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* * *
Sam glanced down to where Josie had positioned her hand upon his arm and her words kept repeating in his mind, "I've got you now." Sam wondered if Josie had any idea that what she did have was his heart.
As Sam and Josie's eyes remained locked, the smile on both their faces began to slowly fade away as the seriousness of what was happening between them took over. Josie was gazing at him with such adoration and warmth and Sam couldn't help but wonder if Josie cared as much about him as he did for her? Every vessel in Sam's body was screaming to him, telling him to take control, telling him that what he was feeling was wrong and that this couldn't, shouldn't be happening. But it was. Sam's heart was now waking up to the promise of new love. It was waiting to come in, to come home. And although it scared the hell out of him, he knew deep down inside that he wanted it.
Josie was trapped in the intensity of Sam's gaze and she could feel her heart begin to heal. No one in her whole life had ever looked at her the way Sam did. And if just one look could wash away years of pain and rejection, then she wished this moment would last forever.
Both Sam and Josie grew nervous as their unspoken passion trapped them in their gaze. To break the tension Josie began to reel off into an explanation about Ferris wheels and why he shouldn't be afraid of them. She laughed nervously and then said, "Did you know that Ferris wheels actually have the least amount of recorded accidents of all carnival rides?"
"Really?" Sam replied, still nervous, although less about the ride and more about the fact he could not take his mind off how Josie's thumb was gently rubbing across his arm.
"Oh, yeah! Even fewer than merry-go-rounds."
Sam laughed. "So what you're trying to tell me is that we're safer up here hanging by a thread, as opposed to the safe confines of a ground level merry- go-round?"
"Uh-huh," Josie said, nodding her head. "Those merry-go-rounds are dangerous. People fall off those things all the time. Ferris wheels are much, much safer."
Sam laughed again, thinking how incredibly sweet Josie was for trying to help him relax. Josie, in the meantime, continued to ramble on, "And did you know that the largest Ferris wheel ever built was actually in 1893 by Gale Ferris, for the Colombian Expo, held right here in Chicago?"
Josie never ceased to amaze him. "You sure know a lot about Ferris wheels, Josie," Sam replied, impressed.
Josie nodded. "So anyway, by those standards, this Ferris wheel is really quite small...a baby actually."
Sam couldn't wipe the grin off his face. She truly amazed him. "You're amazing, Josie!"
Josie bit down on her bottom lip and smiled shyly. Just then the Ferris wheel rocked back into motion and Sam and Josie started their slow descent. "Whew!" Sam said, only slightly relieved to be moving again. With Josie's soft hand griping his arm, he could have stayed up there forever.
As their ride came to end and they waited for the carny to unfasten their safety bar, Sam breathed a sigh of relief and then said, "Thanks Josie. That wasn't so bad."
Josie turned and laughed when she noticed that Sam had his eyes closed yet again. She nudged him with an elbow and teased, "So when are you going to open your eyes?"
Sam opened one eye and then smiled wryly at Josie. He deadpanned, "I'm thinking when I'm home." Then they both broke out into a fit of giggles.
Sam got up out of the bucket with Josie following closely behind him, although the heel of her shoe got caught in the footrest of the bucket and she tripped slightly. Sam quickly spun around and grabbed onto her arms, stopping her fall. He asked, a little concerned, "Whoa! Are you okay?"
Tommy and Kirsten, witnessing this, broke out in laughter. Josie looked up to Sam a little embarrassed, hissing, "I knew I shouldn't have worn these stupid shoes!"
Sam looked down to her feet and chuckled. Josie gently pushed herself out of Sam's arms and straightened up. "Thanks...I'm okay."
Sam smiled and then he ever so gently placed his right hand in the small of Josie's back, directing her down and away from the Ferris wheel. Once they'd exited the line, Sam and Josie turned back and stared, looking up at the Ferris wheel and its twinkling lights in silence, Sam's hand still on Josie's back. They both knew something had happened between them up there, and- good or bad-it would change their lives forever.
They stood in an uncomfortable silence, neither one really wanting to leave the company of the other, but not knowing what to do next. Josie grew fidgety; twisting her hands together in front of her, trying not to put too much into the fact that Sam had yet to remove his hand from her back. Finally, smiling up at Sam, she said, "Well, thanks again for coming on the Ferris wheel with me, Mr. Coulson."
Sam put in his in his pants pockets and then, looking up toward the gigantic steel beast again, said, "Your welcome, Josie. It was...well, it was definitely an experience."
Josie smiled at his wry tone, and then her eyes softened again when she remembered how sweet he had been when he was so afraid. Swallowing her fear, she then asked nervously, "So...is your girlfriend waiting for you somewhere?" She looked around to see if she could spot Lara in the throng of people surrounding them.
