Only You (Stevens Book 12)

Chapter 11

It was late when Sam got going the next day. It was Saturday, which meant dinner with his parents, and he debated whether to ask Mave to go. It wasn't that he didn't want her to go, but he wasn't sure if she would be up to it.

She had told her family, but he had never even hinted to his family about a relationship between him and Mave.

Sam made himself a cup of coffee, moved to the back porch, and opened his tablet to check the news and answer emails. It was still early, but Sam realized early on in his medical career that he didn't need a lot of sleep as long as the sleep he was getting was beneficial.

His phone next to him dinged, telling him he had a message from his mother, asking him if pot roast was acceptable for dinner and if Mave still liked lemon meringue pie.

I guess that answered the question about whether he was going to invite Mave or not. He responded affirmatively to his mother, then opened up his news app. Over the years, it had become his habit to check the entertainment news in the hope of seeing something about Mave, and it still seemed to be a habit as he did that very thing. The smile hovering on his face from talking with his mom disappeared as he saw that front and center was a story about Mave meeting with her doctors in Savannah.

Sam hadn't been wrong when he had noticed some attention from the corner table at lunch the day before.

The article was brief and didn't really say much because there was nothing much to say, and the photo was grainy, and of her profile, but it still listed her location as Savannah.

Forcing himself to close the app, he turned his attention to his emails, which were minimal, and then he leaned back into his chair and sipped his coffee, watching the morning light play on the water.

Last night had been a miserable night, and he had lost a patient. Telling the family that their loved one had died was the hardest thing about his job. When he had arrived home, heard the music, and saw Mave sitting on the back porch, it had lightened his heart in a way he was afraid to acknowledge. He knew that she would be gone when the movie people came knocking again, and he would let her go. It only meant that he couldn't allow himself to get used to or rely on her presence in his home.

"Is there more of that?" Mave asked as she leaned in the doorway, looking at him.

"Sure, there's an entire pot in the kitchen," he looked at her with a smile, none of his doubt showing. "I hope I didn't wake you?"

"No, you didn't. The dreams did." She yawned as she turned and went back into the house.

Sam frowned. Mave hadn't mentioned bad dreams before, but it stood to reason that she had them. A few minutes later, she joined him. She was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and fleece pants, and somehow, she made them look sexy.

"Do you want to talk about your dreams?" Sam asked, watching her as she curled up in the chair next to him.

"Not really, they're pretty dark." Mave inhaled the coffee and took a sip.

"Are you at least talking to your therapist about them?" Sam asked with a frown.

Mave shrugged, which meant that she probably hadn't, at least not in detail.

"Can I ask you a question about when you were taken?" Sam watched her tense.

"You can ask, but I don't promise to answer."

"Fair enough." Same sipped his coffee, wondering if he should tell her about the photo and the announcement that she was in Savannah. He should tell her so she could be on her guard, but at the same time, he didn't want to worry her.