“I heard about the strike.” Callie smiles at me over her coffee. “Bad luck, huh?”

I nod and sigh. “Really bad luck.”

“Everyone in town’s talking about it.” She leans closer. “Is it true that Samuel Carter nearly shot a guy outside your office?”

“Definitely not,” I say. “That was a misunderstanding.”

She must see something in my face, so she leans back and nods, her conspiratorial look vacating her face. I feel a little guilty, giving her my official response, but I can’t have her going around gossiping all over.

I like Callie a lot. Honestly, I needed to feel freaking normal for a little while. The last week’s been terrible. We’ve been negotiating every day, but Ingram doesn’t seem interested in getting anything done, and Samuel won’t sign off on that old contract anymore. He’s pushing for more and more concessions as the strike keeps going on and on, and Ingram just seems happier and happier with the situation.

I’m the only one that’s freaking out. I know my job’s on the line here. The board’s going to pull me, especially now after I told them that we had a contract ready already. I’ve been ignoring Neal’s calls, mostly because I can’t bear telling him that Samuel won’t sign off anymore, and we’re back to square one.

I don’t know why he’s been acting like this, but I can probably guess. It has a lot to do with that Callie says next.

“Everyone in town likes Samuel a lot, you know. I can’t blame you for liking him too.”

I almost groan. I’ve been getting looks at the office, and Ingram keeps making little comments. I figured the whole town knows by now, and that basically just confirms it. “Where’d you hear that?” I ask her.

She shrugs, looking coy. “Word gets around. Apparently there was talk about it at the last big union meeting.”

“You sure know a lot about the miners,” I say suspiciously.

“I started dating one recently,” she admits. “You know a guy named Mike Young?”

“The name sounds familiar,” I admit.

“Well, he told me about it. Samuel admitted it in the middle of the whole bar, after his friend Vernon stabbed him in the back and called him out for it. Apparently it was a huge thing.”

I bite my lip as she goes on, describing the scene. It’s probably an exaggerated story, but even if half of it’s true, that moment probably tore Samuel in half.

The idea that the miners wouldn’t trust him… I can’t even imagine. But now I understand why he’s been distant and strange toward me this last week. He’s trying to earn their trust and doesn’t want them thinking that he’s on my side or something like that. It’s absurd, almost silly, but I can understand it.

Even if it hurts. I miss him every day. I want what we had that night when we hid away from the world in his house. I want his smile, his lips, his hands on my back. And I want to tell him the truth.

But every time I feel like we’re taking one step closer, we have to move two steps back. And I know telling him about this baby will only make it worse. And so I keep holding it back, which is only making it worse, and so on and so on, driving me insane.

At least I feel a little normal sitting here with Callie. I steer her away from my relationship with Samuel, or my lack of one, and I get her talking about her Mike. They have such a simple, uncomplicated relationship where they go to movies and kiss on the porch. She doesn’t have to run a huge company, and she’s not falling for the guy that’s the head of her unionized workers.

Callie and I finish up after another hour, and we part ways. It’s a nice afternoon, so I go for a little walk around downtown. I try not to think about the whole town talking about my business, and instead just enjoy the sunshine, at least while it lasts.

Although as I drive back to my place, I can’t help but think about the mine. It was pitch black down there, dirty and dark and dangerous, and these miners are only fighting for the chance to go back in there. They want more money, more safety, more longterm guarantees. I don’t know how anyone can begrudge them that… except for a man like Ingram.

I pull up to my big house, but right away I notice something’s off. It takes me a second to recognize Samuel’s truck parked in my driveway. I pull up behind him and get out.

“Samuel?” I call out. He climbs out of his truck and faces me, a little frown on his face. “What are you doing here?”

He doesn’t answer right away. He glances back toward my house, toward the too-big house with its many windows and fancy door. “You’re alone here?” he asks me.

I sigh and nod. “Yeah. I’m alone here.

