Mercedes glanced at herself in the mirror. This was just her hanging with Sam, so why did she care so much what she wore? She sighed and put on a long flowing black and white flower print skirt with a white off the shoulder top. Subtle makeup and her hair in curls she grabbed her bag and phone and headed over to the address Sam gave her. She had picked up a bottle of wine for Sam and a stuffed unicorn for June. Knocking on his door she waited for him to answer.
Sam came to the door with an apron tied around his waist and a kitchen towel slung over his shoulder, smiling as he opened it. "You made it. And looking so good too. Come on in. Junie's watching Paw Patrol while I finish up dinner. Don't judge, it's the only way I can keep her off my leg."
Mercedes laughed. "Hush up. Looking like a chef. I brought us wine and I got a little something for June." She said stepping inside. "Please one of the partners at my firm has a toddler, Paw Patrol and Toy Story for him apparently." She laughed.
"I'm sure she'll love it," Sam assured her as he led her back through his house towards the kitchen. "Partners at your firm. That sounds as fancy as I expected. But, yeah, I'm convinced Paw Patrol has some sort of toddler hypnotism thing going on. Shall we pop that open?"
Mercedes laughed. "Yeah I am a Jr, Partner there or I was before I left.''she said softly. She laughed. "Yeah well as long as she is happy you should be." She nodded. "Lets I have nowhere to be."
"Not true. You have right here to be," Sam reminded her with a smile. "Before you left? Are they actually not saving your job for you when you're going through all this?" he asked in disbelief as he retrieved a corkscrew from his drawer to open the bottle with.
Mercedes smiled. "You are right I do." She watched him and sighed, "They are I just. I have 6 weeks until they expect me back and if mom isn't in remission or even if she is, I don't know how I feel being so far away from mom...I have missed so much." she said sadly.
Sam nodded in understanding. "I get that. It'd be hard to leave after that. And, for what it's worth, we've missed you around here too." He pulled a couple wine glasses down so he could pour them each one. "But we've also been really proud of you."
"Man seeing you yesterday brought up so many old feelings. We were thick as thieves back in the day." She said taking the glass. "And being back home there really is no place like it. Though I do like my life in LA. I have my own place and a great job. A boyfriend who is a cool guy." She sighed. "Enough about me, you have a daughter and a garage. Spill."
Sam let out a laugh before he could even say anything else and held a hand up. "Wait, wait. Did you just call your boyfriend... a cool guy?" he asked, finding his nerves washed away. Somehow it felt like they'd never left each other's sides. "Does he just never take his sunglasses off?"
Mercedes laughed. "Naw he's just cool you know? But you are not gonna keep dodging my questions."
"I do not know, but okay," Sam laughed, sipping from his glass. He shrugged at her. "What do you wanna know? I told ya how I got the garage. I think you can figure out how I got the kid." He grinned as he glanced over at the timer.
She laughed. "You are ridiculous. Tell me how, how you decided to buy the garage. And tell me about her mom, were you in love?"
"The garage? I don't know, it's been home for a long time." Sam shrugged, lifting the lid on a pot to check it. "I knew it backwards and forwards and Mr Garrett offered me a great deal on it. He never had kids himself, but he said he wanted it to stay in the family and I guess after almost a decade working there, I was the closest thing."
Satisfied that everything was safe, he led her over to the table and took a seat. "And... Yes, we were. Very much. We were married for a little over two years. I wanted to tell you. I should've told you," he added in a mutter.
Mercedes nodded. "Well it makes sense you were always good with your hands." She followed him to the table nearly choking on her drink. "Married! You got married? And you didn't tell me?" She put her glass down sadly. She knew they were distant but they always joked she would be his best man.
Sam sighed, looking over at her with apologetic eyes. "I really did want to. But my Ma was always talking about everything she heard you were doing from yours. You had this whole new life in this whole new place. And we hadn't talked in a few years and... I guess I chickened out."
Mercedes shook her head. "I can understand that but that doesn't mean I like it. I hate that we fell apart. I hate that I missed so many things. I am a horrible friend." And she meant it. She felt horrible.
Sam stared at his wine glass as he twirled the stem between his fingers. "I haven't exactly been stellar myself. I could've put in a lot more effort, I just... I didn't wanna mess anything up for you. You deserve all the amazing things that are happening for you."
Mercedes looked up to him. "Sam, we practically grew up together from the womb. You were my best friend. And I was mad at you because you made me leave. But then you called me and my heart ached. I got home sick and I wanted more than anything to come home and never leave again. Talking to you broke me, but I couldn't tell you that." She wiped a fallen tear. "Here you lost the love of your life and I wasn't here. You should have called, could have called."
