3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

C aleb blew out a breath, leaning his back against the wall of Sam’s office.

“That’s a lot,” he muttered.

“Mhm,” Sam hummed, eyes raking over the copious notes she’d taken during her time with Liz.

They’d just finished going over all the extra changes they’d need to make in order for things to run smoothly. Caleb seemed more stressed than before. But Sam actually felt better. Now that it was organized, and she’d gone through it aloud, it all began piecing itself together. Everything began forming in her mind, flashing through in different images and lines of code, the way it always did when she started a new project.

And that was the part she loved. The part that made her feel calm. Made her feel in control.

A light knock on the door frame pulled her attention, and she looked up to see one of the developers.

“Hey Sam,” she said, “someone’s here for you.”

But before she could ask who, Jess stepped around her.

She blinked, staring at her for a moment.

“I was wondering when you were going to show up,” Caleb said, chuckling as he pushed off the wall toward her.

Jess jumped slightly, as if she hadn’t noticed anyone else in the room. Then a wide grin broke across her face.

He crossed the few feet between them and leaned forward, pulling her into a tight hug.

“It’s good to see you,” she said, smiling over his shoulder. “How’ve you been?”

He pulled back and threw a nod over his shoulder where Sam still sat, watching.

“Same stuff. Helping our girl take over the world one step at a time.”

Jess’ eyes flicked to her, and Sam could see the slight apprehension that passed through them.

He looked back and forth between them, then his smile fell. “Sorry,” he muttered, shooting Jess an apologetic look. “Old habits.”

Jess nodded once, giving him a tense smile that stayed far away from her eyes. And even without that, Sam could see that something was bothering her. Something that had been present even before Caleb’s slip up.

Sam closed her laptop, standing and stepping toward her as an edge of concern bubbled in her chest.

Caleb cleared his throat, glancing between them. “I—uh—better get back to work. But let’s catch up soon?”

Jess smiled back at him, squeezing his arm. “Definitely."

He smiled at Jess one last time before walking out.

“What’s up?” Sam asked, not caring to hide the edge of worry that came out with the words. “Is everything okay?”

She let her eyes rake over Jess’ features, searching for signs. Searching for what she needed.

Jess stared back at her for a moment. And then something seemed to shift within her.

She loosed a breath, and with it, that tension that had been present each time she’d seen her over the last few days seemed to release.

Jess smiled softly, shaking her head. “Yeah—sorry. Everything is fine.” Jess cleared her throat, her eyes bouncing apprehensively around the office. “I just wanted to talk. I know I should’ve called or something.” She released a laugh that sounded almost nervous in a way. Then she crinkled her face slightly. “Now that I’m here, I realize it was probably weird to just show up.”

Ever so slowly, Sam’s concern morphed into amusement.

She shrugged, a small smirk tugging on her lips. “Not the first time you’ve shown up unannounced to talk.”

Jess faltered for a second, before a wide smile crossed her face and she shook her head with a laugh. “Don’t remind me.”

And just like that, the Jess she knew reappeared. As if the last four years of distance completely evaporated and she was still the person she could tell anything to. The person she could always count on.

Sam’s smirk grew into a teasing smile then as she laughed with her. Then she nodded over her shoulder to the desk. “Wanna sit?”

“Yeah,” Jess answered, following to sit in the chair beside her.

After a moment, Jess settled and cleared her throat again. “I just wanted to apologize for being so weird the other day when we ran into each other.”

Sam chuckled, pulling her phone out of her pocket and setting it on the table beside her laptop. “I think if there’s any time where you get a pass on being awkward, it was that day.” She leaned back in the chair. “Besides, I wasn’t much better.”

Jess nodded slowly. “Also, though, about what Liz said yesterday.” She swallowed, glancing away. “The motorcycle thing.”

Sam ignored the slight pang in her chest at the memory, forcing a rueful smile.

“You don’t have to apologize for that.”

Jess looked away, an obvious conflict playing out behind her eyes. And Sam hated herself for being the cause.

“Really,” Sam continued, “it’s okay to know what you want or—” She swallowed, eyes bouncing away. “ Don’t —want in a person.”

She had no idea what it was, but something about those words must have been the wrong thing to say. Because the darkness in Jess’ eyes seemed to grow then.

A sense of unease filled her chest. Her brain began running through anything she could say or do to make it better.

Jess looked back at her with a small smile that did nothing to calm the rising worry.

“So,” Jess said, releasing a breath as she glanced around the large office, “I guess all those early mornings and late nights were worth it, huh?”

Sam chuckled, forcing down the urge to beg Jess to tell her what she'd said wrong so she could fix it. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“I’m happy for you,” Jess continued. “It’s impressive. Everything you’ve done and accomplished.”

