Page 33 of Break My Heart
‘IF you win, which you won’t.’
The waitress brings our food and I notice a tiny bowl of something that looks like really thick dark applesauce next to my pancakes.
‘Just in case you want to try it.’ The waitress points to the bowl, then takes off.
I dip my spoon in the bowl. ‘Apple butter?’
Sawyer nods. ‘Go ahead and taste it.’
I lick it off the spoon. ‘It’s good. Lots of cinnamon.’
Sawyer pours syrup over his pancakes. ‘I know I’m going win, but in the off chance that I don’t, what happens? What do you want?’
I’ve already thought about this and it’s one of the main reasons I suggested another competition. That, and my intense need to beat Sawyer.
‘Are you handy?’
He looks up from his plate. ‘What do you mean? Like can I fix stuff?’
‘Yeah. One of the legs on my kitchen table broke during the move. Oh, and I need help hanging some pictures.’
‘You can’t hang pictures?’
‘I can, but they always come out crooked or fall off the wall.’
He slowly smiles. ‘So you’re not good at everything.’
‘I never said I was. So will you do it? Do you know how?’
‘Fix a table and hang pictures? Of course. That’s easy. What else you got?’
‘That should be it. My dryer was broken, but I had a guy come out and fix it.’
‘I could’ve done it.’
‘You know how to fix a dryer?’
‘I’ve fixed my own. It’s not that hard.’
‘Where did you learn this?’
‘Dad taught all of us how to fix stuff. And if we can’t, we call Nick. He’s usually able to troubleshoot what’s wrong and figure out what to try next.’
‘So I guess we have a deal.’ I extend my hand. ‘Dinner if you win, and your handyman services if I do, orwhenI do.’
‘Deal.’
We shake on it.
What is he up to? Why does he want me to have dinner with him? He’s not doing it just to be nice. He wants information, but I’ll never tell him anything. Why would he think I would? Does he think his good looks and charm will win me over enough to trust him? He can’t honestly believe I’d fall for that.
I kind of wish we weren’t competitors, because if we weren’t, I might actually go out with Sawyer, like on a date. The attraction between us is intense. I can feel it whenever he’s around me. And his competitiveness is a turn-on. I don’t like wimpy guys. I’ve dated guys that don’t even try to beat me in a competition. They let me win, thinking it’ll make me sleep with them. But instead it makes me never want to see them again.
Sawyer would never let me win. He hates losing as much as I do. It was cute when we were kids, but now I find it hot. I keep imagining what it’d be like to kiss him now that he’s all grown-up and knows what he’s doing. If he tries, I’ll let him. I might even let him do more than that. But that’s all it would be. I’d never actually date him. I can’t. I’m not risking my business to be with some guy, even if it’s the guy I haven’t stopped thinking about since I was seven.
Chapter 8
Sawyer