Sam nearly jumped at the mention of the word 'girlfriend' coming out of Josie's mouth. "What!? No, no, no. Didn't I mention that she went back to New York?"
Josie shook her head in silence.
"Oh, yeah! Sudden, early departure." Sam leaned in closer to Josie, as if to impart a secret. "Although, even if she were here...well, this really isn't her scene," he said, motioning to the carnival around them.
Josie tried to bite back a smile of pleasure. "Oh."
Trying to get off the subject of Lara, Sam teased, "So...have you been practicing?"
Josie looked puzzled. "What?"
Sam laughed and replied, "The pie throwing booth."
Josie continued to look baffled.
"Remember? I told you yesterday that you might want to release some of your pent up frustration at the fundraising booth?"
"Ohhh! Yes." Josie smiled and said, "Is this an invitation?"
Sam grinned back, in a happier mood now that Lara was not the topic. His eyes twinkled as he replied, "Why, yes it is..." He sent her one of his crooked grins.
Josie blushed at his teasing, and at the sexy way he was looking at her. Suddenly feeling quite comfortable in Sam's presence, she gestured in front of her and said, "So lead the way, Mr. Coulson."
"Right this way, Ms. Geller," he replied, directing Josie toward the booth with his hand again at her back. "And if we're really lucky, Brett might still be there."
Josie looked at Sam curiously and then laughed.
* * *
"And you tried to tell me that he didn't have the hots for Josie." Anita said, crossing her arms in triumph and pointing her nose up in the air to Cynthia, relishing in her victory.
"Damn girl...you're right! He is head over for Josie!" Cynthia replied, staring at the television screen.
"I think Josie's a little head over for him, too," Anita said softly, smiling, happy for her friend.
Anita and Cynthia sat staring at the TV, engrossed by what was being played out before them. Josie and Sam had made their way over to the South Glen fundraising booths and were laughing, throwing pies at some poor high school boy, and enjoying each other's company.
Rhoda wandered into Gus's office, having worked late herself, and dropped some copy onto Gus's desk. "Hi, guys," she said, acknowledging Anita and Cynthia. "What are you watching?"
"Shhh," Anita said, not turning around.
Rhoda walked up closer behind them and then her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Sam onscreen. "Oh my, God! Who's the hunk?"
"He's Josie's English teacher. We think he's got the hots for Josie." Cynthia whispered to Rhoda, while she continued to stare at the TV.
"Really!?" Rhoda perched herself onto the corner of Gus's desk and now too seemed intrigued by Josie's undercover assignment.
Merkin popped his head in the door. "Rhoda? Earth to Rhoda.... " Rhoda, however, made no move. "Hey, come on. If we want to get groovin', we better get on movin'!"
None of the women budged or even acknowledged his presence. Merkin walked up behind them and, recognising Sam from the night he went to Delloser Hall, said, "Hey! I saw that guy at the club the other night."
Suddenly all three women spun their heads around. Anita got up and walked right into Merkin's face. "So...you've seen the guy in the flesh, huh? What's he like? Details, details!"
Merkin was taken aback by Anita's forcefulness. "I don't know....good looking, I guess." They all looked at him suspiciously and Merkin, becoming worried, said, "Not that I'm gay, because I'm not...gay that is," he said nervously, trying to get his point across.
Suddenly Gus came barging back into his office and Merkin stood straight up at attention and Anita wasn't too sure if he wasn't about to salute Gus. "Good evening, Mr. Strauss!"
Gus completely dismissed him. "What's going on in here?" he growled at the three ladies surrounding his desk.
Anita rolled her eyes at him. "You said it would be okay for us to be here, Gus."
"Oh. Well, just be quiet then. I have work to do."
Gus went back around to his desk and fell back into his chair. Noticing how quiet his office had suddenly become, he peeked up from behind his 'copy' to see all four of his employees entranced by what they were watching.
Gus glanced over to the TV and, seeing Sam on the screen, he huffed and then said, "Is Geller hanging out with her teacher again?"
Gus got up from his chair, walked around his desk and leaned back up against it. He crossed his arms and shook his head. "What is she doing?"
"Shhhh! Gus! This is really sweet," Anita said, trying to silence Gus.
"Well, I'm not paying Geller to make goo-goo eyes at her teacher! She can do that on her own time," Gus huffed irritably.
This time they all turned and in unison said, "Shhhh!"
* * *
Sam and Josie stepped away from the South Glen Fundraising booths and began to walk together through the carnival, delighted to be in each other's company.
