by Emily Childs
I nudge Lauren, a barely eighteen-year-old away from touching August’s arm, and stand between them. Trust me, Lauren doesn’t want to deal with the wrath of Lily. I’m really doing her a favor.
“Hey, Dot,” August says. “Maggie sends her love through cinnamon rolls today.”
“Tell me, how did sending her love sound?”
“Like, ‘Here, take ‘em’. That’s about it.” Zac laughs and arranges a sweet roll on a napkin I’m sure he’ll be taking back to Jo. Sometimes it’s funny remembering how Zac and Jo were once at each other’s throats every waking moment. Now, they can hardly keep their hands off each other. Newlyweds.
“Don’t y’all have jobs?” I say, pinching the back of August’s arm.
“If the boss is here, I figure I’m good,” August tells me.
I smile and join in the small talk. August is actually beginning night classes, so he came from a meeting with the local community college, and Zac, well, he is the boss so he can do as he pleases, I suppose. I love chatting, but today I’m all nervous energy buzzing with each breath. I’m not sure if Sawyer has left the building or if he’s lurking around.
I get my answer when Zac steps into the hallway, sweet rolls in hand and shouts, “Hey, Sawyer! Food!”
Kyler steps out first, finds me right away, gives me a wink, then makes room for dumb Liam, and next Sawyer. He stares at me for half a breath before plastering one of those gut-wrenching smiles for the guys. Ugh, I should’ve kissed those lips in Atlanta and regretted it later.
“This place has been feeding us all day. I might never leave.” Sawyer takes a cinnamon roll and leans against the wall. His gaze is careful. A quick glance at me, then to his brother. “Ky, this is Zac and August. Guys, this is my brother Kyler, the annoying silver-tongue salesmen of the business.”
Zac and August shake Kyler’s hand, with no shortage of salesman jabs.
Liam finds his way to my side. His voice cracks. “Miss Gardener.”
I lift my chin and look away. “Mr. Hewitt.”
“I’d like to speak with you, if you have a minute.”
I blink my nerves across the space. Sawyer’s gaze is locked on me. His face like stone while everyone around him laughs and chats over sweets.
Liam looks as if he’s been slugged in the gut when I face him and say, “This way.”
I lead us into the file room, a closet hardly large enough for three people to stand inside comfortably. Arms folded, I look to Liam and wait.
“I’m sorry, Dot. For what I did.”
“You conspired with my own father to taint my reputation when I’d done nothing to you but care about a man I thought was your friend. Do you even understand the hurt that comes with something like that?”
“I don’t,” he says. “I won’t pretend to. You should know, I’ve come clean with it all to Sawyer, and I’ll never stop trying to make this right. Sincerely, I apologize.”
I fold my arms over my body, maybe to bar him out, or protect my cracked heart. “I appreciate the apology, but this will take time to get over.”
“I know,” he says. “At the very least, I hope you’ll speak with Sawyer.”
It’s really none of his business what I do or don’t do with Sawyer. I don’t tell him that, but nod, then return to the front lobby with the others. Lily is making a jerky leap in front of Lauren who is again creeping up to August’s side. What is with the youth of today?
“Hey,” Lily whispers to me as Kyler and Sawyer buddy up with August. “How are you doing?”
“You mean because my ex is winning over everyone in my workplace?” I take a massive bite of my sweet roll, talking through the mess of bread. “I’m fabulous.”
“I’m sorry,” she squeezes the back of my arm. “I wish I could come here and tell you he sucks at his job, but—”
“He’s perfect.”
She snorts. “No, he’s not perfect. Smart, personable, and knows his stuff—yes. I think it was a good move to have them come in. We learned a lot.”
“Good,” I admit. “That was the point, right?”
Jo and Zac return hand in hand, holding a sheet of paper. “Hey, Sawyer,” Zac says, “are you guys coming to this?” He waves the paper. It’s a flyer from the Area Chamber of Commerce.
Oh, no.
“What’s that?” Sawyer asks.
“The annual Small-business Beach Games.”
