Page 53 of The Story of Us
Hecould have calledher,obviously. Better yet, he could have stopped by True Love while he was out and about, pounding the pavement of the business district. He very nearly did. He just wasn’t sure what he could possibly say, because it was too late to tell her the things that mattered most of all.
I have feelings for you, Jamie.
I always have, and I always will.
He couldn’t tell her how he felt now. If he did, she’d think he was only doing so because he felt threatened by Matt.
Which he most definitely did.
But Matt had nothing to do with how much Jamie meant to Sawyer. Despite his best attempts at denial, he’d known he was still in love with her the minute he’d seen her standing up on that ladder in True Love. His very own Juliet, incorrect balcony references notwithstanding.
He should have told her sooner. He should have spelled it out in arugula leaves right there on the floor of Rick’s Trattoria, but how could he? All she saw when she looked at him was the man who’d broken her heart, and he’d rolled back into town to do it all over again. As far as Jamie was concerned, he was the enemy of True Love…both literally and figuratively.
They’d been so close, though.
So close to reclaiming what they’d once had. So close to finding their way back to each other, despite all the complications of the Ridley project and time and distance. So close to sealing their feelings with a kiss.
And now…
Sawyer had no idea what to do.
A gentleman in his position would probably step aside and let Jamie find happiness with Matt the dentist. Sawyer couldn’t promise Jamie a happy ending—in fact, a happy ending seemed all but impossible. In the end, one of them would win and the other would lose. It wasn’t exactly the stuff of fairy tales.
He didn’t think he could do it, though. He’d already walked away from Jamie once. How could he possibly do it again?
You won’t have a choice once the Ridley project is approved.
True. And he was getting closer by the day. Shop owners had been changing their minds, one by one.
So Sawyer gritted his teeth and did his best to get through the day until Rick finally dragged him out of the house to the opening night of the Fire and Ice Festival.
Sawyer had never seen the business district so crowded before. A large banner hung over the town square welcoming people to Waterford’s premier Valentine’s event, and people of all ages milled about, strolling from booth to booth or pausing to enjoy street performers—fire jugglers and ice sculptors shaping huge chunks of ice into hearts or cupids. There was even a small skating rink, packed with ice skaters spinning round and round. Food vendors beneath red and white awnings sold any and all varieties of Valentine’s treats: red velvet cupcakes, candy hearts, iced cookies, wine.
And chocolate everything. Sawyer’s stomach growled as they passed a booth selling bourbon chocolate pound cake, but Rick didn’t seem to notice.
“That must have been tough, him showing up like that,” Rick said. Oh, great. They were going to talk about Matt the dentist again. “Or are we still pretending that your feelings for Jamie are platonic?”
Sawyer shook his head. He couldn’t lie to his closest friend any more that he could continue lying to himself. “No. No, she’s still mykerpow.”
“Are you going to tell her that?” Rick’s gaze narrowed in an over-exaggerated fashion. “Directly?”
Sawyer couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, throwing my own words back at me, I see.”
Rick’s dimples flashed. “It’s really satisfying.”
Point taken. Sawyer had somehow become equally as pathetic as Rick in the romance department. It wasn’t pretty.
He rolled his shoulders and straightened his spine. Theyhadto do something. “Rick, we are two smart, talented—”
“Yeah!” Rick yelled as they approached the booth for his restaurant, currently being manned by his sous chef.
“—successful men,” Sawyer finished, reaching for a baguette from the tray of bread situated next to a pasta dish heating over an open flame.
“You forgot handsome.” Rick gave the pasta a stir.
He was right. Rick the Romancer had the handsome part down pat, and objectively speaking, Sawyer knew he himself wasn’t terrible-looking.
And yet here they were, standing on one side of the Fire and Ice Festival grounds while Jamie and Lucy worked the True Love Books booth clear on the opposite side of town square. Sawyer could still see Jamie, though, smiling at customers and handing out pink and gray envelopes. He wondered what was inside. Valentines, probably. After all, that was why the town had turned out—to celebrate the most romantic time of the year.
