Page 43 of Nights at Seaside
Lizzie smiled at a family as they passed. Then she crossed her arms and her voice turned serious. “Sky, it takes a certain type of person to step into a ring and fight.”
Sky’s pulse quickened with the urge to defend Sawyer—even though she wasn’t sold on his fighting either.
“And? What’s your take on it, Liz?”
Lizzie shrugged and said, “That you’re a big girl and you’ll figure it out.”
“That’s your advice?”
“You just finished telling me that you can take care of yourself, and I have faith in your ability to make sound decisions. You always have before.”
“Not after Mom died.”
“Oh, Sky. Yes, you did. You didn’t go out and get blitzed or turn to drugs or anything like that. You curled up for a while in your safe little nest.”
“And needed Pete to rescue me.”
“No, Sky. You didn’tneedrescuing. You needed someone to be there for you so you could find your way past the loss of your mother. The more I get to know Pete, the more I think that he needed to take care of you. That was part ofhisgrieving. You said that you two have always had a give-and-take relationship like that. He protected you, and you gave him reasons to. But I’ve noticed that since your dad got out of rehab Pete no longer takes on that role with you.”
He had eased up—that was for sure. It wasn’t Pete who had wanted to check up on Sawyer, but Grayson. Did that mean that Grayson hadn’t moved past their mother’s death?
“You’ve both grown,” Lizzie pointed out. “You’ve shown him that you can handle difficult situations, and he’s left behind the need to be everyone’s savior. He has Jenna to take care of now.”
“And what about Grayson? He’s gottenmoreprotective of me.”
“Gray? He’s been protective of you for as long as I’ve known you guys. But he’s also been eclipsed by Pete’s big shadow.”
“Is life really that complicated, Lizzie?”
Lizzie laughed softly, put her hands in the pockets of her cutoffs, and said, “It’s that complicated and that simple.”
When Lizzie went back to her shop, Sky wondered if she was making life more complicated than it had to be. She put away her paints and was washing out her brushes when Blue came downstairs from the apartment.
“Hey, Sky. I’ve got that hole all patched up.”
“Thanks. I’m leaving for a while. I’ll hang theClosed for the Morningsign out front.”
“Is everything okay? Do you need more paint? Because I can run down to the hardware store and grab it if you don’t want to break your stride.”
She dried her hands on a towel and said, “Actually, I think I’m going to stop by the fight club and watch Sawyer train.”
“Really? You okay, or do you want me to go with you?”
She drew in a deep breath, thinking of what Lizzie had said and wondering about the roles that everyone played in her life—her brothers, her father, her friends, Blue—and the role she played in theirs. “I’m okay, but thanks, Blue. I appreciate the offer.”
“Hey, Sky?”
“Yeah?”
“I just want you to know that you looked really happy with Sawyer last night, and I’m happy for you.”
Maybe life really was that complicated, and that simple.
STEP INTO THE ring strong and step out stronger.That was what Roach had taught Sawyer since the first day he’d begun training him. Roach didn’t believe in saving strength or strategizing the best time for a fighter to give his all. He’d made it clear to Sawyer and anyone else who would listen that they were either in it to win the whole way through or they were in it to lose. Period.
Sawyer was never inanythingto lose.
“You’re a powerhouse today, Songbird.” Roach paced beside the ring, eyes stern, arms crossed.