“Rosita loves The Office, and literally took the idea from one of the episodes,” August adds. “Since your office is new, I bet you’ll be the shiny diamond for the chamber this year.”
I forgot about the games, forgot that Rosita would swoop in on the newest business in the area like a rabid hound. I force a smile at Zac. “You’re going to be on your wives’ team this year, aren’t you guys?”
Zac snorts. “Dottie, come on. The answer is a big no.”
“Healthy competition keeps things spicy, Dot,” August adds. “We’ll be representing Zac’s Auto with pride.”
“Then we get Olive,” I argue.
Zac balks. “No. She is my employee’s wife. Matrimony trumps girlfriends. Sorry. I can’t help it if she’s part crab and practically lives on the beach.”
“Or that she dominates in volleyball,” August says.
Sawyer hands the flyer back, avoiding me, and grinning at the guys. “We’ve been gone all day. I’m not sure if we’ve been invited.”
Zac chuckles. “You’ll be invited. Really, it’s more like being forced.”
“Oh, you should come,” Lauren pipes up, and there is absolutely a double meaning in her tone. Maybe I should fire her. “It’s for a good cause because the money goes back to the businesses. And it helps to get to know people.”
“Sounds like a good time,” Sawyer says. “I’ll see if we can spin it. Kyler lives on the beach, too. We might be the new challenge.”
Zac and August grin, but I feel like it would be more comfortable if the walls crumbled in on me. Beach game day means thirteen plus hours of Sawyer. In a swimsuit. Basically, my worst nightmare.
“It’s not something you guys would like,” I blurt out.
Sawyer spares me a glance. “I love the beach. Did you forget?”
August and Zac lose their smiles and step back to their wives, clued in on the tension.
“I guess I did. You’re so busy growing your business here, I doubt you’ll be able to spare the time.” Stop! I’m practically challenging him. I don’t want him to come. Send Kyler. Send his secretary. Send his cousin. But I’m drawing a line in the sand, and it’s like I’m taunting him to cross it. There’s something wrong with me.
Sawyer’s smile hints he’s ready to take the challenge. “We can spare the time.”
“Ah, I don’t know,” says August, clearly trying to diffuse the situation. “We take our games pretty seriously.”
“I look forward to it.” He looks to me. “Miss Gardener, would you like the report on the training? It might be a good idea to talk.”
No, I don’t miss the underlying meaning in his request, and my hands tingle in anticipation. You don’t need to talk about any of this right now, I remind myself. The last thing I shouted at Sawyer in Atlanta is this would be on my timetable, and I’m determined to stick to that. Still, I can’t outright deny him an audience either. We need to find any thread that’ll help us figure out who is cooking the books, so to speak.
“Sure,” I say. “We can go to my office.”
Kyler glances at Maddie. “We’ll meet you later, Sawyer.”
The touch of smugness in Sawyer’s expression fades. “You said you’d stay until—”
“I know I did,” Kyler interrupts, his playful eyes flick to me, then back to his brother. “But, you know, I have that thing I forgot about.”
Maddie nods. “Yeah, and I’m supposed to pick up those packages coming to the office. They need to be signed for.”
“The office isn’t empty. And what thing, Ky?” Sawyer’s voice is strained.
“You remember . . . the thing,” Kyler says. “Sorry, I’ve got to go. Have fun.”
Kyler and Maddie turn like toy soldiers, leaving Sawyer—and me—stunned. I stand still in the center of the hallway, eyes on the carpet. I can’t look at him right now. “We can reschedule.”
Sawyer pauses, as if considering his options.
He should go.
He smells practically edible.
I can’t stop thinking of kissing him in the kitchen.
With a sigh, Sawyer shakes his head. “Only if you want.”
He’s being cautious, giving me the space I demanded. I want him to leave, and I don’t. We can’t dance around each other forever, not if he’s officially working with us.
“I’d like to hear how it went today, and there are a few things in the books I’d like you to see. If you’re up for it.”
