Samantha didn't sleep for the rest of the night. She sat on the lumpy mattress, kneading the floral bedspread as she thought of what she'd done. She must have sounded like such an idiot to him, rambling on while her face felt hot enough to fry an egg on. She wanted to stop and bolt from the room, but couldn't make herself stop talking. The words kept spilling from her lips until she finally managed to leave.
The look of mortification on his face prevented Samantha from sleeping. The way his blue eyes widened behind his glasses, his full lips pursed, and his lean cheeks paled remained etched in her memory. Then there was that warm, husky voice that sounded so puzzled. And those compact, powerful muscles twitching with impatience.
She wished she could go back down the hall to apologize, but he would already have gone to bed. Not that he would want to speak with a lunatic like her again anyway. He probably had a girlfriend-that must be why he was out so late-who didn't get lost and ramble on like a senile old woman.
The sound of Prudence's snoring came through the wall separating them. If only Prudence were awake so Samantha would have someone to talk to about this. Prudence would pat her hand and tell her everything was all right. This wasn't the end of the world and they still had more important things to worry about at the moment.
None of this helped ease Samantha's mind as Joseph Pryde's face rose up before her eyes again. She bit down on her lip to keep from crying. He's just a boy, she told herself. A stupid boy like all the others back on Eternity. Except none of the boys on Eternity had the same delicate yet powerful body. "I'm such an idiot," she moaned. She pulled the comforter over her head, curling up into a ball for the rest of the night.
She lifted the comforter hours later when she heard someone tap on the door. She fell out of bed in her hurry to answer the door, hoping to find Joseph there. Instead, it was only Prudence. "Mr. Pryde is making breakfast downstairs," she said.
"Oh, I'll be right there."
"Is something wrong? You look tired. Didn't you get any sleep last night?" Prudence asked.
"No, not really," Samantha said. "I guess I'm not used to sleeping away from Eternity."
"I wish we had beds like that back home. It was so soft, like sleeping on a cloud. And the sheets weren't stiff either. The fabric on them is soft and flexible. Not like anything I could make." Samantha couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Prudence this animated. Her friend seemed as excited as Wendell at the treasures they'd discovered.