They smile sheepishly and disappear.
Sawyer’s fingers grip the edge of the door. “I’m going to close this, if that’s okay?”
I nod and lower myself onto the edge of the bed. When the door bumps shut, I smooth the comforter beside me and look over at Sawyer with hopeful eyes, but he shakes his head. He stands stiffly by the door.
“Elsie, I wanted to talk to you about…” He swallows. “About…when we kissed…”
“You regret it?”
“No.”
“You…enjoyed it?”
Please say yes.
He drags a hand through his hair. “Elsie, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me.”
Oh.
“It takes a lot for me to open up…and…” He blows out a slow breath. “Trust is somethin’ I’m always workin’ on. You know I’ve had a couple of relationships that taught me how important it is to be honest.”
“I…do…”
“But I don’t think you’ve been completely honest with me, and I haven’t exactly put you on the spot because… Well, shit… Until yesterday, I only let myself dream you might be interested in a dumb bastard like me.”
“You’re not dumb. At all. I’ve never ever thought that. I think…” I bite back a smile as I fiddle nervously with a button on my skirt. “I think you’re sort of wonderful, actually.”
“Aw, Elsie.” He ducks his head to hide the color flooding his cheeks. “Don’t be sayin’ things like that.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Give me a bit more truth then.”
I drop my eyes to my lap.
Sawyer’s right. I haven’t been completely honest. My past life on the mainland is a secret I locked away, hoping to visit it again only on my loneliest days. I haven’t had many of those since I met him. Well,officiallymet him. I wish we had talked before that terrible day at the wharf.
When I don’t answer, Sawyer adds, “You’ve got somethin’ going on with Luke.”
“No.”
“You did, though?”
“Not exactly.”
He frowns. My evasive answers aren’t meeting his criteria for honesty. I hesitate out of fear—if I admit I agreed to “just sex” and “no strings attached,” what will he think of me? People judge for less—and I care about his opinion most of all.
“I saw you two together,” he says.
Apparently, the whole town did. So much for being discreet. “What happened between Luke and me was nothing serious.”
“He’s tryin’ to smooth things over. He wants you.”
“Has he said something?”
“To me? Nah. He’s been keepin’ it strictly business since the cookout.”
“Why would that make a difference?”
