Resisting Samantha (Hope Parish Novels Book 10) by Zoe Dawson Read Free Book Online

issue. River wants you to be a part of our
lives, and that includes your family.”
    I gave him a sad
smile and whispered. “My dad is never going to change, so why
bother to try to make him see who I am?”
    I glanced at Jake,
who was talking to Anna Kate. I hated to be at odds with him, but I’d
been gone a long time, and I was sorry I left him holding the bag.
“And Jake isn’t open to patching up our differences. I
don’t know if he’ll ever be. I don’t see a warm
homecoming in my future.”
    “You never
know,” Brax said. “Jake and I threw some words at each
other, and some punches, there were blood and bruises and hurt egos,
but we made nice. You can, too. He’ll come around, Chase. Deep
down, he wants to. He wants a sign. It’s just going to take
some time to get trust back. Give him a reason to hope you’ll
be part of the family again.”
    “Wow, my
sister has had an influence on you.”
    “I’d die
for her. Hands down, no hesitation. Anger and resentment? Man, that
gets old, and if you don’t find some middle ground and let go,
it’s damn lonely. Every time your name comes up in
conversation, your momma gets a bit teary-eyed. You should think
about coming home, put this all behind you.”
    His words hit me
hard, and after all this time, my guilt, my loneliness, the loss of
my family, and my fear that my family had moved on without me was a
sickening revelation. If they could do it, why couldn’t I?
     
    ***
     
    After brunch, there
was a pool party, then after that the fish fry, but never were my
thoughts far from Samantha. What Brax discussed with me at Imogene’s
would end my isolation. Maybe it was time for me to offer an olive
branch. I didn’t expect a favorable outcome, but this deal he
was offering would connect me.
    “Brax,”
I said when I finally spotted him in the happy crowd. He extricated
himself from the conversation he was having with Boone.
    “What’s
up?”
    “I’ll
take the deal. Draw up the papers.”
    He reached out his
hand and we bumped fists. “You know, it might be a good idea to
hire some people to help you out. Ethan has been bartending for me,
but I think he’d jump at the chance. I don’t make this
suggestion lightly. He’s a damn fine bartender, and I don’t
particularly want to lose him,” he grumbled. “But, what
the hell? It’s for family.”
    Ethan had tried to
make a connection with me since he returned home, but I hadn’t
been receptive. It seemed a lot of the people from my past had gotten
the boot. I wasn’t sure he would want to reconnect after the
way I ignored him. At least Brax doesn’t push it.
    “Think about
it,” Brax said before turning to greet another guest.
    But I shied away
from it. I will say getting to spend time with my uncle and aunt was
nice. Aunt Evie sure could dance, and getting acquainted with my
nephews made the discomforts worthwhile. But the icy silence from my
brother and the tension between my daddy and momma hadn’t
abated.
    And I had no idea
what to say to them.
    Finally, I was able
to escape, but I had actually lost track of time, and it was late,
past midnight. I drove to Imogene’s, but it was closed and
dark.
    Feeling it was
important to find out what had troubled her this morning—clearly
something more than a broken plate—I headed for Samantha’s
house.
    There was no way I
was going to go home before seeing her. I couldn’t stay away.
    The drapes were
drawn, but the outside light was on, so I parked and all but sprinted
to her front door. I knocked, and was about to turn away after a few
minutes when the door opened. “I didn’t think you were
going to answer.” I swore silently, praying I wouldn’t
embarrass myself, which would really ruin my night, when it suddenly
dawned on me that the universe might be trying to tell me something.
I’d been in closer proximity to Samantha, more often, in the
past week than I had been since I met her.
    “I almost
didn’t,” she said, her husky voice doing