Inside my office, I take the folder with all the information I have, hold my breath, and turn around. Sawyer’s eyes are a little brighter, he strips his suit coat, rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing the antique watch on his wrist and tattoo on his underarm.
“I’m up for it,” he says.
As I open my mouth, I’m thinking of the spreadsheets and work, but the words that come out are vastly different. “I’m moving.”
Sawyer hesitates. “Where?”
“I don’t know,” I say, face hot. Why did I bring this up? “I’m not going to rent from my parents anymore. I, uh, I confronted them.”
Silence fills the room, a strange quiet that’s truly deafening. Sawyer shifts in his seat, he leans over his knees. “I didn’t ever want to cause a rift between you and your family.”
“You didn’t, not really,” I admit. “Daddy’s indifference and lack of remorse did.”
“Dottie—”
“How am I supposed to trust you again, Sawyer?” Okay the flood gates are opening. My voice is steady, but my private thoughts and musings are spilling out without a filter. So much for spreadsheets. “Do you see my side of things? First, you were going to leave because you thought I’d pick a job over you, as if I would just lie down and take my father’s manipulation.”
“I was planning on telling you about the threat to the clinic—”
“So you say,” I tell him. “But you didn’t. Instead, at one speed bump—which was super suspicious by the way—you take off. What happens when another bump in the road comes? Because they’ll come again.”
He goes quiet again, staring at his hands. Sawyer fidgets a bit, but that’s simply him gathering his thoughts.
“There aren’t excuses, Dottie,” he says softly. “There are so many things I should’ve done, and all I can say at this point is I’m willing to do anything, say anything, be anything you need to earn another chance. If that’s what you want.”
“You moved on for an entire year, Sawyer. You left me behind without any explanation.”
“I didn’t move on,” he insists.
“Forgive me if I find that hard to believe.” I scoff and reach for my purse. I don’t know what compelled me to pull out the box, to bring it here. For this moment, I suppose. When I draw out the ring box from my purse, Sawyer looks like he might be sick.
“No,” he says hoarsely. “Don’t give that back.”
“This came with a promise.” My heart won’t stop racing. I take his hand, unfurl his fingers, and place the box in his palm. He doesn’t fight me, but goes silent as stone. Emotion, thoughts, unsaid things hang between us, suffocating and unbearable. “If you want me to take this back, then figure out a way to convince me you’ll never break another one.”
He stares at me, a curl to his lips. “You want to give me the chance to try?”
I shrug, trying to hide the way the thought sends a chill up my arms. “I can be a forgiving person, Sawyer. But I’m warning you, it’ll take a lot of seductive charm.”
“Seductive charm, huh?” He smiles now and tucks the ring box into his suit pocket. He leans forward, his fingertips brush the top of my knee. The barest touch, but one that sends a sharp jolt of desire through my stomach. “Interesting choice of words, Dottie.”
“I’m a woman who has high standards, and I know what I want, Lucky.”
Sawyer pulls away with a nod. “Then I’ll do what I can to meet them.”
I’m not ready to forget the last year, but I want to try. Sawyer Lanford is a fool who broke my heart into a thousand pieces. But I can’t deny he’s still the one who lights a fire inside me, who brings something unique to my life. As if he reaches places in my soul no one else can.
It doesn’t mean I’ll make it easy on him. Frankly, he deserves to grovel a bit.
“Glad we have the expectations clear,” I say. “Now, shall we talk business? I think I found a few things that might give us a paper trail on the embezzling.”
He smirks and leans back in his chair. “Ready when you are. Let’s see if we can find this creep.”
Chapter 16
Sawyer
“Look, I don’t know a lot about women, but action figures are not what they want by way of apology.” Kyler leans against the doorjamb of the small conference room in our offices, tie loose, casual now that most of the staff has left for the day.
Maddie bites her bottom lip to keep from laughing and keeps hanging a canvas painting on the wall.
I look up from the small storm trooper. I’m trying to tape a stick of gum to it, and it’s not cooperating. “These have meaning. She’ll get it.”
