“Huh?”
“The clay jars that hold candles. The cracks are good. Without them, no light shines through.”
She gave that some thought as Camila continued.
“Your family has endured so much. Yet you still shine light in so many different directions. It’s inspiring.”
Betzy let herself sit in that for a moment, gleaning slivers of comfort from the words. “Thanks, Camila. You’ve inspired me too, you really have.” It was true. She admired the way Camila, despite having come from small means, had gone after her dream, pursued greatness, and walked among the very best in her industry. Just like Sawyer.
“You still haven’t talked to him?” Camila asked.
Betzy shook her head. “No.”
It hadn’t been easy, but between the security crew at her estate and the new phone line she’d switched to, Betzy had successfully dodged Sawyer for the entire day. Dodged him and his attempts to apologize for ruining her life, which she could only assume he’d do since he hadn’t gotten through.
And now here she was, twelve hours after the vicious discovery of her front-page news, boarding a jet to Italy on her own.
“I’m notgoingto talk to him, either,” she added. “There’s nothing to say. He and Daisy can have each other. I’m going to go silent for a while, something I probably should have done in the first place.”
“Well,” Camila said with a sniff. “Enjoy Italy, sweet friend. It’s already Christmas Eve over there.”
Betzy glanced at her clock. Six p.m. here meant two a.m. there. “Yeah,” she said. “I guess it is.” She fought back a new wave of sadness. Christmas Day would be close behind it, and Betzy had chosen to spend it all alone.
At least she had a family that respected that.
“Thanks for understanding,” she said. “You and James have a merry Christmas.”
“Thanks, Betzy. Have a safe flight.”
As she disconnected the call, an image of that stupid bar kiss—the one between Daisy and Sawyer—burst into her mind.Why?Why was she so set on torturing herself?
Only Betzy realized it was probably more of a defense mechanism. An attempt to finally grasp the reality of a situation she’d refused to see all these years; Sawyer didn’t love her. He wasn’t dying to come home to her. And they never would have that future she hoped they might.
Yet as she assured herself of that very thing, determined to accept it, mourn, and then hopefully heal from it all, a conflicting recollection came to mind. Sawyer’s fervent whisper after he’d proposed. Three glorious words, words that neither the cameras nor the audience could have caught.
I love you.
Chapter 21
Sawyer parked alongside the quiet street, accented by green garlands and hanging lights. Most people were tucked into their homes by now, celebrating with family and friends. But Sawyer had work to do. Or, as it was, one last dragon to slay for his queen.
So here he was, hoping to find Betzy and set the record straight. Sawyer’s mother had spoken with Claudia, who’d said he might find Lorraine at her wedding boutique. Lorraine may or may not tell him where to find Betzy, but he had to try.
Sawyer’s day had been a maddening one to say the least. Waking to the terrible sight of the front-page news. SeeingSlipper’sarticle for himself, realizing that the proposal had, in fact, caused more damage than good.
Of all the infuriating things he’d run into that day, the picture with Daisy Shay was the worst. It had taken a whole lot of phone calls, and the pulling of a whole lot of strings to get results so close to Christmas, but at last Sawyer had what he needed to clear up his name.
At some point, he’d do so in public. But what mattered now was finding Betzy.
At first glance, the sight of the boutique, housed in an old restored mansion, was promising. Warm, glowing light poured from every main floor window. As he took the short flight of stairs up to the porch, Sawyer caught a better look inside. Silk dresses that went on for miles.
A mannequin up front displayed one by itself, and Sawyer wasn’t sure why, but the sight caused an odd longing to stir within him. As if Betzy herself was wearing the dress.
Hadn’t he just poured his heart out in a proposal for the world to see? There’d been a part of him that believed it might really happen. And somewhere, buried beneath a whole lot of disappointment and doubt, that flicker of hope still burned.
Aside from the lights, there were no signs of life inside the boutique. The sign out front readclosed.There were no employees to be seen. No noise seeping through the windows or doors. But still, Sawyer lifted his hand and knocked.Please, Lord, help me find her tonight.
He tucked his hands into his pockets and shivered. There wasn’t snow in this part of the sunshine state, but it wasn’t a warm night by any means.
