Actually, Paxton wasn’t curious. She didn’t have to be, because she already knewexactlywhat Sawyer had to offer. They’d done it with the lightson.
She was not looking forward to Shayla going ballistic over her keeping her one-night stand with Sawyer a secret. The thought sent an unsettling barrage of questions parading through her mind.
Whyhadn’tshe told Shayla about Sawyer? The two of them had shared details about every single guy they had ever been with—even the questionable characters they’d given their goodies to during their wild college years. But when it came to that one night with Sawyer, Paxton just couldn’t bring herself to share it.
Shayla reached over and tapped her on the arm. “Just remember what I said before. Sawyer is one of the good guys. Don’t let your typical hang-ups get in the way of it this time. Give him a chance.”
“What are my typical hang-ups?” Paxton asked, a fair amount of affront in her voice.
Shayla didn’t hesitate to point them out. “You believe everyone judges you because of how you grew up, so you turn around and judge them. Usually unfairly. And especially when it comes to Sawyer. You’vealwaysunfairly judged him.”
“Wow,” Paxton said with a snort. “Don’t hold back. Tell me what you really think.”
“I finally am,” Shayla said. “I should have told you long before this, because I love you like a sister. Like a damn twin.” She covered her forearm again. “No one cares that you grew up in a trailer behind Harlon’s Bar. No one cares that the jerk who provided the other half of your DNA never claimed you as his. None of that matters. It definitely doesn’t matter to Sawyer. It never has.”
Paxton pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I just… I don’t know,” she said. “These last couple of days have been really good. I’m just not used to this.”
“Not used to what?”
“Being with a guy like this. Just hanging out together, getting to know each other. Did you know he was awarded the highest honor that a civilian can be honored with by the army corps? And he donated a huge amount of money to the animal shelter. Oh,andback when he first moved to New Orleans after he finished college, he started mentoring two young boys at a school in the Ninth Ward. Those two boys just finished college this year. One is even going to medical school.”
“Sounds like the two of youaregetting to know each other. And you now see the kind of man Sawyer is, right?”
“I do,” Paxton said, still nervously pulling on her lower lip. “I just don’t know what to do with any of this.” She looked up at Shayla. “I’m not used to it being so easy. I just keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“Forget the other shoe! Sometimes it really is this easy. Not every guy is a jerk. And Sawyer has never been that kind of guy, even though all the ingredients are there. He’s rich and popular and could be the biggest jerk ever, but he has always had this huge heart.”
“So maybe I should just see where this leads?”
“Hell yes!” Shayla said. “No more questioning it. Just go with it. Let that man take you up against the wall so you can come back and tell me all about it.” She pointed the paring knife at Paxton again. “And you better tell me as soon as the orgasm wears off, or I swear I’ll cut you.”
“I really do tell you too much about my damn sex life.” Paxton reached for another apple, but Shayla snatched the bowl out of her way. “Hey, give that back. I’m here to help you, remember?”
“You take off too much flesh when you peel. The whole ‘helping me make apple butter’ thing was only a ruse to get you here, anyway.”
Paxton’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of no good are you up to, devil woman?”
“Come to the game tonight,” Shayla said.
Paxton put her hands up and slid from the stool. “Forget it.”
“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun.”
“What is with this town and high school football games?”
“The same thing that’s with every small Southern town when it comes to Friday night high school football. It’s a religion. And don’t use your mom’s place as an excuse. Most of the town will be at the game. Belinda and Jessie will be able to handle the handful of people who might drop in at the bar. If you want, you can even leave at the end of the third quarter so you can get to the bar in time to help with the postgame rush.”
“Wanting to help out at the bar has nothing to do with why I don’t want to go to the game,” Paxton said. “It’s not my thing. It never has been.”
“Because you never gave it a chance back in high school. It’s going to be fun.”
Paxton slanted her friend a look. “For who?”
“Please,” Shayla said. “Do it for me?”
“Ugh.” Paxton grunted. “You’re such a pain in the ass.”
“But you love me anyway.” Shayla blew her a kiss. “Meet me back here at seven. We’ll ride together.”
