Read Online After Hello by Lisa Mangum - Free Book Online Page B

boring. A job is something you do every day—at least, it’s something I do every day—and I’m not sure what we are doing is an everyday sort of thing.”
    “What would you call it, then?”
    He drummed his fingers against his leg in thought. “An assignment?”
    I made a face. “Sounds too much like homework.”
    “A threat?”
    “That makes it sound too dangerous.”
    Sam shrugged lightly. “Then it’s gotta be a quest.”
    “What?” I laughed. “We’re not on a quest.”
    “Aren’t we? A dashing hero”—Sam pointed at his chest—“and a beautiful girl”—he pointed at me; I blushed—“are looking for the one object that will appease the wicked queen and save us all.”
    “Piper,” I said with distaste.
    “Exactly.”
    “She is rather wicked,” I allowed. “But a quest? I don’t know—itsounds so . . . silly.”
    “That’s because you’re thinking of dragons and magic and elves—”
    “Oh, my!” I chimed in and was rewarded with a smile from Sam. His smiles were beautiful. They added just the right amount of curve to his mouth. And they had just the smallest hint of unexplained sadness that kept them interesting.
    “But a quest can be for anything—knowledge, love, a ham sandwich—not just a dragon’s lair or a magical ring.”
    “Though I suppose you know where we can find one of those, don’t you?” I teased.
    “A magical ring? Maybe,” he replied. “This is New York. You can find anything here.”
    “Hmm, while a magical ring might qualify as ‘unexpected and bold,’ Piper also said ‘no fakes,’ so it would have to be a real magical ring, and that might be tricky.”
    “True. And unless it was a hot pink magical ring, I doubt it would match her décor.”
    I laughed again. “So rings are out—”
    “Magical rings.”
    “— magical rings are out. Dragons, too, probably.” I sighed melodramatically. “I guess we’ll just have to find something else to quest for. You mentioned something about a ham sandwich . . . ?”
    His smile flashed bright. “So you agree with me. We are on a quest.”
    All my earlier dark thoughts had fled from the force of Sam’s cheerfulness. Everything around me seemed brighter; everything inside me felt lighter. I looked up at Sam, noting the line of his jaw and the way his hair curled a little around his ears. I caught a glimpse of a silver chain around his neck, the thin metal disappearing beneath his shirt. When he ran his thumb along the underside of the strap again, I wondered what else he had in his messenger bag.
    I had never met anyone like Sam before. I thought he was beyond interesting, and he seemed to offer more questions than he answered. I felt a small bubble of happiness start to swell inside my chest.
    “Yes,” I said after a moment. “I suppose we are.”
     

Chapter 12
     
    Sam
     
    The doors to St. John’s Cathedral were tall and imposing. The dark bronze appeared almost black against the carved stone panels flanking the doors. Statues of people and stories from the Bible decorated the walls and the doors. Sam recognized only a couple of them—mostly the ones from the New Testament—but he could appreciate the artistry and the work that had gone into them. He especially liked the angels that seemed to soar high above.
    Sara leaned so far back, her eyes following the rise of the spires, that, for a moment, Sam worried she might fall over.
    “Wow,” she breathed. “This is amazing.”
    “You don’t have cathedrals like this where you live?”
    She shook her head, her mouth open slightly as she tilted her head even farther back.
    “And where is that, exactly?” he asked, fishing for information. “I don’t remember . . .”
    “That’s because I didn’t say,” Sara replied. She walked up the last few steps, brushing past him on her way to the doors.
    “Are you ever going to tell me?” he asked.
    She paused on the threshold of the doorway and looked back over her shoulder. “Maybe,” she