your underwear, Max—when you’re wearing it.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Chapter 11

  It was a relief to change out of Max’s underwear. I was excited about where we might be going and content to let him surprise me.

  As I walked toward the corner where Max and the car were waiting, it struck me that I was really in Paris. I was living out one of my dreams, and the best part was, I got to share it all with the love of my life.

  I grinned widely as Max opened the door for me and we settled into the back seat.

  “Better?” He plucked at the hem of my skirt as if he might peek.

  “Stop that.” I laughed. “Much better.”

  “I’ll try not to be offended.”

  The traffic was as bad as I’d ever seen in any city, but Max and I utilized the time to discuss my meeting with Cateline.

  When the car rolled to a stop, I looked out the window to see where we were.

  “Oh, Max—the Eiffel Tower!” I could barely stay in my seat when I saw it looming before us. I was so excited to get closer.

  “I thought we could use a little exercise.” He grinned and held out my sneakers. “We can walk the stairs as far as we’d like and then there’s also an elevator if we need it.”

  “This is just what I need, Max. Thanks so much.”

  “Hey, I’m just looking out for my boss.” He winked at me.

  “Max, I’m not your boss.”

  “Oh yes, you are.” He stepped out of the car.

  I joined him from the other side. “Max, we’re a team.”

  “Maybe, but you’re the one who keeps the cash flowing, baby. I’m the one that oils the gears.”

  “Well, fine. If I’m the boss, then I guess you’re my master.”

  “Wait a minute, I like the sound of that.” Max laughed out loud.

  “What? Master Max?” I winked at him.

  “Hm, when you say it like that my imagination is going a bit wild.” He laughed.

  “Well, you’re the webmaster, right? Without you I wouldn’t be on the World Wide Web.” I winked at him again.

  “With ancient terms like that, I’d tend to agree with you. Let’s go, boss, we’ve got a sight to see.”

  “Yes, master, whatever you say.”

  “That’s actually really unnerving.”

  “Good to know.” I grinned.

  As we joined the long line at the Eiffel Tower I curled my hand around his. Even though there were many ways I enjoyed touching Max, holding his hand was still my favorite. There was something about the softness of his palm, the tickle of his fingertips, and the sensation of being held that always settled my mind.

  We made it to the entrance and took the time to learn a bit about the Eiffel Tower’s history. Then we boarded one of the elevators. I didn’t realize the mistake we made until the elevator started to move. Instead of choosing one that was enclosed we had boarded the elevator that was open-air.

  “Oh, Max, I don’t know if I’m okay with this.” I tightened my grip on his hand.

  “Oh, this is nothing. Wait until we get to the top. I’ve arranged to bungee jump from the top of the Eiffel Tower. I thought you’d love it.”

  I gasped and looked into his eyes. “You didn’t?”

  The glimmer in his gaze gave him away. “I didn’t. But this will be fine. Trust me. Just look at what we can see.”

  I did look, and he was right. The view was well worth the small dose of fear that accompanied it.

  Once we reached the second floor, we left the elevator behind and joined several other people on the stairs.

  “Isn’t this great?” Max looked over at me. “Did you ever think we’d be doing this?”

  I smiled. If I were honest, I’d have to say yes. I had spent a lot of time using my imagination about the things I would do with Max if he ever returned my affection.

  “I’m glad we’re here.”

  “Me too.” He kissed my forehead. “None of this would be happening without you, Sammy. You should be very proud.”

  His words were meant to be kind, but they tweaked a nerve within me.

  I still didn’t know how to accept that I was successful. I think a small part of me was still waiting for everything to fall apart. Life couldn’t be this easy, could it? Life couldn’t be this good, without the payment of some kind of price, right?

  As I recognized that I still carried this belief deep within me, I could clearly see that it was an area I needed to work on. I decided to try to incorporate it into my next book.


  By the time we headed back down the stairs my legs burned with the effort. It was easy to notice that I’d slacked off on my exercise regimen. My body was getting out of shape, and my stamina had diminished.

  “You doing okay?” Max gave my back a light pat.

  I wondered if he felt all of the sweat gathered there. It was good that I had sneakers on, but the dress was still snug and constrictive.

  “Just a little disappointed at how much I’ve let my exercise go.”

