Disclaimer: I own none of these characters…
Note: I'm terribly sorry for the long delay of this installment. I've been very busy with an overly full schedule (two jobs and a full-load of college courses). I'll try to be more prompt in writing the next installment. Thanks for the responses for the first installment, and please let me know how you feel about this story by sending me an e-mail here or by leaving a message on the message board. I hope you guys enjoy this installment! Thanks.
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Josie was absolutely shocked to learn Sam was planning some kind of surprise for her, and that he'd been able to keep it from her all this time. Usually, he wasn't very good at deceptions. He'd had her completely convinced that they were simply going to be to visiting his parents in Racine this weekend. But she still sighed an internal sigh of relief as she realized that wasn't going to happen, at least not yet.
"I can't believe you, Sam," Josie said with a slightly shocked grin on her face. Then after a moment, she asked, a little hesitant, "So…will I like this surprise?"
"Well, I certainly hope you will. I do what I can to please the woman of my dreams," Sam answered, meeting her gaze for a moment before turning back to watch the road. When he looked back, he noticed her eyes had become watery and a tear began to slip down her left cheek. He raised his right hand to her face and gently rubbed his knuckles down her cheek, tracing the path of her tears to dry them. Then he held her hand in his in her lap, giving her a reassuring squeeze as he continued to drive northward, now on Interstate 43.
"I really need to learn not to cry when I'm happy," Josie shyly said as she self-consciously wiped the remainder of dampness from her cheeks with her free hand.
Sam looked at her with a sympathetic eye, but asked softly, "Why? That's one of your more adorable traits…your sensitivity. You are always so expressive, and it only makes me love you more," Sam replied, giving her hand another squeeze.
Josie squeezed back and then held his hand up to her lips to press a soft kiss against the back of it. "How in the world did I get so lucky?" she asked him earnestly.
He smiled at her and replied, "You don't know how many times I ask myself that same question about you…" Their eyes connected, but Sam quickly broke their stare and retrieved his hand from hers, knowing he needed to watch the road. There would be plenty of time to get lost in her eyes later when they were alone, he thought.
After another moment, Josie asked him, "So, since where we're going is a surprise, can you at least tell me how much further it is?"
Sam glanced at the digital clock in his dashboard and then at an upcoming road sign. Then he replied, "Oh, maybe an hour or so, not much more than that."
Josie glanced at Sam and then asked, "So…who were you talking to on the phone? Since we're obviously not going to a hockey game in Racine tonight…" Then, mostly talking to herself she commented, "Man, I should have caught you on that one…" She trailed off, shaking her head.
Sam gave Josie a Cheshire cat grin, but all he would say was, "You'll see…"
* * * * *
About an hour later Sam exited the expressway near Sheboygan and drove eastward toward the shores of Lake Michigan. Finally, Sam told Josie, "We're almost there," turning onto a country road that was shaded by large pine trees.
The tree-lined road opened up to a little clearing on the edge of an inlet off Lake Michigan. In the clearing stood an older, mid-sized cottage, painted light gray with bright white trim. There was a large farmer's porch that took up the whole front of the house. It was complete with a hanging swing for two on one side of the front door and a white wicker rocking chair and matching table on the other. Off the back of the house was a little staircase hewn into the hill that led to a short dock at the water's edge. Tied to the end of the dock was a small wooden rowboat painted dark blue and edged in maroon with a thin strip of white between the two. The place was quiet, soothing, sweet, and quaint. Josie fell in love with it instantly.
Sam parked the car in the circular drive behind a hunter green Jeep, and then got out to open Josie's door for her. As he took her hand and helped her out of the car, he explained, "This is my parents' summer home. Originally, it belonged to my grandparents, and we used to spend a lot of time up here in the summer when I was growing up."
"Sam, it's a gorgeous house!" Josie exclaimed as she examined the German-style gingerbread cutouts that hung off the sides of the roof.
"Yes it is. I always loved coming here. And since my dad took the semester off from the University this year, my parents were here almost the entire summer. They only left last weekend, I think," Sam commented.
