The trip from New York to the Keys was a short one. Sam checked into the hotel with cash and an alias, finding herself grateful for this establishment’s attitude of discretion. All she needed was a few days of solitude to put the pieces of herself back together, to start planning her next project.

Christmas was three days away, but that didn’t matter anymore. The people she would have spent it with, the people who would have mattered, didn’t now. Throwing herself into The Phoenix project would give her something other than her shattered heart to focus on.

Her phone beeped. Reluctantly, she picked it up. Five missed calls, two voicemails. Taking a shaky breath, she swiped to the first one.

It was from Stone. She didn’t want to listen, but she couldn’t stope herself. Maybe she was a masochist.

Sam buried her face in her hands and wept. She didn't want to admit it, but he was right on one point. If she'd known who he was, he wouldn't have had a prayer at getting close to her. She could see how his fear of losing her would cause him to think hiding was best, but he'd betrayed her trust so completely, devastated her so greatly, she couldn't even think about talking to him. She would cry for him though, because her heart was like glass, shattered on the cold ground, and there was nothing else she could do.

She swiped through to the next voicemail, this one from Carla. Sam already determined she would forgive her friend, but at that moment, she didn't have the strength to do more than listen to her voicemail.

Carla sniffed, took a long breath.

Sam put her phone down and looked at Jasper who remained faithfully at her feet. The dog gazed up at her, his brown eyes shining with concern.

"Jasper." Sam whispered.

At the sound of his name, the dog hopped to his feet, then lay his head in her lap. As the tears fell from her eyes, she stroked his head, wishing she could understand dog’s speak. Every now and then, he'd give a small whine and turn those eyes on her, then rest his head on her legs again.

“I still have you, my friend."

She sank down to the floor and Jasper crawled into her lap, pressing his head to her chest. Sam wept, clinging to him like her life depended on it.

“I’ve never cried so much in my life.” She croaked to him when she could breathe again. "Did you know that? And here I am, carrying on a conversation with a dog. I think I’ve officially lost it."

Jasper gazed at her with soft eyes and cocked his head, as if to ask why that was a problem. Sam laughed. It was oh-so-small, but it felt good.

“I need a shower, buddy. Keep watch, I'll be out soon."

* * *

Sam almost felt like a new woman when she stepped from the steamy shower. She dried herself with the fluffy towel and blotted her hair. There was no reason to do her makeup or her hair, since she planned on confining herself to this room for the next few days.

Standing at the sink, staring at herself in the mirror, she took a moment to let the reality of her situation settle in.

She was free.

She had finally accomplished the thing she'd spent most of her life striving for. She felt... lost, hollow. She had everything she'd ever wanted. James and Norman were going to prison for a long time, maybe the rest of their lives. Her father's company and his name, would be absorbed into another and forgotten forever.

She should be elated. She should be dancing, or throwing a party, or something. But all she felt was emptiness.

Samantha Covington had everything she'd ever wanted, yet she'd lost what truly mattered.

She watched as the tears rolled down her cheeks, looked into her own eyes, filled with so much sadness, and determined she would forgive the people who loved her, the people she loved, even thought they’d hurt her. She would open her heart again. Because the time she'd spent loving Stone had been better than all the years she'd spent hiding.

People hurt each other. Sometimes on purpose, most times not, but that's what humans did. She could see that he'd done things the way he had because his desire was to give her what she wanted, what she needed. All the while, he was trying to hold onto the thing he needed, which was her love.

She would give it to him again. She would give him another chance, but it wouldn't be the last one. She'd give him as many as he needed, because she loved him too. Because she was his as much as he was hers.

Calling Stone didn't fit the gesture she wanted to make, so she decided to spend the night, then she'd fly to wherever he was and tell him face-to-face.

Jasper lay curled at the foot of the large bed, barely opening one eye to peer at her when she emerged from the bathroom.

"Hey buddy, it's been a long day, huh?"