A small, shy smile crept up against the edges of Sam’s lips as all the conversations with Caleb came flooding back. Every issue that seemed to arise daily. The employees quitting. The new workload. The software problems.

It was an odd feeling, being congratulated while everything constantly felt on the brink of falling apart.

“Thanks,” she replied. But even she could hear the way it fell flat.

Jess cocked her head slightly. “You don’t think so?”

“No—I mean—yeah,” Sam continued, rubbing a hand over the back of her neck. “It is. It’s just—different, I guess.”

Jess continued watching her, waiting.

“We’re um—“ Sam paused, clearing her throat. “It looks like we’re gonna be acquired by a larger company.”

Jess blinked, her lips parting in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Sam drawled. “I mean, it’s not official yet. We’re still in the early stages,” she said, shaking her head. “But that’s why I’ve been at Liz’s firm the last few days. It’s kind of a trial run to see how things go before they make an official offer.”

“Wow,” Jess said, a wide smile breaking out across her face. “Sam, that’s amazing!”

Sam shot her a smile, although she could feel the hint of apprehension twist with her lips. She nodded, crossing her arms.

“Thanks,” Sam continued. “It’s just—a lot. It’s a big change and some people here aren’t happy about it. We’ve lost some people, so it’s been harder lately.”

Jess nodded slowly, her eyes flicking down as they trailed over her body. “I could tell,” she said softly. “You’re crossing your arms the way you do after you’ve been at your desk for too long the night before.”

Sam blinked, a flicker of surprise passing through her. Then she quickly uncrossed her arms.

Even after four years of no contact, Jess was probably the only person who could really see those things in her. Things that she could easily hide from everyone else.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt that same sense of vulnerability. As if every problem in her life was out on display, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

Sam cleared her throat, shaking that uncomfortable feeling away as she pulled her lips into a wide grin.

“So what’s been going on with you?” she asked, her brain instantly latching onto Jess instead, as it forced out every other thought.

Jess looked hesitant for a moment, as if she didn’t want to let that conversation end. But luckily, she did.

Jess let out a breath, tilting her head back in thought. “Moving here was the biggest thing. I just moved into a new apartment, though, that I love,” she said with a pleased smile. “And obviously, getting the new job when I moved here was a big change.”

“What are you doing for work now?”Although Liz had already mentioned something about it, she still wanted to hear it all straight from Jess.

“PR,” she answered. “I’m at a big agency, so we have a lot of clients here in the city.” She paused, clearing her throat. “Liz’s company is one of them.”

Sam tilted her head, her smile turning curious. “I thought you hated that PR internship you had in New York.”

Jess chuckled, her nose wrinkling. “I hated my boss . I ended up liking the job, though, once he left.”

Sam nodded. “Well, if you want any extra work, let me know. Our PR lead quit a few weeks ago, and I’m pretty sure Caleb is gonna lose it if we don’t find someone new soon.”

Jess let out a dry snort. “Caleb is always about to lose it over something.”

Sam laughed, a full genuine smile finally returning to her face. And that seemed to put Jess at ease, too.

“But yeah,” Jess said, leaning back in the chair. “Just tell me what you need.”

Sam’s eyes flicked up to hers. “Really?”

“Of course,” Jess said, as if there wasn’t any other possible answer. “I’ll always help you.”

Maybe it was the wording she’d chosen, or the way Jess looked at her in that moment, but something familiar snapped back into place between them. Some feeling of ease and care and— friendship. Something she didn’t realize how much she’d missed until then.

“Thank you,” Sam whispered.

Before she could say anything else, the office door behind them swung open.

“Hey boss,” Tiana’s voice floated in.

Jess turned around as Sam looked up to see Tiana striding in.

She leaned back in the chair, casting a quick glance at the time. “It’s your first day, and you’re late.”

Tiana huffed, brushing her long, dark braids back over her shoulder. “I thought tech companies were supposed to be chill and not care about stuff like that,” she said, placing a coffee on the desk in front of her.

Sam picked up the cup, taking a small sip as she mumbled, “Don’t let Caleb hear that.”

Tiana rolled her eyes, pushing Sam’s hand off the arm of her chair before sitting on the edge, letting her back rest against Sam’s shoulder. “Caleb needs to relax.”

Sam took another sip of the coffee, catching the way Jess’ eyes flicked curiously between them.

“I’m glad you’re selling the company,” Tiana continued as she grabbed the cup from Sam’s hand and took a long drink. “You were more fun before you were stressed all the time about some letters on a computer screen.”