Sam was standing behind Josie, snuggling her in his arms and admiring the house when a young man exited the front door of the cottage and approached them. He looked like he was about their age, had short brown hair, and was dressed rather comfortably in a pair of denim jeans and a white T-shirt under a plaid tan shirt. "Sam, hey buddy!" the young man said, extending a hand to Sam.
"Hey, Andy!" exclaimed Sam, coming out from behind Josie to pull his friend into a brotherly hug. "How the heck are you?" Sam asked.
"I'm doing fine, thanks," Andrew answered. "How about you?" he asked, eyeing Josie politely but appreciatively.
"Never been better!" Sam enthused. "Hey, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Josie Geller." To Josie, he said, "Josie, this is one of my best friends, Andrew Tacoma."
"Hi, Josie, it's a pleasure," Andrew said as he extended his hand to her. "Trust me, I've heard tons about you from Sam, so I was very much looking forward meeting to the flesh and blood version…" Josie looked at Sam curiously, and he blushed just a little.
Then Josie smiled and placed her hand in Andrew's. "It's very nice to meet you, too." After a moment, Josie and Andrew released their hands, and Josie asked, "So how do you and Sam know each other?"
"Well…believe it or not, Sam and I have known each other since the fourth grade," Andrew said. He continued, "I was the new kid and I used to get teased a lot, as you can imagine. Well, I had taken about all I could stand and was get into a fight with this little punk of a bully, when suddenly Sam got in the middle of everything and pushed the other kid away. Then he told us both to use our heads and talk it out instead of using them as punching bags. I was amazed because the bully actually listened to him: this scrawny little kid with the overgrown blond hair that kept falling into his eyes."
Josie smiled at Andrew's description of Sam as a child. It was pretty much as she had pictured him. Then she looked at Sam with a question in her eyes. "Matt?" she asked him.
Sam grinned widely, pleased that she would remember his story about his run-in with Matt and subsequent friendship with him. "Yes," he replied, "he's talking about Matt."
"Anyway," Andy continued, "he was about the coolest kid I'd ever met, and we became instant friends. I mean, it's funny, because he was really smart— you know, the 'brainy' type? He was pretty small for his age and sort of bookish as well."
Josie smiled at Sam as Andy continued, "But, on the other hand, he had the kind of easygoing, laidback personality that attracts people of all types. He often spoke with a wisdom beyond his years, so when 'little Sammy Coulson' talked, people listened, you know?"
Sam wrinkled up his nose, because he'd always hated being called that.
Josie nodded solemnly, biting back a grin at Sam's reaction to being called "Sammy." She knew he hated it. But she knew what Andy had said about him was true. She couldn't imagine anyone not liking Sam.
"He was also this great hockey player. Did you know they used to call him 'The Water Bug'?" he asked Josie.
Sam grinned and rolled his eyes at the mention of his old nickname.
Josie was amused by Sam's embarrassment over Andy's compliment. "Really?" she asked, intrigued. "Why was that?"
"Because he looked like a little water bug gliding on the top of the water when he was out on that ice. He was so small and quick; he'd make the other players look like statues as he skated circles around them. He made it look so easy; it was disgusting. And boy, he certainly knew how to find the back of that net, too…"
Sam disagreed with his friend, "God, Andy, you make me sound like the second coming of Wayne Gretzky or something!" Then he said to Josie, "He's exaggerating. Really, I wasn't really that good…"
Andy waved off Sam's modesty with his hand and said, "Yes, he was. Don't let him tell you otherwise, either…because he'll try to. How do you think he got all those trophies of his?"
Sam couldn't say anything to that, of course, because Andy was right.
"Well," Andy said, grinning at Josie because he'd been able to 'one-up' Sam, "I hate to greet and run, but I've got to get going. I'm just going to grab Casey and we'll be on our way," Andrew said, glancing at Sam for approval before heading off toward the house.
Sam and Josie watched as Andrew walked up the stairs and through the front door, pausing in the doorway to call out, "Hey, twerp! C'mon, they're here; let's get going, eh?"