"Gosh, Josie! Have you ever thought about joining the South Glen Softball team? You've got a killer arm!" Sam joked. She had hit Brett with pies almost as often as he had earlier in the evening.
"Not as great as yours!" She praised, looking up at him with a smile.
Sam was stunned. "What do you mean?" thinking that maybe she had been somehow watching him earlier.
"That day in class...with your hockey stick. That was really impressive!"
Sam grinned, a little surprised that she'd noticed. "Thanks."
Josie pulled her shawl over her shoulder and tucked her hair behind her ears. "So...do you play hockey a lot?"
"Yeah. I'm actually on a team in the local community hockey league. My team is called the Chiefs. You know, like the team from that movie "Slapshot?" Except, of course, we don't have anyone who looks like the Hanson brothers on our team..."
Josie smiled and chuckled a little at the reference.
Sam leaned closer to her and clarified, "I meant the guys with the tape on their glasses, not the kids from the rock band, of course..." After all, Sam thought, Josie was only seventeen; he couldn't expect her to know a reference from a Seventies movie about a second-rate minor league Canadian hockey team.
Amused, Josie replied, "Yes, I knew who you meant."
He turned to look at her, surprised for just a moment, before shaking his head in amazement. Then he continued, "I usually play Left Wing and we play just about every Saturday. We're a pretty good team actually, first in the league right now."
"I'm sure you are." Josie couldn't help but picture Sam in his hockey gear skating quickly up and down the rink, deking defensemen left and right, and firing that wicked wrist shot he'd shown in class to the goalie's glove side from the top of the circle, whizzing it past the goalie and into the net just under the crossbar. Damn sexy image, she thought, sighing.
By way of interest, Sam asked, "So, do you like hockey?"
"Oh yeah, I love it! My dad is a huge Blackhawks fan and he used to take me with him to some of the games when I was younger. I grew up hearing about the greats of the game, like Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull, as well as the huge rivalry between the Hawks and the Red Wings."
So that was why she knew who Gordie Howe was... Sam was in complete awe of Josie. She and Lara were as different as night and day. 'Could she be more perfect?' he thought with a sigh.
Sam and Josie walked past a group of Denominators, calculators in hand, as they stood engrossed by a huge jar of jellybeans, trying to determine how many jellybeans the container held.
Sam leaned over to Josie and whispered in her ear. "They've been at that for nearly two hours!"
Josie swallowed hard and smiled politely, but all she could think about was how light-headed Sam's hot breath against her ear made her feel. Not mention how hearing his deep sexy voice so close to her sent the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. Josie glanced up to Sam as he stood watching them, amused by how serious they were taking this jellybean count. She studied his profile and wondered if Sam had any idea just how sexy he really was. She guessed he didn't.
Sam then took a couple of steps forward and peeked over Aldys's shoulder so he could take a look at her notepad to see just exactly what they were up to.
"Oh, hi, Mr. Coulson," she said smiling, turning around to face him.
"That looks really impressive, Aldys. But how in the world can all those formulas help you to determine how many jellybeans are in there?" he said, raising his eyebrows in sheer wonder as he pointed toward the jar.
"Well Mr. Coulson, you see..." Just then Aldys noticed Josie standing behind Sam. Josie smiled to her, but Aldys gave her a stern cross look and then turned away.
Josie sighed dejectedly, and then started to walk away. Sam, noticing this exchange, shook his head sadly, because he'd seen how much Aldys' rejection had affected Josie. "Maybe you can explain it to me later, Aldys."
As she nodded her reply and went back to her calculations, he took a few quick steps to catch up to Josie. "Hey Josie...wait up!"
Josie stopped abruptly and then turned to Sam, her face full of sadness. "I'm sorry."
Sam sighed. "So, I guess you and Aldys still aren't talking...huh?"
The expression on Josie's face was all the answer Sam needed.
"Just give it some time, Josie. She'll come around," he said giving her an encouraging smile. "She can't stay angry with you forever and she'll soon realize how wonderful you are and how lucky she is to have you in her life."
Josie looked up to Sam, her cheeks turning a bright red from Sam's compliment. She looked at him, not quite sure how or why she deserved such kindness. "Why are you always so nice to me?" she asked seriously.
Sam locked eyes with Josie, amazed that she could ask such a question. "Why are you so surprised that someone would want to be nice to you, Josie?"
Josie shrugged and said, "I don't know. I guess I'm just not used to having someone on my side sticking up for me..." she breathed heavily trying to keep her emotions intact. "And you always manage to make me feel so much better," she said with tears shimmering in her eyes.
Sam gazed at Josie affectionately and said ever so sweetly, "You are an intelligent, bright and caring person, Josie Geller..." After a minute, Sam seemed to realize how that sounded and added, "...and I'm your teacher, right?"
