Chapter Seven

“A sleigh ride through Central Park?” James asked, eyeing Samantha curiously. He cocked his head to one side and raised an eyebrow. “Smoooooth. And a bit tacky.”

“It was not tacky. It was sweet. And incredibly romantic.”

Samantha glanced at the frosted windows of Joe’s Cuppa Coffee Shop, where she and James were sitting on overstuffed red armchairs, talking and avoiding the bitter January weather outside. It was two days after the big date with Richie, and while he had thus far waited the polite gentleman’s two days before calling, he had sent a bouquet of roses to her office the day before, with a note simply saying that he had a great time and couldn’t wait to see her again.

James chuffed. “It was too much for a first date, Sam. You know where I took Katie on our first date?” he paused, making sure he had her attention. “An arcade.”

Samantha burst out laughing. “Now that’s tacky!”

James waved her away. “No, that’s safe. It was cool, casual, comfortable…it let me get to know the real her. There was nothing fancy, nothing to be polite about; we didn’t have to be quiet and reserved or elegant and sophisticated. We were just us.”

Samantha tried, and failed, to suppress a smirk. “It was tacky.”

James grinned. “Okay, it was tacky. But it worked.”

Samantha laughed. James was a good guy; he was a devoted and supportive brother, and she knew she could trust him to be honest. But at the same time, he was protective of his sister, and therefore often critical of the men she dated. And that meant that while he gave her support, he also advised a considerable amount of caution that sometimes got on her nerves ever so slightly.

“So when are you going on date number two?” James looked at her over the rim of his coffee mug.

“I’m not sure – he hasn’t called yet.”

“But you’re sure there will be a date number two, right?”

Samantha smiled and nodded. “I’m ready to bet on it.”

Richie had been both a gentleman and a suave debonair, and as much as she kept telling herself to be rational and realistic about the whole thing, she couldn’t deny he had swept her off her feet. She was looking forward to their next date immensely, and had to fight the urge to just call him herself and set it up. She found him intensely charming, kind, and sweet, and surprisingly down-to-earth for a legendary icon in the music scene. And while their first date had been a tad ostentatious, she didn’t even try to pretend she didn’t love it.

“Good. Because you know, any dude who takes a chick out on a romantic sleigh ride through Central Park in the snow had better not just drop her. I don’t care if he is an international rock star,” James assumed a serious face, but Sam knew the twinkle in his eye and she smiled.

“He won’t just ‘drop me’. He may be an international rock star, but he isn’t a jerk.”

James drained the last of his coffee.

“I hope not.”

****************

Samantha was curled up on the couch in front of the TV with a blanket and a fat piece of chocolate cake when the phone rang that night. Since the first person who came to her mind was Richie, she jumped off the couch so fast her feet got tangled in the blanket and she fell right to the floor. Yanking the blanket away from herself, she scrambled to her feet and ran to the phone, grabbing it from the receiver just before the machine picked up.

“Hel – hello?” she answered, out of breath.

“Sam?”

She paused.

“James?”

“No, the tooth fairy.”

Samantha let out an irritated breath. “Ugh! James!”

“What?! Why are you out of breath?”

“I thought it was Richie.” Samantha ran a hand through her hair, irritated at having just fallen over to answer the phone for her brother.

There was a brief silence on the other end, and then James let out a hoot of laughter.

“Richie? Oh man I should have known. Wait, don’t tell me, you ran to the phone, right?”

Samantha pursed her lips together and didn’t answer. James continued to chuckle good-naturedly.

“Oh man, Sam…just picturing you…oh geez…” he doubled up chuckling again, and Sam raised her eyes.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, it’s just funny. I…” he trailed off into a fit of giggles.

“Okay good-bye.”

“Wait wait, I needed to ask you something....”

“What?” Samantha said shortly.

“Well, Katie’s birthday is coming up soon, and I haven’t the faintest idea what to get her.”

“And you’re telling me this why…?”

“Can you help me figure something out?”

“How would I know what she wants?”

“You’re a chick. She’s a chick. See how that works out?”

Sam tsked. “You know, not all chicks have the same taste.”

“I know, but chicks and dudes never have the same taste.”

