"It was the best decision I ever made."
They watched for a moment longer in silence. The teams had changed sides and Paige"s face lit up as her younger son took a mighty swing with a bat almost as tall as he was. When the ball sailed past the pitcher, Paige cheered him on as he ran toward fi rst base. Jori fi nally felt the warmth begin to drain from her face.
"So, how are you settling in at Drake"s?"
"Very well."
"Erica and Brady don"t drive you nuts with their bickering?
And I imagine it"s worse now with Sawyer there, too."
Jori shrugged. "I kind of like it." She wondered if Paige would understand the comfort of being around such a close family connection. Even when the Drakes didn"t agree, the affection between them was still obvious.
"You an only child?"
"Yeah." Jori gave the simplest answer.
"Me, too. It took me a while to get used to them." Paige glanced around the yard, her gaze touching on each of the siblings.
"But it"s hard not to spend any amount of time around them and not fall in love with the whole family. They"re so much fun to be around and, despite their differences, deep down they"re very loyal to each other."
Jori only smiled in response. She"d certainly developed a fondness for Erica and Brady in the time they"d worked together.
But as she looked at Sawyer, taking in her easy smile as she ran alongside one of the boys, she realized there was one member of the Drake family with whom she didn"t want to fall in love.
Erica paused on her way into the house when she noticed Jori and Paige watching the kids play. One of the boys ran across * 50 *
home plate just ahead of a throw by the fi rst baseman, and Sawyer called him safe with an exaggerated sweep of her arms.
Immediately three boys ran up to her and argued the call, but she didn"t back down.
Jori"s eyes followed Sawyer, and Erica wondered if she was aware of the smile that brought out her dimple. She"d seen the way Sawyer looked at Jori and now it seemed the attraction might be mutual, which concerned Erica. If Sawyer got involved with Jori, things would be uncomfortable around the restaurant.
She debated talking to Jori, but when she saw Sawyer glance up and wave at Jori, she reconsidered. Jori had never talked about her relationships. In fact, Erica wasn"t certain Jori was a lesbian, though the blush spreading over her cheeks in response to Sawyer"s attention was defi nitely a strong hint. Jori was an employee, and she needed to be careful when broaching such a personal subject. Jori could misunderstand a request from her employer not to get involved with Sawyer. No, she decided, talking to Sawyer was a much better route.
When the game broke up, Erica crossed the lawn to intercept Sawyer before she could join the rest of the guests.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"What"s up?"
Erica waited until she was certain the children were out of earshot, then said, "Please don"t make a move on my pastry chef."
Sawyer laughed, but Erica"s expression remained serious.
"I"m serious. I don"t want Jori-"
"Erica, you can"t tell Jori what she can do in her personal time."
"I"m not telling her. I"m telling you."
Sawyer smothered her instinct to inform Erica she had no right to tell her what to do either. But she didn"t try to deny her attraction to Jori; instead she tried to reason with Erica. "What"s the big deal? If Jori and I want to hang out, who does it hurt?"
"Why her? Can"t you fi nd someone who doesn"t work for * 51 *
me? I just don"t want things to be diffi cult when you get tired of her."
Sawyer fl inched, but her sister"s bluntness didn"t surprise her. "Who says I"ll get tired of her?"
"You always do. I don"t want to watch you hurt Jori like that."
"I didn"t intend to hurt anyone." Stubbornly, she didn"t correct Erica"s a.s.sessment of her personal life. She never did because Erica was going to believe whatever she wanted to despite any explanation on her part. Ever since Sawyer"s failed relationship with Erica"s friend, she hadn"t wanted to hear her side of the story.
"I know you didn"t mean to. But you did."
Sawyer looked across the lawn where Jori sat next to Paige. She was smiling politely, but to Sawyer she appeared a bit uncomfortable. Erica was right about one thing; she could get involved with plenty of other women. But though it seemed crazy, considering she barely knew Jori, something about her attracted Sawyer, something more than just her dark good looks and adorable smile. She recalled the one break in Jori"s perpetually guarded expression, when they"d fi rst met and Jori was describing the chocolate cake. She wanted to see that fl ash of confi dence and bit of teasing again.
Erica interrupted her thoughts. "I"m serious. Promise me you won"t hit on her."
If she didn"t agree Erica would only continue to harp on the idea, and she"d be watching them both closely. Maybe she could satisfy Erica and still have a chance with Jori if Jori came on to her. "Okay. I promise."
* 52 *
CHAPTER FIVE.
Late Monday morning Sawyer awoke with a new purpose.
She rolled onto her back and stretched, enjoying the lingering arousal from the dream she"d been having when the alarm went off, one in which Jori had starred. Her stomach was pleasantly tight and the expensive sheets, a favorite indulgence, slid against skin left bare by a tank top and soft fl annel boxers.
She showered and dressed quickly in black pants and a white b.u.t.ton-down shirt. While pinning her hair back, she glanced in the mirror only long enough to scowl at her plain features. She looped her tie around her neck and shoved her wallet in her back pocket, suddenly in a hurry to get to the restaurant. She wanted to see Jori and she hoped the added challenge of getting Jori to fall for her would provide a nice distraction, because in only a week she was already tiring of waiting tables. If not for Jori, she would be ready to move on soon. Oddly enough, this restlessness was comfortable. She"d grown to expect it, so much so that she didn"t know what she would do if she ever found someplace that held her interest, that challenged her.