“I forgot what a nerdy couple you two used to be.”
Maddie grins over her shoulder. “Looking at her you’d never guess it, either. I was sure she’d be some rich princess.”
I chuckle. “Dot knows how to be a princess, but not an annoying one.” I reach for an Obi Wan action figure and bend the arms to hold a stick of strawberry Chapstick. The beginning of a few grand gestures I hope will at least earn me a date—a new beginning. She’s stubborn, she’s hurt, but she did respond to a text I sent this morning. Fun facts, as we used to call them: Did you know humans are the only animals who blush?
It had taken a good five minutes, but eventually those three little dots appeared and I laughed when she took the hint.
Dot: Did you know rabbits can’t throw up?
We used to go on like that until the other begged for mercy or started sending more colorful facts about the other person, then conversations tended to change course. I didn’t want to push too much too fast, so I’d wished her a good day and left it at that. But it gave me hope.
“Explain this,” Kyler says, gesturing at the table littered with Star Wars characters.
I sigh loudly. “They’re bits of our most memorable moments.”
Maddie brushes her hands, hops off the step ladder, and comes to my side. “Do you think this’ll work?”
“I want her to know I haven’t forgotten things. The important things.”
“But that was the old relationship, right?”
“What’s your point?”
“I’m not saying don’t do it, but I think you might want to show her now—as in present tense—that she’s the one you want.”
I glance at my cousin. “I’ve told her I want another chance.”
Maddie rolls her eyes. “Sawyer, she’s wanting to move forward, but doesn’t trust you. You need to show her you’re not afraid to step into a new relationship. Consider this ground zero for you two. A clean slate.”
“So no to the action figures.”
Maddie holds up Darth Vader with a bandaged hand. “Green light on the action figures, but don’t keep reminding her of the past. My advice, show her you’re serious about your future.”
I lean back in my chair, one brow raised. “You’re surprisingly into this.”
“Well, I can’t hold a grudge against the woman for cheating on you when she never did, now can I?”
“No, romance in general. The first night you showed up, you were heavy on the anti-love stuff.”
/> She shrugs and returns the Vader to the table, turning back to the wall. “I’m happy for you that’s all.”
Kyler coughs. “Will Whitney doesn’t have anything to do with it, huh?”
Maddie’s mouth drops as she whacks Kyler’s arm. “You should talk, sir. What’s all this time you’re spending at the Belle Boutique? Always trying to get me to shop there.”
“What?” I say with a grin. “What’s at the Belle Boutique, Ky?”
His face is ruddy as he crosses his arms. “What? I’m not going to be all childish about it. I’ve been seeing Evie, okay? She’s nice and understanding about a few things and—”
“Whoa.” I hold up my hands in defense, laughing. “Easy. We weren’t going to say anything bad. I think it’s awesome.”
Kyler fiddles with one of his cufflinks. “Okay, then. We can stop talking about it, right?”
“Yes, please,” Maddie hurries to say. I am curious about Will, though, and what it might mean with Royce. Her husband isn’t the sort of guy who would take being replaced well.
Our building isn’t huge, but I like it. More than I do the three floors for L & H up in Raleigh. These new offices have space for our insurance branch and for HealthyRx, but it’s more intimate, more small-town. Two developers work in an office nook that’s basically the same size as mine. All I have are a few more chairs for meetings. The three ladies on customer service have the most space, since they get the kitchenette, and they often tell me they’ll quit if I move their access to the coffee and snacks. Kyler’s sales office is the most secluded, but then he makes the most calls.
Strange to think what started out as temporary is turning permanent. I’d intended to set up the offices for a year tops, then head back up north, but now that I’m selling my shares, this’ll be mine for the foreseeable future. The idea leaves a smile on my face as I study the new wall Maddie has put together.
“Mads, I like what you did.”
She glances over her shoulder, smiling. “Yeah?”
“Makes it a lot more bearable than white walls. Where’d you find all this stuff?” I tap the edge of a vase with what looks like willow branches in it.