Sam grinned at Andy's teasing of Casey, since the two of them had done it to her ever since they were kids. He explained, "Casey is Andrew's younger sister. She's also the one I was talking to on the phone. That's why they're both here. I just thought you might want to know," Sam said, grinning impishly because he knew he'd fooled Josie but good this time.
Josie turned to face Sam as he took her into a warm embrace. "So, then after Andy and Casey leave, what are our plans?" she asked innocently, hoping she could charm an answer out of him.
But Sam was not fooled; he knew Josie too well. "Well if you must know, Miss Curiosity…" he started off, as if he was going to tell her, but then he finished with, "I'm not going to tell you… I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
Josie pouted prettily at his reply, but Sam didn't budge. He simply smiled knowingly and headed back to the car to start retrieving their bags.
He loved to tease her curious mind. He just wished he were better at it. Every other time he'd tried to plan an elaborate surprise for her, she'd always found out. She was just too smart, although he admired that about her.
Just as they reached the front steps of the porch with bags in hand, Andrew and his younger sister Casey were making their way out. She looked like she was in her early 20's, was thin, had short light brown wavy hair, hazel eyes; she was really pretty. Josie noticed she was carrying some pots, and the curiosity in her began to kick in, 'Did this girl clean the house? Or cook a meal for them?' she wondered.
Sam smiled at her and gave her a hug. Then he whispered something in her ear and shook her hand, leaving a small bundle of money in her palm, hoping Josie wouldn't notice. "Thanks a lot, Squirt," was the only thing Josie heard Sam say.
Then Sam put his arm around Casey's shoulder and said, "Josie, this is Andrew's bratty little sister Casey." For her part, Casey gave him a good-natured jab in the ribs and pushed away from him to extend her hand to Josie.
Josie grinned. It was obvious that Sam, Andy, and Casey had known each other forever to be able to tease each other the way they had. "Hi; it's nice to meet you, Casey," Josie replied.
"It's nice to meet you too, Josie," as Casey pulled Josie into a friendly hug. Apparently Josie was also now considered family since she was with Sam. Casey pulled Josie close so she could whisper in her ear, "I'm so glad that Lara witch is out of the picture…. That's what Andrew and I used to call her behind her back. She didn't deserve someone as wonderful as Sam. But I could tell right away that you're different… you two just complement each other. I've never seen Sam happier!" she softly exclaimed in her ear.
"Ahem!" Andy made the 'Cut!' sign across his throat to Casey when Josie wasn't looking to make it clear that they were leaving, so Casey bid farewell to Josie.
Andy continued, "Well, we'll leave you two lovebirds alone; we have to go downtown." This comment earned Andy a hairy eyeball from Sam, although he was also smiling. Andy turned towards Josie and said, "It was nice meeting you, Josie. I'll catch you later, Sam. Bye." Andrew pulled Casey toward his Jeep. As they both got in, Sam and Josie stood on the porch and waved; watching them drive away on the dirt road.
They were now alone. He hugged her from behind and rested his chin on her shoulder for a moment. His hands were wrapped up in hers and were resting on her abdomen. "Let's go inside," Sam murmured into her ear as he pulled Josie along by the hand.
As they walked through the front door, both Sam and Josie gasped at the sight of the house. Sam almost didn't recognize the place. The lights were dimmed and there were candles of different colors and sizes all over the living room as well as in the dining area. On the table there were two formally set plates, a plate of pasta, as well as dinner rolls, salad, and a bottle of wine chilling in a metal ice bucket.
"Oh Sam, it's beautiful!" Josie exclaimed, sighing at the utterly romantic sight.
"Wow, I know! I can't believe it's the same house… Casey overdid herself!" Sam replied.
"Casey did all this?" Josie asked in utter amazement.
"Yeah, I asked her to do this little favor for me. She's a chef. Well, actually she's a student who's learning to become a chef. She's one of the best cooks I know, other than Luigi, Maria, and my mother," Sam emphasized.
"So what's the extra tip you're giving her for?" Josie asked.
"Well, she did cook and decorate this place. That isn't enough?" Sam asked innocently.
The droll look Josie gave Sam told him she wasn't buying it this time.