Josie nodded shyly.
"Right. So as your teacher, I believe it's my job to always be on your side and, whenever possible, help make you feel better when you're feeling sad." Sam smiled. "And as far as jobs go...well, this one's a pretty good gig."
Tears swelled up in Josie's eye and trickled down her cheek. Before he realized what he was about to do, Sam began to reach up to wipe the tear away from her cheek, but luckily Josie got to it first and Sam quickly pulled his hand back.
Getting a handle on her emotions, Josie said, "Thank you, Mr. Coulson." She smiled to him. But what came out of her mouth next shook Sam to his core. "Your girlfriend is very lucky to have someone so understanding and supportive."
At the mention of his 'girlfriend', Sam's smile quickly faded. Sam was sure that Lara did not consider herself lucky to be with him...not even close. In fact, she was the sole reason for Sam's growing insecurities about himself, as a provider and as a man.
Sam shook his head, trying to forget about Lara. He was having a great time with Josie and he didn't want to waste one second of it thinking about Lara.
Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he took one look at Josie's dazzling smile and it instantly washed away his sadness. "Come on." Sam said smiling, grabbing her hand in his excitement. "Let's go have some fun!"
* * *
"That's so sweet! I think I'm gonna cry..." Anita said, swept up in the emotion of Sam and Josie's tender moment.
Gus rolled his eyes. "I think I'm going to cry, too."
"Really, Gus?" Anita asked, surprised that Gus seemed to be leaning toward such feelings.
"Yeah. I'm gonna cry because Rigfort is going to kick Geller's 'sweet' butt outta here if she doesn't get back on the job and get her story!"
Anita crossed her arms angrily. "Do you have a romantic bone in your body Gus? Huh...even one?"
"Eh," he said dismissively, "who needs romance? I've got my paper and my...."
Before Gus could finish his sentence, Anita rose up from her chair and stormed to the door. "You know what, Gus? With that attitude you're going to grow into a lonely and bitter old man."
Gus was taken aback by Anita's vehemence. "What did I say?" he said, confused, shrugging his shoulders.
Anita grabbed a rolled up newspaper resting on one of the chairs by the door. "Here, Gus." She tossed the newspaper over to Gus and he caught it. "Why don't you cuddle up next to this tonight!?" Then she stormed out of the office.
Cynthia, Rhoda and Merkin all sat in silence staring at Gus.
"What!?" he yelled. Suddenly becoming very impatient he said, waving his hands at them, "Go on, get out of here! I have work to do!"
* * *
In the meantime, Josie and Sam walked up to another booth on the midway. The object of the game was to shoot down all 20 ducks moving along the conveyer belt with a BB gun with just one round of ammunition. This would entitle the winner to the major prize.
"Wanna try this?" Sam asked Josie with a warm smile.
Josie shrugged. "Sure, but I'm not very good."
Josie was only able to shoot down six ducks. When she finished, she turned to Sam, slightly embarrassed. "I guess this means I can never join the police force...huh?"
Sam laughed. "Guess not. Okay, my turn."
Josie handed the rifle back to the carny. He reloaded it and handed it back to Sam. Sam held the rifle firmly against his shoulder and used the eyesight to aim, and then started shooting. Josie stood in silent awe as she watched Sam shoot down 14 ducks in 14 shots...all in less than a minute.
While Sam took a short break, Josie gushed, "Gosh, you're really good at this!"
Sam turned to Josie and gave her one of his crooked smiles. "I used to play Cowboys and Indians a lot with my brothers when I was young." Josie giggled as Sam continued. "I was always the sheriff and the sheriff needs to know how to shoot, you know."
Josie gazed up at Sam smiling. She could just picture him as a boy in his cute little sheriff's costume, outfitted with his toy gun and proudly displaying his sheriff's badge against his chest.
Sam focused again and within seconds, he had taken out the last six ducks. "Oh my God! You won!" Josie said, jumping up and down and clapping her hands beside him excitedly.
Sam raised the barrel of the rifle to his mouth, blew away the pretend smoke and in a southern drawl said, "All in a day's work, Ma'am," and then grinned with pride.
The carny congratulated Sam. "Well done! Wow! It's been a long time since I've seen that done. Okay, so you have the choice of this stuffed teddy bear," the carny said, gesturing to a bear that was at least four feet high, "this cute little fairy doll," gesturing to a porcelain doll on the counter, "or this top of the line squirt pistol." The carny then turned to Josie and back at Sam, saying, "Or maybe your girlfriend would like to choose?"
Both Sam and Josie looked at each other with widened eyes, shocked and surprised that the carny had assumed they were a couple. They both waited for the other to correct his error, but neither one of them did. After a long pause, Sam looked at Josie and asked nervously, "So...what would you like Josie?"
