It stunned Sawyer at first, took her by surprise. But then she closed her arms around Jenna’s body and held her tightly, feeling her warmth and the slight tremble that ran through her. Inhaling deeply, she took in the scent of night jasmine and invitation. She held tight, wanting nothing more than to keep Jenna safe.
“Thank you,” Jenna whispered near her ear. She cried quietly for a moment while Sawyer continued to hold her. When they finally relaxed their grip on one another, they still stayed close. Jenna’s hands slid down from Sawyer’s shoulders but stayed on her body for a moment, near her collarbones, and Jenna seemed to study the neckline of her button-down top.
Sawyer cleared her throat as she became aware of the goose bumps that broke out along her arms. “What happened?” She asked it softly, not wanting to break whatever spell had them continuing to stand so close together, touching.
Jenna took in a breath. “My uncle raked the back yard today. He does it every year, rakes up all the leaves, puts down winterizer and stuff to keep the lawn healthy when it gets cold.” She swallowed hard.“I think he didn’t latch the gate when he finished. I got home from work, let Arnie out back, then went upstairs to change. While I was up there, I got a call from the shop, so I was on the phone for about half an hour. I went to let him back in and he was just…gone.” She waved a hand. “I ran up and down the street in my socks, calling him—which was silly because he can’t hear me. I was just about to get in my car and drive around when you pulled in.” They both glanced down at her feet. One sported a red sneaker. The other wore a once-white-now-kinda-brown sock.
“Fashionable,” Sawyer said, and Jenna’s laugh was clearly one of relief.
“I am nothing if not trendy.” She blew out a huge breath. “God, I don’t know about you, but I need a drink.”
Sawyer found herself following Jenna into the kitchen and watching as she pulled a half-full bottle of white wine from the fridge. Two glasses poured, she handed one to Sawyer. They touched them together in a sweet little ping and sipped. Arnold was at Jenna’s feet, and she squatted down to pet his head some more.
“Tell me what happened,” Jenna said.
Sawyer shrugged. “I mean, not much. I was driving home. I was over on Pine Street.”
Jenna gasped. “Oh my God, he got that far?”
“He was trotting along at a pretty good clip. I caught him out of the corner of my eye as I drove past, and I didn’t think it could be him. I mean, why would it be?”
Jenna nodded and took another slug of her wine.
“But I had a weird feeling, so I pulled over and had to run to catch up. The second he saw me, he came to me. I think he was scared and so relieved to see a familiar face.” She decided not to mention how close he was to that busy intersection. Jenna didn’t need any more stress or worry around the situation. “He let me pick him up and we got back in my car.”
“I can’t believe you stopped. I don’t know how to thank you, Sawyer.”
Jesus, the way her name sounded coming from Jenna’s lips did things to her, caused that familiar fluttering low in her body. “No thanks necessary. I’m just really glad I saw him.”
“I’m really glad you stopped. Not everybody would have.”
That was a fact, and they sat with it for a moment in silence, sipping their wine while Arnold sat on the floor between them, looking up at them, his head moving from one of them to the other. Jenna set her glass down and swooped him up in her arms, kissing all over his furry head again.
“Don’t ever worry your mommy like that again, mister. Understand?”
Sawyer watched as she kissed him some more, his tail sticking out from under her arm and wagging about a mile a minute, her brown eyes wet with unshed tears and an expression of such love and relief that Sawyer knew it was a picture that would live in her head rent free for a long time.
“Well,” she said, clearing her throat. “I should go.”
“Wait.” The word seemed to shoot from Jenna’s mouth. “Stay.”
“Stay?”
“Have dinner with me.” Jenna stopped, and her eyes went just a little wide for a fraction of a second. Then she seemed to shake off whatever it was, straighten her spine, and smile softly. “I was going to make some pasta.”
There was zero comparison, and Sawyer knew it. Home alone with a bowl of cereal or here in Jenna’s warm and inviting house with her, eating pasta and talking about, well, anything, really. No contest.
“Okay. I’d like that. Let me run next door and change into something cozier.”
“Perfect.”
Sawyer could feel Jenna’s eyes on her as she set her glass down and headed down the hall to the front door. Outside, she went back to her car and got her work bag out, then headed inside. Ten minutes later, she was dressed in joggers and a hoodie, her hair clipped up in a messy pile, fresh coat of gloss sparkling on her lips, and a bottle of Cabernet under her arm.
Dinner and conversation with Jenna.
She couldn’t think of a more perfect evening.
What was it about having Sawyer in her kitchen while she cooked?
