Elijah understood quite clearly.
“I’m originally from San Antonio, born and raised, and my parents and my brother are still there. I was working at one of the remote branches of XTX when a position came open at their main offices here in Dallas. At the request of my boss at the time, I interviewed for a position and Logan was the one to interview me,” Sam admitted, picking up her wine glass.
“That sounds scandalous,” Elijah smiled. And interesting. He already knew the backstory, thanks to his many conversations with Logan, but he knew there were always two sides to every story.
Sam laughed and the woman’s voice was sexy, as was her confidence as she sat facing him directly. “It wasn’t intentional, I assure you. I couldn’t resist him though.”
Logan laughed and Elijah looked over at him, smiling as he waited for the rest of the story.
“I think it was the other way around.”
“Ok, so maybe it took me a little while to get with the program,” Sam said, glancing back and forth between Elijah and Logan. “But once I did, I can say my life changed entirely.”
“So, I take it you got the job.”
“I’ll say,” she laughed, that sensual sound causing Elijah to watch her closely.
There was no doubt about it; he was intrigued by this woman.
“And how did he change your life? Aside from the obvious,” Elijah said, glancing down at the rock on Samantha’s left hand. Beneath the table, Elijah fingered his own wedding ring.
“He awakened a part of me I didn’t know existed,” Sam stated seriously and Elijah decided right then that he liked Samantha even more. The woman was straight to the point. None of the fumbling or giggling that Elijah heard often from women.
“I can only presume you mean sexually?” he asked.
Samantha paused and glanced around before answering, apparently looking to see if anyone was within hearing distance. Elijah already knew that no one was, but he appreciated Sam’s need to be discreet in her response.
“Both sexually and emotionally.”
Interesting answer. Elijah didn’t immediately ask a question and he wasn’t very surprised when Samantha threw out one of her own.
“I noticed you’re wearing a ring.”
Elijah didn’t try to deny it, although said ring was currently beneath the table so Sam obviously hadn’t just noticed it.
He had known the question would come about at some point. “I am… Yes,” he told her softly as he placed his hand on the table, twisting the wedding band on his left hand. He still wore it. Even all these years later.
As soon as it registered exactly what he’d said, Samantha’s eyes darted down toward his left hand. Instantly, her body language changed and she looked… upset.
When she finally met his gaze again, Elijah continued, “My Beth passed away four years ago. Brain cancer.”
Her entire demeanor softened and she leaned forward. “Oh, Elijah, I’m so sorry for your loss,” Samantha said, reaching for his hand.
Elijah liked the way her hand felt when she touched him. Soft, smooth fingers. He glanced down where their hands met and then back up at her. He didn’t respond to her, nothing needed to be said.
She didn’t pull her hand away as she added, “If you don’t mind me asking, how did the two of you meet?”
Elijah smiled. Yes, Samantha McCoy continued to surprise him. Most people shied away from talking about his wife once he told them that she was dead. Probably out of fear that he would break down in front of them. That wasn’t going to happen. He loved talking about Beth. She was a significant part of his life; she was the woman who had made him who he was today.
And he reserved the breaking down part for when he was alone.
“I was attending a trade show, as a vendor, and I happened to run into her. I didn’t know it at the time, but she’d been the one to put the show together, with the help of several other people. Beth was an event planner. She was one of those people who were meticulous about details. When she caught my eye, she’d been ensuring everything was going exactly as intended. It took me a few tries, but I finally found the nerve to ask her out. She said yes. The rest is history.”
“How long were the two of you married?” Sam asked.
“It’ll be thirteen years this month,” Elijah said, noticing that when Logan’s hand disappeared beneath the table, Samantha retrieved her hand from his. “We dated for three years before I found the right time to propose. We lived together for two years before we were finally married.”
Which meant he’d been married to her for almost nine years before she passed away, but as far as Elijah was concerned, Beth was it for him. Even without her there every single day, he still thought about her. Still loved her with every breath he took. And he knew without a doubt that there would never be another woman to take her place.