"Well, she also did some other little thing, but you'll just have to wait and see what that is," Sam teased. He couldn't get enough of teasing her. Josie and he good-naturedly teased each other all the time, and most of the time, he felt she usually won those battles, so it was refreshing to have the upper hand for a change.
Josie just shook her head and smiled, knowing that was all he was going to tell her.
It was about 7 p.m. and Sam knew they were running 'behind schedule' so he wanted to get the evening meal going as soon as possible. "Josie, lets eat. I'm starved," Sam confessed, motioning her towards the dining room table where the food was slowly getting colder.
"This food looks delicious," she said, licking her lips as a gesture that she was hungry.
"Hey, I have an idea," Sam announced. "How would you like to eat out on the dock? It's a beautifully clear night outside. We could watch the sun set and the stars come out."
Josie looked around the beautifully candlelit room. It looked so romantic that she didn't want to waste such a moment. But then, she looked out the living room window toward the dock. The setting sun had turned the water all kinds of beautiful shades of coral, rose, and pink. The dark reflections of the pine trees glimmered in the near still water. Candles just couldn't compare with the beauty of Mother Nature tonight. "Sure. That sounds really nice," Josie agreed.
"Okay, then I'll set it up outside. If you want to use the ladies room or anything it's just through that door," Sam motioned to the hall, the first door on the right. "In the meantime I'll take the stuff out to the dock."
"Great, I'll meet you outside in a few minutes," Josie strode off to the bathroom and while she was doing so, she slowly inspected the house. It was a gorgeous old house with mostly old wooden furniture, and a large brick fireplace dominated the living room. She entered the bathroom and once she was inside, she heard the back screen door lightly squeak open and then closed. Sam had begun to organize their evening dinner arrangements. She smiled and fixed her hair a bit and also added some lipstick.
Suddenly, she had an urge to call Anita and tell her where she was, and what Sam had done for her. Anita would surely be happy for her and want to know all the details.
Josie grabbed her cell phone from her purse and dialed Anita's home number. The phone rang about four times when a familiar gruff voice answered, "Hello?" It wasn't Anita answering… It was Gus!
'Gus!?' Josie thought to herself in surprise, but to Gus, she simply said, "Why hello, Gus. How are you?"
"Geller…what do you want?" Gus asked in the same impatient tone he used when he was late for a meeting with Rigfort and she wanted to talk to him.
'Had she interrupted something going on?' she wondered. "What do you think?" she laughed. "Is Anita home?" Josie confidently asked. They weren't in the office, and he was at her best friend's house, so she felt that she was allowed to tease him, at least a little.
"Yes, here she is," he said as he handed her the phone.
"Thanks," she replied to him as he handed the phone over to Anita. Josie could hear Anita in the background asking Gus who was on the line.
"Josie! I wasn't expecting to hear from you this weekend!" Anita said, with just a little nervousness seeping into her voice. "Hey, what's up? How are things with Sam's parents? Are they the in-laws from hell or did they turn out to be cool?" Anita asked.
"Just wait a minute, Miss Brandt! First of all, what is Gus doing at your place!? I thought you said there was nothing going on between you guys," Josie's inquiring mind wanted to know the details.
"Well after a half day of work today, which, of course, you didn't go to, Gus and I ended up being the only ones left in the entire office, so we just began to talk and get to know each other some more, and after work we went to Starbucks for coffee. There we decided to come back to my place and rent a movie and get some Chinese take-out. So that's where we're at right now," Anita's brief summary impressed Josie. Anita usually goes on and on about the smallest tidbit of information. She figured Gus must have been hovering. Then Anita grilled Josie, "So…now it's your turn. As I asked before, how are things going with Sam's parents? Do you need me to come and bail you out of in-law prison?" Anita laughed delightedly at her own joke.
"Actually, that's why I called you. We're not in Racine with Sam's parents. We're in Sheboygan in his parents' summer home—alone. It was a surprise."
"I knew there was something about that man I liked…" Josie could hear Anita's smile in her voice. "Now that, my friend, sounds much better than a weekend with the in-laws," Anita declared emphatically.