“That is true. And dudes never know what to give people for birthdays. They usually just stick with cliché boring gifts like gift cards.”

“Oh, so that’s out then?”

Samantha sighed. “You’re a nerd.”

“I love you too. What about perfume? You think she’d like that?”

“Does she wear a certain kind?”

There was a pause.

“The smelly good kind?”

“You’re completely hopeless, you know that?”

“I have no idea what she wears. I can ask her, though.”

“No, she’ll know why you’re asking. Don’t you want to be discreet?”

“Not particularly. I just want to get her something she’ll like.”

“Try to figure it out without asking her directly.”

“How the hell do I do that?”

“I don’t know – check her bathroom next time you’re at her place.”

“What?! That’s stalkerish.”

“It is not!”

“Is so!”

“It’s curious.”

“It’s creepy.”

“Fine! Then ask her what perfume she wears, get her exactly what she says, and give it to her for her birthday. But don’t be surprised when she’s not surprised.”

“Sounds good.”

Samantha rolled her eyes. “Well that was fast.”

“Yes it was. But I couldn’t have done it without you sis.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re welcome.”

“Thank you. I have one more question though.”

“What’s that?”

“Are you going to tell Richie about what you did?”

Sam hung up on him.

**********

The next day was Saturday, and Samantha had no plans. Around 11:30 she was just heading out the door with Tommy and Gina in tow for a walk, when the phone rang again. Moving toward it a bit more carefully this time, her heart skipped a beat when Richie’s smooth voice greeted her on the other end.

“Hello Miss West.”

She laughed, “Well hello Mr. Sambora. How are you?”

“I’m great – just thinking about the other night.”

Samantha smiled. “Me too. I had a great time.”

“So did I. And I was hoping that you might be up for a third round.”

“Third?”

“Yeah, well, I count Christmas Eve as our first date, technically.”

“Really? I wouldn’t really call that a date – I mean, we were with the other guys and Alex.”

“That’s true. But I was already planning to ask you out on a date that night.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

She smiled again. “Okay, well then I guess that would bring us to our 2 ½ date.”

Richie laughed. “I like that. So…would you like to accompany me for a 2 ½ date?”

Samantha felt butterflies in her stomach. “Absolutely. When?”

“What are you doing right now?”

“Now? I actually was just about to take my dogs out for a walk.”

“Oh really? I didn’t know you had dogs. What kind?”

“Two golden retrievers.”

“Beautiful dogs. Where were you planning on taking them?”

“I usually walk down the street and around the Park a bit – gives them things to do and smell.”

“Well I’m actually in town for the day, I was at Jon’s place over in the Hamptons. I’m right around the corner from Central Park right now, if you don’t mind me joining you.”

The butterflies exploded and Samantha’s eyes widened with excitement. “Of course not! That would be great.”

“Where should I meet you?”

“How about 58th and 8th? It’s just down the street from my place.”

“Sounds good – I should be there in about fifteen minutes. You sure it’s cool that I crash your dog-walking time?”

“It’s cool.” Samantha smiled again.

“All right then – see you soon.”

“See ya!”

Samantha hung up the phone and stared at it for a minute before squealing with delight.

“Eeeee! You get to meet Richie, guys!” she looked over at the dogs, who were standing at the door, scowling at her.

“Sheesh, don’t look so excited,” she moved toward them and hooked the leashes to their collars; a minute later she headed out the door with a bounce in her step, and for once had as much energy as the dogs as they bounded down the street toward Central Park.

They arrived with plenty of time to spare, and fifteen minutes later, Sam saw Richie approaching, dressed in a cream-colored turtleneck, brown suede jacket, and jeans that once again accentuated his figure. Sam found it hard to tear her eyes from his body as he moved toward her, smiling and carrying two cups of something that steamed in the sharp, cold air.

“I thought we might need something to keep our hands – and stomachs – warm today,” he grinned, handing her one of the cups.

Samantha smiled and took it gratefully. “Thank you, that was sweet. And smart.” She winked.

He grinned back, then pulled her into a one-armed hug. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s only been two days!” she giggled.

“What, are you saying you didn’t miss me?” his eyes gleamed with mischief, and she melted inside.

