“Yeah, I know.” Brooke looked fondly at the beer in her hand, “Hmm…when did I come up with that toast?”

“Weren’t you like…fifteen? I remember hearing that when I was in grade school.” Terri tried to jog everyone’s memory.

“Oh, yeah! That’s right. I just never said it in front of Mom and Dad until I was twenty-one.” Brooke grinned thinking that she had pulled one over on her parents. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, the reminiscent woman turned around to view her Mother.

“It was when she was nine. I remember it like it was yesterday.” Mable shook her head. “When she went to camp that year, she came home with nothing but songs of beer and could recite the alphabet using the different brand names of beer for each letter.” The woman who was dwarfed standing in the mist of her own children, shook a stern finger then laughed. “Don’t think that I don’t know.”

“Oops!” Brooke hid behind Randi.

“Ah…Busted finally, Brooke.” The lawyer teased. “I’m not taking this case. You better plead the fifth.”

“Damn.” Brooke snapped her fingers in disgust, then smiled and laughed along with the rest of the family.

While the Gordon family was ribbing Brooke, Sam was doing some figuring of her own. Subtracting Brooke’s age for the year they were now in, the blonde deducted that she was born in 1971. After quickly adding nine onto that, Sam paled coming to a conclusion. “That was the year I was born,” she said not wanting to believe it was true.

“Really?” Brooke now did the math in her head, “Yeah, I guess it was.”

The stunned blonde turned to look at Brooke, “How…how did you know?”

“Know what?” Seeing Sam still a little off in space, Brooke grew concerned. “What is it, Sam? What’s wrong?”

The words came out slow and trance-like for the group to hear, “That’s my name.”

“Sam?” Brooke seemed confused. “Sam Moleson. Yeah, I knew that.”

The blonde continued, “It’s an old family tradition. I’m named after my mother’s family.” Sam turned to look directly at Brooke, “I’m Sam Adams Moleson.”

Blue eyes fixed on Sam as the color drained out of Brooke’s face, she silently thought about what the blonde had just said. Brooke swallowed, then mumbled out the last part of the toast as though she were in a trance, “Sam Adams forever, but Molson for life…”

Terri watched with a more than professional eye as her sister came to the same realization that Sam had when the toast was initially given. Leaning over to Randi, she stated, “Surprises never cease around here, do they?”

“Hmm…” Randi gave it some thought. “You think it means anything?”

“Nah,” the pediatrician shook her head. “That would be too much like fate or something.” She smirked, “And we all know that Brooke makes her own fate. Hey, Randi, did you see that show the other night on cable?” Terri motioned for her sister to follow her.

“True.” Randi moved away with Terri, not lowering her voice to hide her conversation. “So, what’s up with the look on her face? She looks like she’s seen a ghost.”

Terri shrugged, keeping an eye on Brooke as she talked with Randi. “You know the one with babies and predetermined fates?”

“No, how was it?”

“It proved that babies had certain destinies…fate.”

“How so, Sis.”

Whispering so that no one else would hear but Sam, Brooke pondered half-afraid of what it really meant, “Guess I’ve always known then, huh?”

“Maybe…” Sam looked up to Brooke, “I sure hope so.” She held her breath hoping that her wish would be true.

Brooke looked around to make sure that no one was watching her, then mouthed, ‘I love you’ to Sam. She then let herself pick back up on the conversation that was going on around her.

“…twins separated at birth.” Terri continued her story, “They both had the same profession later in life when they met.”

“Huh?” Brooke tried to understand what her sisters were talking about, “Weird, I mean.”

“And they knew that they had someone out there just like themselves. Like another part of their soul…” Terri looked over to Brooke.

“So, you’re telling me this because…?” Brooke asked wondering what the point of the whole discussion was.

“Maybe you knew C.C.’s roommate before meeting her.”

“Ah…you mean, maybe Brooke knew her in another life or something weird like that?” Randi was trying to make sense of Terri’s ramblings.

“Exactly,” Terri agreed.

Sam’s mind was reeling with the thoughts of the last several minutes and suddenly she just needed room to think, room to be…alone for a while. Without saying a word to anyone, the blonde moved away from the small band of siblings and left the room.

Two sets of eyes watched as Sam took her leave, walking out into the kitchen and then onto the deck outside. Brooke debated with herself about going after Sam but she decided that perhaps the young woman need a little space right now. She granted it to her.

