“Okay.” He definitely wasn’t a party person. “Well, it’s not too chilly yet, so why don’t we sit out back while you eat?”
“Sure.”
Moments later they sat across from each other at the table that was still set up.
“Your backyard is much more inviting than mine,” he said before placing a forkful of food into his mouth.
Pleased at the compliment, Amethyst smiled. “I enjoy working in the yard.”
“It shows.”
“Thanks.” After a pause, she asked, “Do you have any business trips coming up?”
Sawyer hated that he had to lie to this beautiful woman—especially with how kind and friendly she seemed to be. But there was no way he could tell her the truth. “Not yet.” At the look of surprise on her face—too late he remembered that he’d told her he traveled a lot—he added, “They’re training me on the product first.”
Interest sparked in her eyes. “You never told me what it is you sell.”
Scrambling to come up with an answer, he stalled by taking another bite of food, slowly chewing it before swallowing. “It’s, uh, it’s medical software.”
“Oh.”
Thankfully, she didn’t ask for more information. Which was a good thing, because he didn’t know much about the medical software industry.
Desperate to turn the conversation away from himself, he said, “I’d love to see the jewelry you make.”
At the mention of her work, her face lit up, and he was glad he’d brought it up.
“I’d love to show you.” A hint of a blush rose on her face, which only made her more attractive. “Once you’re done eating, that is.”
He laughed along with her. “Sounds great.” He ate another bite. “This food is delicious, by the way.”
“Thank you.” She smiled. “My friend, Gage, left some cookies. He owns the bakery in town.”
Sawyer chuckled. “Cookies again, huh?”
She laughed and her emerald-green eyes sparkled. “Yeah, well.”
Enjoying her company more than he thought he would, Sawyer immediately began to worry that he had made a mistake by coming over. After he saw her jewelry he could politely leave. He didn’t have to stick around beyond that.
Amethyst watched Justin eat and found herself becoming attracted to him. Not that she hadn’t found him attractive when she’d first met him, but her goal had only been to be a good neighbor, to become a friend. But as they sat in her backyard, she found herself feeling comfortable with him, drawn to him in a way that took her by surprise.
“Would you like some more?” she asked when he’d finished most of the food on his plate.
He leaned back and patted his stomach. “I don’t think I have room for any more.”
“Next time I hope you come sooner. My friends brought some other side dishes that were even better than what I made.” Maybe that would make him want to join them next time.
Torn about how he was feeling—on the one hand he wanted to enthusiastically agree, but on the other, he knew that would be taking a big risk—Sawyer just smiled. “I doubt they were any better than what you made.”
She laughed. “I guess you’ll have to find out for yourself.”
He laughed with her but didn’t reply one way or the other. Then his cell phone rang. The only person who had that particular number was Paul, and he’d told Paul not to call unless there was an emergency—like Tyler finding him and asking about Sawyer.
Heart pounding, Sawyer nearly jumped from his seat. “I need to get that. Would you excuse me?”
“Of course.”
Amethyst couldn’t miss the look of panic on Justin’s face. What would cause such a reaction? She watched as Justin walked away from her, and as he spoke into his phone, she couldn’t help but catch a few words here and there.
“Are you serious?” Justin was saying, his voice urgent. Then he was silent as he listened to the caller. “You didn’t tell him…”
Amethyst strained to catch his side of the conversation. Though she wanted to give him his privacy, she was too curious to go into the house.
“…bad idea,” Justin said. Another pause. “Okay. Just be careful.”
A moment later he shoved his phone into his pocket and walked toward her.
Plastering a smile onto her face, Amethyst asked if everything was all right.
“Yeah,” he said with a smile that she could tell was forced. “I’d love to see your jewelry, if that’s okay.”
Though dying with curiosity, Amethyst schooled her expression. “Sure. Follow me.”
Chapter 6
Sawyer followed Amethyst into her house, his mind on the phone call with Paul. It was just what he had feared. Tyler had found out Paul knew Sawyer and he had talked to him. Paul had said he didn’t tell him anything and that Tyler hadn’t threatened him. Not yet anyway. But Paul had still offered to go to the police.
Sawyer softly sighed. That wasn’t a good idea.
“This is my studio,” Amethyst said as they walked into a bright and colorful room. She turned and smiled at him.
The worry he felt over his situation lifted slightly at the open and happy expression on her face. He could lose himself in that smile.
He gazed at her a moment, then his focus shifted to the space where they stood. “I like it.” A moment later he faced her again. “So this is where the magic happens, huh?”
She laughed. “Yeah. I guess you could say that.”
Amethyst showed him the pieces she’d recently completed, eager to get his approval for some reason.
He picked up a bracelet and examined the stones. “How long have you been doing this?”
Pleased that he was showing interest, she said, “I started when I was a teenager, but I’ve been doing it for a living for the last five years.”
He set the bracelet down and turned to her. “That’s amazing. I admit that I don’t know much about jewelry, but it looks to me like you’re really talented.”
A warm blush rose on her cheeks. “Thank you. That means a lot.” And it did. She didn’t know why she cared so much what he thought—he was just her neighbor after all—but she did.
