Page 71 of A Little More Hope

Ethan gave him the finger.

“I was going to invite you too, but if you’re gonna be an asshole…”

“Okay, okay, I take it all back. I’m not going to miss out on the chance of a free meal from you, am I?” Ty finished his coffee and stood, checking his watch. “Right, I need to go. I have a meeting in an hour I can’t get out of.”

We all stood as well. “Me too,” Ethan added as we headed for the door.

“Seven thirty work for you?”

“Yep,” I replied.

“I’ll message you the address. A double first—you get to see the amazing work Nate did to our house too.” He rested his hand on my shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. “Think about what we said, yeah? There are a hundred different ways we can resolve this. Your leaving is not one of them, okay?”

“Okay.”

Ty pushed Ethan out the door and down the hall toward the elevators.

“What?” he asked, affronted.

“Fifteen-year-old girl,” was all he said, shaking his head at him. Ethan’s reply got cut off as the elevator doors swished shut behind them.

Closing my apartment door and securing the locks and deadbolts, I took stock of my home. If I wanted Ash in my life for good, I had to make room for him. He’d already gotten himself settled in my heart, so I had to make sure he’d settle in my life too. For that to happen, I had some clearing out to do. The past needed to go, allowing me to look forward to my future, and making space in my apartment was the perfect place to begin.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ash

“Are you gonna be in there all night?” Sawyer shouted at me from the other side of the bathroom door. “I need to get showered and changed too, ya know.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll be ten minutes, max,” I appeased him.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I knew I looked good. My balloon face had pretty much deflated, and the bruises left when Mason had accidentally punched me in the mouth weren’t too bad either. The dark interior of the bar would also hide them perfectly.

I’d been to the barber this afternoon to get my hair cut, and I’d spent the last five minutes ensuring every single strand stayed exactly where I wanted. I didn’t expect to see Mason at the bar this evening, so tonight was about making me feel good until I “accidentally” ran into him later, when I happened by my house for the item of clothing or whatever else I’d pretended to leave behind.

One final check and I emerged from the tiny trailer bathroom right into a disgruntled Sawyer.

“About damn time,” he moaned, barging past me to occupy the spot I’d vacated. “This is why I live alone,” he muttered as the door slammed shut behind him.

“You love me, really,” I shouted through the door. His reply wasn't exactly pleasant.

I headed into what would normally be a second bedroom but was now converted into Sawyer’s office and walk-in closet. I grabbed my clothes off the hangers and got dressed. The jade-green slim-fit shirt I put on, the top few buttons left undone, complemented my own green eyes perfectly, highlighting their color even more. The taupe chinos, a new purchase for tonight, were pretty snug, making my ass look round and firm the way Mason liked.

Okay, so I might have gone a tad overboard getting dressed up, and obviously giving myself a boost wouldn’t make up for how Mason had made me feel, but I needed my armor in place, and to be honest, I just wanted to feel good. Hopefully, this updated version of me would give me the confidence I needed to stay strong and, if necessary, make some hard decisions about my future, maybe even my and Mason’s future.

A half hour later, I got a whistle of appreciation from Sawyer as he entered the small seating area. “Whoa, someone’s looking hot tonight.”

“And you don’t?”

He gave himself a once-over. “Nah, I look the same as always.”

He did, but Sawyer had an undefinable quality elevating him way above we regular mortals. It might be the longer inky-black hair hooked behind his ears or the fact he wore his signature black from head to toe, giving him an edgy, don’t-fuck-with-me vibe. Whatever he had, it definitely worked for him.

“Come on.” He grabbed his wallet and keys. ‘The guys will already be there if we don’t hurry.”

After climbing into his truck, we drove into town. The shops were all closed, but the lights were on in their windows, giving the street a magical feeling. Melrose Bay wasn’t big, but the town sure was pretty.

“Is that one of Flynn’s?” I asked as we drove by a gallery window. Sawyer briefly shifted his eyes off the road and took a quick glance.

---