Free Advice of Counsel (The Samuel Collins Series Book 1) by Debra Trueman Page B

got up and went into the other part of her house and made
myself a drink.
    I walked around the house looking at all the photos she had
sitting out on shelves and hanging on her walls and I finally sat down in front
of the TV and channel surfed for the next hour.  I kept going over in my head
what had happened at the party and I felt guilty for not having gone up to
check on Landra when she had been gone for so long.  Would I have gone to check
on her if I hadn’t seen Drake following her upstairs?  Probably not, but who
knows.  As it was, I felt like a rat for having thought she was upstairs
fooling around with Drake while she was actually fighting for her life trying
to defend herself from the creep.  As far as I was concerned, the bastard got
exactly what he deserved.
    I don’t know what time I dozed off, but it was light outside
when I woke up.   The sun was shining in through the mini-blinds and it
promised to be another beautiful day.  I wandered back to Landra’s bedroom and
she was still asleep, so I went back out to the kitchen and put on a pot of
coffee.  It was just after 8:00 o’clock and I thought of Mrs. Howard and
wondered how she would react to the conspicuous absence of my Suburban.  Hell,
by now, she had probably already called the Johnses and Landra’s grandmother to
announce the impending wedding.  My stomach growled at the thought of missing
out on my muffins.
    “Hi, Sam.”  I jumped out of my skin and Landra laughed.  “I’m
sorry.  Did I scare you?”
    “Hell yes!  What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?”
    “I didn’t sneak.  All I did was walk in and say hi .”
    She had such a pretty face.  Even after everything she had been
through last night.
    “How are you?” I asked her.
    “I’m doing okay,” she said.  She picked up my hand and held it
in hers and she fixed her eyes on mine.  “Thanks for your help last night,
Sam.  It was terrible.  And I couldn’t have gotten through it without you.”
    “Yes, you could have.  But you’re welcome anyway.”  I gave her
a hug and kissed her forehead.
    The phone rang and while Landra went to answer it, I found two
mugs and poured the coffee.  She brought the phone back into the kitchen and
mouthed, “ It’s Sara .”
    “Yes, he’s here.  You don’t have to worry.  Sam’s fine,” Landra
said.  She smiled at me and I rolled my eyes.  “Oh, you have his muffins? 
Well, why don’t you save them for him and I’ll tell him to stop by your house
when he gets home . . . Okay, Sara . . . All right . . . Okay, then I’ll see
you later this morning.”
    Landra hung up the phone and smiled.  “She was worried about
you,” she said, and it was obvious that she found delight in my irritation.
    “And you love it, don’t you!” I accused.
    “I think it’s cute.”
    “I think it sucks.  I can’t have the geriatric police tracking
me down every time I don’t come home at night!”
    “Oh, Sam.”
    “Don’t Oh, Sam me!”
    “It’s only because you were out with me .”
    “Well then, that settles it . . . I’m not going out with you again,” I told her.
    “You’re so full of shit.”  She moved in without warning and
before I knew what was happening, her arms were wrapped around my neck and her
lips were pressed against mine, then just as quickly as she began her assault,
she retreated.  She picked up her coffee cup, went to the fridge and poured in
some cream, and then she smiled up at me like nothing had happened.  “You want
to go sit outside and drink our coffee?”
    I just shook my head and laughed.  “I’m going home.”
    “Why?  Because I kissed you?”
    “No.  Because I have a lot of things I need to get done today. 
I just wanted to make sure you were okay, which you obviously are.”
    Landra’s whole demeanor changed and she got a serious look on
her face.  “Please don’t go yet, Sam.”  She was holding my hand again, but
there was nothing sexual about it.  I felt