Lilacs in Bloom - Part 4
Sam Murray opened his eyes. He had no idea what time it was, but he was acutely aware that Emily wasn't in bed with him.
He scanned the room through his grogginess. There was no sign of her presence other than the ruffled sheets to his side. He let out a disappointed sigh, letting his head flop against the pillow. Then he shook it off and stood up to start the day.
Despite his disappointment, he couldn't help but think that his face looked less tired than it had in weeks. He scratched his thin beard as he looked at himself in the mirror. These women were doing wonders for his health.
Stephanie Russo, Kim Collins, Nicole Hennigan, Emily Brown. The names swirled around his head. Not one took the spotlight; he loved them each equally, and he was impressed with himself. He hadn't expected to turn around from Amy's death so quickly, but he supposed he had lost his love for his wife long before she had died. He had spent months mourning her before the rest of her world did.
After brushing his teeth, he went downstairs. Much to his surprise, he found Emily and Kim chatting in the kitchen. Emily's strawberry blonde hair was slightly disheveled from sleeping, and she had pulled it up into a messy bun. She wore a t-shirt and comfy-looking shorts. Kim looked at home in her silk robe, letting it loose to show a bit of cleavage. Her light blonde hair looked as wavy as ever, trickling down to her shoulders.
"Good morning," he said after clearing his throat. The women smiled and greeted him.
"I thought you were supposed to be the early bird," joked Emily.
"I forgot to set an alarm and I'm pretty wiped out." They all grinned at each other knowingly. He glanced at the redhead. "I thought you had left."
"I wouldn't do that without saying goodbye. Nice of you to keep me waiting."
She walked over to kiss him, darting her tongue into his mouth. This morning was going better than he had anticipated.
"My turn," piped Kim, and she jumped over to him. He gave the blonde a kiss that lifted her onto her toes.
"Do you have any plans for the day?" he asked Kim.
"Well, I'm meeting with Shelby this afternoon. I might go shopping before then, I'm not sure. I'm a little sore from yesterday."
The three of them chuckled.
"Who's Shelby?" asked Sam.
"Oh, she's the lawyer I found. I like her so far; she seems to know what she's doing."
"After this is all done, you let me know what the bill is, and I'll cover the charge."
"I can't let you do that, Sam, I-"
"That's the price you pay for being with me. I can cover it without a problem."
"Hey," said Emily, "how come she gets those benefits?"
"You get them too. By being with me, I meant in a relationship."
Emily scratched her chin and raised an eyebrow, pretending to think of what to buy. Before she could think of something ridiculous, Kim interjected.
"Do you need any groceries? Anything for the house? Greg hasn't cancelled my credit card. I checked this morning."
"Actually, some milk would be great. Other than that, you buy whatever food you want for yourself. After we've eaten what I already have, we can plan groceries together."
Kim smiled and typed a note into her phone. Then she left to get dressed; Sam noticed that she already had makeup on, and he relayed this observation to Emily.
"That's Kim. Always equipped to charm."
"You don't think I'll see her without makeup while I'm living with her, do you?"
"She'll try her best to avoid it."
Sam raised an eyebrow. Didn't Kim realize how beautiful she probably was without makeup? However, he did acknowledge that it could make a big difference in appearance. He imagined that that she didn't look wildly different without it- not that he would love her any less if she did.
The doorbell rang, cutting off Emily as she was about to say something. Sam went to get it, finding Amanda on his porch. Her short black hair was tied into a tight ponytail, and she wore a tight dress that showcased a healthy amount of cleavage.
"Good morning, Sam."
"Good morning, Amanda. Come in."
Emily walked into the foyer, and Amanda gave her and Sam a confused look.
"This is Emily Brown," said Sam. The women shook hands at Emily's prompting, though he could sense a tension between them.
"I came to talk about the party," said Amanda.
"What party?" asked Emily.
"The Beckett's neighborhood party," he explained. "I've volunteered to help set up." He turned to Amanda. "Did you find out about guests?"
"Yes, erm... they say once guest is allowed," she replied hesitantly.
Sam turned to Emily, who laughed. "Me? A party in this neighborhood? Don't kid yourself, all my nice dresses have splotches of paint on them."
"I suppose I'll have to decide later on a guest," he told Amanda. The woman looked Emily up and down.
"This is probably none of my business, but I thought you were dating Nicole Hennigan. Am I wrong?"
"You're right in saying that it's none of your business," he said calmly. "Was there something else about the party you wanted to talk about?"
"Well, they are hoping to set up the tents in the afternoon, and the tables and chairs soon after. Could you go over around two 'o'clock to help with that? The party begins at six."
"I'll do that. Thanks for letting me know."
"You're welcome."
"Next time, please send me a text. At least to check if I'm home first. I prefer to know of people showing up at my door. Not that it isn't a pleasure to see you." He feigned a sincere smile.
"Of course," she said, smiling back at him. Her eyes lingered a little longer than any of the three of them would have liked.
"See you," she said, leaving the house. Sam said goodbye and shut the door behind her.
"Ha!" said Emily. "You've got another woman on your list."
"No no," he said firmly. "I barely know her."
"Why so flirty?" she teased.
"I was just trying to be nice."
"Well, THAT kind of nice is going to get her all worked up. And it doesn't really matter to me, but you should probably check with the other three before getting between anyone else's legs."
"I'm not doing anything with her. I don't even want to go to this party. She's been pestering me about it."
"So? You still have a choice."
