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“She hasn’t moved here yet.” I point out.
“But she wants to. And I don’t think her fear of you will keep her from doing what she wants. It’ll probably have the opposite effect. She’ll move here just to prove she can.”
“Yeah, she wouldn’t want to be seen as afraid.” I exhale, conceding his point.
“And once she’s here, it’s inevitable you’ll run into each other.” He winks.
“She’ll be on guard for that. Colt already manipulated us to get us in the same room. It didn’t fool her.”
“No one has to manipulate anything. We’re family, and families get together. Now that I think of it, Alex’s birthday is coming up, and I’m sure Colt and Sam will plan something for that. We’ll all be expected to be there.”
“Yeah, I guess.” I’m silent as I think about being around her with the whole family there. Can I really be around her without trying to patch things up? I mean, I tried to give her space before and it’s been eight years. I don’t want to wait anymore, but I know Pop’s right. She won’t budge unless she wants to, and forcing it will only backfire.
“You gonna tell Jen?” I ask.
Pop rubs his jaw. “Jen knows better than anyone that you have to let Sawyer come to you, but I’m not sure she’d sit this one out if she knew everything you just told me.”
“You mean she’d object?”
“No. I mean she’d beat herself up for thinking this was just a crush, then she’d push Sawyer to talk about it so she could figure out how she missed it. She’d go overboard worrying about whether you’re both okay. I think it's best if she and I both let you figure it out on your own.”
“You’d really be okay with that? I mean, technically she’s my stepsister.”
“That label is misleading. All I want is to see you happy. If that means being with Sawyer, then I support it.” He tips his beer back to finish it. “Now get up and go turn on the grill. I’ve got to start dinner.”
I make my way outside on shaky legs. It feels good to have that out in the open, even better to have Pop’s support. Although Sawyer and I held that secret so close for so long, I can’t help wondering if I’ve betrayed her yet again by coming clean.
Sawyer
“You’redefinitelymovingback?You got a job?” Hollie asks as we claim an open table and sit down with our drinks.
“Children’s.” I nod. “It’s only part time for now, they have someone on staff, but he’s getting close to retirement.”
“Can you afford that? Part time, I mean? Denver’s gotten really expensive since you left.”
“For now. I’ll fill the rest of my time working for Sam now that her foundation is headquartered here, and she and Dad will let me stay at their place as long as I need.”
“Well, cheers.” Hollie extends her glass. It’ll be nice to have my running partner back for more than a few days at a time.”
I clink my glass to hers. “Looking forward to it.”
Hollie’s the only person I kept in touch with after moving, and every other year we try to do a marathon in a different city. Aside from squeezing in a run or two when I was visiting home, we’ve never been able to train for those together and I’ve never found anyone who matches my pace as well as Hollie…or who’s as fun to run with. I’m excited to have some good company during training.
“Tell me what you’ve been up to since my last trip home.” Hollie’s a nurse at a small family practice, but she still dreams about her rotation in the ER during school, and is forever wondering if she should give up the comforts of her current job for the excitement of the ER.
“We got a new receptionist. Mid-thirties I’m guessing. Sweet lady, and smart. But I can’t take her seriously because her makeup looks like she belongs at drag queen bingo.”
“I…what?” I choke on my wine.
“Drag queen bingo. Over off Colfax. It's bingo hosted by a bunch of drag queens. They wear these really flamboyant outfits, and their makeup is loud and obnoxious, like hot pink and blue sparkly eyeshadow, cat-eye liner, and half-inch eyelashes. Don’t get me wrong, they look fantastic, but it’s for show. It’s part of the experience. Our new receptionist wears her makeup like that every day. I mean, I guess that takes talent, and she’s good at it, but at the doctor’s office? I can barely talk to her without hearing ‘Hubba Hubba, N44’ the way they say it at bingo.”
“This bingo thing is something you do regularly?”
“Not regularly, but it’s great for birthday parties or girl’s night. The queens are hilarious.”
“The queens?” I wrinkle my nose.
“They’ve earned that title, trust me. Hey, is that Ryan?” She inclines her head toward the bar.
