Page 104 of The Wayward Son

She took a sip of coffee. “I suppose we do need to relive that moment, too.”

He leaned toward her and kissed her. “It’s going to take more than a moment. But the hot water only lasts about fifteen minutes. So we need to be efficient.”

She smiled. "Just in and out?"

Sawyer laughed. "Something like that."

It took another hour for Steve and Sam to remove all the furniture. They left with a handshake and a thank you.

Sawyer saw them to the door. “You’re welcome. Enjoy your new apartment.” He watched them until they started down the stairs, then closed the door and turned to Jade.

She smiled. “They’re gone.”

He nodded, then took off his t-shirt. “I believe it’s time for that shower.”

They took an efficient, yet memorable shower, then got dressed and prepared to leave the apartment for good. Sawyer headed for the door, but Jade took his arm to stop him.

“Take a minute to say goodbye.”

“To the apartment?”

“Yes. You lived here for five years.”

“I lived here part-time for five years. It was never home to me. It was a means to an end.”

“Still.”

He put his arms around her. “I’m not going to miss it.”

“Okay. Let’s go then.”

She went out the door and he closed it behind them. “I might miss the shower a little bit.”

She took his arm and looked at the elevator, which seemed to be working again. “Would you like to take one last ride in the elevator?”

“No. I may never ride in an elevator again.”

She stopped walking and looked at him. “I thought we had fun in the elevator.”

“We did. But the next time, you may not be with me. I could get stuck with a complete stranger and no beer.”

“Is there even an elevator in Castle Springs?”

“Sure. There’s one in the court house. And the library, which was the original court house. And…I think that’s it.”

“So not much chance for you to even make that decision.”

“No. I think I’m safe.” He took out his phone. “I need to text Sage and let her know where heading out.”

“So she can worry about you?”

“Yeah. Until we pull up in front of the house.”

Jade stopped walking again. “If she senses things about you. Do you suppose…?”

“No.” He laughed. “That’s not the way it works. It’s more a sense of knowing the other one of us is safe.”

“Okay.”

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