"Well, I just wanted to let you know what's going on in case for some reason you needed to reach me. I just had to tell you!" Josie exclaimed. Then she informed Anita, "Now when I get back to Chicago on Sunday night, we have to talk. I want the details of this thing with you and Gus…"
"Definitely," Anita agreed. "And you have to give me the details too… Well at least the PG-13 details, if you know what I mean," Anita said suggestively.
Josie rolled her eyes and grinned at Anita.
"Okay Anita, I'll call you Sunday night. I have to go now, Sam is waiting—"
"--Oh, I wonder what for!" Anita interrupted and giggled, "Anyway, I'll talk to you Sunday night. Have fun! Don't do anything I wouldn't do…"
Josie teased back, "Is there something you wouldn't do?"
"Har, har, Jos…I'll get you for that one… Talk to you Sunday."
They said their farewells and hung up.
* * * * *
A few minutes later, Josie exited the bathroom and approached the back door. She saw Sam kneeling down on the deck with his back to her. His torso blocked her view of what he was doing. She decided to try and sneak up on him, although she'd have to be careful not to trip on anything since she was wearing her tan platform shoes. She silently padded onto the wooden dock, creeping her way behind Sam. She silently bent down behind him, preparing to poke at the sides of his stomach in jest, but when the wooden boards under her feet squeaked under her weight, she knew her cover was over.
Sam turned around and met her starry gaze straight on. For a moment they just stayed there, staring deeply into each other's eyes in the gathering sunset, memorizing the moment. And then he kissed her, a slow sweet passionate kiss that consumed the breath from both of them. After several wonderful kisses, they paused for some air. Sam bent his forehead and rested it against hers and murmured, "I love you, Josie."
"I love you too, Sam," she sighed. But then she started giggling as she realized that half of the lipstick she'd so carefully applied was now on his lips, which were now shimmery pink color.
Confused at her reaction, Sam asked, "What? What are you laughing at?"
"Oh, nothing…I was just thinking how pink certainly is your color…" she smirked.
For a second, Sam still didn't get it, but then he grinned and wiped the back of his hand against his mouth to remove the excess lipstick. "Gee, thanks," he said, his eyes twinkling with humor.
He turned his gaze toward the blanket, and she soon followed. Her eyes were aglow at the sight in front of her. As if Sam weren't enough, he'd laid down a light cotton blanket and over it was the food, along with two wine flutes complete with the bottle of vintage burgundy. About ten of the candles that had been in glass holders inside were now set out near the place settings.
Josie looked at the romantic dinner setting and then at the beautiful sunset. "Honey, this looks even more gorgeous than it did inside."
Sam smiled softly and replied, "I'm glad you think so, because there's more…" When Josie raised her eyebrows in a silent question, he continued, "Not yet though." At her look of exasperation, he chuckled and said, "Come on, Josie. Let's eat. It'll happen soon enough."
They sat and ate their meal as the sun set and the pastel colors, painted across the sky like a watercolor, slowly drained away to starry darkness. The water lapped at the legs of the dock in a soft, rhythmic pattern, soothing away the remainder of Josie's stress from the city and the surprise of their trip. She honestly couldn't have thought of a better way to spend the evening with Sam.
After a couple minutes more, they were both almost finished with their meal. Josie noticed with interest that Sam was constantly glancing at his watch, as if he was expecting something to happen soon.
Once they had decided that they could no longer put another bite of food in their mouths, they both set aside the plates and candles and brushed some crumbs off so that they could lie down on the blanket. She spooned into Sam's arms as he held her tightly against him from behind. Josie sighed and said, "Oh Sam, it's so beautiful here…so peaceful and soothing. I can see why you like it so much."
Sam smiled against her neck and replied, "You think so?"
Suddenly, a streak of light, something that looked like a rocket taking off, soared from somewhere behind them into the starry sky and exploded. It was a large, beautiful firework. The explosion of the device startled Josie, but Sam had been expecting it. As she turned in his arms to look at him in question, he answered, "It's Sheboygan's annual Labor Day firework show," as another one popped and created a large round glow that flickered and sparkled as it fell toward earth. "I didn't want to tell you because I love watching your curious mind at work," he said and smiled.
