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Granted, the outcome was the same, but the motivation was completely different. In this instance, it worried me that desperation to silence Sawyer would kick in, and that’s when things could get particularly dicey.
“I’ll make sure he knows,” I promised. “And until this is all settled, I’m going to keep you safe.”
Sawyer offered a small smile. “I know you will.”
“Come here,” I urged.
She shifted closer to me on the couch and allowed me to wrap her up in my arms. We stayed like that for a long time before Sawyer pulled back enough to look at my face. “Does this new information now mean that you don’t want to take me to submit an application for a job today?”
Right now, all I wanted to do was lock Sawyer up in my house and keep her safe here until I knew this was all over.
But I knew that wouldn’t be fair to her. And if nothing else, I could recognize how much she was struggling. This situation was the kind of thing that could send her running again. I needed to do everything I could to protect her, while I made sure that she had the chance to build a life here in Steel Ridge again.
Sawyer had made it clear that she left last time because she believed she only had her mom. She needed to know that she had other people in her life, and that was never going to happen if I tucked her away to keep her safe. I needed to trust myself to do my job as I would have done with any other person.
“No, baby girl,” I replied quietly. “If you still want to go out and find a job, I’ll take you. And if there’s anywhere else you want to go, all you need to do is ask.”
Her face lit up. “Really?”
I dipped my chin. “Of course.”
“You’re the best guy ever,” she declared just before she planted her lips on mine.
That’s when I knew for sure that I’d made the right decision. Come hell or high water, I was going to keep this woman safe while she fell in love with her home again.
“You look exceptionally happy.”
Sawyer’s smile got even brighter. “That’s because I am exceptionally happy.”
I gave her a squeeze and said, “I’m so glad everything worked out the way it did for you today.”
She nodded her head furiously and replied, “I never expected them to interview me right away and then hire me on the spot.”
Yep.
That had happened.
Sawyer was in disbelief at what happened, and I couldn’t say I wasn’t surprised, either. Neither one of us had imagined she’d wind up finding employment her first day searching, but we weren’t going to complain about it.
For me, it was a relief.
It was the first step toward helping Sawyer find some stability again in the place that had once been her home. My hope was that she’d continue to find things here that would make it harder and harder for her to leave again. I wanted to believe that the relationship the two of us were building was enough, but I didn’t want to leave anything open to chance.
The more things she had in her life to keep her connected here, the better.
“I did tell you the place has become a hot spot,” I noted. “But I’m not even sure that’s the real reason you’ve got a job. They’d be a fool not to hire you.”
Tipping her head to the side, she eyed me curiously. “Why do you say that?”
“Because they’re in the business of making money. They do that by selling drinks. If you’re behind that bar, I get the feeling they’re going to see an increase in patronage.”
Sawyer cocked an eyebrow. “That doesn’t worry you?”
“Should it?” I countered.
She shook her head.
“I know what I give you, Sawyer,” I told her. “I know how you light up for me, and I know what we have between us. And it’s not the kind of thing that some guy who walks up and sits down at that bar is going to take away. You know how I take care of you, how I’ll always take care of you, and there won’t ever be the chance that you’ll want to give that up.”
