The sound of his name made him freeze in place halfway between the kitchen and the outdoor deck. “Hey, Mom.” His shoulders fell flat, an action his mom followed with a concerned look.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Aren’t you having a good time?”
“No, I am. Of course.” He nodded and blew out a breath.Please don’t ask me to refill the ice buckets right now.
She didn’t. Instead, she tipped her head to look past him. Not that she’d see anything, as dark as it was. “Who’s out there?”
Great. “Um, maybe Betzy. Duke said she might be out here.” He threw a thumb over his shoulder.
Mom grinned. “Oh. Good.”
An uneasy sigh passed through his lips. “Okay.”
“Hey,” Mom said. “Be gentle with her, okay? She, um...this is probably pretty hard for her. Heck, you guys have been in love since you were old enough to talk.”
“Mom,” Sawyer hissed under his breath. Heat filled his neck and cheeks. “That was forever ago.”
His mom swept a blonde lock of her hair behind one ear and leaned in. “Well, if you’re leaving her behind to go make a name for yourself,” she said in a whisper, “you better leave her with something to remember you with.”
Sawyer shook his head. “Like what—jewelry? You know I can’t compete—”
But she swatted him on the arm before he could finish. “Like akiss, dummy. Agoodone. Now get out of here.”
A groan made its way to his throat as he hurried out the door at last. If Betzy was standing within earshot, he’d rather jump off the balcony’s edge and hitchhike to the airport than have to face the embarrassment.
The soft creaking of the swing set out back said she might not have heard after all. Thank heavens.
Sawyer tucked his hands into his pockets as he took the wood-slatted steps, peering into the darkness below. There was likely enough light at his back that she could see his silhouette, but it wasn’t enough to reach the swing set. He only hoped it was actually her.
“Betz?” he hollered, testing.
“Sawyer?” She sounded surprised. “What are you doing out here?”
He shrugged, eyes adjusting as he approached the neglected swing set. “Maybe I’m looking for you.”
“Maybe?”
Sawyer stepped up to the swing beside hers, looped a hand around the cool, metal chain, and sank onto the seat. It stayed quiet as he watched her carve lines into the dirt with the toe of her shoe.
“It feels weird that you’re leaving,” she said, voice soft and small.
He nodded.
“I mean, you used to talk about it. I just didn’t think it’d actually happen.”
Sawyer weighed her words, not sure what she meant by them. He’d never wavered in his pursuit for success. Had she seen him as a big talker or a dreamer? Incapable of following through?
“I just don’t see why it has to be so far away. There’s plenty of real estate in California. Why does it have to be New York?”
A spark of warmth flared in his chest. She didn’t want him to leave. He liked that. With the new dose of encouragement pushing him on, he gripped hold of the chains, reared back a few steps, and began to pump. “Swing with me.”
“Will you answer my question if I do?”
“Maybe.”
Betzy started to back the swing up, but she stopped at his reply. “I’m not going to swing with you if you don’t.”
He chuckled. “This feels like the good old days, doesn’t it?”