  “Don’t worry about that, Sammy. Soon we’ll be running on the beach.”

  A sudden, horrifying image of me running down the beach topless with my breasts flopping and slapping made me so dizzy that I had to grab Max’s arm to get down the last few steps. Even the idea of running in a bikini was a bit much, but topless? I really needed to research this whole topless at the beach idea that they had going on here.

  “I’m looking forward to being in the water again.” I cleared my throat and avoided the topless topic.

  “Why don’t we head back for a rest before dinner?”

  “Perfect.” I gave him a quick kiss on the lips and thought about the relief I’d feel getting out of my dress.

  Chapter 12

  When we arrived at the bed and breakfast Poppy was waiting for us. She had a bronzed Maltese tucked under her arm.

  “I thought you might like some food to nibble on out on the patio. I’ve prepared a few things for you.” She smiled.

  I was tired, but I was also very hungry. “Thank you, we’d love that.”

  She led us out to the patio, which was filled with even more animal statues. There were even a few birds, a rabbit, and a squirrel. Max and I exchanged a look across the table as we sat down. The patio overlooked a small patch of untended grass. A ceiling fan wobbled in a slow circle above our heads.

  Poppy returned with a platter of cheese and fruit as well as some bread.

  “I hope this will be enough. There’s more if you need it, just ask.” She set two wine glasses down on the table, one in front of each of us. “I took the liberty of opening my favorite wine for you to sample.”

  “Oh, I don’t know, is it too early for wine?” I looked across the table at Max.

  “Is it ever too early for wine?” Max grinned. “Not in Paris.”

  “Listen to your husband, he knows!” Poppy laughed and went back into the house to retrieve the bottle of wine.

  “This bed and breakfast may not be what I’d imagined, but Poppy has certainly been a wonderful host.”

  “Yes, and there may not be any other guests, but at least we have plenty of animals to keep us company.” Max chuckled.

  Poppy returned and filled our glasses to the very top.

  “Now I’ll leave you two alone. I’m sure you have much to discuss.” Poppy hurried away.

  Max picked up his glass and held it out to me.

  “To Paris.”

  “To Paris.” I clinked my glass with his.

  We each took a sip of the wine. I expected it to be a rather cheap or offbeat flavor, as Poppy seemed to dance to her own beat, but it was the most delicious wine I’d ever tasted.

  “Wow!” I looked over the rim of my glass at Max.

  “I know. It’s great.” He took a long swallow. “I don’t think I’ve ever tasted better. We should find out what it is. Maybe we can take a few bottles home with us.”

  “Max, do you realize that we’re not going to be home for a year?” My eyes widened.

  “Oh, I guess we could just order some.”

  “No, that’s not what I mean. I just can’t quite wrap my head around the fact that we are going to be traveling for that long. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. I guess it hasn’t really set in with me yet either. Where are we headed next?”

  “Italy, I think. I have to check with Cateline to be sure.”

  “Ah, Italy, the country of romance.”

  “Really? I thought that was France?”

  “Sure France is romantic, but Italy—Italy is for lovers.”

  “Why do you think that?” I picked up a piece of cheese.

  “In France the food is delicious, but it’s all about presentation. In Italy, the food is real. It’s rich, it’s flavorful, and served in copious amounts. Entertainment is designed to savor each other rather than separate each other.”

  I smiled as I listened to his words. “The way you describe it makes me want to be there right this second.”

  “Good thing we don’t have too long to wait.”

  After we finished our meal, I went back in to try to figure out what to wear to dinner.

  Then I sat down at my computer. While I typed away, Max lounged on the bed with a book. This was the first time since I’d arrived in France that I’d actually sat down to work. The first few paragraphs flew right out of my fingers, but then I hit a block. There was an unease within me that I just couldn’t shake. I decided to try to write it out.

  I opened a new document and just wrote what was on my mind. As the words formed on the page, I found that most of my concern stemmed from insecurity. Here I was in a new country, with people who’d never met me. I was surrounded by the beauty of Paris as well as the beautiful people of Paris. Rather than fully embracing that beauty, I’d tried to tuck myself away, as I felt I didn’t fit. I could see the old habits that were rearing their ugly head.