“Must be hard.”

“It is.” I cross my arms. “Are you just here to criticize my living conditions?”

He winces and I feel bad about that. “No. I’m here to talk business.”

“Well, come inside. The town’s already talking about us enough.”

He follows me in through the front door. “I should probably apologize for that,” he says as I lead him into the kitchen.

“Probably.”

He laughs softly. “I’m not going to, though. I’m not ashamed of it.”

I sigh. “Of course not. You’re such an ass sometimes.”

He just grins at me as we come into the kitchen. I offer him a drink and he accepts, taking the glass of whiskey from my hand. I don’t pour myself one, and he doesn’t comment on it or seem to notice that I never drink around him, or at all.

“What can I do for you?” I ask him.

“Two more of my guys got jumped yesterday,” he says.

I raise an eyebrow. “Are they okay?”

“They’re okay. Miners are tough bastards. But we can’t keep having this.”

“Ingram’s getting desperate.” I lean up against the counters. “That big order isn’t going to get filled on time.”

“No, it’s not. Has he talked about scabs yet?”

I shake my head. “I haven’t heard anything. The company has no plans to bring on contractors.”

He nods at that. “Good. Scabs would ruin this.”

“What?” I cock my head.

“All of it. Amelia, my guys are close to breaking. You have to do something.”

“Me?” I laugh a little. “You’re the one that won’t take the old contract anymore. If you gave me your okay, I could get it pushed through.”

“You know I can’t anymore. My guys don’t trust that shit. I gave too much up in that. I… I don’t know if I trust myself.”

I stare at him for a second. “What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.” His gaze is level and steady, but I see it again. That pain.

“You think you gave up concessions because... of me?”

He nods. “Probably. I don’t know. Maybe.” He drinks his whiskey, looking away.

“Samuel, I didn’t make you do that.” I feel a little angry, like he’s putting this on me, and it’s not. This isn’t entirely on me.

“Nobody made me do anything,” he says calmly.

“So why are you coming into my house and acting like I did?”

He clenches his jaw. “That’s not what I’m doing.”

“No? Feels like it from here.” I cross my arms, getting annoyed. “You should have told me you were going to talk about our business in public like that.”

“I didn’t mean to do it at all,” he says. “Vernon called me out. It was a critical moment.”

“Still. Now I’m the talk of this town. I have to live here too, you know.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not responsible for a bunch of guys that are getting beaten up.”

“Actually, I am. I’m your employer, remember? Along with everyone else that’s involved with the company, and if you guys don’t get back to work soon, everyone’s going to get screwed. You do know that, right?”

“Oh, so now you’re on Ingram’s side?”

I glare at him and he glares right back. I feel so angry at him, although I know he’s not my enemy. I just don’t understand why he’s making this so difficult, when the resolution is right there. If only he’d just take that contract.

But I know nothing’s that simple. I have my own secrets.

He sighs and drinks his whiskey down. “I didn’t come here to argue, Amelia. I didn’t come here to beg, either.”

“Why’d you come, then?”

He looks exasperated. “I don’t know,” he admits.

I feel my anger flare up again. “Maybe you should figure that out.” I cross my arms and nod toward the door. “I think you should leave.”

He looks like he wants to say something. I wish he’d say it, just admit that he came here because he wanted to see me. I don’t want to throw him out, but I’m afraid to let him stay. I’m afraid that we’ll try to get back what we had that afternoon and fail, and I don’t know if I can handle it.

Wordlessly, he walks away. He leaves down the hall and I follow. I watch him go out through the front door, closing it behind him. I hear his truck start and drive away.

I’m alone again in the kitchen, not sure what the hell is wrong with me.

I don’t know why I’m pushing him away. I don’t know why I’m such a coward, why I can’t tell him the truth about the baby. I put my hand on my stomach and I feel so alone, so incredibly alone. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alone in my life, and I know it’s not getting better anytime soon.