“It’s really cool that you can do what you love for a living.”
She couldn’t agree more and every day she felt blessed that she was able to. “What about you? Do you love what you do?”
Sawyer held back a frown. He had done it again. He had put himself in a position where he had to lie.
“To be honest…” Yeah, right. “Being in sales isn’t my first choice.” That was certainly true.
“What is?”
He should have seen that one coming. But maybe he could tell her the truth for a change. He smiled. “I’d really love to be a business consultant. To help businesses run their companies better.” Which was what he had been working towards when he’d fled LA.
She tilted her head. “What’s stopping you?”
Having Tyler and his crew after him, for starters. He forced a soft laugh. “I don’t know. I guess I never really thought it was something I could make happen.”
“You should do it, Justin.”
He tried not to cringe at the use of his alias. “Maybe I will.” He pushed enthusiasm into his voice, but it wasn’t all false. Once he got out of this mess he could go back to doing what he loved. A sense of anticipation swept over him, but it was quickly quashed when he imagined Tyler finding him.
Happy that she’d brought a smile to Justin’s face, Amethyst showed him a few more pieces of her work.
“You know,” he said after several minutes of admiring her work, “I’d probably better get going. I have some work of my own to do tonight.”
Embarrassed that she’d bored him with talk of her jewelry-making business, she nearly apologized, but stopped herself, not wanting to make him pretend like he was actually interested. “Okay. Well, I’m glad you were able to come over for a little while. I hope you’ll come over again sometime.” She smiled. “I’d l
ove to hear how things are going with you putting together your consulting business.”
He laughed. “Yeah, that might not happen for a while.”
“But it will happen. I know it.”
Sawyer appreciated her confidence, and he would have loved to stay longer, but he could feel himself becoming more and more attracted to Amethyst and he wanted to nip that right in the bud.
He smiled. “Thanks for dinner.” Then before he could stop himself, he added, “Next time it will be on me.”
What was he doing?
Holding back a frown, he followed Amethyst from her studio to the front door where they said good-bye, and then he walked back to his house. Once safely inside, Sawyer picked up his laptop to check his email. He didn’t think Tyler would be so brazen as to come right out and threaten him in writing, but he had to see if his former boss had tried to contact him again.
Sure enough, there was an email from him, and it sounded pretty much like the other emails he’d sent.
Sawyer - I’m disappointed that you’ve decided to leave our firm. As you know, we require an exit interview to all departing employees, as well as a signature on the non-disclosure form. I’d like to meet with you ASAP to discuss your reasons for leaving and to see if we can come up with a way for you to stay.
Sincerely,
Tyler Bradford
Sawyer rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure. I’ll be right over to see you.”
He moved the email into a folder for safekeeping, then leaned back against the couch cushions and thought about the fateful day he’d met Tyler Bradford.
Several months earlier, unhappy in his current position as manager of an upscale restaurant, Sawyer had been looking for another job when he’d come upon the listing for a manager of a popular nightclub in LA. Immediately applying, he’d been called in for an interview the next day.
When he’d first met Tyler Bradford, Sawyer had been impressed with him. In his early forties, fit and tan, Tyler was confident and knowledgeable, and after a long conversation with Sawyer, he’d offered him the job on the spot. A bit surprised, Sawyer had eagerly accepted and had begun working there two weeks later.
At first everything had gone fine, but six weeks into the job, Sawyer had inadvertently overheard something he knew he shouldn’t have—a conversation between Tyler and a frequent patron of the club. A conversation about moving drugs and cash. A conversation that worried Sawyer immensely.
Not wanting Tyler to know that he knew he was involved in something illegal, Sawyer pretended like everything was normal, like he didn’t know anything. After a while, Sawyer’s conscience got the better of him and he confronted Tyler. That had been his first mistake.
“I don’t want any part of it,” Sawyer had said as he and Tyler had sat across from each other at a table in the club one evening before the club opened.
Tyler shifted in his seat and ran a hand through his dark blonde hair before releasing an audible sigh. “You don’t have to be a part of it, Sawyer. Your job is to run my club. That’s it. That’s all.”
As easy as that sounded, Sawyer knew that if things came crashing down, he would be right in the middle of it. No one would believe he was an innocent bystander.
“Why did you hire me, Tyler? Why not hire someone who’s okay with what you’re doing? Someone who would be an asset.”
“Don’t you see, Sawyer? You were the perfect candidate.” Tyler chuckled. “A good, upstanding citizen to run my club. Someone above reproach. With you at the helm, there would be less reason for law enforcement to suspect what’s really going on here.”
Feeling used, Sawyer shook his head as a muscle worked in his jaw. Then he said, “What if I reported you?”
Tyler’s eyes hardened. “That would be foolish, Sawyer. Very foolish indeed.”
A chill settled over Sawyer and he backpedaled. “Look, I have no interest in talking to anyone about what’s going on here. I just want out.”
Tyler stared at him a moment. “I really don’t have the time or the interest to replace you, so I’ll tell you what. If you’ll stay on, I’ll double your salary.” Tyler smiled, but it had an element of menace. “Either that, or … we can say good-bye… permanently.”