Following the smell of fresh-brewed coffee, she headed for the kitchen. As she pa.s.sed the hall bathroom she heard the shower running. She hadn"t expected to see Matt before noon, considering she hadn"t even heard him come in the night before.
She stepped into the kitchen and paused. Matt stood at the * 53 *
counter wearing only boxers and a wrinkled white T-shirt and pouring himself a cup of coffee. With his hair sticking up and his features softened by sleep, he looked more like the boy she"d known than the man he"d become. He"d been so c.o.c.ky and sure of what he wanted back then that Sawyer had envied him. He seemed to have no fear when he told his father he wanted to sell cars.
She crossed the room and lifted her own mug off a rack.
"Good morning." He moved aside so she could reach the coffeemaker.
"Who"s in the shower?"
"I went to that new club on Church Street with some friends."
He leaned against the counter and sipped from his mug. "I met someone."
"Details?"
"His name is Davis and he"s really cute. Gorgeous blue eyes.
He works out, has pecs I"d kill for."
Sawyer laughed. Matt had gone through a phase during which he lifted weights obsessively, but he couldn"t build any bulk. His high metabolism burned all the extra protein he consumed, and he remained lean and lanky.
Matt was spared further interrogation when a soft voice called from the next room, "Matty, do I smell coffee? I don"t think I need to tell you what I would do for a cup right-"
Davis bit off his words as he walked into the kitchen and saw her standing there. Dark wet hair fell across his brow. He wore a pair of old sweatpants Sawyer recognized as Matt"s, and his broad chest was bare. The rapid blush that crept up his face left little doubt about what he"d been about to suggest in trade for caffeine.
"Hi," he said, clearing his throat. "You must be Sawyer."
"Yes. And you"re Davis."
When he turned to take the mug Matt offered, Sawyer grinned at Matt behind his back and mouthed, "Matty?" He * 54 *
glared at her and wrapped an arm around Davis"s waist to pull him close.
"Well, I"m off to work." She grabbed her keys from the counter and called over her shoulder, "You were right about the pecs, Matty."
Sawyer strolled through the back door of the restaurant.
Brady had a row of knives laid out and rasped the one in his hand over the diamond-stone sharpener. He was particular about his knives and insisted on sharpening them despite Chuck"s repeated offers to do it for him.
"You better check on your sister. She didn"t look too well,"
Brady said without slowing the rhythmic swipe of the chef"s knife against the sharpener.
"Sure, all of a sudden she"s my sister," Sawyer shot back sarcastically.
"You know I can"t handle the pregnancy stuff."
"You"re such a wimp, Brady. You have two kids."
"I know. And Paige will tell you, I was no help at all."
Sawyer rolled her eyes at him as she left the kitchen.
She found Erica in her offi ce, sitting with her elbows propped on her desk and her head in her hands.
"Erica, what"s wrong?"
She snapped her head up and, though it was too late for pretense, she shuffl ed the papers in front of her as if she"d been working. But her eyes were gla.s.sy and she looked as if she might drop out of her chair at any moment.
"Nothing. I"m fi ne. I was just going over some orders."
"Uh-huh." As Sawyer sat in the chair opposite her, she let her sister know she wasn"t deceived. "You look beat. You should go upstairs and get some rest."
Erica shook her head, denial coming automatically. "I"m * 55 *
fi ne." She was exhausted, but she refused to let that keep her from doing her job. She knew her complexion was pale and hoped Sawyer didn"t notice the fi lm of sweat on her face.
"Go. Brady and I can handle things here."
"I can"t. We"re already shorthanded."
"You"ll just be upstairs. We"ll call you if we need anything."
Erica knew once she left they wouldn"t call and disturb her, and she wanted to protest further, but she felt weak and nauseated.
Crawling into bed sounded good. "Maybe I"ll just take a short nap and come back down in time for the dinner rush."
"The place won"t fall apart without you for one night. You"ll probably have to take at least one night off to have that baby, you know."
"You think?"
"So consider today practice. Go upstairs."
Aware that Sawyer wouldn"t give up, Erica fi nally nodded and stood carefully to avoid the dizziness that came when she moved too quickly. She"d lost her share of sleep wondering how she would manage as a single mother and restaurant manager, afraid she wouldn"t be able to balance the two roles as well as she should. She"d begun looking into child-care centers, but with her long hours at Drake"s, her child would essentially be raised by a stranger. This type of thinking had led to the exhaustion she now battled. After making Sawyer promise to let her know if things got too crazy, she headed for the back stairs leading to her second-fl oor apartment.
Sawyer returned to the kitchen to fi nd Brady seasoning a tray of thick steaks and Chuck peeling potatoes for dinner.
"Hey, guys, Erica"s resting and we"re down a busboy. We"re working short tonight. I"ll take fewer tables so I can keep an eye on the dining room. I"ll pretty much stay out front. You can handle things back here, right?"
"Sure, we got it. Right, Chuck?" Brady nudged the sous chef.
* 56 *
"Yes, Chef. And if you get behind clearing tables, let me know and I"ll come help."
"Thanks, Chuck." Sawyer was grateful for the offer. She would never have asked him to bus tables, though she might have bullied Brady into it.
Sawyer left them in the kitchen, confi dent that her brother had everything under control. Of course he did; they"d been getting along fi ne without her for years.
An hour later, in the dining room, Sawyer wound among the rapidly fi lling tables. Apparently she wouldn"t get her wish for a slow night after all. At the front of the restaurant she paused next to the hostess stand and waited while the young woman fi nished taking a phone reservation.