He softened and gave her a genuine smile. “I’m just teasing you. Honestly, it’s nice to see you like this and know that it’s not fleeting.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
One shoulder lifted in a half shrug. “I mean with the last one, your happiness was always temporary. I knew that if you were giddy like this, it was likely gonna go away soon.” He paused and held her gaze for a moment before he added, “She never let you stay that way.”
He wasn’t wrong. In fact, he was exactly on the nose. It was as if Amanda couldn’t allow her to be happy for too long. Sawyer wasn’t ever sure if it was an ego thing or a control thing or what, but whenever things were going well, and Sawyer was happy, Amanda would do or say something to bring it crashing down. More often than not, it would be one simple line, something subtle but cutting. If Sawyer had a new outfit, Amanda would compliment it and then pick something on it apart. There was always a “but” with her.
I do love that sweater, I’m just not sure about the color.
Your hair looks great…I just didn’t know you were going to cut so much off the length.
Dinner is delicious, yes. Maybe a little less pepper next time.
That kind of thing became normal to Sawyer. Eventually, she accepted the criticism as part of the compliment. When her mother had called her on it, she’d shrugged, smiled, and waved a dismissive hand as she said, “Oh, that’s just the way Amanda is. She doesn’t mean anything by it.” And her mother would tip her head with a sad smile and say nothing more, and she knew now that her mom had been walking a fine line between expressing her concerns about her daughter’s partner and risking losing her by overstepping. In hindsight, Sawyer felt bad about that.
“So, when do I get to meet this person who’s responsible for your goofy facial expressions?” Colton’s question pulled her back to the present.
“Soon. I promise.”
He softened. “I look forward to it. Truly. I tease, but it’s really nice to see you like this.” He reached over and squeezed her upper arm, then spun his chair back to face his own desk.
Her phone pinged a text indication, and when she looked at it, her heart did a happy little skip. Jenna.
How’s your day?
Sawyer typed back,Better now…
Such a sweet talker.Jenna followed that up with an eye roll emoji, but then a heart eyes one.
The romance novels must be rubbing off.She laughed softly as she added a wide-eyed emoji.
My dastardly plan is working! Bwahahaha!
Sawyer laughed some more, then sent more wide-eyed emoji. Then she typed,All set for tonight?BookLove was hosting an author signing that evening.
Almost. Books just arrived.Another eye roll, presumably because the books should have arrived two days ago.Should be a good turnout, though.
She typed,You sure you don’t need me to feed the boys? I’m happy to do it.
Jenna sent a heart emoji and followed it with,I appreciate that more than you know, but I’ll be ready for a quick break. And I want to give them all some love.
It was something she found unexpectedly attractive about Jenna: her love for her animals. She was away from them during the day, like any other person with a full-time job out of the house, but it weighed on her, and more often than not, she’d run home at lunch or in the middle of the afternoon just to give them a hug and kiss. It really was an adorable quality of hers.
Okay. If anything changes, shoot me a text.She didn’t have a key, but she knew where Jenna kept the extra hidden in the garage, so she could get in if needed.
Will do.The gray dots bounced for a bit, like Jenna had more to say. Then they stopped. Sawyer held the phone and waited. No more came, and she was about to set the phone down when a text finally popped up.
I miss you today.
Everything within Sawyer suddenly increased in temperature, as if her circulatory system had been flushed with warm water. The grin was permanent now, she could feel it as she typed.I miss you too. See you later tonight.She added a heart emoji for good measure. And because it felt right.
Her last meeting of the day ran long, so she got out later than usual, and when she finally arrived home, the driveway, front sidewalk, and steps to the porch had all been shoveled free of snow. Jenna’s Uncle David, the landlord, must’ve been by earlier. No cars in the driveway, and Sawyer didn’t pull into the garage because she wanted to go see hermom tonight. The sky had cleared, and though the sun had already set, it had turned into a lovely, not terribly cold early winter evening.
Her sigh left on a breath of vapor as she climbed the porch steps. She’d hoped to catch Jenna at home feeding the boys, but she must’ve missed her, thanks to her late meeting. In her entryway, she’d barely set her bag down, coat still on, when there was a knock on her door. Heart skipping beats in the hopes it was Jenna, she yanked it open.
And blinked.
“Amanda. What are you doing here?”