Josie beamed. "Really?" she practically squeaked. 'He is so incredibly sweet,' she thought.
Sam nodded with an amused smile.
"Okay, Um....the teddy bear," she admitted, grinning sheepishly. How many times, Josie thought, had she dreamed about having a date take her to Navy Pier where the gallant man would win a prize for her like this?
The carny grabbed the huge fawn-colored teddy bear off the top shelf and handed it to Josie. She wrapped her arms around its belly. It was soft and completely huggable, just as she'd known it would be. Then, peeking over the teddy bear's head, she smiled to Sam and said softly, "Thank you."
Sam grinned at the sight of Josie holding that huge bear. "You're welcome, Josie. Hey, you want me to carry it? That thing's nearly bigger than you!"
She snuggled it closer and rested her chin on its head. "No, its okay."
They wandered along through the booths and rides in easy silence, just taking in the beautiful spring night, and enjoying the pleasure of being in each other's company.
Before they knew it Josie and Sam found themselves standing in front of the Merry-Go-Round. For a moment, they both stared at it, and then turning to each other they said "Nah!" while they shook their heads and laughed.
Sam smiled to Josie. "After what you told me about the hidden danger of Merry-Go-Rounds, I wouldn't want us to break our necks or anything!"
They continued to walk along together again until Josie stopped in front of the ladies bathroom. Sam stopped too and turned to Josie who had a huge embarrassed look on her face. "Um...I have to go the bathroom," she said, looking down at the ground. She continued, "But hey, you don't have to wait if you don't want to."
Sam was not ready to leave Josie's company. "That's fine, Josie. I don't mind waiting."
Josie's face lit up again. "Are you sure?"
Sam nodded. "Yep. Here, give me the bear." Josie handed Sam the teddy bear. "I'll just wait out here."
Josie smiled shyly. "Okay," she murmured and then turned and entered the bathroom.
Sam breathed deeply, looking up at the twinkling stars, and letting the cool night air slap him in the face. He was having a wonderful time tonight, he decided. More fun than he'd had in a long time. And a lot of that, he admitted, was due to the company. He thought about how Josie's face had lit up when he suggested she pick a prize from the duck shoot booth and again just now when he said that he would wait for her. He closed his eyes, letting the warmth from those thoughts seep into his bones, even though he knew he should be feeling that way at all.
Suddenly someone tapped on his right shoulder. Thinking it was Josie, he turned around with a warm smile and said, "Back so soon?" But it wasn't Josie. It was Susan Hamilton, the art teacher that supposedly had a crush on Sam.
"Hello, Sam." Susan said, while her eyes roamed up and down Sam's body suggestively in response to his welcoming smile.
Sam felt an edge of panic start to overshadow his warm feelings from Josie. He couldn't help but notice that Susan's purple hair now looked blue under the lights they were standing under. Trying to be polite, he replied, "Oh, hi Susan. Sorry, I thought you were someone else..." He stood shifting his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably.
"Nice, teddy bear," she said, smiling at him suggestively.
In his shock at seeing Susan standing behind him instead of Josie, Sam had forgotten he was holding onto Josie's teddy bear, but he was grateful he was, because it gave him the added space away from Susan. "Oh, right. Umm...it's not mine; I'm holding it for someone." Sam couldn't help but wonder if Susan was any relation to Amanda, especially with that voice of hers. Still, he had to admit that Susan was quite an attractive woman, tall, willowy and she had a spectacular body. And Sam was about to learn very quickly that she wasn't introverted, either.
"So, Sam... I don't believe in beating around the bush...because in the end it's just a waste of everyone's time..." Susan began, taking a step forward to play with the bow around the teddy bear's neck. She looked down playfully and then back up to Sam's eyes.
Under Susan's direct gaze, Sam grew nervous. 'Where exactly was she going with this?' he thought.
Just then Josie came out the exit door of the bathroom and appeared behind Susan. Over Ms. Hamilton's shoulder, Sam's panic stricken face did not go unnoticed by Josie.
Susan continued, "So, I think you're a really good looking guy..." Sam's jaw nearly dropped to the ground as Susan started to push the bear out of the way and walked yet another step closer to him, "and I would like to believe that I'm attractive woman, so I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime and maybe we could get to know each other a little better?"
Sam was stunned and he didn't quite know how to respond. Indeed, he opened his mouth to speak, but when Susan had stepped that much closer to him, he became tongue-tied. He'd never been hit on so blatantly before, and he had no idea how to handle it, especially since he wasn't interested.
