Page 49 of Nights at Seaside
Sawyer walked across the store, and a minute later he tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and found him holding up a wooden sign that read,HAPPILY EVER AFTER STARTS HERE. His eyes were pleading like a sad puppy’s.
Her emotions soared as she closed the distance between them and said, “I think I have to buy that sign.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
They picked out an incense burner and a pack of coconut incense for Sky’s shop and one for Sawyer’s home—to remind me of you.And then they went back to look through the wind chimes.
“This one has stars, so it might go with your sculpture.” Sawyer reached up and brushed his fingers along the dangling metal stars.
“You noticed that? My brother Grayson made it for me the summer after we lost my mom.” She looked up at the ceiling, touching one chime after another, and sending delightful sounds through the store.
“It’s a beautiful sculpture, and it was obvious that he put a lot of love into making it.”
She watched Sawyer as he moved through the store, picking up fragile knickknacks and delicate faux floral arrangements. He was a broad-shouldered, thickly muscled man, and when she’d seen him in the ring, it had seemed like every muscle, every brain cell, was attuned to his fight. He looked aggressive and precisely focused. And yet by the time he’d come to the front of the gym, all that tension had eased from his body and he’d been awash with concern for her. She didn’t understand how he shifted so easily between the two personas.
Did it bring him a feeling of freedom to be able to achieve such opposite parts of his personality? Were they really opposite? Or were they two parts of the same? Was his aggression in the ring like her focus and skill when crafting a tattoo or painting? Could he have been right about that? In Sky’s mind, it was like comparing apples and oranges, but when she was with Sawyer, there was no part of him that felt aggressive. The things he said and the way he moved, everything seemed natural and easy, not overly planned. And when she’d seen him in the ring for that brief time, she had to admit that even though he’d harnessed all that power and used it to knock his competitor to the ropes, he wasn’t swinging wildly or chasing the guy down. He moved like a panther on the prowl, slow, controlled, and when he struck, it was one fast punch, whereas the guy he was fighting was throwing a number of punches that Sawyer had easily blocked.
He was leaning over a glass case now, his eyes focused on something, his body relaxed, and when he turned and caught her looking at him, his smile shot straight through her.
They meandered through a few more shops and ate dinner at a café overlooking Commercial Street. After dinner they headed back toward her shop. The crowds had thinned, and the lights of the shops illuminated faces of a younger crowd. Music filtered out of bars, and drag queens stood out front of playhouses and bars handing out postcards with information on their shows. A guy playing a guitar sat on the steps of the library, surrounded by people listening to his music.
“I love it here,” Sky said as they stopped to watch the guitarist play. “I love the energy of the people and the music, the colorful shops. And the pier. Gosh, I love the pier so much, and the smell of the water at night, when the temperature dips and the fishy smell turns to something crispier, more alive. Everything about this town makes me feel good.”
“I’ve always liked the diversity of Provincetown, but it’s been ages since I’ve spent any time walking around here. Spending time with you reminds me of the things I’ve been putting on the back burner, like enjoying an evening out. It seems like I’ve been training hard and working on the renovations to the cottage forever. Before the addition of the handicapped ramps, I worked on other projects, like raising the floors to eliminate the step down to the living room, and before that there was the renovation of the bathrooms to make them handicap accessible.”
“Wow, you have been busy. I didn’t realize you’d done so much.”
“It’s all worth it. That house means a lot to our family, but, Sky, spending time with you is better than anything else in my life. When I’m with you it doesn’t matter what we’re doing. You make everything special. You make me feel alive in ways I haven’t for a long time.”
“We make each other feel that way, Sawyer. I’ve never been happier than when I’m with you.”
“Even though I’m a boxer?”
She reached up and touched his cheek, then answered him with a smile. “Even though you’re a boxer.”
“You can’t imagine how much that means to me. This is my last fight, and I know I’m going at it hard, but Ihaveto win. It’s one fight. Then I’ll retire, and you won’t have to worry about my fighting anymore.”
“One fight. I think we can weather that storm. Just don’t get hurt.”
“I’ll try not to get hurt. I want time with you, Sky. The last thing I want is to be injured. But you don’t have to worry. I’m an animal in the ring. I’ll kil—” He stopped himself, as if he didn’t want to use the wordkillaround her. “I’ve got this. I’ll win this fight.”
Sawyer had a new, even more confident bounce in his step as they walked down the street toward her shop and the music faded behind them. People chatted on the steps of Puzzle Me This, and a man sat with his black Labrador retriever on the stoop of Shop Therapy. The thick scent of sage hovered in the air like marijuana at a concert. Sky leaned her head on Sawyer’s shoulder as they walked, feeling relaxed and comfortable.
When they reached the shop, they both admired the freshly painted sign.Inky Skieswas painted in a font that looked like a tattoo, with parts of each letter thickly painted and other lines so thin they were barely visible. Each letter was perfectly scripted. Teardrops appeared to be dripping from the bottom of thekinSkies. Clouds were painted above the words, fading as they sank halfway down behind the letters. Flecks of black spewed from the top of thekinInky, fanning out into a flock of colorful birds, and in the bottom swell of the scriptIinInky,Sky had painted a golden half-moon.
“I can’t get over the sign, but why didn’t you name it InkySky?”
She dug her keys from her bag and unlocked the front door before answering. He followed her into the dark shop, and she sensed him all around her—in the pulsing air, in the coiling heat in her belly, in her swelling heart—as if he’d already become a part of her. As she put her keys and bag on the counter and reached for her poetry book, she felt his father’s presence, too. She didn’t even know the man, but she somehow felt like she did from reading his poetry. Her friends thought she wasmooningover C. J. Moon, but it was his words that spoke to her. The emotions he’d put down on paper that wound around her insides and tied themselves into a little knot of hope. And now his son—his wonderful, romantic, caring son was standing behind her as she lifted herself up on the counter and sat facing him.
Gazing into Sawyer’s intensely dark eyes as he moved between her legs and placed his hands on her hips, she knew his father had poured all of those emotions into him. Of course Sawyer was made of warmth and strength and loyal fiber. Of course he was thoughtful, loving, and romantic. Sawyer Bass was placed here on earth just for her.
Her pulse quickened with the thought. It was one of those thoughts that her friends might roll their eyes at and her brothers might scoff at, but Sky didn’t care about any of that. Everything he said spoke to her. Every touch, every glance, every whisper when she was in his arms, drew her further in. She already knew she’d never get enough of him. A tiny pulsing nag in the back of her mind ticked off the wordfighter, and she rolled it over in her mind. Why would the universe drop a fighter in her lap? Someone who did something so far afield from the things she believed in?
His words sailed through her mind.
Because you’re strong enough to be weak when you need to. That’s a blessing. Most people are so hardened to their feelings that they mask them. I see it every day in the ring. Heck, Sky, I do it every day of my life.
The answer was easy.
