As we reach the lot, one of his brows rises as he scrutinizes me. “Because you’re not sure you want it?”
“No, I do. But it’s too expensive, and the style’s really bold. There aren’t many places I could even wear it.” I worry my lower lip with my teeth. “Gorgeous, though.”
The way he stares at me makes me shift from foot to foot.
“Honestly, I got caught up in the moment. Ash was moving so fast…” My laugh sounds strangled. “If anything, I should’ve gotten a dress for the upcoming Briar Club event I have to attend. That’s a place where everyone will be judging what I wear and making decisions that affect my entire future. So, getting a slinky party dress was… crazy.” Shaking my head, I pause to take a breath.
“Sawyer?” Jamie rests a hand on my shoulder.
“Yes?”
“Why are you talking a hundred kilometers per minute?”
“Oh, um—” I glance back at the dorm, which is a lot farther away than I thought it’d be. “I guess I got worked up. I don’t want you to think I’mthatgirl. The one whose family has money, so she’s got a terminal case of affluenza.”
“Affluenza?” While the pinch between his eyes suggests confusion, the upward tilt of his lips gives away his amusement.
And for once, instead of someone’s amusement at me flipping on my internal defensive switch, I find myself smiling back. “Whatever.” I huff out a small laugh. “What I’m sayingisthat I don’t have an overblown sense of entitlement.At all.I like to consider myself more down to earth than the quintessential Granthorpe elite, and while living on a tight budget is not something I love, I can deal.”
He studies me for a moment. “A tight budget, is it?” Continuing to eye me, he finally says, “Flash—in terms of cars and clothes—is not something that ranks highly with me. But money’s a means to an end, and that does matter to me, as it does to anyone.” His fingers tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. “My American cousins burn through money like the world’s ending in five days. Half the time when Ash gets into a spending frenzy, it seems like she’s overcompensating for something. Not sure what that might be, but…” He shrugs. “One thing about our Ash is she reads peoplereallywell. I can’t tell you the number of times since I came to the U.S. that she’s rung me and pulled me into the family fold when I needed it. So if she says you need someone to buy you expensive dresses to keep up with these other girls, I’m inclined to listen.” He strokes my jaw with his thumb. “From what I’m hearing from you about budgets, sounds as though she’s right.”
I open my mouth to protest, but he shakes his head.
“Don’t know what a slinky dress is, but I’d wager I’ll enjoy seeing you in it, so we’ll call that settled.” Waving his fingers, he beckons me to follow him.
His casual attitude leaves me sort of stunned. “I thought you were mad at me. And I assumed the dress would make things worse.”
Jamie shrugs. “I’m not best pleased by your behavior the past couple of days, no. But I don’t blame you for Ash’s call. That would be like blaming a person for not being able to lasso a tornado.”
The tension in my shoulders easing, I chuckle. “Sheishard to contain. And you’re sure you don’t want me to return the dress?”
“I wouldn’t have given the green light, if I wasn’t.” A minute later, Jaime opens the passenger door of a shiny new Porsche, the one Ash mentioned earlier.
I sink into the leather seat. Unable to keep the awe from my voice, I say, “Who needs designer dresses when there’s this?” My fingers slide over the buttery fabric. It’s such a beautiful car.
He smirks. “Fasten your seatbelt, Cranberry Sauce. This thing rolls a lot faster than a handful of dress beads.”
16
SAWYER
When we reach his place, Jamie leads me inside on the main floor. My eyes shift to the stairs where rock music pours down like an avalanche. My spine stiffens. For no good reason, I assumed his housemate would be out.
Jamie strides past the seating arrangements. “This way, Sauce.”
I’m relieved when, rather than heading upstairs, Jamie cuts to the left down a hallway.
He opens the door of a guest room and flips on a light. The room’s large, accommodating a king-sized bed with an impressive burgundy leather headboard, chest of drawers and end table.
After swinging the door closed, he sets my backpack next to the dresser and turns to face me. “There are some issues we need to deal with, but first…” Bending his fingers toward his palm, he beckons me closer.
Once I’m directly in front of him, he pushes my coat off, so it drops onto the bed’s silky silver duvet.
His hands rest on my hips, and he licks his lips. “I had a good time over the weekend, except…” Deep blue eyes trap my gaze. “I wanted to see you.”
“That’s unfortunate,” I murmur with a small smile forming.
“Yeah, I see you’re all broken up about it.” He draws in a slow breath and exhales, his hands sliding up to my sides.
