She shot him a look with wide eyes, and then her face softened. “It’s Ted. You know the guy who owns the gym?”
If Sawyer were honest, he was only halfway invested in the conversation. Voices were screaming someplace in his head that he might just be going on a date with Betzy in the next week or so. “Ted?” he repeated. “From the gym?”
“Yeah,” she said, setting her phone down once more. “We’re kind of dating, I guess you’d say. I kept meaning to tell you but I worried I might jinx it.”
“That’s nice,” he said with a nod. “He must be something special if he managed to pull you back into the dating world after all this time.”
“He’s pretty great,” she said with a smile. “Did you let Daisy know when you were coming into town?”
“Not yet.”
“I’m just asking because she stopped by the house to personally deliver a few copies of your magazine. She was asking, but I told her I wasn’t sure.”
He let out a sigh. “Thank you.”
She grinned. “Go ahead and answer Betzy. Then we’ll leave our phones alone until we’re done eating.”
“Sounds good.” But an idea was forming in his mind. An admittedly juvenile idea to make Betzy a little more anxious to get together. She never had liked Daisy very much. Especially when he’d been dating her back in high school.
Sawyer:You know, Daisy’s been asking to get together as well. What do you think—bodyguard or no bodyguard for that one?
Dots bounced along his screen, letting him know she was tapping out a reply right then.
Betzy:Definitely get a bodyguard for that one. But don’t worry, I volunteer for the job. Free of charge.
Sawyer covered a laugh. He missed this. Missed goading Betzy into comments like that. Missed the idea of seeing her at a moment’s notice. Soon he’d write her back, set up a time to get together.
For now, he’d work on coming up with a plan. Now that he’d made a name for himself. Now that he was ready to come home and pursue the life he’d really dreamt of. And now that Betzy seemed, at least in some ways, open to the idea, what was the best way to win the heart of Miss Betzy Benton—the girl who’d stolen his heart so long ago?
Chapter 5
Betzy flung back the covers, plopped into bed, and read back through the texts she and Sawyer exchanged beneath the lamplight’s glow.
She’d made it clear that she wanted to get together, so why wasn’t he picking up where she left off and planning something? He usually did. At least something simple like meeting up for a drink.
What, now she’d have to be the one to do it?
An ache sank into her heart like a sharp, heavy stone. She’d gotten her hopes up again, hadn’t she? No matter how many times Betzy tried to shed the idea that she and Sawyer were somehow written in the stars, her rubber band hope would spring right back into place with a resilient snap.
He’s still single. There’s still hope. Maybe he’s waiting for you too. Maybe he, like you, compared every kiss he’s had with the one he shared with you. Even the kiss you saw back on New Year’s Day.
The truth was, today had been filled with triggers. Triggers that pushed her fear to new limits. Would she really spend the years of her life alone? Her and her money and her cats. She hated cats. And she hated Daisy too.
Stop, Betzy.You dislike her. You don’thateher.
But that was just it. Everything seemed to come so easy to girls like Daisy. That girl could flirt with a telephone pole and get it to uproot and step aside for her.
Betzy hadn’t been so confident. Sure, in the ways of business she knew exactly what she was doing. She’d been trained well, and had gained plenty of wisdom through experience too. But with men…that was a different story.
Think about it, Betzy, he’s not into you.You’re like the nerdy little girl he might have liked back in grade school. And now here he was, getting named one of the country’s top bachelors for the second year in a row, andthat’swhat he’s interested in?
He’d probably just given her some sort of pity kiss before he left. It might not have reflected his feelings at all.
The fear grew heavier in her chest. Pushing, swelling, aching. Betzy tried to inhale a calming breath, but parts of that pointed headline popped into her mind, spiking her pulse instead.Women destined to hold onto their money while men slip through their fingers.
Betzy could guess at a few reasons wealthy women wound up alone, but that didn’t mean they applied to her.
A groan sounded low in her throat as Betzy sank deeper into the pillows. She’d only barely just set her phone down, but already it was buzzing anew.
