Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers by Emily Matthews (best mystery novels of all time TXT) 📗

it was no longer as fulfilling as it had been in the beginning. Lately, all the hustle and bustle seemed trite, and it was no longer shielding him from the loneliness.

He wanted a partner, an equal. But not just anyone. It had to be someone he could trust for sure, but also someone he could have fun with. He wanted a friend and a lover, and if all that was tied up in an attractive package, even better. Maybe he was being unreasonable, but he wanted it all.

The news of his youngest brother’s engagement had caused Sam to do some soul-searching. For so long, his priority had always been his business, but at what cost?

“Sophie, am I going to die alone?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know the answer to that question,” Sophie answered politely.

“Hey, Sophie, do you think Annie liked me?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know the answer to that question,” Sophie repeated.

“Oh, never mind. Sophie, turn off the TV.”

The TV went silent. Sam sat in the dark. Making quick, decisive decisions was what he did all day, every day. Finding a mate was no different. Time to take the bull by the horns.

If Annie had given him a real phone number, he’d call her tomorrow, ask her out, and see where things went. If that didn’t work out, he’d let Phil sign him up for the matchmaking site. Simple.

“Sophie, start the shower in the master bath.”

“Normal temperature, sir?”

The image of Annie panting in his ear and screaming into his mouth as she came flashed through his mind. “Better drop the temperature five degrees, Sophie.”

CHAPTER FOUR

“You did what?” Phil’s mouth fell open.

“You heard me. I broke the Rules. Get over it.” It was Monday morning, and Phil was sitting on Sam’s office couch, his feet on the coffee table. Phil was not only Sam’s best friend, but his right-hand man.

“All right. Well, at least give me some details then. Was it worth it?” Phil set down the newspaper he was skimming and put his feet on the floor, giving Sam his full attention.

“You know I don’t kiss and tell,” Sam said with a frown.

“Geez. You’d think after getting laid you’d be a little more relaxed.” Phil went to pick up the paper again and stopped midway. “Oh, I see. Well, don’t worry. It happens to everyone at some point.” He looked away, a combination of embarrassment and sympathy in his voice.

“What? Oh, for Christ’s sake. That’s not what happened.” Sam stood up from his desk and walked over to the sitting area.

“Uh-huh. Then why so pissy?” Phil gave him a knowing look, one eyebrow raised.

“God. If you must know. She kinda got hers, and then pushed me out the door. It wasn’t that I couldn’t finish. I just didn’t get the chance.”

At that, Phil let out a long, loud laugh. “Seriously? No way. That’s something that would happen to me, not The Sam MacDonald.” He continued laughing.

Sam stared at him, expressionless. “Glad you’re getting a laugh at my expense.”

“I’m sorry, dude. Really, that sucks,” Phil sputtered out between chuckles.

“If you’re through?” Sam plopped down in the chair opposite the couch. “What do I do now? I called twice yesterday but got voicemail, and she never called back. Should I send flowers?”

“What?” The inquiry sobered Phil up in a hurry. “No, you don’t send flowers. You forget it ever happened, get back to the Rules, and pray to God you never see her again.”

“Except I do want to see her again. Her name’s Annie, and she’s different, Phil. This might sound crazy, but I think I’ve outgrown the type of women I’ve been seeing. I don’t want perfect and rich. I want smart, down-to-earth, and fun. I’m also tired of being so cynical and distrusting. Maybe I could give this a shot like a normal person would.”

“Except that you’re not a normal person. Shit. Do I need to call Jake? Do we need to have an intervention and rehash all the reasons we made the Rules in the first place?”

“Fuck the Rules. I’m done with them.”

Phil stared at him, mouth hanging open.

“Hey, I finally found a way to shut you up. Awesome.” Sam smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll still be careful. I’ll go in eyes wide open. Annie doesn’t even know who I am.”

“Yet.” Phil sighed and picked up the newspaper again. “It’s your choice, man. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Okay. So, flowers or no flowers?”

Sam’s intercom buzzed, indicating his secretary was about to speak. “Mr. MacDonald? Phillip is needed in HR. The new person is here.”

“I’ll send him down. Thanks, Tracey.” He waited for the click that meant Tracey had gotten off the line. “Why does she call you Phillip?” Sam asked Phil.

“I don’t know. Why does she call you Mr. MacDonald?”

“Touché. I gave up asking her to call me Sam. She said it was too informal. Maybe that’s why she calls you Phillip.”

“She’s a complicated woman,” said Phil with a wistful smile.

Sam held in a laugh. Phil thought he was keeping a big secret, but Sam read him like a book and had known forever that Phil was harboring a secret crush on Tracey. Dating employees wasn’t necessarily forbidden, but was definitely frowned upon, so neither man had ever broached the topic.

“Why are you showing around a new person? Isn’t that HR’s job?”

“It must be the graphic designer we hired for the Denali project. Since she’ll be working closely with us, I told HR I’d take care of her. She came highly recommended from the San Francisco office, so she’s not new to the company, just the Bellevue office. I forget her name, but I know you were at the meeting where we all agreed to transfer her up here.”

“All right then.” He made decisions all the time to which he never gave a second thought. “You wanna grab lunch before the one o’clock?”

Phil stood and straightened his tie. “Sounds good. I’ll be back around eleven-thirty. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone,” he said on