Every Shade by Nora Phoenix
11
Afew hours later, Samuel walked in the front door of his building.
"Mr. Norris," Ben, the doorman, greeted him. "Your locksmith left new keys for you here."
"Thank you," Samuel said. "I do apologize for the disruption with Mr. McLeod."
Ben's face showed nothing but kindness, but then again, it always did. The man had held this job as long as Samuel had lived here and probably far before that. He excelled at his job, knowing when to pretend he didn't see something and when to pay attention.
"No need, Mr. Norris. It was most fortunate that your locksmith was still here, as Mr. McLeod must've slipped past me when I was taking a quick break. Because he still had a key, he could access the elevator."
Samuel sent him a tense smile. "That was an oversight on my part. I assumed that breaking up meant Mr. McLeod understood he was no longer welcome here and invited, but in hindsight, I should've made that more clear to him."
Ben's smile at him was fatherly. "I'm sorry to hear that. A most unfortunate turn of events considering yesterday's date."
Samuel sighed. "Yeah, it wasn't what I had expected either."
The elevator ride up was short, but Samuel smiled as he thought of being stuck on that elevator with Tris. That had turned out well, all things considered. Who could’ve predicted that? They had such crazy chemistry, and he’d been elated to find out it hadn’t been only from his side. God, the sex they’d had had been explosive, his hole clenching in fond memory. He’d been glad Tris had suggested slowing down a little as well. It had been oh-so tempting to stay. But he had to face the mess his break up had caused, and Tris had stuff to do as well, he’d indicated.
So Samuel had taken an Uber back to Manhattan…from New Jersey. Because that’s where Tris lived, in Jersey. It was a little frightening to admit that Samuel had been so out of it he’d never realized they’d gone that far. It made sense, as the house Tris lived in would be impossible for him to afford on Manhattan, or even in the other boroughs. It was a nice enough neighborhood where he lived, though a sharp contrast with Samuel’s apartment.
Still, his apartment had been home for him for the last few years, and he could only hope it would feel the same without Evan. He wasn't sure what he had expected to experience when he walked in the door, but it wasn't the relief that surged through him. Everything was still in order, nothing out of place. He checked his computer setup first, even though he had no doubt Tris's friend Law had kept a close eye on Evan. Nothing was amiss, and he exhaled slowly.
The kitchen cupboards were closed, but a quick peek revealed that Evan had indeed taken some of the more luxurious food items they'd had there. It was hard not to judge a man who would be that petty after living there rent free for over a year and a half. Well, he could add it to the growing list of everything that was wrong about Evan McLeod.
In the bedroom, Evan's closet was empty, and so was his nightstand and his shelf in the bathroom cabinet. He’d taken the expensive aftershave Samuel had bought for him a week or so ago, an impulse gift in a long list of things he’d bought for him.
It was like he'd never even been there, like every trace of his existence had been wiped, and it was a strange feeling. The only thing that reminded Samuel of the two of them were some pictures he had framed and put on a dresser. They looked strangely out of place now, two smiling faces that looked like strangers.
He picked up one of the pictures, a shot that had been taken at the wedding of friends of his parents. Samuel had been invited, as the bride was his godmother. Her husband had passed away from cancer and she had found a new love with a widower, which delighted everyone seeing as she was a wonderful, warm person. Evan had insisted on coming along, even though Samuel had warned him there would be little for him there, seeing as how he didn't know any of the other guests. Samuel had caved, reasoning that it was normal to bring your significant other to events like that. And it was, so looking back, Samuel wondered why he had felt reluctance.
He studied the picture, those two smiling faces that seemed so in love with each other. He remembered when the photographer had asked them to pose, thinking at the time that it would make a perfect picture for him to frame. How weird was that, that he'd thought of the visual rather than the emotion? Studying the picture now, it was like looking at two strangers.
Alas, he had priorities other than reminiscing about the past. He'd better call his mother, because considering how well-informed she was and how fast gossip tended to reach her, he was pretty sure she knew already. And if not, he really preferred it when she heard from him.
She picked up on the second ring, which told him she knew already. "Mom," he simply said.
"Samuel, sweetheart, what happened? I heard you and Evan broke up?"
He smiled. Just as expected. Her network rarely failed her. "We did, and it was rather nasty." His intention to stay cool and collected went out the window as soon as he started talking, his voice breaking up at the last word.
"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry. What happened?"
He sat down on the couch, then snuggled under a twenty-dollar velvety soft blanket he'd once bought at Walmart. Evan had always made fun of it, insisting it clashed with his expensive couch, but Samuel didn’t care. "He cheated on me, Mom," he said, tears filling his eyes. "Not once, but repeatedly. I didn't know till yesterday, but when I found out, I broke up with him."
"That is horrible," she said, and Samuel heard the judgment in her voice loud and clear. "And of course you did when you found out. You deserve better than that."
Something in those last words triggered him. "Mom, be honest with me, did you and Dad like Evan?"
The time it took her to answer told Samuel everything already. Still, his heart clenched painfully when she said, "I'm sorry, but no. But we never said anything, because he was your choice. You know we learned our lesson with your brother about interfering in his love life. We had hoped you would find out sooner, though."
The tears came faster now, and Samuel had to close his eyes because he couldn't see anything anymore. "I was hoping he would propose yesterday," he said, half-sobbing. "And he would have, had I not confronted him about the cheating. He tried to, even after I confronted him. He had the ring and everything.”
