Flashback Scene from Sam’s POV #02 (Chap. 3)

’Til Death Do Us Part is now out in eBook formats through JMS Books, LLC (and all the usual distributors), and will be available in print format on June 30, 2016.

Back on April 17th I posted one of the flashback scenes from ’Til Death Do Us Part, rewritten to be from Sam’s POV instead of Henry’s (in the book, all the flashback scenes are told from Henry’s POV). This was motivated by a comment from one of the book’s reviewers, Bethany at Rainbow Gold Reviews, who made the comment that she wished the flashback scenes had been from Sam’s POV instead of from Henry’s. That has motivated me to offer up a series here on my blog doing just that.

The flashback scenes chronicle the time from when Henry and Sam first began their courtship through to the night before Henry leaves on his ill-fated flight. Last time I gave you a scene between Henry and Sam that pre-dates the beginning of their courtship by a few days. The next flashback scene in the book has Henry alone, thinking about how a proposition he’d made to Sam had been rejected, and what his strategy would be going forward. In the rewritten scene, below, I give you Sam doing the same:

“Thanks, but no.”

That had been the polite but decisive and unquestionably short answer Sam had given Henry. They’d been eating dinner when out of the blue, Henry had blurted out something about going back to his room for a drink afterward. Sam had been pretty sure the invitation was intended to be for more than “a drink.” Sam had panicked and declined.

Goddammit.

It was just as well. Mixing business with pleasure was never a good idea. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself. No way was someone as handsome, confident, and personable as Henry interested in him for anything long term. He had a mirror. He knew he wasn’t good-looking by any objective standards. And his personality might as well be non-existent.

Someone like Henry could have anybody he wanted. Sam knew the man’s interest could only be because Sam was convenient while they were here together in the Solomons.

It kind of pissed him off. They still had a few more days to spend together in Honiara, then weeks in close proximity, collecting data on some of the smaller islands. Then they’d be back to rubbing elbows in the biology department at the university. Now with this “offer” hanging between them it was going to be awkward if they didn’t clear the air.

There wasn’t much Sam liked less than having to broach an embarrassing topic of conversation, but clearly it needed to be done. And he needed to stop fantasizing about his co-worker. He’d probably been too obvious, and that’s why the man had thought he’d be okay with a fling while they were here.

That was easier said than done. Sam straightened his shoulders and headed down to the breakfast buffet to meet Henry, and face reality.

I don’t know. I think I preferred Sam’s POV for the first one, but I kinda like the original in Henry’s POV better for this scene. It’s a close call, though.