Page 300 of The Havenport Collection

Sam

“ W ait a second.” I looked around, confused. “What is this?”

Gio had dragged me to Binnacle Brewery. He claimed we needed a celebratory beer before my big head shave tonight, and I obliged him.

Mainly because I had spent the past few weeks alternating between the couch and the bathroom and wanted to feel normal for a few minutes.

A quick happy hour would be just the thing I needed to keep up my ass-kicking spirits, because the thought of losing my hair terrified me almost more than losing my breast. My hair had always been my thing; even when I felt terrible or went through my awkward phase as a teen, I had great hair.

Long and straight and thick and a vibrant auburn. I never even had to dye it.

But it was time. I had to take this step on my own terms. So here I was, ready to have a good time.

And I figured I owed him a night out. Since coming back from France, Gio had stuck to me like a barnacle, sleeping at my house, taking care of Xena, bringing me presents, and generally making me laugh every day.

He also organized the visitors and helpers who flooded my house most days—his siblings, members of the coven, and several Havenport retirees came over in shifts, with food, distractions, and conversation.

It was nice, and certainly made the days between chemo treatments more tolerable.

Joe from the diner came over with his chessboard and taught me to play.

I was terrible, but competitive. And Emily had gotten me hooked on small-town romance novels, and I was devouring everything by Brittanee Nicole, Jenni Bara, and Melissa Foster.

A good happily ever after could really do a lot to lift the spirits, especially during a marathon day at the infusion center.

However, romance novels did not help much with my all-consuming attraction for Gio.

We hadn’t so much as kissed since we ended things.

But somehow I felt his devotion more than ever.

Some nights, I would walk to the kitchen for a glass of water and see him working late into the night on his laptop, reading glasses perched on his nose.

Or find him doing projects around the house in the early mornings.

And it felt right, having him in my space, giving him the opportunity to be a caretaker, which he loved.

And for me, well, as hard as it was to admit, I didn’t mind it. Cancer seemed to change my forty years of fiercely guarded independence pretty quickly. Not only was it easier to accept help sometimes, but it was necessary.

Because treatment was a bitch. And the hair loss wasn’t even the worst part. The exhaustion, brain fog, and intestinal distress were fucking wonderful. As was the joint pain. I loved feeling like a one hundred-year-old woman when I woke up in the morning.

But the time had come to shave my head. I had been waffling for weeks, as I lost more and more. And then I realized that this was an affirmative step I had to take.

So I told Gio and my mom, and we decided to make a party out of it.

But now I was being dragged to the brewery, and I was going to try and make the best of it.

Hopefully, I could enjoy a few pleasant minutes before I had to go home and vomit again.

I had missed this. I had missed Havenport while I was stuck at home.

In a few short weeks, I had grown accustomed to the energy of the place, and enjoyed running into folks while out running errands or grabbing dinner. I had my favorite walks, my preferred coffee spot, and had spent many lazy afternoons on the private town beach.

And of course I still had the memories of those few perfect weeks with Gio. And they were perfect. Fun and silly and sexy, just like I had wanted. Although it felt like a lifetime ago, it had only been a few weeks since I had ended that part of our relationship.

Yes. I was mourning the loss of our fling, and yes, there was a part of me that wished I could keep him forever.

But between the vomiting, joint pain, debilitating exhaustion, and mouth sores, I knew I had done the right thing.

I could not put this on someone, especially someone as wonderful as Gio.

As we walked inside I was struck by how crowded it was for a random Tuesday night.

Before I could get a better look, Gio pulled me toward him, blocking my view, and ran his hands down the sides of my arms. “This, my beautiful, fierce friend, is just a little celebration.”

I craned my neck around. “It looks like half the town is here, and is that a band?”

The brewery was a large, industrial-style space, with a massive live-edge oak bar that ran the entire length of the building and a large stone fireplace at one end. There were communal tables that ran through the middle, like a beer hall, with more private booths along the back.

It was insanely busy, with employees serving pitchers of beer while the band warmed up. I saw Cecelia Leary behind the bar, maneuvering around her pregnant belly, while her husband, Liam, delivered drinks and food to the assembled masses.

Gio leaned close and kissed my forehead. “I may have done something…” he whispered.