Then he spotted Josie standing behind Susan, her eyes nearly popping out of her head, her hand covering her mouth to keep from bursting out laughing at his expression of sheer terror. Oh, God, and he'd thought it couldn't get worse, he thought ruefully. But having Josie witness this embarrassing moment was much, much worse.
"Geez, Susan. I'm...I'm really flattered." Sam ran his left hand through his hair in a nervous gesture. "But um...well you see...I... I'm actually..."
Sam was at a complete loss. In desperation, he looked over at Josie, his face begging to her to help him. Seeing his silent plea, Josie smiled. She didn't hesitate.
She stepped out from behind Susan. "Oh there you are, Mr. Coulson!" Josie eyes told Sam to just play along. "Thank God, I found you!"
"Oh, hello, Josie," Susan said, annoyed that her moment with Sam had been interrupted.
"Oh, hi, Ms. Hamilton," Josie said as if she'd only just noticed her there. "Hope I didn't interrupt anything important..." Josie turned back to Sam and gave him a secret wink.
Sam bit his cheek to keep himself from smiling at that.
Then Josie continued with just the right amount of panic lacing her voice, "A couple of guys have gotten into a fistfight over there!" she pointed generically down the pier. "It looks pretty bad, Mr. Coulson...I think you'd better come."
Closing his eyes with momentary relief, Sam replied with the proper response, "Oh, gosh! Thanks, for coming to get me..."
Sam's eyes conveyed such huge relief that Josie was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
Detangling himself from Ms. Hamilton, he started to skirt around her toward Josie. "Well, gotta go Susan... You know how it is...a teacher's work is never done."
"But, Sam..." Susan persisted, as he started to rush off just behind Josie, "what about...?"
In response to Susan's query, Josie latched onto Sam's arm and started tugging impatiently. Interrupting Susan Hamilton's question before she could finish it, Josie urged, "Come on Mr. Coulson; someone's bound to get hurt if we don't hurry!" She started pulling him off into the crowd.
"Hey, should I come with you?" Susan called after them, confused.
Both Sam and Josie turned and said a firm "No!" Quickly, Sam recovered and replied soothingly, "No, its okay, Susan. I'll handle it. Thanks, anyway."
Sam and Josie hurried off and then went around a darkened corner to hide from Susan. They held their breath for a moment and then both broke out into laughter that they stifled behind their hands.
"Oh my, God! Thanks, Josie; you saved my life back there!" Sam said, placing a hand over his heart for emphasis.
Josie smiled at Sam. "I guess we're even now, then."
Sam knew he must have ridiculous grin pasted to his face as he and Josie stood under a broken lamp behind one of the booths, but he was too relieved to care. Sam leaned back up against the wall of the booth and took a deep breath. "She um...well...she kinda surprised me with that." he explained, swallowing hard.
"She likes you." Even in the mostly dark, Sam could hear Josie's smile in her voice.
Sam shook his head in amazement and commented dryly, "Yeah, and apparently she's not shy about it either."
Josie giggled, remembering the look on Sam's face when Ms. Hamilton had pushed aside the teddy bear to sidle right up next to him. "Well, Ms. Hamilton is very pretty..." she teased.
'Not as pretty as you,' Sam thought. But what he said was, "Yeah she's okay, I guess, apart from that..."
"Purple hair!" they finished together. Then they broke out into laughter once more and spent several moments shushing each other and breaking up all over again.
Once they had regained their composure, Sam said, "Well thanks again, Josie. I don't know what I would done if you didn't come to my rescue."
"I know what you mean." Josie said shyly.
Sam felt his heart start to pound at the sweet sound of her voice and her pretty blush, evident even in the darkened area behind the booth where they were.
The both stood silently for a moment and then Josie moved across to the corner and peeked out from behind the booth. Sam, who was standing closely behind her, leaned over to steal a peek too. He was leaning so close that his head was practically resting on Josie's left shoulder. "Is she gone?" he whispered into her ear.
Josie shivered at the feel of Sam's warm breath on the sensitive skin of her neck and ear, and his sexy voice in such close proximity made her knees go weak. She turned her head sideways and met directly with Sam's eyes only a couple of inches away. Even in the darkness, Josie could swear she saw the light in his deep green eyes intensify as he met her gaze. She sucked in a breath and whispered breathlessly, "Yeah, I think she's gone."
After a long moment staring into Josie's eyes, Sam swallowed and looked away. Then, as if suddenly remembering what it was they were doing there, he took another look around the corner, just to make sure Susan was gone. But then he spotted her talking to two other South Glen teachers almost directly in front of them.
"Oh, God, there she is!" he whispered. In his panic, Sam grabbed onto Josie's left arm and pulled her back around the corner close to him... so close that the teddy bear was actually squished between them.
