I weave through the streets toward the wharf. My breath fogs in the freezing morning air as I push my tired legs as fast as they’ll go.
Wind whips over the deserted parking lot as an old petrol guzzler roars over the gravel and cuts off the gas by Mulligan’s.
My heart sinks when Cain emerges from the back of the truck with only a red-headed teenager I don’t recognize. I wonder if it’s Bruiser’s boy—the one Sawyer mentioned all those weeks ago. Whoever he is, Cain waves him off to the boat when he catches sight of me.
“Well, look who’s here.” Cain slants his hip against the side of the truck. “Superstar auctioneer. Freya says you and Luke made a ton for the charities last night.”
“Oh, yes… We did well.”
“I s’pose you’re not here to talk about that, though?”
“No.”
“You’re looking for Sawyer?”
“Is he…?” I trail off as I shield my eyes against the harsh light rising over the waves to check for signs of life on the boat. No Sawyer.
“Nah, he’s shot through,” Cain says, lifting a bag out of the back of his truck. “Up north to his parents’ place.”
“So…he’s just…gone?”
“He’ll be back when he’s figured out where his head’s at.”
I nod slowly as the news drops like concrete on my chest.
“He’s hurting,” Cain says. “That was one heck of a story you’ve been keeping to yourself.”
“I didn’t want my life to be defined by the man I used to be married to.”
“I’m not having a go at you. Your ex-husband is your business. But just so you know, Sawyer made the shit that went down at Fuoco my bloody business until about midnight.”
“Cain, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. Not your fault either. I’m blaming Freya for that. She was the one stupid enough to give him the goddamn coffee. He wasn’t pacing the length of my backyard before he drank that.”
“He was angry?”
“Not at you.”
“Sure.”
“His pride’s taken one hell of a hit, but his anger’s directed at the right person.” Cain smirks. “At one point, he was ranting about getting Kristen’s real estate license revoked.”
“Sawyer would never do something like that.”
“Wouldn’t he? I think you might find his moral compass shifted right around the time he overheard her talking rubbish about you.”
“He told you about that?”
“Not many other people for him to talk to when we’re out on the water all day.”
“Oh… Sorry.”
He shook his head. “The vulture should’ve kept her mouth shut.”
“She’s interested in him.”
Cain grunts a laugh. “She’s wasting her time on him. He’s only had eyes for one woman for a good few months now.”
