Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85565 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
I didn’t point out that Karlie had just brought them over from her dad’s boat shed. Instead I said, “Then I’ll take them to my room.”
He crossed his arms. “You’ll work on them here or not at all.”
The way he stood, his worn T-shirt pulled across his shoulders, accenting the muscles, I had a flash of the way he’d looked the night before, shirtless and sweaty as he swung the sledgehammer at the motel room wall. I felt a shiver at the thought of me trying to snatch the boxes back and him physically restraining me. The thought of it kept me rooted in place, half-afraid of what I might do if I moved any closer to him.
Sensing that he’d won, Sawyer began packing up the checkers board and jigsaw puzzle that had been spread out on the large table and returned them to the games shelf against the wall. Karlie tapped her foot and smirked at him. “Bossy fucker. Things never change, do they? What do you think he’s going to do? Steal the boring schematics and sixty-year-old closing papers?”
Sawyer flipped the lid off one of the boxes and rooted around before pulling out a creased, light orange sheet of paper. His eyes skimmed down it before he held it up, flashing it between us. “Exhibit A: Grandad’s letter to Nana when she was in California taking care of her aunt.” He slapped it down on the table and dug through the box again until pulling out a postcard. “Exhibit B: the last time Nana heard from her sister Gwen before she died.” Again, he reached into the box. Over and over again, he pulled out items of sentimental importance until his voice sounded brittle and Karlie’s eyes were suspiciously damp.
The next time he bent for the box, I stepped toward him, grasping his forearm to stop him. Forcibly but gently I removed the papers from his hands and placed them in the little stack he’d made to keep them safe. “Hey,” I said softly. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m fine to work here. You know I don’t want to mess with any of your family’s important—”
His eyes were wild. “Except you do.” He yanked his arm out of my grasp and took a step back. “You want to steal this fucking place right out from under us. My family’s most important memory of all. Their legacy, our future, this place is—”
His breathing turned ragged, his voice cracking. He was practically yelling, and anyone who didn’t know him might think he was furious, but I’d spent enough time with him to recognize what emotion was causing him to tremble. It wasn’t anger; it was despair and desperation. It was frustration and fear.
Maybe he’d intended to drive me off, but that wasn’t going to work. Instead of turning and walking out of the lobby the way he might have wanted me to, I reached for him and yanked him in for a hard hug. I threaded my fingers into his hair, cupping the back of his head and holding it against my shoulder. With my other arm, I pinned him against me.
Sawyer struggled, making a kind of choking noise as I shushed him, my lips just touching the shell of his ear.
“You know I’m not trying to steal anything,” I murmured, speaking the way I might to a cornered stray dog. “First of all, I’m the messenger. Secondly, I’ve done just about as much as I can to respect your side of this, so I would hope you could give me the same consideration.” As I spoke softly into his ear, Sawyer’s body began to relax against mine. “I’m doing my job here. I’m not asking you to stop doing your job. In fact, I’ve tried to help you do your job. Do me the same courtesy.”
His head turned into my neck just enough that I could have sworn I felt the brush of his lips against my skin as he inhaled. “Sorry.” The word came out on a breath like a whisper. “I just…”
I moved my hand up and down his back, my fingertips playing along the edges of his muscles. “I know.”
Karlie’s voice shocked us both out of our little moment. “Um, what is happening right now? And why is there a dog asleep behind the reception counter?”
Sawyer jumped back and ran his fingers through his hair.
I cleared my throat, jamming my hands into my pockets and daring a glance toward where she stood with arms crossed and eyebrows raised. I resumed my focus on anywhere but her, feeling my cheeks begin to burn with what had to be a very obvious blush.
“Nothing,” Sawyer quickly said. “Wait, what dog?”
Karlie leaned down and picked up a little ratty dog.
“Fuck. Reginald. That photographer was looking for him earlier.” Sawyer reached out to take the dog, but Karlie quickly pulled him closer to her chest.