Josie poked him in the ribs with a finger or two and smiled at him, gazing lovingly into his eyes. Without any words spoken on her behalf, she turned in his arms to face him and began kissing Sam passionately and leaning into his embrace.
As the kiss intensified, Sam moved to roll onto his back, planning on pulling Josie closer, but when he did, he was surprised to find that there was no deck. He'd completely forgotten he was already at the side edge of the dock. Still tangled in Josie's embrace, he didn't have time to correct his balance and he suddenly flopped off the side edge of the dock, landing in the cool waters of Lake Michigan with a loud splash.
The back flop into the water left him in a slightly out of breath, but Sam was a very good swimmer and he gained his composure quickly. At least as much composure as he could gain after falling off the edge of a dock, he thought wryly while treading water.
Josie was startled at Sam's sudden disappearance in the midst of their romantic moment. After hearing the splash, Josie realized that he'd fallen off the dock. She leapt to her knees and crawled over to the edge, searching the dark water frantically. "Sam! Sam! Are you all right?" Josie called out in horror, hoping that he was all right.
Spitting out a mouthful of lake water, he answered breathlessly, "Yeah, I'm fine. A bit startled…but fine," Sam said. Josie took one look at Sam, who now looked like a drowned rat, and burst out in gleeful laughter as the display of fireworks continued overhead. "Okay, okay, that's enough," said Sam. "Hey, help me out of here, huh?"
As Sam swam up to the edge where Josie was, he watched as she braced one arm around a dock pole and leaned out with her hand as far as she dared. "Okay, here," she said. And as his clasped hers, she said, "I've got you."
He reached out with his other hand and grabbed onto Josie's arm, as if to help himself back onto the dock. But instead, he used the added leverage to yank her down into the water beside him.
Josie let out a little yelp as she splashed into the cold water. When she surfaced, she asked, laughing and sputtering, "Sam, what are you doing, you idiot!?" As Sam held her up, she looked down at her dress, now stuck to her, and laughed at the picture she must make. But at the same time, she secretly liked the fact that they were alone together in the cool lake.
Sam grabbed her hand and pulled her back toward the shore until they could both stand on the bottom with their shoulders above water. He slicked the water out of his hair with both hands and then inspected Josie as she did the same. Her mostly white dress was now soaking wet and practically translucent and it clung like a second skin to the swell of her breasts, just visible above the level of the water. The skirt of the dress floated around her like a cloud. And the twinkling of amusement and desire reflected in her eyes was only getting him deeper into the consuming temptation of the moment. He pulled her into his embrace and, without having spoken another word, softly but deeply kissed her.
When they pulled back, he smiled gently at her and swept a piece of hair that was covering her face behind her ear. His other hand soon followed, doing the same thing to the hair that was on the other side of her face. Afterward, both hands glided past Josie's side and rested on the small of her back. Sam held her tightly and whispered, "Honey, I'm sorry you're all wet…but I'm not sorry I pulled you in. You're always tempting me to do spontaneous, unexpected things, and I love that feeling. Josie, I love you for who you are and how good you make me feel when I'm with you. You're the best thing to ever happen to me, and I will love you more with every breath I take for the rest of my life."
Josie's wound her arms around Sam's neck, using him as a kind of floatation device, even though she knew perfectly well she could touch bottom. It was almost like how she felt all the time when she was with him: like her feet never quite touched the ground. "Oh Sam," she said as she smiled, "I don't care of I'm wet, dry, covered in mud, whatever," she paused as Sam chuckled over the idea of Josie covered in mud, "As long as we're together, I'm not worried about the small details. I love you Sam, and having you in my life makes my life a whole lot better. I'm so glad I have you to share my joys and my fears with. You're the most important person in my life, and always will be."
Their bodies pressed against each other made the water feel much warmer than it actually was. As her gaze met his, there in the waters of Lake Michigan with the fireworks shimmering in the sky above them, there was no question that this night would be a special memory in both their minds for the rest of their lives.
(You can only guess what happened next…)
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