Page 62 of Broken Hearts

I take a long pull of my beer, stalling a little, not because I don’t want to admit me and Sage are hooking up, but more because I don’t know how to explain it to him. I kind of don’t want him to think it’s just a hook-up, even though that’s exactly what it looks like. What Sage probably thinks it is too.

Owen waits, the smirk still on his face even as he takes a sip of beer. Blowing out a breath, I stand. “The shop closed?” I ask him. Owen nods, laughing a little as I turn and walk outside, collapsing into one of the chairs around the firepit. “You going for a surf?”

“Dude, stop stalling!” Owen says, letting out another laugh. “You know it’s pretty obvious you like her, so it’s not like a big deal.”

I take another sip before eventually saying, “She’s Mitch’s daughter.”

This earns me another laugh. “Ah yeah, I know! You kinda make a point of lettingeveryoneknow that.”

“Fuck,” I groan, scrubbing a hand down my face.

“What, are you seriously worried about that?” Owen asks, sitting forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “That like, Mitch wouldn’t want you to…I don’t know, do whatever it is you two are doing.”

I shrug, trying not to think too much about what Mitch would think of this whole situation. I mean would he care? Would he hate the idea of me and Sage together?

“Nate,” Owen says, all laughter and teasing gone now. I look up to find him watching me. “You know Mitch would be okay with it, especially with you.”

“Maybe,” I eventually say, knowing it wouldn’t change anything anyway because I’m not sure I could walk away from Sage even if I wanted to. And even though I know it’s gonna hurt like hell when she leaves, I still can’t make myself stop whatever this thing is between us.

I want her and I am powerless to stop that.

“Soooo?” he says, sitting back as he takes another sip of his beer.

“So, she’s leaving,” I say, putting my feet up on the firepit.

“Is she?”

“Of course she is,” I tell him. “She lives in New York. She has a life there. Why would she stay here?”

“Um, I don’t know,” Owen says, waving a hand around. “Because of you?”

I scoff, shaking my head because I know that is never going to happen. “Don’t think so,” I mutter, taking another sip of beer before I change the subject. “So what’s with you telling Sage to say hi to Sloane? You ever gonna drop that?”

Owen laughs, shaking his head at me. “Nah, man. Why would I when it’s so much fun?”

“Not sure Sloane sees it that way,” I say, raising a brow at him.

He laughs again, mirroring my pose as he stretches out his legs. “Sure she does. She loves it just as much as I do.”

Now it’s me laughing. “You’re an idiot you know that? Sloane’s never gonna give your rich ass a shot.”

Owen lets out a loud laugh, his head falling back. “Yeah, she will,” he says. “But back to you and Sage. Why don’t you just ask her to stay?”

I shake my head, knowing there’s not a chance in hell I can do that. Why the fuck would she want to stay? She has no connection to this place, especially now that Mitch is gone, and I already know I am not a good enough reason for her to stay either.

“What?” Owen now asks. “You don’t think so?”

“Dude, she’s leaving,” I say again. “Just let it go.”

It’s after ten when I finally hear a knock at my door, practically running to answer it.

“Hey,” Sage says, as I open the fly screen.

With a grin, I pull her into my arms, kissing her deeply, trying to push my earlier conversation with Owen out of mind. I already know this is temporary and as much as I might not want Sage to sell The Pipe Dream and just stay here, it’s not ever going to happen.

“Ooooo,” comes a sing-song voice, just as I hear Alana call out, “Nate and Sage, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

Pulling back, I notice her, Daisy and Sloane all standing by the firepit watching us, huge smiles on their faces.

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