Page 119 of One Night with Number Nineteen

“Hmm.” A beat. “Seems to me that you do that a lot, Cupcake.”

“Do what?”

“Try to save us from ‘wasting our time’ instead of just asking us to help.”

My stomach twists. “You guys are all busy—fuck, people are having babies and building families. I can install a few cameras.”

He studies me for a few more seconds.

Then sighs, murmurs, “Gonna be a stubborn fucker, huh?”

“What?” I ask right as my phone starts ringing.

Leaning in, I grab it from the seat and look at the screen.

“I’ve got to get this.”

He presses his lips together and exhales. “Yeah, man, I know you do. Just remember that when you figure out you can’t do it all alone, your family’s here for you.”

I frown, but I don’t have a chance to reply to that because he’s walking away.

I swipe my finger across the screen. “Hey, Mom.”

“Do you know what I had to do all alone?”

“No,” I say, stifling a sigh, that throb back in full-force. “But I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”

“Yes, I certainly will. After you bring me one of those smoothies I like so much.”

“Right.” I drop into the driver’s seat. “I’ll be over soon.”

I wave at Ollie through the front window, back out of the driveway, then head to the smoothie place to get my mom’s drink. Along the way, Ally calls and we hammer out the final details for the two contracts that seemed worthwhile.

“I’m not letting go of the Anderson one, however,” she says just before we hang up. “If I can get them to bend on some of the clauses, it just might work.”

“Okay, work your Ally magic.”

“I always do, Cupcake. I always do.”

Laughing, I go to hang up.

“Sawyer?”

“Yeah?”

“Think you could do one thing for me?”

“Of course.”

She pauses as though considering how to best say what she has to say next.

But that pause tells me enough.

And it’s enough to have bile burning the back of my throat.

“My mom’s calling you again?” I manage to push out.

Ally exhales. “Yeah, I’m sorry to say, but she is.” There’s another long blip of silence. “Do you need me to step in?”