Sam let out a sad sounding laugh. "Believe me, Cedes. I should've done a lotta things differently than I did the last ten years." There was a little pattering of feet and plastic dragging across the tile and he turned to see June wandering in with her Toothless action figure in tow. "Hey, kiddo. You're getting hungry?"
June nodded, pinning herself to Sam's side and peeking at Mercedes shyly.
Mercedes nodded understanding where Sam was coming from. Seeing June she smiled. "Hey lil one. I have a friend who has been excitedly waiting to meet you. " she pulled out the colorful zebra.
June's eyes widened as she looked at it and then back to Sam. She smiled as he gave her a little nod and reached out for the new toy.
"What do you say?"
"Sank you. I like her."
Sam chuckled. "We're still working on some letter sounds."
Mercedes smiled. "You are welcome." She handed it to her. "Sam I swear she is beautiful. "
June went about introducing her new unicorn zebra to her dragon and declaring them friends.
"Isn't she?" Sam ran a hand over her hair. "I think she's the spittin' image of her mama, but people tell me she looks like me all the time."
Mercedes nodded while watching the girl. "Do I, do I know her mom?"
Sam shook his head. "No. Kat moved into town after you left. She got a job teaching at the elementary school and she had the... saddest car I've ever seen," he recalled with a soft laugh. "But the happiest smile."
The timer went off and Sam got up to turn the oven off and grab a mitt.
Mercedes smiled. "I can tell just how you talk about her you loved her very much." He left and she sighed downing her drink. A small part of her, small part wished he would talk about her that way. But it wasn't meant to be.
"Well, I'm not one to go around marrying people I don't love," Sam pointed out with a smile. Letting people go that he did love was another matter, but they weren't talking about that right now. He plated a baked chicken breast and some fettuccine with veggies mixed in for Mercedes before doing the same, in a much more cut up manner, for June.
"Sit in your chair, Junie. You can put your friends in the other chair," he told her as he set her plate down. "You want water or milk?"
"Milk," June declared as she climbed up into the chair. "Mmm, noodles."
Mercedes nodded. "Well that is true." She said. Looking at her plate she smiled. "Wow we are a step up from burnt toast aren't we?"
Sam laughed. "Turns out toddlers aren't huge fans of the burnt toast cuisine. So I kinda had figured out what I was doing." He went back and fixed himself a plate, filling a sippy cup with milk before he returned to the table. "Use your fork, not your fingers," he reminded June when he saw her going for a piece of chicken.
"I can see how that's a possibility." She smiled "You are a really good dad. It looks good on you."
"Well, she deserves the best," Sam reasoned. "Least I can do is try my hardest to be that. With a whole lotta help from my parents and Stevie." He scrunched his nose up at June and made her giggle.
"Oh Stevie! How is baby Evans? He had the biggest crush on me growing up!" She laughed. "Where is Stace?"
Sam laughed again. "He's good. He's in college, but he decided to stick around here. Curse of the mama's boys for us, I guess. Stacey's in Boston. She goes to Northeastern, our little smartie pants."
Mercedes snorted. "Biggest mommas boys ever." She smiled. "Stacey was always gonna go far." She took a bite of her food. "Well you are definitely a great cook,this is great!"
"Thank you, glad you like it. There's even the dreaded V word in these noodles, not that you'd ever know."
June happily and oblivious shoveled more noodles into her mouth. "Uncle Stevie put skittles on his pete-sa," she announced.
Mercedes looked at her shocked. "He does! That's crazy makings!" She said smiling.
June nodded with a smile. "He's nuts!" she agreed, laughing at her own clearly hilarious joke.
Sam just shook his head. "This is why we need to hide things in our noodles. He's a terrible influence. Even if... I did teach him to do that."
Mercedes shook her head taking a sip of her wine. "You two did always come up with weird recipes. " Her phone rang and she looked at it but ignored it not wanting to ruin time with Sam.
"It's really just put candy on anything you can think of," Sam pointed out with a shrug. "So how'd you meet this very cool boyfriend of yours?"
Mercedes laughed, shaking her head, and glanced up to Sam. "Oh um he's a doctor. I had escorted a DV woman to the doctors and met him there."
Sam's eyes widened as he watched her. "A doctor? And a lawyer. How wonderfully cliche," he teased. "Sounds like quite a life you've got out there."
She laughed. "Yeah cliche. I mean it's a life but it's no better than being here. I mean we aren't in love like you and Kat but like I said he's cool. He just.. nevermind."
Sam frowned at that, sipping from his glass. "So... as your best friend of many years, I gotta ask. Why are you with him if you don't love him? And feel free to tell me to mind my own business as someone you haven't talked to in years."
Mercedes shrugged playing with the glass. "I was tired of being alone. You know how it was in high school for me. No one liked me enough to date me. Going to Harvard, and they were intimidated by me. Same with Law school. Not everyone can handle me,you know that, I date them and they just don't like that I am smart or strong willed. And Jay well he likes me so here we are."
