"Sookie, can you hurry up please. Your tables aren't going to wait themselves." Sam said as he rapped on the table Sookie Stackhouse was sitting at as he walked by. Sam continued to a nearby booth and slid the customers their order of food.
"Sam, that was supposed to be my table." Arlene replied rather hotly.
"Well, maybe you should have got the order out faster." Sam retorted with a smirk on his face as he returned to behind the bar.
Arlene let out a sharp breath as she turned around and began waiting her tables again with a smile plastered on her face. Sam smiled and laughed to himself has he began cleaning the bar glasses. Merlotte's was swamped with the locals on their lunch breaks so it was easy for Sam to forget the nagging feeling that he had felt since he woke up that morning, but in the middle of the lunch rush it hit him again unexpectedly. He looked around the bar trying to figure out what could be the source of his odd feelings, when he smelled something- someone.
The scent of rose and sandalwood drifted into the bar and tantalized his sense of smell. The smell was vaguely familiar, but he could not place it. He began wracking his mind trying to find the place where or who the scent belonged, but failed to.
"Sam, those drinks aren't going to pour themselves and I have customers waiting." Sookie said darkly from the opposite side of the bar.
Sam snapped back from his train of thought and began making the drinks. He decided that it would be best to wait awhile before he tried again to think of where he had smelled the scent before so he would not be distracted. As the lunch crowd loaded back up into their trucks and returned to work, Sam and the wait staff started cleaning up the mess that they had left. Once they had gotten most of the bar back in order, Sam said that he would be in his office if anyone needed him.
Sam leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on his desk, causing the receipts to crinkle under his boots. He took a deep breath and sighed heavily as he closed his eyes, put his hands behind his head and tried to relax so he could focus. He absolutely hated the day of the full moon. He was on edge and anxious all day, not to mention all of his senses were heightened and that could just get plain annoying. He tried to write the scent off to that, but there was still an irksome feeling. After about fifteen minutes, he decided to call it quits and go for a run. He walked out of his office and into the kitchen and said that he would be out for a while. Terry and Lafayette nodded as they continued cooking and Lafayette gossiping.
Sam walked out the back door and into the nearby woods that surrounded Merlotte's that would eventually give way to swamps. He loved the smell of the woods; the earthly smell was delightful. "Finally, something real." He said with a smile as took off.
"Where is that Sam Merlotte?" Arlene exclaimed as she laid her tray on the bar heavily.
"He just went out for a while, honey." Terry said from the kitchen.
"Well, I love how he can take his breaks anytime he feels like. Who is supposed to be bar tending until he gets back? Tara never shows up to work on time anyways." She shot back into the kitchen.
"Now, just calm down. I'll handle it." Terry said as he walked into the main bar and tossed his apron under the bar.
Arlene did not seem too satisfied at the fact that Terry was covering for Sam, but settled with it and continued to wait her tables like nothing was wrong. After an hour or so, Sam walked back into the bar through the back.
"Glad you decided to return!" Arlene mocked as she walked by him on the way to the ladies room.
"Just because you're pregnant doesn't mean you get to be mean all the damn time." Sam shot back as he continued walking into the main bar.
"Hey Terry, I got it. Thanks for covering for me." Sam said as he slid behind the bar.
"No problem, Sam. You know I'm more than willing to get out of the kitchen for a while." He replied with a smile.
"Why don't Arlene and you take the rest of the day off?' Sam suggested as he wiped down the bar.
"Are you sure Sam? I don't want to leave you shorthanded."
Sam laughed, "By all means, just take off."
"Oh, Arlene getting to you again?" Terry asked a little worried.
"Yeah. She's so mean when she's pregnant. I don't know how you can live with it." Sam said smiling and hitting Terry in the arm.
"Well, I do love her. But the mood swings get worse. One second she's yelling and screaming and the next second she's crying her eyes out." Terry said chuckling.
"That Arlene is a hand full." Sam said laughing.
"Yes sir, she is. Thanks for dealing with her and letting us off."
"No problem." Sam replied as he gave Terry a pat on the back and walked back towards his office.
Sam took one look around at the paper work that was stacked up on his desk, waiting for him to file and document. He sighed as he quickly turned around and walked out. He slid back behind the bar and waved to Terry and Arlene as they were leaving. He tended bar for about an hour when he caught the scent again. He quickly looked around to find where it was coming from, and then the front doors opened and revealed the source.