He sighed and thumped his tail, closing his eye again.

Sam picked up her phone and saw five additional missed calls, along with voicemails. Even Cameron was getting in on the action with two calls of his own.

She swiped to the first, a message from Nora saying she'd decided to come to Sam tonight, had left Chelsea with Carla, and would arrive in a few hours. Sam would be glad to have her company.

The second, she was surprised to see, was from Zayne. She pressed play and sat on the bed, stoking Jasper's soft fur while she listened.

Sam fell back on the bed, her arms thrown behind her head, staring at the ceiling. It was sweet, she thought, how Zayne made his case for Stone. If she hadn't already made up her mind to forgive him, to keep loving him, Zayne might have tipped the scales in his favor. As it was, she had a completely different picture of Stone’s brother to work around, now that she knew who he was. It was difficult to reconcile Carnelian's lead council with the carefree playboy she'd made him out to be.

Her stomach rumbled and she sat up, realizing she hadn't eaten much all day, suddenly aware of how hungry she was.

"You must be hungry too, huh Jasper?" The dog lifted his head and licked his lips, making Sam laugh.

“I swear you know what I’m saying."

He cocked his head, causing her to laugh again.

"Ok, let's get some food. What do you want?"

She felt a little silly, reading the room service menu to a dog, but his attention was comforting, his presence soothing. Touching him seemed to ground her. Stone said Jasper was her dog now, that he'd picked her. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. While she perused the menu, she decided the why wasn't important. She had a faithful companion and she was grateful for it.

"How about steak?” She asked him, chuckling when his ears perked up and his tail beat rapidly against the duvet.

"Steak it is. And for me, I think chicken Caesar and a nice, cool glass of wine."

After their food was ordered, Sam changed into a pair of yoga pants and soft sweatshirt. She was just about to listen to Cameron's message when room service knocked at the door.

"Wow,” She commented to Jasper. "That was quick, less than twenty minutes."

As she approached the door, Jasper started a low growl.

“It's okay buddy, it's just room service."

The dog jumped from the bed, moving quickly to the door, still growling with a low rumble.

"What's wrong Jas?" The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, whispers of uncertainty floating across her mind. She looked through the peephole and saw the maid standing next to a food cart. peering as far as she could to either side, she saw nothing, but Jasper didn’t cease his warning.

"Jasper, I don't see anything. It's just the maid."

The maid knocked again, announcing room service. Sam felt silly standing there, trying to decide whether or not to open the door. With a sigh, she straightened her shoulders, told Jasper to sit and stay, and turned the latch, opening the door to the smiling maid.

"Good evening, ma'am.” She said cheerfully. "Would you like me to bring the cart inside for you?"

"No, thank you. I can get it."

The woman smiled broadly and thanked Sam repeatedly when she handed her a good-sized tip. As she retreated down the hall, Sam pulled the cart inside and locked the door.

"See?” She said to Jasper who was licking his lips at the scrumptious smells escaping the food containers. “It was just our food. Smells amazing, doesn't it?"

She took her plate to the table, then uncovered Jasper's steak, setting it on the floor. The chilled bottle of wine called to her, so she uncorked it and poured a glass of the crisp pinot.

"Oh, this is so good.” She proclaimed to no one in particular as she took two sips in a row. The flavors burst across her tongue, the liquid sliding down her throat with a refreshing chill. So light and crisp, she couldn't help herself as she took another sip.

Her food looked gourmet as well. She speared a tender piece of breast meat and took a bite, chewing it slowly, savoring the way it disintegrated on her tongue.

"Jasper, eat your food. It's delicious."

Jasper sniffed the steak that looked absolutely mouthwatering to her, then turned back to her with a whine.

"What's wrong? It's not what you wanted?"

She pushed her glass aside and reached for the menu to get him a replacement. When the letters and words began to blur and she felt herself pitch forward, heard Jasper's whine and bark like it was at the end of a long tunnel, she thought, ah shit. And her world went black.