Before I could respond, my mother was running up to me and throwing her arms around me. “Oh Sam, sweetie, it’s so good to see you out and about. Isn’t this wonderful?”

I hugged my mom tight, knowing that I can never take her for granted again.

“I still don’t know what ‘this’ is?” I said, feeling a bit annoyed.

“This is your head-shaving party, darling,” she said, gesturing around the room. “Gio had an idea to turn this event into a bit of a party and then we figured, it’s Havenport, may as well make it a charity event too.”

I looked at Gio with wide eyes. He shrugged.

“You know this town. I talked to Dante about shaving your head and then he wanted to make it ‘an event’ so we did. And then some local businesses wanted to donate. And then we decided to make it a head-shaving auction to raise money for breast cancer research.”

“Are those children?” I asked with amusement.

“Yup. That’s Val’s third-grade class. They all pooled their money and are going to bid on their PE teacher. A lot of people are getting buzzed tonight.”

“Bid?” I asked, confused. I was in shock. I knew this town was supportive, but this was more than I could have ever imagined. They were all here for me? And to support people like me? It was too much.

I did a lap, greeting people and taking photos with the coven, who had all shown up in matching pink T-shirts with “Team Sam” in jeweled letters.

Nora put her arm around me, drawing me close. “He did this for you.”

I looked up and saw Gio across the room and my heart clenched. “I know,” I sighed.

“You are incredible. I hope you know that.” She bumped my hip. “But he’s pretty awesome too.”

I smiled at her, unable to say anything. I couldn’t look at her, my friend and Gio’s sister, and give her any kind of satisfying answer. My thoughts and emotions were too complex and tricky to even describe. And I couldn’t risk bursting into tears in the middle of this incredible party.

But I was saved by a woman walking over. She was tall, beautiful, and, judging by her Hermès Birkin tote, rich. She kissed Nora on both cheeks, and I straightened my dress, somehow feeling underdressed at my own party.

“Sam, this is Sarai, my friend and one of the principal investors in Jeanious Bar.”

I held out my hand and was instead enveloped in a hug. “I have heard so much about you!” she trilled. “Sorry for being so forward.”

I smiled. She was lovely and kind, a killer combination.

“I’m also an old friend of Luke’s, and I am so here to see him get his head shaved!”

“Don’t you dare bid against me,” Nora huffed playfully.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, darling.”

She took my hand. “My mum’s a survivor. And I think this event is fantastic. When you’re feeling better, would you like to grab coffee? Nora told me you’ve been at Globe Bank and you’re a microdevelopment specialist. I’d love to pick your brain.”

I was a bit taken aback. For the past couple of months I had been Sam the cancer patient, Sam the daughter, and Sam the friend. Sam the smart, savvy businesswoman had been on the bench for a while.

I nodded, accepting the card she offered. “Sure. That would be great.”

“Awesome! I am based in New York, but I come to Boston regularly. I teach some seminars at Harvard Business School. You might be perfect for a clinic we’re putting together.”

I nodded, shocked and unsure how to respond. Sarai was the kind of person I would love to get to know. But I had no idea what the future held for me, making it all the more important to just live in the moment tonight.

This was not just a little party, this was a full-on Havenport event. HavenFire, our local band, played for a bit while people nibbled on tiny donuts supplied by Decadent Donuts and chicken and eggplant parmigiana sliders donated by Matteo’s restaurant.

Gio finally caught up with me after I had been dancing with the coven for a bit. He pulled me close, kissing the top of my head.

“What do you think?”

I looked up at his kind face and I was overcome. I could feel the fat tears rolling down my cheeks. It was all too much. Everyone was so generous and supportive. And I just didn’t even know what to say.

“Don’t cry, Sam. This is for fun and laughs. If you want, I’ll take you home right now.”

I pulled him close, sobbing into the shoulder of his shirt. “No. I love it.” I love you . The words were so close to my lips I had to bite down on my tongue to keep them out. This was not the time or the place for that right now.

“I love this town,” I mumbled instead, too cowardly to even look into his eyes at that moment. He handed me a tissue.

“And we love you back, Sam. Always have. Always will.”

There was so much to unpack, so much for us to talk about. And I just couldn’t do it. So I wiped my tears and smiled at him. “Thank you.”