Free Treasured Submission by Maggie Ryan Page B

ponytail, she pulled her hair back from her face with a headband and considered herself ready. Making sure Cicero was safely inside with a bowl of food and fresh water, she gave him a final pat before picking up the book off the table and shoving it into her bag. She got into her car, anxious to see Sam and find out how anyone could confuse Dean Koonig with Dean Koontz.
     

Chapter 5
     
    "Hi, Abby," Ian said when he answered Abigail's knock, bending to kiss her cheek. "You look beautiful," he added, taking in the dress and sandals.
    "Thank you, Ian. I thought I'd dress up a bit for dinner. Where's Sam?"
    "Right here," Sam said, entering the room and moving to hug Abby. "Wow, what gives? I haven't seen you dressed up in forever!"
    Abigail smiled and offered the bottle of wine she had brought with her. "Stop it," she laughed. "Can't I put on a dress just for a change? It's no big deal."
    Sam hugged her again and smiled, "You can wear whatever you want. It's just that you look really pretty tonight." Abigail smiled at the second compliment and they all went into the kitchen where dinner was almost ready. Ian opened the wine, pouring them each a glass. He pulled out a chair for Abigail and she slid into it, her mind going back to the previous evening as she remembered husbands pulling out chairs for their wives to sit. She looked up at Ian.
    "Thank you," she said.
    "You're welcome," he replied, pulling out a chair for Sam as well before seating himself. They sipped their wine and then Abigail took a deep breath.
    "Okay, Sam. You have some explaining to do, my friend."
    Sam glanced over at Ian before turning to Abby. "What do you mean?"
    "You know what I mean. How could you possibly have mixed up Dean Koontz and Dean Koonig? Granted, their names are similar and they both have books with very similar titles, but, believe me, the contents couldn't be more different. I was so shocked last night! How could you send me to that review without telling me what the subject matter was?"
    Sam's eyes flitted once again to Ian, who was closely following the conversation. Her mouth opened, but before anything was said, Ian interrupted.
    "Samantha Anne Cross," he said, and Sam immediately dropped her eyes to her wine glass, her face flushing. "Look at me when I'm speaking to you," her husband said firmly.
    Abigail watched as her friend lifted her eyes to focus on her husband. Hearing the tone of Ian's voice, and seeing Sam squirm as if feeling guilty, Abby wondered about the exact dynamic of their relationship.
    "Are you telling me that you did not sit down and go over last night's review with Abby before she accepted the invitation?" Ian asked, disapproval evident in his tone.
    Abigail saw her friend shift on her chair and listened as she answered. "Um, I guess I forgot to," she admitted, looking over at Abby. "I'm sorry, Abs. I didn't mean for you to be embarrassed."
    Abigail reached out for Sam's hand. "I wasn't really embarrassed, Sam, I was just a bit confused, and shocked to say the least. Not only was I late, which I admit is all my fault, but I wasn't prepared either, and felt like a fool when I had Dean's book in my hand instead of Dean's… oh, you know what I mean."
    Ian turned his attention to Abby. "I'm so sorry Sam put you in that position. It wasn't my intention to cause you any problems. When we purchased the ticket for your birthday, Samantha and I discussed her talking to you about it beforehand, to make sure you were comfortable attending the review. When we attended a class given by Dean, we both learned a lot and thought you might gain an understanding of the lifestyle."
    Abigail looked between the couple and a light bulb went off in her head. Her eyes whipped back to Sam, and she saw a different woman seated before her. She realized that she hadn't seen her in anything but dresses or skirts in years. Samantha was sitting quietly, her hands wrapped around the stem of her wine glass, her eyes lowered. The twinge Abby had