After a breathless moment where they both seemed to revel in their closeness, they both giggled in humor, realizing how silly they were acting. "I'm so sorry, Josie." Sam said, stepping back a little.
"What for?" she asked, amused.
"For all this," Sam said, gesturing to the back of the darkened booth where they were hiding. "We're supposed to be out there having fun and I've got you stuck behind a booth, hiding from one of the teachers for God's sake!"
Josie couldn't help giggling again. "I don't mind. I'm actually having fun."
Sam smiled. "Yeah. Me too." Actually Sam couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun with Lara and he started to wonder if he ever did. Lara was always too self-absorbed, always worrying about what other people thought about her. Josie was different, fun and spontaneous. 'Maybe it was her youthfulness...' Sam thought, but then again; at 17 years of age, Josie had already displayed a maturity that was way beyond her years.
Josie and Sam turned to gaze at each other in the darkness again, smiling and breathing in each other's beauty. It didn't matter how hard they tried, once their eyes locked...that was it. They were trapped.
Josie's heart began to beat faster and she couldn't control her eyes from studying every inch of Sam's beautiful face. Her gaze landed heavily on Sam's mouth and she sighed, licking her lips in anticipation. Just thinking about what it would be like to touch her lips to his, to taste him, was more than this shy copy editor could handle, and she closed her eyes against the growing vision of it in her mind. She tried to force the image out of her mind because she knew it could never happen, would never happen. So Josie thought it best if she buried this fantasy in the back of her mind.
The fact that Josie had licked her lips did not escape Sam's attention, since he'd been studying her just as intently as she was studying him. He sucked in a harsh breath as a wave of desire crashed over him at the thought of kissing Josie-and of Josie wanting to kiss him back. He knew that if she were only his age, or if he were hers, nothing could have stopped him from sweeping Josie into his arms and drawing her in for a slow, passionate kiss. Still, even as things were, he could not stop himself from looking longingly at her lips. Sam let his eyes drift closed and he could almost imagine how wonderful it would feel to...
Sam reigned in his very wayward thoughts. He knew he was now on very dangerous ground. He shouldn't be having these kinds of thoughts about his student, no matter how incredible he thought she was. He swallowed painfully and took a step back from Josie and lowering his eyes. He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the image of the two of them locked in a passionate embrace. Sam welcomed the sudden cool breeze off the lake, because it allowed him to fan down the flames of desire and get a grip on his emotions again.
Sam paused and then took a few steps forward and peeked around the corner again. "I think its safe now. I can't see her anywhere." Sam turned back to face Josie and shook his head. "I feel like such a heel."
"Why?" Josie's voice was still a little breathy because she was still trying to regain control herself.
"Because Susan-I mean Ms. Hamilton-is my co-worker and right now I'm acting like a teenager," Sam's remorse was evident in his voice, although it was there only partly because of Susan Hamilton.
Josie grinned in agreement. She knew just what he meant. "So am I."
Sam laughed and took the teddy bear, which he was still holding in his arms, and jokingly tapped Josie softly on the top of her head with it. "Josie, you are a teenager!"
"Oh. Right...right." She said rolling her eyes and then laughed also, albeit a bit self-consciously. She was thankful that in her frazzled state she hadn't given anything away.
Trying to get their conversation back on safer ground, Sam rubbed his stomach and said, "Hey Josie, are you hungry?" 'Bad choice of words, Sam,' he berated himself, since his mind was not thinking of food at that moment.
"Yeah. I could go for a little something," she agreed.
"Well, then let's go," Sam said, gesturing out toward the carnival. "I'm sure there are a couple of hotdogs out there with our names on them."
"Okay." Josie agreed, and walked out in front of him to re-enter the festivities.
Sam and Josie wandered around for a couple minutes until they found a hotdog stand. "Two thanks." Sam said while taking out his wallet, preparing to pay.
Josie took her purse out too, about to pay for hers. Sam, seeing this, said, "Uh- uh. No, no. Put that away. It's on me."
"No, I can pay, really," Josie protested.
But Sam would not take no for an answer. "No. Please, let me pay. Actually, I insist. It's the least I can do after you helped me with..."
"The Purple People Eater?" Josie joked.
Despite himself, Sam snorted in laughter at Josie's rather apt description of Susan Hamilton. "Yeah."
Smiling, Josie put her purse away. "Okay."
While waiting for the hotdogs, Josie turned and looked back up at the Ferris wheel. Suddenly she started giggling. Tracie had managed to get Rob up there after all!
Sam turned to Josie and handed her a hot dog. "What are you giggling about?"
"Oh...I was just..."
