706 Sugarbush Lane by Penelope Wylde

Chapter 11

Trinity

“And Mac told me about the job offer. It sounds like a great opportunity. And of course, you’ve always been so bright and so hard working. You’ll be perfect for the position. Oh, look, there’s Sawyer’s uncle. Let me go grab him so you have a chance to chat with him.” Sawyer’s mother launched her petite frame from the worn leather chair and weaved her way through the people in the room.

I blinked and looked around myself. In the two hours since Sawyer’s mother had arrived, other family members had streamed in slowly but surely. Most of them I knew to some degree. Wild Ridge was a small town and I worked at two of the favorite hangouts for the locals.

But my interactions with all of them had always been superficial. I wore my customer service smile like it was part of my uniform. I’d made a lot of assumptions over the years about others' opinions of me. Assumptions I was starting to think were completely unfounded.

From the moment she’d arrived, Sawyer’s mother had been warm and welcoming. Not to mention chatty. I don’t think she’d come up for breath for longer than a few seconds unless she was running off to greet a newcomer.

And while not all of Sawyer’s relatives shared her chattiness, all of them had been nothing but kind and friendly. Of course, part of the reason for that may have been the fact Sawyer kept his arm thrown over my shoulders and my body plastered to his side for a good portion of the afternoon. I don’t think anyone had any intentions of being anything but nice to me, but should the thought have occurred to them, the fiercely protective looks Sawyer kept giving me would have made it clear it wouldn’t be tolerated.

I sank deeper into the cushions of the chair I’d been sitting in while Sawyer’s mom and I talked. Sipping the glass of cherry lemonade that had seemed to magically stay filled all afternoon, I took the opportunity to look around the room.

Sawyer’s brothers arrived shortly after their mother. A few cousins and aunts and uncles wandered in, most carrying food or beer or wine. Mac strolled by a little while ago. He’d given me a wave but didn’t stop on his path to the counters laden with food.

As each person walked in, my stomach became a roiling pit of dread. I’d waited all afternoon, but not one snide comment or nasty look had been pointed in my direction.

In fact, quite the opposite had happened. Everyone had been unfailingly polite, but more, they’d been interested in me and my life. Several had given me off-handed compliments, admiring everything from my work ethic to my masses of dark hair, my jewelry.

Which brought me to now, alone for the first moment since Sawyer’s house had begun filling with people. I took the opportunity to check in with myself and figure out how I felt about being thrust into this crowd of Sawyer’s friends and family.

And what I came up with was—content. I felt content and happy and like I wasn’t the little girl with her nose pressed against the glass looking at what everyone else had but never me.

Sawyer had given me a gift beyond anything I could remember receiving before. He’d shared his family with me and made me feel a part of it. And the feeling was indescribable. Unlike anything I’d ever felt before.

Sort of like my feelings for Sawyer.

I scanned the room, searching for him with my gaze. I located him standing with a group of his cousins. Sawyer was shaking his head at whatever one of the men was saying, a small grin tipping up the corners of his lips.

And as I kept my eyes pinned to him, I swear, he sensed me. His head turned and his gaze landed on me in an instant. He tipped his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

I offered him a soft smile, and I knew I must have worn the lovesick look. But for the first time in my life, I didn’t care if my true feelings showed on my face. Didn’t care if Sawyer could see the crazy kaleidoscope of feelings he set free inside of me.

One of his cousins said something and clapped a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. Sawyer offered me one last grin before turning his attention back to his conversation.

But the warmth that had been unfurling in my chest from the second our eyes met didn’t dissipate when he looked away. It continued to grow. And a feeling I almost didn’t recognize sprouted up deep inside me.

Hope.

“I see Sawyer didn’t waste any time marking you. Men.” A woman I recognized dropped into the chair Sawyer’s mom vacated moments ago.

I drew my brows together, not quite sure what she meant. “Hey, Krista. I didn’t realize you were related to the Beckers.”

Krista Phelps had graduated high school the year before I did. I can’t say she’d never made snide comments about me or sent me nasty looks, but in her case, it didn’t make me special. Krista was tall, platinum blonde, gorgeous, the perfect set of tits, and predatory. I didn’t know if it was her looks or something in her genes, but she’d always had an overabundance of confidence. Confidence that made her feel superior to all of us mere mortals.

She waved her hand dismissively. “I’m not related to the Beckers. I came with Sawyer’s cousin.”

I nodded and pasted on a smile. It came as a shock to realize it was the first time all day I’d pulled out the smile I reserved for customers, broad but not quite genuine.

“So how did you manage to convince Sawyer to take you to bed?” she asked.

My brows shot up. “Excuse me?”

She smiled the smile of someone with a juicy story. Or maybe the smile of a serial killer. I had no frame of reference, but if I had to guess it was the second one.

“Your mother would die if she found out you’d finally managed to convince one of the Becker men to give you what she wanted all those years,” Krista said.

I froze in my spot and everything inside me turned cold and brittle. When I spoke, I could do no more than whisper. “What the fuck are you talking about, Krista?”

Krista rolled her eyes. “Come on. You know what your mother was after. God. Everyone in town knew what she was after. She couldn’t have made it any more obvious, could she?”

