Married 24 Times

"Alice, there's a guest here to see you."

I looked up from the book I was reading at Ileana's announcement. "Who?"

Ileana's face looked a bit pinched. "He didn't give his name."

I set down my book after marking my place and followed Ileana towards the foyer. She let me pass her through the entry way.

The man in the entry way was taller than I, but not quite as tall as Julian. He wore a knit sweater over a collared shirt and I knew when he turned to face me, his hair would be neatly combed back from his face handsome face. I felt a smile spreading across my face.

"Sam?"

He turned towards me at that moment and his bright blue eyes wrinkled with a bright smile.

"Alice!" It didn't take many steps for him to cross the room. He pulled me into a warm hug, pressing his nose to the hair on top of my head. "I'm so glad to see you."

I laughed into his shoulder as he buried me in his arms. "It's only been a few days."

"How are you? Are you eating alright?" He pulled away and held me at arm's length, scanning me up and down.

"What do you think?" I raised my eyebrow sardonically.

He laughed and released me from his hold. "Alright, I guess you have a point. Someone so rich wouldn't starve you."

I couldn't help the smile that slipped onto my lips. Sam was my mother's friend's son, but he was really more like a family member than a friend. He was three years older than me and finishing up his fourth year of college. In all my lives, he was there for me like a kind older brother. It was as he pulled away I noticed the paper bag left near the front door.

"What'd you bring this time?"

"Oh, right." Sam retrieved the bag and shoved it into my arms. "My mom wanted me to deliver this. It's some 'medicine' she said. She wouldn't tell me why you'd need medicine though. Are you really alright?"

I peeked inside the bag and immediately closed it. It was just like I'd remembered. Sam's mom had sent me some perfumes and lotions for... THAT. I quickly began fanning my face as I tried to contain my blush.

"It's kind of hot inside, isn't it? How about we go take a walk in the garden?" I pushed Sam towards the back garden. "It's just down this hall. I'll go put these away."

Ignoring Sam's questioning glances and attempts to speak, I ran up the stairs to the second floor. Crisis averted. In my first life, Sam was far too nosy and had accidentally ripped the bag open, spilling the contents everywhere. Not only had he seen what was inside, so had Ileana. I was not ever letting that happen again! The key was to act immediately. I threw the bag into the master bedroom and hurried to the garden. I'd take care of the contents later.

When I joined him, Sam started asking me all sorts of questions about how married life was. Was I being treated well? Did the staff like me? How was I handling the dog? As always, I evaded his first question, but I could answer most of the ones that followed honestly this time. I felt a sense of relief come over me. Lying to Sam had always pained me, but I didn't like letting others worry. This time, there wasn't much to worry about.

After a walk twice around the gardens, Sam glanced at his watch. "I'm sorry Alice, I didn't notice the time. I should get going."

I looked up at the darkening sky. The sun was dipping low towards the horizon. "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sorry for keeping you."

I led the way back towards the house. I guided Sam back towards the front door and gave him a parting hug at the door.

"Thank you for coming to see me," I said into his shoulder.

I felt him laugh. "I'll come visit you whenever you like."

As I was about to pull away, the door swung open. I turned my head at the sound and made eye contact with two dark green eyes.

"Julian!" I sprang back out of Sam's arms and gave him the best smile I could muster. I wracked my brain but I could not remember a situation like this in my past lives. Why was Julian home?

Sam smiled and held out his hand towards my husband. "I'm Sam, a family friend of the Harnet's. It's nice to meet you."

For all the darkness in his eyes, Julian politely took Sam's hand. "I believe we met briefly at our wedding." He was wearing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. I couldn't be sure, but I thought I saw Sam wince when Julian squeezed his hand.

Sam removed his hand from Julian's and backed out of the door. "Right, I'll see you later Alice."

I let out a bit of a choked laugh. "See you."

I felt Julian's eyes on my face. Goosebumps rose on the back of my neck. Why? Why was he home? Wasn't his business trip supposed to last another day? In my past lives, Sam and Julian weren't supposed to meet for at least another week. As soon as the door shut, I felt Julian's hand grab my wrist.

I turned my eyes to his, but before I could get any words out, I saw the expression on his face. Gone was the polite smile. He tugged on my wrist and began dragging me up the stairs.

"Julian, wait!" I cried out, nearly tripping over a few of the steps.

He ignored me and continued to lead me down the hall. He paused for a moment to throw open the master bedroom doors before he tossed me towards the bed. My legs bounced against the plush bedding. I struggled to right myself when my hand crinkled the brown paper bag lying next to me on the bed. My eyes went to Julian's face as he noticed the bag.

"What is that?"