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I grabbed my large bag of soccer balls and headed out to the field in a huff, running different backhanded comments through my mind that I could lob at Gwendolyn. Why was weight such a factor in a woman’s life? She would have never said that to a man who was ten pounds overweight—okay, twelve now. Those additional two pounds were just the pre-pre-pre-period pounds I always carried, but who was counting? Apparently, everyone. I liked food. Sue me. I could run circles around the heeled princess.
Before I went unhinged and challenged her royal highness to a race, I was relieved of the bag of balls I’d been carrying. My head whipped to the side ready to be super annoyed, but instead I was pleasantly surprised to see my favorite. Not just person. He was simply my favorite everything. I almost smiled, but then I thought, would he love me if I weighed less? My almost smile then turned into a scowl.
Sawyer stopped and set down the bag of balls. “Are you okay?”
I had to shake myself out of my head. “I’m fine.”
Sawyer stepped closer and brushed some of my flyaway hairs back, causing me to shiver in the warm summer air. Did he ever notice my reactions to him?
“Are you sure?” Sawyer asked.
I was about to tell him I was, but then I wasn’t.
“Hey there, Miss Emma,” Shelby’s Southern drawl echoed across the field.
Sawyer stepped away from me, flustered. “I’m giving Shelby a tour of Edenvale today,” he tripped over his words. “This is the first stop.”
“How nice.” I faked a smile.
Shelby was upon us and before I knew it, she was hugging me. Why did she have to be so dang nice? And skinny? Like, I could feel her bones. She smelled like heaven too. I had no other choice but to hug the man-stealing goddess back. “How are you?”
Shelby stepped back all smiles, wearing the cutest romper. Not many women pulled off the romper look, but she nailed it. Miss perfection leaned into Sawyer. “I’m doing just fine. This man here showed me the best place for breakfast. Have you ever been to the Brown Bear?”
I thought this was their first stop on the tour, and yes, I had been there. I was the one who introduced Sawyer to it because they made the best apple cinnamon pancakes with warm apple butter syrup. You know, I could go for some right about now. I nodded my response to the Southern Belle.
She rubbed her non-existent stomach. “I think I’ll be full for a week.”
My stomach was more lived in. I would have been full only until lunchtime. “Well, I need to go get my girls warmed up.”
“GO PINK LADIES!” she shouted and jumped up in the air. I guess Sawyer had filled her in about the team name.
“Why don’t you grab us a seat over there?” Sawyer pointed to the bleachers on the east side of the field. “I’m going to help Em for a minute.”
Shelby patted Sawyer’s arm. “You truly are the sweetest thing. You take your time.” Shelby waved at me. “Good luck, Emma.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled while walking off.
Sawyer caught up to me.
“First stop on the tour, huh?” Came flying out of my jealous mouth before I could filter it.
Sawyer narrowed his eyes while smirking. “This is the first stop in Edenvale. The Brown Bear, as you know, is in Pine Falls.”
“Clever.”
Sawyer nudged me. “Em, what’s wrong?”
“Not a thing.” I picked up my pace.
Sawyer and his long legs easily kept up. “Are you trying to ditch me?”
“No. Why would I?”
“That’s a good question.”
“It’s a silly question, because I’m not.”
“If you say so,” amusement played through his words.
“I do.”
“Well good, because it would be futile. I run faster than you.”
I smiled at the fool.
“There’s my Emma smile.”
I wasn’t the only one smiling. As soon as the girls saw Sawyer, they all charged him. He was quick and started tossing the balls at them as if they were playing an impromptu game of dodgeball. The girls played right along. They started tossing balls back trying to hit him, but he was too quick.
It was such an attractive sight. Sawyer fit so well into my world. Even when he gave me a wicked grin and threw two successive balls at me. I dodged the first one, but the second one nicked me in the butt. Sawyer flashed me his brilliant smile, pleased with himself.
“Okay, ladies, let’s warm up.” I hated to end the fun, but it was important that we warm up.
They each tried getting Sawyer once more before lining up to stretch, but each attempt was unsuccessful, until I bent over pretending to stretch. I grabbed the ball nearest me and zinged it Sawyer’s way, hitting him in his nice firm buttocks that I’d pretty much memorized the shape and contour of. He deserved an award for how good it looked in his khaki shorts.
