“Aw, Hosko. I was just tryin’ to rescue you. I wasn’t meanin’ to keep you all to myself.”
“Oh… Yeah…” Disappointment slows me to a stop. My face falls, and I kick at a stray rock with the toe of my sandal, watching it skitter away down the pavement. “Of course.”
Sawyer’s brows knit as if he were recalculating. “I’m headin’ to…the, um…bar.” Why was that so hard for him to get out? He seems nervous. Did I make him uncomfortable? Probably. “You’re more than welcome to join me—”
“Yes!” Excited, I clap my hands.
He chuckles. “I didn’t think you’d want to be stuck with me again.”
“I love hanging out with you. Who else will be there tonight?” I fall into step beside him, but lighter now. Why does being around him make me feel like this? I’m floating. “Cain? Freya?” I love hanging out with them, too. They bicker constantly, but you can tell they’re crazy about each other.
“Aw, nah. Cain shot off the boat as soon as we docked. He’s needed at home tonight.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Ovulation.”
Heat rushes straight to my face. “That’s, um… That’s very personal.”
“Not if you’re stuck with either of them for more than a few minutes. You’ll be hearin’ plenty about basal temperatures and follicular phases if you plan on hangin’ around.”
“Are they trying for a baby?”
He nods.
“So, are you catching up with some of your other friends, then?” I ask.
Luke told me Sawyer knows everyone. I’m not sure how I’ll go meeting too many people at once. I’m hopeless in crowds. And around people. And in noisy bars. God, please don’t let there be karaoke!
“Nah, not tonight,” he says. “I was just gonna find a spot by myself. Sometimes, it’s better for me to have a beer at the bar so there’s a bit of noise behind me.”
“You worry about being on your own?”
He shakes his head. “It’s easy to be on my own. My mum used to worry about me bein’ a bit isolated. Aw, who am I kiddin’? She still worries.”
“But everyone likes you.”
“Not sure about that.”
“You have heaps of friends.”
“I’m lucky to have a few good ones. You need to invest time in the people who will make time for you. It’s somethin’ I work on, even though some days…”
“You enjoy it if it’s just you?”
“You get it.”
I grimace. “Too bad I gatecrashed your quiet time.”
“You did nothin’ of the sort. I consider you one of the people worth investin’ my time in.”
I press my lips together to stop the wobble. Tears are threatening to make an appearance, but I duck my head so he doesn’t see. Kindness is so effortless for some people. He’s a good man.
We leave town behind and head toward the water. The scent of salt hangs in the breeze, and music and laughter spill from the beachside bar long before we walk in. Women’s eyes followSawyer all the way to the table on the edge of the deck. Of course they do. He’s noticeable, my hot friend.
“This is an amazing spot.” I sit on the stool he pulls out for me. “I can’t believe it’s free.”
“They reserve it for me on Wednesdays.”