"I'm so sorry," his mom said. "It takes a special kind of man who can propose knowing he's screwing around on you. You deserve better, sweetheart."
Samuel took a minute to compose himself, as well as to gather the courage to ask the next question. "Mom, do you think Evan was after my money?"
This time, the answer came fast. "Yes. Your father and I agreed from the beginning. That's why we asked Clark to keep a close eye on your finances." Clark was his investment banker, the one he shared with his parents. "We asked him to alert you if he spotted any suspicious activity. Obviously, we couldn't ask him to contact us out of client privilege. And we made the same request with Sharon, your accountant. Again, all we asked was that she kept an eye out for anything out of the ordinary and alert you if that was the case. We just wanted to look out for you."
Samuel let it sink in, the careful way his parents had tried to have his back. "Thank you, Mom. I haven't heard anything from Clark or Sharon, so I should assume everything is okay, right?"
"It would seem so, but it can't hurt to reach out to them now that you're aware and ask them specifically. Do you have any reason to believe he took money from you? And by the way, sweetheart, I'm so sorry. I had hoped we were wrong about him."
All Samuel could do was let out another deep sigh that seemed to come from his toes. "No, no specific indications, just a general sense that he used me. Hell, he lived here rent free, so there's that. But I never gave him money for anything other than the occasional gift. A watch. Some expensive fountain pen he really wanted. A pair of sunglasses. Some trips we took together."
As he listed it for his mom, he did the math in his head, concluding that together, it added up. That was worth another sigh. "Dammit, I guess he did get money from me after all."
"Now, Samuel, shake that feeling off. You're a generous person by nature, and you don't need that money. Those things were not personal. That's just money. Let him have it. It would've been far worse had he taken something from you that meant something to you or had damaged your reputation."
His mom, as usual, was right. It was one of her strengths, his father had once pointed out to Samuel, the fact that she rarely lost her calm and had a way of helping you see things in the right perspective.
"Someone suggested he might have tried to use my contacts, act on my behalf," Samuel said.
"That's definitely a possibility. Contact your lawyer and have her be on the lookout. Maybe even let her do a little investigative digging to make sure. Better to spend a little money now and uncover everything there is to know than be faced with nasty consequences later."
"You know what sucks about being rich?" Samuel said, allowing a little whine in his voice. "That even when you discover your boyfriend of two years has cheated on you, you can't just be mad like everybody else. There's always the financial and legal implications first, and right now, I really resent that."
This time, his mom sighed. "I know, sweetheart. It sucks. My suggestion is to get it over with and then get blindly drunk."
Samuel laughed. "I already did that last night."
"By yourself?" his mom asked, clearly surprised. She should be, as drinking that much was not a habit for Samuel.
"No, with a friend." And then, because he'd always been a mama's boy and because no one could listen like his mom, he said, "He's the guy who told me about Evan's cheating. He stayed when I broke up with Evan, and when Evan got physical, Tris escorted me out. We went out for dinner, then drinks."
"Something tells me you didn't make it home last night," his mom said, her smile audible.
"No, and that was a good thing, because Evan tried to get into the apartment to pick up his stuff and do god knows what else. I got lucky, because I had sent a locksmith to change the locks, and he called the cops on Evan.”
"Oh my god. That was quick thinking on your part, to change the locks."
"Not my idea. Tris brought it up during dinner and I had a friend of his do it."
"Samuel," his mother said slowly. "I hate to go all protective on you again, but are you sure that was wise? If he changed your locks, that means he now has access to your apartment. If he and this new friend of yours are in cahoots, they could rob you blind."
Samuel hated to admit it, but she was right. In theory, that was, because he did trust Tris, though he couldn't even explain why. But his mother had a point that he had been a little naive in given him that much trust.
"I'm pretty sure my instincts with him are spot-on, but you have a good point."
"Maybe have your lawyer run a background check on him and that locksmith as well, just to be sure."
"You know what else sucks about being rich?" Samuel said, his voice gloomy.
"I know, distrusting people on principle doesn't come naturally to you. I was the same way, but your father taught me that it's a necessary skill in our circumstances. So let's talk about something far more pleasant. How was the sex?"
Samuel burst out laughing. "Mom! Not discussing my sex life with you."
"No?" she said, laughing as well. "Bummer, because I just read about your brother's latest exploits in the tabloids, and I figured you would be competitive enough to best him."
Samuel shot up straight on the couch. "Who? Daniel?" he asked, referring to his younger brother. It had to be him, since he was the one who usually made the tabloids with his latest girlfriend of the day.
"No, because if it had been him, you wouldn't have bothered. No, it's Adam."
"Adam has a girlfriend and it made the tabloids?"
"Wrong again. Adam has a boyfriend and it made the tabloids."
How well his mother knew him. Adam and he had always been competitive, probably because they were only a year apart in age. They got along great, but there was definitely a sibling rivalry. The one thing they hadn't really competed in was dating, because as far as Samuel had known, Adam had been straight. That theory now went out the window, and wouldn't you know it, Samuel did feel a little rivalry brewing inside him.
"We had sex on the kitchen table. Really great sex."
He could still hear his mother dying of laughter when he ended the call, feeling much better already.
