Chapter 25
During the party, Sam's phone rang. She blushed knowing everyone was looking at her and took the phone out of her pocket. She was just going to shut it off when she saw who it was from.
"I need to take this," Sam said and headed out of the family room.
"Johnny?" Sam answered the phone.
"How ya doing, Sam?" Johnny asked. To Sam he almost sounded drunk.
"Are you okay?" Sam wondered.
"I'm great," Johnny laughed. "You?"
"I'm great," Sam answered. "A bit confused, but great."
"Yes you are great," Johnny laughed again.
"Huh?" Sam wasn't sure what was going on with him.
"So tell me how's it feel to win a Pulitzer?" Johnny wondered.
"What?" Sam screamed.
Everyone in the family room looked towards the kitchen.
"You won, Sam," Johnny was really laughing now.
"Oh my gosh, I won?" Sam yelped. She took the phone from her face, jumped up and down and let out a cowgirl yell.
"What's going on?" Nate asked Jake.
"No idea," Jake shook his head as he looked to where Sam had disappeared. He shrugged at the others before heading towards the kitchen. He saw his wife jumping up and down as she laughed.
"I can't believe it," Sam said into the phone.
"Believe it," Johnny told her. "Do you want to come back to work?"
"I can't," Sam responded. "I'm going to apply at the Darton Review-Journal though."
Jake raised an eyebrow behind her. He hadn't known she was still thinking about that.
"They'll snatch you up in a second," Johnny said. "If they don't they're fools."
"Do I have to do anything?" Sam asked.
"You need to go to New York to accept it," Johnny told her.
"New York?" Sam yelped. "City?"
Johnny laughed.
"When?" Sam inquired.
"About a month," Johnny responded.
"Oh wow, this is unreal," Sam gushed. "Wait until I tell Jake."
"Tell Jake what?" Jake asked behind her, startling Sam causing her to squeak.
"I better go, Johnny," Sam told her ex-boss.
"Sure thing, Sam," Johnny said. "Call me if you change your mind about coming back. I'll send you the details on the Pulitzer presentation."
"Thanks. Bye," Sam hung up her phone. She kept her eyes on her husband who was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed, one leg out in front of him. He looked bored and Sam knew he was anything but.
"That was Johnny," Sam told him. "My old boss at the Chronicle."
Jake simply nodded.
"I won a Pulitzer Prize," Sam's mouth broke into a huge smile.
"Congratulations," Jake said, moving towards her to give her a hug. Sam wasn't fooled. She could see that while he was happy for her, he wasn't overjoyed about something.
Sam threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, deciding to be happy enough for both of them. She jumped up and down in his arms, her mouth meeting his when she jumped up and could reach it.
"What's going on?" Maxine asked from the doorway. She looked from Sam who looked ecstatic to Jake who looked worried. "Are you pregnant?"
"What?" Sam yelped. "No."
Jake's face slammed shut.
"I won a Pulitzer," Sam screamed, already out of his arms.
"A Pulitzer?" Maxine yelled, rushing forward to hug her daughter-in-law. "Oh Sam, that's wonderful."
Maxine led Sam back into the family room, leaving Jake standing alone in the kitchen. Jake heard the excitement from everyone else in the house about Sam winning the prize. He knew he should be excited too, but he was hurt that she had dismissed that she wasn't pregnant so quickly. Had she changed her mind about having his children now that she had won this prestigious prize?
He wondered.