“How’re you doing, old man?” he asked, clamping Mike’s calloused palm in a handshake before bringing him in for a hug.
Mike returned the hug, then slapped Sawyer on the shoulder. “Don’t you go scaring me like this. You had me thinking somebody had broken in here. Myra Jacobs called Felicity at the house and told her she’d spotted the lights on here but didn’t see my truck. You’d better be happy I didn’t grab my shotgun. Your behind could be full of buckshot right now.”
“It’s nice to know so many people are keeping an eye out,” Sawyer said, patting Mike on the back as they returned to the building.
Mike took him on a quick tour, showing him where he’d repaired the wall after frozen pipes during last winter’s brief freeze burst. He had also taken liberties with the kitchenette, installing a new wash bin he’d found for cheap on Facebook Marketplace.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Sawyer said, reaching in his back pocket for his wallet. “How much do I owe you for it?”
Mike waved him off. “I’m not worrying about no money, boy. If I didn’t spend it on the sink, Felicity would spend it on all those knickknacks crowding the house. Teapots are her new thing. Got more damn teapots in that house than the British.”
Laughing as he stuffed the wallet back into his pocket, Sawyer followed Mike into the main area of the building.
“So, what you doing all the way out here?” Mike asked. Sawyer told him about the bar’s grand opening, which, of course, Mike had already heard about.
“I decided to drop in here and see how the building was holding up, since it was on the way home,” Sawyer told him. “You’ve taken good care of it.”
“Nothing else to do now that I’m retired from the mill,” Mike said with a shrug.
“Don’t you think it’s time we do something with this place?” Sawyer asked. “My dad wouldn’t want it to just sit here, giving you an excuse to get away from Felicity every now and then.”
“You’d better not tell her that,” Mike warned.
“I won’t.” Sawyer laughed, then sobered. “I’m serious, Mike. My dad and I never discussed it, but I think we could maybe turn this place into a rec center for the families of the mill workers who live over here in Landreaux. There are a lot of them on this side of the creek. Don’t you think they would appreciate a place for their families, something close to home that doesn’t require them driving all the way to downtown Gauthier?”
He walked to the far end of the room. “I’m picturing five or so computer stations here. And maybe in the corner over there we could do a reading area. Hell, this place is big enough to put in a wall or two. They can hold several different events at one time.”
Sawyer couldn’t be sure he’d ever seen Mike wearing a smile as big as the one on his face right now. On the average person, it would barely be considered a grin.
“Earl did a pretty good job with you,” Mike said, that smile widening even more. “When your mama passed on he was scared as hell that he would mess you up, but Cheryl Ann would be proud of the son he raised.”
Sawyer couldn’t deny the pride warming his chest. “Thanks, Mike. That means a lot coming from you.” His hands on his hips, he looked around the vast, empty space. “So, what do you think?”
Mike patted him on the back. “I think I got myself a new excuse to get away from Felicity’s teapots.”
Chapter 6
Paxton pulled intothe gravel parking lot of the Gauthier Lions Club’s lodge, surprised to find it empty. Was she the first one here?
“Hmm, I guess miracles really do happen,” she murmured as she checked her lipstick in the rearview mirror.
A moment later, Sawyer’s gleaming BMW pulled up next to her car. He looked over at her and smiled. He wore dark sunglasses, and,my goodness,but they looked good against his rich mahogany skin. Paxton sucked in a swift breath, praying it would help to regulate her heart rate.
“Lord, I want this man,” she breathed. Getting out of her car, she sucked in another calming breath. Her blood was still simmering after last night’s near-kiss. She needed to find some control if she was going to make it through today without taking Sawyer up on his offer.
And she was determinednotto take him up on his offer.
Maybe.
Sawyer met her at his front fender, sans sunglasses. “Good morning,” he greeted her.
Two seconds had passed and she’d managed to refrain from pushing him onto the hood of his car and climbing on top of him. That was a good start.
“Good morning,” Paxton returned. She nodded toward his car. “I see you got your baby back.”
“And not a moment too soon. I couldn’t take another day in the Buick. I was just about to start jogging to work.”
Her gaze immediately dropped to his well-toned chest, which no doubt benefited from the evening jogs he’d told her he took after work. Her eyes darted back up to his, which creased slightly at the edges with his smile.