  I took a deep breath and tried to focus on my confidence level. As I returned to the book, I found that I could write a few more paragraphs, but it was nothing like what I truly wanted to say. My words were stilted and the imagery just wasn’t there. Even with a big glass of wine in me, I couldn’t relax.

  “You okay, Sammy?” Max looked over at me from the bed.

  “I guess. I’m having a little trouble getting into the groove.”

  “Well, don’t worry about it. We have dinner tonight, then tomorrow we can explore in the morning and spend the afternoon hard at work. I have some tweaks I need to do to the website anyway. Then we have the reading.”

  “I guess you’re right. Maybe I’m just putting too much pressure on myself to produce.”

  “You know that always slows you down.” Max stood up and walked over to me. He began to rub my shoulders. I melted beneath his touch. It transported me to a peaceful state of mind.

  “I know, Max, but this isn’t a vacation. It’s work.”

  “But work doesn’t always have to be hard.” Max smiled and brushed his lips along my cheek. “It can be wonderful.”

  Something about the way he purred the word made me turn so that I could kiss him. He stood me up from the chair and spun me against his chest. I shivered with anticipation as he guided me toward the bed.

  “It’s not a honeymoon either.” I managed to speak the words between kisses.

  “Everyday is a honeymoon with you, Sammy.” He sat down on the edge of the bed and then tugged me down beside him.

  I decided I had no interest in resisting. As I was about to disrobe I noticed a tiny cat curled up on the bookshelf. I was startled by it, as I didn’t think that there were any animal statues in our room.

  “Max, it’s watching us.”

  “Huh?” Max tried to draw my lips back to his.

  “Max, there’s a cat statue.”

  “So what?” He sighed.

  “It’s creepy.”

  “Only if you look at it.” He turned my face back to his and kissed me again.

  I pulled away and shook my head. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t. I feel like it’s staring at me.”

  “Sammy, it’s a statue, how can it be staring at you?”

  “Please, Max.”

  “Okay, fine. I’ll get rid of it, but don’t you move from that bed, understand?” He met my eyes with a stern look.

  I smiled. “I have no intention of moving.” I stretched out on the bed in what I thought was a sexy pose but might, in fact, have been all hips and elbows jutted at awkward angles.

  Max hurried over
to the bookshelf and looked up at the cat. “Wow, that’s an amazing statue.” He had to stand on his toes to reach it.

  As he grabbed it, I heard a grunt, followed by a loud hissing noise.

  “Max? What are you doing?” I sat up just in time to get smacked in the face by the furry side of a cat. It landed on the bed and than scurried for the door. Max gasped and jerked the door open to let it out. Then he slammed the door closed. He turned to look at me with wide eyes and a pale face.

  “I thought you said it was a statue!”

  “I thought it was.” I picked some black fur out of my mouth.

  “Are you okay?” He walked back over to the bed.

  “I’m fine.” I laughed. “Maybe it was a sign that I need to get back to work.”

  “Oh, it was a sign alright.” Max sprawled out on the bed and then pulled me down next to me. “That we should stay in bed where it’s safe.” His kisses along my neck convinced me that he was right.

  Chapter 13

  When I woke up from our afternoon romp and nap, I realized that I’d not set an alarm. I grabbed my phone and saw that it was only a half hour before the time we were due to meet Cateline and her friend at the restaurant.

  “Max! Max! We’re going to be late!” I tried to jump out of bed but the blanket was tangled around me and tucked under Max. I landed in a pile on the floor, still rolled up in the blanket.

  “Sammy?” Max sat up sleepily. “What are you doing down there?” He wiped at his eyes.

  “Get me out of this!” I wiggled around, much like a fish might flop around on a dock. The more I tried to unwind from the blanket the more stuck I seemed to become.

  Max laughed and grabbed one end of the blanket. He unrolled me with one hard tug.

  “We have to go, we’re going to be late, get dressed.”

  “Okay, it’s going to be fine, Sammy. Try not to worry.” He reached for me but I was too focused on getting dressed.

  “It’s not going to be okay if we’re late. I don’t want to make a bad impression. Max! Please, just get dressed.”

  “Okay, okay.” He got out of bed and sorted through the closet for the suit he’d hung up.

  By the time we met the car outside, we had only ten minutes to spare.

  “Do you think we’ll make it?”

  Max put his hand over mine and smiled. “I know we will.”