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Jade laughed. “You were never scared of me.”
“That’s because I knew who you really were.” He finished his beer. “So Seth was going to follow you to Tahiti or wherever your dream hotel management job landed you?”
“No. One of the many red flags I chose to ignore. Seth didn’t want me to work. He wanted to start a family right away.” She raised a hand. “Which is fine for some people. But that’s not what I wanted. I just almost let him talk me into it. He was from Spokane, but he wanted to move to Seattle.”
“Makes sense. That’s a great place to have a boat.” Sawyer drummed the table with his fingers. “One thing I don’t get. Why didhecall off the wedding? It seems he was getting the good little wife he was after.”
“About a week ago, I started coming out of the apparent coma I’d been in, and told him I wanted to work and wait on having a family. He didn’t take it so well, but I think he thought I was having a slight stroke or something and I’d come to my senses after we were married.”
“So you would’ve gone through with it if he hadn’t called it off?”
“I don’t know. When he came into see me, I was in the middle of a panic attack. Or the beginning of one, actually. I hope I wouldn’t have walked down that aisle. I’ll never know, I guess.”
“So, what now?”
Jade shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t want to go back to Spokane. Not for a while, anyway. But I might have to, because I don’t have much money. Certainly not enough to start over somewhere. I can get a job tending bar. That won’t be an issue. But I have to figure out where to live.”
Sawyer reached for her hand. “You can stay here as long as you want. After the fight, I’m going back to the ranch for a few weeks until after the baby is born. You’ll have the place to yourself.”
“Are you kidding me? No. That’s too much to ask. That’s not why I came here. I just needed a friendly face and someone to talk to.”
“It’s fine, Jade. Really. I’m barely here.”
“I’ll get a job. I can pay rent.”
“Take some time to de-cult yourself. Get your head on straight. Then, if you want to work, go for it. But don’t rush right out and look for work. It’s not necessary.”
“Sawyer. I knew coming here was the right thing to do.”
He looked at her. “Just keep the hair. I like it.” He got to his feet. “You look exhausted. Let me get some blankets for the couch and you can take the bed.”
“I’m not going to take your bed.”
“Take the bed, Jade.”
“Maybe for tonight. But tomorrow we’ll talk about it.”
She stood and followed him to the bedroom. He gathered a couple blankets and a pillow. “I’ll probably be gone when you get up in the morning. I’ve got a pretty heavy workout schedule for the next week.”
She looked at the bed. “How many guests have you had in this bed?”
“Guest?”
She cocked her head. “Women.”
He laughed. “Um…not many. And not recently.”
She looked surprised by his confession. “Wow. That’s hard to believe.”
“Like I said, I’m not here very often. And when I am, I’m getting ready for a fight.”
“Women are like alcohol? Not allowed.”
“Something like that. There’s another set of sheets in the closet if you want to change them.”
She went to him and gave him a hug. “Thank you. You’re still my only real friend.”
“Goodnight, Skittles.”