Sam chuckled, shaking her head. “Remind me to not let you into any client meetings. Not sure they’d be happy to hear they’re paying as much as they are just for some letters on a screen.”

Tiana set the cup down on the table before finally turning to Jess.

Sam cleared her throat, nodding between them. “Jess, this is Tiana. She’s an old friend.”

Jess gave her a polite smile, holding a hand out.

“Tiana,” Sam continued, “Jess is—” She paused, searching for the right words. “Also an old friend.”

By the look that passed over Jess’ face, she could tell those probably weren’t it.

Tiana reached out, shaking her hand with a dazzling smile before shooting Sam a teasing glare. “Another gorgeous girl in your life. Should I be jealous?”

Jess’ eyes flared in surprise, but Sam couldn’t help the laughter that escaped her lips. Leave it to Tiana to break the tension by causing more of it.

“We both know you’ll be jealous regardless,” Sam mumbled with a smirk.

Tiana shrugged as she picked up the coffee once more. “So, what am I interrupting? You guys looked way too serious.”

Sam exhaled softly, leaning back in the chair. “Just catching up.”

Jess cleared her throat. “I should actually probably get going.” She stood from the chair, giving each of them a tight smile. “I have to get back to work.”

Sam nodded, hating that she felt slightly disappointed.

“But,” Jess continued as she took a step toward the doorway, “I guess I’ll see you Friday?”

Sam cocked her head. “Friday?”

“Yeah,” Jess replied, running a hand through her hair. “You said you’re gonna be at the conference, right?”

“Oh,” Sam muttered. “Right. Yeah. I’ll be there.”

Jess gave her a small smile as she nodded. Then she looked at Tiana. “It was great to meet you.”

Tiana gave her a warm, but curious, smile as she replied, “You too.”

Jess nodded once more before turning to leave.

Tiana remained quiet for a few moments before turning to look at her. “Is that the one you told me about? From a while ago?”

Sam looked down at the desk as she gave a small nod. “Yeah.”

***

Three Years and Ten Months Earlier

“And cheers to us for absolutely crushing it and closing our third official client,” Caleb said, grinning from ear to ear as he clanked his glass messily against Sam’s.

She laughed, pulling her glass back to take a sip.

Jess squeezed her thigh under the table of the booth. “Congrats, babe,” she said with a proud smile, before placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

Sam’s stomach fluttered the same way it did anytime Jess called her that.

“Thanks,” she replied softly, taking in the beautiful girl beside her.

“And cheers to me,” Caleb continued, raising his glass in the air, “for being your permanent third wheel every time we go out.”

Sam laughed, rolling her eyes.

“Hey,” Jess said, “don’t blame us. I tried to set you up twice, but you’re the one who said no.”

Caleb took a long drink before setting it down with a shrug. “Someone at the company needs to stay focused and not get distracted by pretty girls.”

Sam snorted. “Right. We’ll just pretend that’s the reason you said no, and not because you got nervous at the last second before meeting them.”

Caleb shot her a mild glare. “Anyway,” he drawled, leaning back against the red cushioning of the booth. “I think we need to find a way to meet with more clients in person. I have a prospect in Austin who wants to use the software, but only if we can spend a few months there with their team, training them on how to integrate it with their workflow.”

Sam nodded slowly, looking down at her drink.

They’d already had that conversation twice that week, and each time she’d cut it short. They’d just finally started to settle in New York. Moving again didn’t sound appealing.

She looked back at him, catching the way his gaze bounced between her and Jess.

“I mean,” he continued, softening a bit, “we can still grow without doing that. But it would definitely take longer.”

Sam pursed her lips, scratching the back of her neck. “Yeah,” she mumbled.

Jess shifted away from her, sliding out of the booth. “Gonna go to the bathroom real quick.”

Sam turned, watching as Jess crossed the busy bar.

“Is that why you don’t want to do it?” Caleb asked.

Sam looked back at him. “What do you mean?”

Caleb gave her the look he always did before he was about to give her a hard truth. “Jess. Is she the reason you don’t want to go?”

“No,” Sam answered automatically, although it sounded hollow somehow. Like her own voice knew the truth better than she did.

“I—“ she started, clearing her throat. “I’d never be selfish and put myself before what we’re working on.” She twisted the glass in front of her, watching the way the ice swirled in the remaining bit of liquid. “I just—I want to be worth some—” She shook her head, slightly frustrated. “The company, I mean. I want the company to be worth something.”

She kept her gaze fixed on the drink in front of her as she felt Caleb’s stare burning into her.

After a few moments of silence, she looked up at him.

He gave her a small, understanding smile. “Do whatever you think is best, then. You know I’m with you, whatever you decide.”