Forgiving You: A Bluebell Valley Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

was still mad at him, if she would judge him for who he had become, if she were still the same old Sam he knew or if she had changed. He had so many questions. He couldn’t let her get out of his sight. If he didn’t ask her today, he might never get the chance.
    He was next to her when he stopped, leaning against the red wine rack on the other side of the aisle.
    “It’s been a long time,” he finally said, low enough that only she would hear it. He didn’t want to have the attention of everybody in the store. When Sam turned around to face him, Austin’s reflexes were faster than his brain and he caught the bottle she was about to drop.
    He looked into her eyes. He was hoping she might have forgiven him already, but as he scanned her face, he realized that wasn’t the case. Sam didn’t seem very happy to see him. He couldn’t blame her.
    “How have you been?” he asked, but she stayed silent.
    “Au… Austin?” Sam finally asked. She seemed confused.
    “Yes, it’s me.”
    “What are you doing here?” she snapped. This wasn’t going how he wanted it to go. Even if he knew Sam hadn’t forgiven him, Austin had still hoped that she wouldn’t make a scene and be civilized about it. That was not where it was heading.
    “I’m here to buy a bottle of wine. What about you?” he replied, hoping Sam would keep her voice down. Maybe this had been a bad idea.
    “You know what I meant. Why are you in Bluebell?”
    “This is my town too, Sam. I’m here for a documentary,” Austin replied, feeling like things were getting out of control. He didn’t want to fight with Sam, not so soon. Yes, they definitely had problems and they would have to sort them out, but not now, not here.
    This had been a bad idea.
    “We start shooting tomorrow. They want to see the orchard and where I grew up,” he added, hoping it would be a neutral topic.
    He wanted Sam’s forgiveness, but she didn’t look ready to give it to him. She was still too hurt and he would have to work for it. But this seemed like a bad moment, as she probably had a lot of things to process. He had to do that too, as he could feel emotions being stirred inside of him. He hated fighting with Sam as much as he loved spending time with her. Seeing her again only made him more certain he wanted to make things right between them.
    “How long are you going to be here?” she asked, her anger slowly fading. He couldn’t tell where that was coming from, but it was reassuring.
    “Just this weekend. My plane leaves Sunday night.”
    “Good.”
    “Can I see you again tomorrow? There are a lot of things I need to say to you.”
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
    “Please, Sam,” he said, but Sam was stoic.
    Austin watched as she turned her back, wondering if they could even get over what had happened between them. Now that he was on the top of the world, he realized that his friendship with Sam should have been more important. Having someone like her in his life would make him much happier.
    The more he looked at her, the more he noticed how different she was. Yes, she was still as stubborn as when she was a teenager—she’d just proven it to him. But there was something in her that wasn’t as bright as it used to be. She looked… sad, almost. The only thing Austin wanted to do was make her smile, but he knew he wasn’t close enough to her anymore.
    He sighed. It was better if he left now. He was still holding the bottle Sam had almost dropped. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted tonight—he needed something stronger.
    Sam was standing right next to where he had to put the bottle back. He reached, brushing against her arm. The contact made him shiver, even though Sam’s skin was burning hot. The spark reminded him of all those times during high school when he had brushed his best friend’s skin, wondering if they could ever be more than friends. He had never felt that way about a woman since then. He had never felt that spark.
    Austin put the