Sawyer’s mouth went dry. That sounded like a threat. “Why do I get the feeling that’s meant to be an offer I can’t refuse?”
Grinning, Tyler stood, then slapped Sawyer on the back. “Good. I’m glad we’ve come to terms.”
Knowing he had no choice—at least not yet—Sawyer forced a smile onto his face. “Yeah. Me too.”
“I want to show you something,” Tyler said as he gestured for Sawyer to follow him. When they reached Tyler’s office, Sawyer sat in the chair Tyler pointed to, then watched in horror as Tyler played a video of a man being tortured. “That’s what happened to someone who tried to cheat me,” Tyler said, his gaze focused on Sawyer. “I would sure hate to see something like that happen to you.”
Sickened and terrified, Sawyer didn’t speak for a moment.
“So,” Tyler said with a grin. “We’re good?”
“Yeah,” Sawyer managed to murmur. “We’re good.”
After that, Tyler seemed to take less care in trying to hide things from Sawyer, and as Sawyer observed more and more of Tyler’s business dealings—and the repercussions to those who crossed him—he became more and more terrified. That was when he’d made the decision to run.
Now, as he sat in the living room of Paul’s house and stared at the email from his former boss, he stewed over what to do.
Chapter 7
“I don’t know if this neighbor of yours is real,” Gabby said with a laugh two nights later.
Enjoying the mild evening in Gabby’s backyard, Amethyst smiled. “Oh, he’s definitely real.”
“Too bad he didn’t come over while we were there,” Chloe said with a frown.
“Yeah,” Ashleigh added. “I would love to meet this guy.”
Amethyst wanted her friends to meet Justin too, but she wasn’t going to push him. “I guess he’s pretty busy, but I’m sure you’ll meet him eventually.” At least she hoped so.
“We’re counting on it,” Gabby said with a smile.
Amethyst thought about the way Justin had smiled while he’d admired her work. How long should she wait before stopping by to see how he was doing?
“What does he do?” Ashleigh asked. “This fictitious neighbor of yours.”
They all smiled, and Amethyst said, “He’s in sales. Something to do with medical software.”
“Oh.” Chloe frowned.
Amethyst didn’t like Chloe’s reaction, like there was something wrong with Justin before she’d ever met him. “What?”
“It’s just…sales? Those guys can be so full of it sometimes.”
Amethyst had had her share of bad experiences with sales people, but she didn’t think Justin was that way. “You should probably reserve your opinion until you’ve at least met him.”
“I know,” Chloe said. “I’m sorry.”
Amethyst immediately forgave her. Chloe had been her friend since high school, and Amethyst had barely met Justin. “That’s okay.”
By Friday afternoon Amethyst hadn’t been able to get Justin out of her mind. She hadn’t seen him since he’d stopped by on Monday evening. Maybe he’d been out of town on business. She knew he’d started parking his car in his garage, so she couldn’t tell just by looking at his driveway if he was home or not.
Only one way to find out.
Convincing herself that she was only interested in being a good neighbor—a friend to a new Emerald Falls resident—rather than having any romantic interest in the very attractive man living next door, Amethyst walked out of her house and over to Justin’s.
Moments later she reached the porch, but before she had a chance to knock, she noticed a package sitting to one side of the front door. The package was large enough that the name of the addressee caught her eye.
Who was Sawyer Cooke? Wrinklin
g her brow in question, she rang the doorbell, but when no one answered, she turned and began the walk back to her house.
Maybe he was going to have a roommate and it was his package.
Shrugging, she stepped onto her front porch, then went inside her house.
Later that evening as Sawyer pulled into his driveway after running some errands, the package on his front porch caught his eye. He parked in his garage, then went to his porch to retrieve it. The first thing he noticed on the box was that it was addressed to his real name. With a grunt, he realized that when he’d checked out of the online store, he hadn’t typed his alias on the delivery screen. Instead, out of habit, he’d entered his real name.
He would have to be more careful next time. Stupid mistakes like that would lead Tyler right to him.
Frowning, he carried the package inside and cut it open. With grim determination, he lifted the parts for the home security system from the box, then set to work placing the cameras where he thought it made the most sense—including by the front door. After the system was set up, he pulled the images up on his laptop to test the cameras. Satisfied that it was all working correctly, he left his laptop screen open, and as he stared at the image of his empty front porch and back patio, a sense of security swept over him.
He hoped it wasn’t a false sense of security.
First thing Saturday morning, Amethyst woke up determined to talk to Justin. She’d noticed that no one ever came to his house and she couldn’t stand the idea that he might be lonely. He was new in town and didn’t seem to know anyone.
Amethyst held back a smile. Was she sure her reason wasn’t more along the lines of wanting to see his handsome face again?
Stretching in her bed, she looked at the clock. She should probably wait a little while. Maybe he wasn’t an early riser. Then she got an idea. She would make fresh coffee cake and bring it over. That should take less than an hour.
Dangerous Lies: Sawyer and Amethyst (An Emerald Falls Romance, Book Two) Page 3
