Sam sighed and turned the face of his phone down.
"What is it, honey?" Vivienne asked him.
"Jesse's enjoying New York," he replied after a moment of silence.
Pause. "I see." Vivienne watched her younger son's face. "Are you worried that he'll choose to stay far away from us?"
"He's used to it, so a decision like that wouldn't be hard for him."
"Well, even if you didn't live close to him, hon, we are all capable of travelling to where he might go and that wouldn't change the bond that has grown between you two in recent years."
"You think."
"I'm absolutely positive. He loves you so much, baby."
Sam gave his mother a grim smile. "Yeah, well, Dad loved me but I didn't see very much of him…"
Pain reflected on her face briefly. "We didn't handle that very well," she admitted quietly. "But we were actually going to start sending you out there every summer… time had its own plan for taking your dad is all."
"I know."
"Don't dwell on that, then. Your brother is here now. Make the most of every possible moment and let him make his decision on his own."
Sam shook his head. "This must all make me seem selfish."
"No." Vivienne squeezed his hand across the table. "Just like a loving little brother."
"Yeah…"
Pearl and Sam had been having ice cream and lunch dates with Vivienne since they were in elementary school.
Pearl saw Sam and Vivienne, sitting outside the bistro in the warm afternoon sun and smiled. It had been a while and she anticipated a good time. Weaving her way through other tables, she came abreast and said, "Hello."
The two of them stopped talking and stood up to greet her warmly. Sitting down, Sam only gave her ten minutes to order and catch up on small talk before he threw her a question which caused her mind to go reeling.
"How are plans for camp?"
"Good."
"Ready to save souls?"
"A few," she chuckled. "The team's going back strong."
"Nice."
Placing his fork back on his plate quietly, he looked at her speculatively. She, of course, noticed and her brow furrowed momentarily.
"What is it, Sam? I can almost see the wheels turning from here."
"I have something to ask of you," he said seriously.
"Well, that's a first," she joked, noticing how he grimaced apologetically the moment the words were out of her mouth. She added quickly, "If I can do it, I will Sam. Tell me what you need."
Hearing her say the words made him hesitate. Glancing at his mother's curious face, he opened his mouth then looked back at Pearl.
"I need you to convince Jesse to stay in the US."
Pearl's eyes widened in utter shock at the same time he heard his mother exclaim, "Samuel!"
He raised a hand to halt any rebuke. "I know it's selfish and you have no real reason to agree to this far-fetched request but I'm just about ready to try anything."
Pearl's mouth opened and closed, Sam continued. "He enjoys your company and seems to value your opinion." His eyes met his best friend's earnestly, trying to get as much out before either woman at the table said something to stop him. "And you don't have to try hard to get men to capitulate whenever you ask them for anything." He smiled slightly. "It's something about your eyes."
Vivienne's lips thinned in disapproval.
Pearl's twisted into a wry half smile. "I can't believe you're asking me to do this." Pause. "Of all the things you've ever asked me to do!"
Hazel green eyes looked back at her for a moment before shifting to gaze at the table.
"I just want this that badly," he said quietly. "You can still say no. I shouldn't have asked you… but I couldn't not try."
A silence claimed their table as Vivienne regarded the two of them whom she both loved.
Sam looked like he was starting to feel a little guilty for asking this of Pearl. Pearl's eyes roamed over her friend's face but she didn't look amused. Vivienne could understand why. But if she was honest with herself she would admit that she hoped Pearl could find a reason to want to help Sam in this request that threatened to push the bounds of their friendship a bit too far. She'd grown to love having her older son home also.
Pearl was genuinely shocked that Sam would ask her to beg Jesse to stay.
Even if he did like her company and they got along well, that wasn't enough to stop a man who was seeking fulfilment in his career from leaving California. Sam had always overestimated her ability to convince people to do what she asked. She knew people usually did what they wanted.
And she wasn't sure what Jesse wanted. Pearl didn't think his choice would change if she spoke to him either way. Sam thought her face could convince Jesse. The thought alone was laughable.
Almost as soon as she said that to herself, a memory flashed into her mind.
Vivienne watched her god daughter breathe deeply and open her eyes.
"You've gone a bit too far asking me to do this, simply to get Jesse to stay."
"Pearl, I'm sorry-" Sam began.
She raised a hand to silence him. "I don't even understand why you would ask me."
"I can give a flimsy response to that but you probably won't like it."
Pearl waited and reluctantly Sam admitted that he and his cousins had been teasing Jesse about kissing Pearl and he kind of hoped his brother liked her enough to consider her in his choice to relocate.
Disbelief was quickly replaced by discomfort as Pearl's cheeks flushed pink.
"Sam, you can't be serious!"
"I am. Pearl, you're beautiful, what man wouldn't want you in his life?"
With a mortified moan, she covered her face with her hands. "Stop talking."
Sam shut his mouth. His mother shook her head once but he didn't need her guidance. He wouldn't say any more on the topic if that would put Pearl at ease.
When Pearl uncovered her face, she was still slightly flushed. Before she said anything, she reached into her purse and pulled out an object.
Vivienne leaned forward, concerned, as her best friend's daughter used her inhaler.
"Pearl, I'm so sorry. Forget I asked-"
She raised her hand again. He shut his mouth as her eyes pinned his sternly. They waited in silence as she pumped twice and put the apparatus away.
"I happen to respect your brother a great deal. If I do this, I won't be doing this for you," she said carefully. "I'll ask him but I'm not doing it for you, Sam."
It took a while for understanding to alight on his face. By then his mother was already grinning.
"What are you saying exactly?"
Pearl rolled her eyes. "I'm saying you're not the only one who might like it if he stays."
"So, you guys like each other?" Sam said, leaning forward across the table from Pearl.
His mother pushed his tie away from his plate, still smiling broadly.
Pearl was cautious in responding to that question. "I can't speak for the both of us. We've never had this kind of conversation." She tilted her head to one side. "But I think your brother's pretty great."
Sam looked like someone had just handed him a lot of money. He was happy but didn't know what to do with himself or what he'd been given.
There was silence at their table again. No one ate anything.
Pearl played with her glass, but not anxiously. Vivienne still smiled.
Finally, Sam spoke. "So are you going to ask him to stay?"
Pearl sighed, exasperated.
He hurried on, "I mean you don't have to, if it's too much."
"It's definitely too much, Sam. You were right when you said it was a selfish thing to ask me." She shook her head, wavy hair falling over her shoulder. "I'm not in a position to ask him. Even if I was, I wouldn't do it for you. Honestly, it's not right for you to expect me to use my personal relationship with someone to get what you want out of them. I'd ask him if I felt it would make a difference, but not for you."
With that statement, she picked up her fork and went back to her salad. Respectfully, the Teab-Murrays didn't pursue the matter any further.