“Of course I did.”

“So who are these two beauties?” Richie asked, kneeling down to scratch Tommy and Gina’s heads as they nuzzled him, tails wagging.

Samantha hesitated, not wanting to tell him that she had named her dogs after his band’s most famous song just yet.

“These are my babies,” she said, looking at them fondly. “You know, I remembered when we were walking over here that they were there the other night when you picked me up. I kept them in my room though, because I didn’t know how they’d react to a man in the apartment. No offense.” She smiled playfully.

Richie looked up. “None taken. At least you called me a man.”

They laughed and he rose. “Would you like me to walk one of them so you can hold your hot chocolate?”

“That would be great, thanks.” Samantha handed him Gina’s leash, and the four of them began to walk through the park.

As they strolled along, Samantha watched Richie out of the corner of her eye. She liked the way he held himself - he moved with confidence, a sureness in his step that stopped just short of cocky. He looked forward, facing the world instead of looking down at his feet, and he wore an expression of pleasant approachability instead of a cautionary warning to stay away, like so many celebrities wore. With one hand holding the warm cup of coffee and the other tightly gripping Gina’s leash, he looked so comfortable, so ordinary, so normal walking through Central Park alongside her, like he did this everyday.

Samantha eyed his body as he moved as well, noticing the way his longish brown hair fell into his eyes slightly and fluttered as he walked. His skin was an even tan, deep enough to show that he had had his fair share of sun in his lifetime. His waist was narrow, and the shirt beneath his jacket and coat was exposed at the middle, pressing against his torso just enough to reveal a flat, tight abdomen. Samantha sucked in a small breath and forced her eyes forward, willing all thoughts about what his abdomen would feel like to leave her mind.

“So do you always take the dogs here?” Richie’s voice brought her back to her senses, and she cleared her throat.

“Yeah, well, I mean, I try. Like I said, it gives them something to do and things to smell. Lord knows there are enough things to smell here!”

“That’s for sure. If I were a dog I’d sure love it here.” Richie looked over at her and grinned.

She laughed, noticing how easily he could make her do that. None of the other guys she dated could ever make her as comfortable on the first few dates. She wondered, briefly, if that was a sign.

“So,” she started, hesitating a bit to gather her thoughts. “You’re not, you know, worried about being out here in the open? I mean, just walking around alone like this?”

“Alone? I’m with you, aren’t I?”

“Well yeah, but I meant alone as in without a bodyguard or something…”

Richie laughed. “A bodyguard? Darlin’, I only have a bodyguard when I’m with the guys and we’re out at a public event or on tour. That’s when the fans really get crazy, and we all have escorts anyway, so we’re perfectly protected.”

“Oh.”

“Being in Central Park without security isn’t exactly a death sentence – especially being in New York, I think everyone’s used to celebrities walking around. I also think being older really has something to do with it – you know, the new, young celebrities and stars who are hot amongst the teenagers and teeny-boppers are the ones who really need to be watched. They’re young and a lot more vulnerable in my opinion.” He took a sip of his hot chocolate, and out of the corner of her eye, Samantha watched the thin steam that escaped from between his lips as he opened his mouth to speak again. “I’m not going to lie and say we have nothing to worry about – I mean, sure, we have had our share of crazies over the last twenty years. But that was mostly in the eighties, when we had the big hair and tight pants.” He laughed. “Now, I think most people are used to us, at least around here. I’m not concerned at all.” He smiled at her, and she blushed.

“I didn’t really think about that, I guess,” she said sheepishly.

Richie noticed, and nudged her playfully with his arm. “Hey, no sweat! It’s perfectly normal to be worried about some psycho with a knife jumping out of one of these bushes and attacking. Especially being with a celebrity – you have every reason to be concerned. Man, I never realized what a threat I am to your safety.”

Samantha looked over at him, mortified, until she saw the gleam in his eye again.

“God, that’s awful!” she laughed. “That’s not what I meant. And you are not a threat to my safety. Trust me, if anyone tried anything, these big lugs would be all over them,” she pointed to Tommy and Gina, who were trotting ahead, tugging on their leashes.

Richie chuckled. “By the way, what are the big lugs’ names?”