The cool night breeze off the ocean could be felt even here where the young executive had carved out a home in the sandy soils of the beachfront community. Sam wandered from one corner of the deck to the other letting her thoughts and feelings come to the surface. Standing there with her hands on the railing, the young woman turned her eyes to the heavens. Then, picking one star out of the many that danced gracefully in the sky that night, she began her internal discussion as she tried to reason things out.

Could it be? Could she have really known that I was coming? Did she anticipate my chance meeting several weeks ago as early as the age of nine? Maybe even from the very day that I was born? How else would you explain it? Sam hung her head, closing her eyes and inhaled deeply, but the answers to all her questions still remained just out of her grasp. Shaking her long, blonde hair, she pulled the strands away from her neck and let them settle about her shoulders. If she did know that I was coming into her life, does that mean we are joined together somehow…like soulmates?

Sam knew that she believed in fate, but could this be really happening to her, and so soon in her life? It just seemed like too much to deal with, at least right now. Sam turned her face into the gentle breeze and prayed that the currents would enlighten her. I wonder if Brooke will believe in fate now or if its going to freak her out even more?

“Are you okay, Dear?”

The sound of another’s voice startled Sam and she turned to see Mrs. Gordon standing just outside the kitchen door. “Hi, Mrs. Gordon.” Sam tried to rustle up a weak smile for the woman, “Yeah, just a little…ah…overwhelmed by the celebration.”

“Then you did good by coming out here in the fresh air,” Mable slowly made her way towards Sam. “It always helps me to clear my head. How about you?”

Sam nodded and turned back to lean on the railing, then look up at the stars overhead.

Mable came over and copied Sam’s statue-like pose, staying silent for a few minutes before asking what had been on her mind for the majority of the evening, “You like her, don’t you?” The older woman knew she had struck a chord when she heard the sharp gasp of air that the girl had taken in.

“I’m…not sure I know how to answer that,” Sam chose her words cautiously.

“What do you mean, Dear?” Mable refrained from looking in Sam’s direction.

Sam bit her lower lip then spoke, “I…ah…I don’t want you to get the wrong idea of me.”

The matriarch smiled, then asked, “And what kind of wrong idea would I have?” She turned to look over at the blonde, “You can be honest with me, Sam. I won’t say anything to her.”

The young woman sighed but felt compelled to answer. “That maybe I’m trying to cash in here…” Her words were spoken in whispers, “Take Brooke for a ride.”

“Oh Sam,” the compassion filled Mable’s voice. “I would never think that. You’re not that type at all, Dear.”

Longing for the wisdom of a mother, Sam fought with herself for only a brief moment before confiding in the matriarch, “I think I’m in love with her,” she whispered turning toward Mable and letting her chin nearly touch her chest. Sam glanced up shyly and tried to explain, “I…I guess I kind of need a mother’s advice. I’m afraid all these feelings are kind of new to me.”

Brooke’s Mom reached out, placing her hand underneath Sam’s chin and raised it to look at the young woman’s face. “Love doesn’t think, Sam. It either is or it isn’t?” Mable could tell that her directness, coupled with the warm smile on her face, was helping Sam talk about what was on her mind.

“Then I guess I am. I’m in love with your daughter.” Sam looked into the matriarch’s soft brown eyes, trying to gauge her acceptance.

“Does she know?”

“God, I hope so. I’m pretty sure she does.”

Mable tilted her head to study the young woman harder, “And what does she think?”

Smiling shyly, Sam told her the truth. “She told me that she loved me over the cell phone last week.” She giggled, remembering how it had come about. “I’m hoping that’s a good sign.”

“Oh, Sam…” Mable grabbed onto the blonde’s arms, asking her directly, “She actually said it…said those three words?”

“Said it…wrote it…” Sam tried to hold back the broad grin that wanted to take over her face, “she even mouthed it a time or two to me tonight with everyone else around.”

Sam could swear that there were twinkles coming from Mable’s eyes right before she was pulled into the massive hug that she now found herself.

“Oh, Sam…I only have one thing to say about this.”

“You’re…not mad?”

“Of course, I’m not mad.” Mable tightened the hold she had on the small blonde, “I think it’s wonderful. Welcome to the family, Honey!” The matriarch beamed with love and acceptance of the person that her daughter had chosen to say those three little words to.