Josie suddenly stopped mid-sentence as something caught her eye. Curious, Sam looked in the same direction and instantly saw what it was. Ms. Knox came stalking toward them. She was covered in whipped cream.
Looking at her curiously, Sam said, "Hi, Marilyn," once she was close enough to speak to.
"Hello Sam...Josie," she greeted them tersely, her mouth twisted into a frown.
"Hi, Ms. Knox." Josie said shyly, trying not to stare.
Awkwardly the three stood in silence for a moment before Sam ventured, "Um...I didn't know you volunteered for the pie throwing booth, Marilyn..."
"I didn't!" she huffed.
Sam and Josie exchanged confused looks and then stared back at Ms. Knox. She held her hand up to stay Sam's next question. "Don't ask, Sam! Just don't even ask!"
Ms. Knox turned and stormed off, as Josie and Sam watched after her. "She didn't look too happy." Sam said blandly, before taking a bite out of his hotdog and smiling with amusement. He and Josie began to walk down the length of the pier.
Along the way they noticed a few other South Glen students covered in whipped cream. "Uh-oh... I'm smelling food fight," Josie observed.
Shaking his head at the antics of teenagers, he agreed, "I think you're right, Josie."
All of a sudden Tommy, Jason and Guy came running by Sam and Josie with cream pies in their hands, aiming at anyone and everyone from South Glen they could find. Luckily, they hadn't noticed Josie and Sam.
Sam shook his head. "Those guys! I should have known they were in the middle of this. I better go put a stop to this, Josie." He handed Josie the remainder of his hotdog and called out to them. "Tommy, Jason...G..."
But before he could finish his sentence, Tommy turned and threw a pie right at him. Because of his quick, athletic reflexes, Sam was able to ward off a direct hit, but still he was hit on the shoulder and chest, effectively covering his right side with whipped cream.
"Oops. Sorry, Mr. Coulson. I didn't know it was you." But Tommy's smile made it clear that he did.
Josie burst into delighted laughter at the sight of Sam covered in whipped cream.
Sam stood stunned momentarily and then, instead of becoming angry and yelling at the young men as most other teachers would have done, he unexpectedly snatched the cream pie out of Guy's left hand and chased after Tommy with it.
Tommy was no match for Sam, since Sam was dressed for utility and not for fashion, not to mention his quicker reflexes and better agility that were honed from years of playing hockey. Sam ended up hitting Tommy square in the face with the pie, like he had with Brett earlier in the fundraising booth. Gleefully, Sam called out, "Oops! Gee, Tommy, I didn't see you there!" He paused for a moment and then snorted, 'Mr. Coulson rocks my world' indeed..." Sam smiled triumphantly and winked at Josie, who was only a few feet away. "Well, he does now..."
Josie gasped when Sam mentioned Tommy's teasing statement from their ride on the Ferris wheel earlier. Why, it was almost...almost as if Sam were defending her honor, Josie thought on a sigh. How romantic!
Meanwhile, Jason and Guy laughed at Tommy, who blushed under all that cream and said, "Yeah, ha ha, guys. Thanks for sticking up for me," which, of course only made the other two laugh harder.
Sam made his way back to Josie, wiping splatters of cream off his face as she stood giggling. "So you think this is funny, huh?" he asked good-naturedly.
Josie tried to bite back her smile, but she couldn't help but nod and laugh. "I'm sorry. You just look so...funny covered in whipped cream."
"I do, do I? Well let's see how you like it...maybe it won't be quite so funny then..." Sam wiped nearly a handful of cream off his shirt and turned to Josie.
"You wouldn't dare!" Josie squealed, trying to hide behind the huge teddy bear.
Sam just smiled evilly, inching closer to Josie.
"There you are!"
Sam quickly turned as he recognized the voice behind him. He had completely forgotten that he had asked Matt, Michelle and the rest of the gang to meet up with him and yet here they all were.
Sam and Josie stepped away from each other self-consciously.
"We've been looking for you for ages!" Matt said as he and the rest of them moved closer to Sam and Josie. "By the way, nice look Sam."
Sam quickly scraped the rest of the cream off his face and shirt and shook it off onto the ground. "Oh, hi guys," he said nervously, as Josie stood by quietly.
Sean, one of Sam's hockey buddies, was amongst the group. There was absolutely no love lost between Sean and Lara and in fact he never called Lara by her name, only referring to her as the 'Devil Woman'. So when Sean saw Josie standing close by, he jokingly said to Sam, "So, Sam... Are you going to introduce us to your date?"
As Matt jabbed Sean hard in the ribs for his faux pas, Sam and Josie just stared at each other in shock.
* * *
To be continued...
* * *