"Yeah, well, guys in high school and college are notoriously stupid," Sam pointed out. "I certainly was."
"Daddy! No stupid," June reminded him with a stern little expression.
"Sorry, you're right. We don't use that word."
Mercedes smiled softly at June. "That's right we don't use that word though you will learn your daddy is right." Mercedes sighed. "I just got tired of looking for love and decided to look for someone so I won't be alone."
Sam stayed silent for a moment, eating his food and considering her words. They made his chest ache in some weird way. "That doesn't seem like the happiest way to live life."
Mercedes downed her glass. "It's not the worst way to live either." She looked up at him. "We all aren't lucky enough to find that one person who completes us. I am so sorry you lost it. But so glad that you got it."
Sam sighed softly. He could tell the last decade had jaded his friend quite a bit and he wasn't the biggest fan of it. "I know how lucky I was to have Kat in my life, even luckier that she gave me such an amazing gift. But... does that mean, because I lost her, I never get to find love again?"
Mercedes shook her head. "Of course not! Sam when you are ready you will find it again I know that more than I know anything. But I also know that some of us are not that lucky."
Sam set his fork down and leaned forward on the table. "And who are you, Mercedes Jones, to decide who's lucky enough to fall in love or not?" he asked with a small smile, though he meant every word of it.
Mercedes leaned forward placing her elbows on that table. "When time and time again I have been proven right, I say that gives me the right Sam Evans." she added sticking her tongue out at him for good measure. Man she truly missed him.
Sam's smile widened and he shook his head, going back to his food. "I proved you wrong plenty of times when we were kids. No reason I can't do it again now."
"Oh so you think proving you can do a belly flop off of that tire swing by the lake equals telling me I will find love? Doubt it. I couldn't find love the first time around here, which makes you think I will find it now."
"No, it's much more advanced. I'm much wiser now," Sam laughed. He set his fork down and leaned back in his chair. "And a lot can change in ten years."
Mercedes leaned back in her chair. "Oh so what are you gonna love guru me? Find me a man to love?"
"Maybe I will. You know I love a challenge," Sam teased, finishing off his wine.
"Daddy, Daddy. Dadddyyyy," June whined.
"Yes, baby. What?"
"I'm all done. I wanna play."
Sam nodded, grabbing a napkin and wiping her face down. "Okay, you can play for 30 minutes and then it's time to get ready for bed, okay?"
Mercedes laughed. "Good luck." When June spoke up Mercedes sighed grabbing the wine bottle and splitting the rest between her and Sam as he took care of June.
Sam stood and collected the plates. "I'm gonna rinse these off. You go play. No more TV tonight though. You hear me?"
"Fiiiiine." June threw her head back and walked out of the room dragging her feet.
"I swear I have a teenage toddler," he laughed.
Mercedes laughed standing and helping him with the plates. "I swear I just saw Stacey at that moment." She grabbed the glasses and followed him. "Sam Evans. Daddy. My mind is still blown."
"Oh, god. I don't even wanna think about that," Sam laughed, turning to peek through the doorway and make sure the TV was off. "Told ya a lot can change in ten years. I'm a respectable citizen in this town now."
"Shed handed him his drink. "Well then this is to you. May your life be filled with happiness and love."
Sam smiled softly before clinking her glass and taking a drink. "Having you back is a good start."
Mercedes sipped her wine and smiled. "So am I allowed over after bedtime or do you have to kick me out?"
"No, you should stay," he insisted with a smile. "Then we can have conversations where I don't get yelled at for saying stupid."
Mercedes laughed. "She was not having you call anyone that which I love, but if you are sure its not trouble I can stay. Though we did drink all the wine."
"I want you to stay. We've got ten years to make up for," Sam reminded her, rinsing the plates off before he put them in the dishwasher. "And there's more in the cabinet up there."
Mercedes smiled. "Okay how about I set us up while you take care of the cutest little girl ever."
"Deal. I'll meet you in the living room." Sam smiled softly as he wiped his hands on a towel. He finally undid his apron and hung it on a hook, taking another moment to look at her before he went to put his daughter to bed.
Mercedes nodded and smiled as Sam walked away. Grabbing his glass, she went to the cabinet where he said and grabbed another bottle. Getting set up she glanced around his place going to the photos on the wall.
Sam helped June clean her toys up and put them in her bin before taking her to brush her teeth. "Where'd sat lady come from?"
Sam chuckled. "Her name's Mercedes. Or Cedes for short. We were best friends when we were kids like you," he explained, brushing her hair out. "And she moved away, but she's back visiting. C'mon, jammie time."
"Is she gonna stay?"
"For now," Sam told her.
TBC