Confusion clouded my mind. “My mother had a thing for men. Not new news.”

If possible, Krista’s smile widened. “Right. Like you don’t know what she was really after. It’s like the biggest non-secret, secret in town.” She paused to look around, presumably to make sure nobody was in hearing distance. When she’d assured herself none of Sawyer’s guests were paying us any attention, her voice dipped to just above a whisper as she went on. “…everyone with two eyes can see the Beckers have more money than we could ever wish for. It’s why your mom put a little more effort into wooing one of the Becker seniors when they rolled into the bar. So my mom says.”

Somehow I managed to keep my jaw out of my lap. Her words played over and over again in my mind and it was like watching a series of dots connecting. Of course, now that she’d said it, the truth seemed obvious. I never saw the money angel. How stupid of me.

“She was dying to take a dip in the rich people’s pool.” Krista tossed her hair over her shoulder and widened her already big blue eyes. How could someone look so angelic while spewing venom? “So we’re all dying to know now how you managed to ensnare Sawyer.”

“Who and ensnare?” I whispered, still not completely clear on what she was telling me.

“Come on, sweetie. You aren’t exactly the hottest chick in town.” She shot a pointed look at my exposed collarbone. “But he seemed happy to mark you as claimed anyway with that little love bite there. I guess the rumblings down at the Rusty Nail with Birdie are true. You finally managed what your mom couldn’t. You hooked a Becker. Or, maybe what Birdie said is true. He took pity on you. Either way,  what voodoo hoodoo magic did you pull over on him?”

My hand shot to the spot on my neck, covering it like I’d be able to protect something intensely private and personal from her prying eyes.

I caught sight of Sawyer over Krista’s shoulder. He was walking toward us, concern clear in the narrowing of his eyes and the tilt to his head.

“I don’t belong to anyone. And I’m sure as hell no charity case.” I bit out, contrary to feeling very much claimed by Sawyer. Not something I had to share with the likes of her for damn sure.

“Riiight. Well, that’s not what Mac said and you know he’s thick with Sawyer.” Krista’s laugh sounded more like disdain than humor. “You’re just another trophy on the wall. True, one your mom wanted, but as long as it’s in the family, right?”

I stood up just as Sawyer arrived at my side.

“Everything okay, sweetheart?”

I nodded, but couldn’t quite meet his eyes. I had to get out of here, to think and just breathe.

“Yep.” Somehow I managed to dredge up a smile. “I just need to use the powder room. Excuse me.”

With my excuse made, I fled. But I didn’t flee to the powder room. I ducked into the entryway, grabbing my jacket and purse from the coat closet there. I slipped out the front door as quietly as I could manage and counted my lucky stars none of Sawyer’s relatives seemed to be out and about.

Probably because they were all in his house right now. Waiting to welcome me into the fold.

That thought caused a powerful surge of energy to rush through me. I hurried down the porch, and after quickly assessing my options, hurried down the single-track road to the turn off to the main road. There was no use trying to hide myself by walking in the woods. The sound of a vehicle coming up behind me froze my legs.

Crap.

But when I turned, it wasn’t Sawyer pulling the compact car alongside me. It was Krista. And that smile was back. “Thought you might be heading out. Need a lift someplace?”

I wasn’t stupid. I’d lived with a manipulative mother for far too many years not to realize Krista’s tricks. Whatever her reason for initiating the conversation back there, she had her own agenda.

But that didn’t mean I couldn’t use her vile plan to my advantage.

“Can you give me a ride to my apartment?”

Surprise flared in her eyes. Guess she didn’t expect me to take her up on her offer. But she rallied quickly. “Hop in.”

I figured Krista had done what she set out to do because the ride to my apartment was silent aside from me giving her a few directions.

When we pulled up in front of my building, I flashed her a great big, bright smile. I’d be damned if I’d let her think I was a second away from bursting into tears.

“Thanks for the ride.”

Her perfectly shaped eyebrows pulled together. “No problem.”

Judging by her perplexed expression, I’d manage to deprive her of seeing the results of her maneuvers. Score one for me.

I marched up the much-less-rickety stairs to my apartment and tried not to think about how Sawyer looked with his tight white T-shirt stretched across his chest as he repaired the steps.

God, was that just this morning?

Just the thought of him, of what we’d shared the last two days, made tears prickle behind my eyes, hot and stinging.

I squared my shoulders and slid my key into the lock. I couldn’t think about the time I’d spent with Sawyer. I should have known better. I did know better. That was the reason I’d started thinking about moving sooner when I heard the news he was coming home.

I knew Sawyer Becker had the power to destroy me. One way or another.

But after years of my life spent avoiding anything but the most casual relationships with the locals, feeling looked down upon, or worse, pitied by them, felt like a waking nightmare.

I marched over to the bed and slid my large, wheeled suitcase out from underneath. I also grabbed some folded boxes I had under there. I’d been dreaming and preparing for the day I got to leave for Syn City for a long time. I had my plans in place for quite some time now, ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Looked like that moment had come. If I had my way, I’d be putting Wild Ridge and the rugged mountain man who had somehow managed to break my heart in two short days behind me.

Time to put my plan into motion. Funny how the elation I’d expected to feel when this day came never hit me.