“Uh...” Samantha swallowed. They reached a fork in the path, and as they turned onto the right side, lined with trees heavy with snow, she tried to think of some way to change the subject without being too blunt. The answer came, however, with a heavy blow to her right side.

“OW!” she yelped, jumping and turning to see what had hit her, and saw a red Frisbee lying on the ground. “What the – ?”

“Oops, I’m so sorry!” a young teenage boy came running up to them, cheeks and nose as red as the Frisbee from the cold, and picked up the disc. “It went off course, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

Samantha rubbed her side. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied. It didn’t hurt too much, and she wasn’t the type of person to yell at a kid for a simple mistake like that.

The boy still looked worried, however. “Are you sure, ma’am? I’m really very sorry…”

She waved away his apology. “I’m totally fine, don’t worry about it.” She smiled at him.

“Well, okay, if you’re sure…” the boy backed up slowly before turning around and running back to his friends. “Have a nice day folks!”

Samantha turned back toward Richie, who was trying hard not to smile.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

Richie broke out into a grin and laughed. “Oh, nothing,” he chuckled. “It’s just that when I gave that example about some psycho with a knife jumping out of the bushes, I didn’t know it would come in the form of a kid and a flying Frisbee!”

Samantha burst out laughing. “Yeah well, I didn’t either!”

They turned back toward their walk, chuckling, and Samantha gave silent thanks for the distraction from the dogs’ names.

A few minutes later, Richie noticed Tommy limping. “Hey, is your dog okay? He’s walking funny…”

Samantha looked at him and noticed that he was indeed favoring his back leg. “You’re right – I wonder what’s wrong. Come here, baby,” she stopped and kneeled down, taking his foot in her hands and examining it.

As she studied the dog’s foot, Richie watched her from above. He watched the tenderness with which she handled her dog, and simultaneously reflected on the casual way she had dealt with the Frisbee kid. She had been so forgiving, so kind to the boy, and that had surprised him. His experience with New Yorkers had taught him that most of them would have dealt with the situation differently, namely more harshly. But she had an easy, friendly nature, and he liked that. She was easy to get along with, a pleasant conversationist, and most of all, she didn’t to take herself too seriously, something that he found intensely attractive. She seemed to hold herself in a modest assurance, moving through life with the confidence that she could accomplish tasks set before her, but at the same time humble enough to realize perfection was not everything. And for someone whose entire life revolved around precision and perfection, he found that exhilarating and refreshing.

“Aha,” she said from the ground, her light brown hair spilling over her shoulders and curtaining her face. “I think I found it – it was a little thorn.” She held up a small object and looked up at him, her hazel eyes sparkling against the dull, gray cement.

She was absolutely beautiful, he thought. She had a slender frame, and her hips flared out just enough to complement her long legs, which, coupled with a near-perfect butt, made jeans look stunning. Her stomach was flat, and the swell of her chest filled out her beige sweater nicely. She had a soft oval shape to her face, and her hair framed it in a way that made her look sophisticated and youthful at the same time: she looked like someone who had experience and knowledge, but also someone who had a lot of energy and playfulness. Her lips were full but not puffy, and her teeth were straight and white, which gave her a heart-stopping smile. Add in those captivating golden eyes and he was surprised she was single – he had already noticed that she turned heads on the streets.

“Ah, poor guy. Is he okay?” he forced himself to return to the dog’s dilemma.

“Yeah, he’s fine,” she replied, patting the dog’s back. “He’ll probably dash off as soon as we get going again, just watch,” she reached out to pick up the leash just as he spotted a squirrel dart underneath the hedges, and before Samantha could pick the leash back up, he took off.

“Tommy!” she cried before she could stop herself, and jumped to her feet. He dashed into the hedge at top-speed, in hot pursuit of the poor squirrel, who scampered off down the length of the inside of the hedge.

“Tommy?” Richie asked curiously.

Samantha stopped and blushed crimson. “Uh, yeah, Tommy. Tommy and Gina.” She looked at him bashfully before running off in pursuit of the happily barking dog.

Richie remained where he was and simply stared, then started after her with a smile creeping around the edges of his mouth.