Page 32 of Icebound Hearts

She smiles brightly, although I can see a hint of envy in her eyes when she glances at me. Not that she truly has any reason to be envious, but she doesn’t know that.

“Well, I’d better run. I’ll see you around,” she says, directing her last words at Sawyer in a way that would definitely annoy me if he and I were actually dating.

“Uh huh. See you,” he says vaguely, barely glancing at her as she turns and sashays out. We keep our hands linked as she walks away, and even after she’s gone, neither of us moves. Sawyer is still looking at me, his brows drawn together slightly, and I can’t tell if he’s annoyed that I kept up the ‘we’re dating’ ruse, or grateful, or… something else.

“Daddy!”

Before either of us can say anything, Jake comes running back toward us, a confused look on his face. Sawyer and I quickly disentangle our hands before he notices, and Sawyer clears his throat, running a hand through his hair.

“Daddy, who was that?”

“Nobody, buddy. Just a waitress who recognized me from games on TV,” Sawyer says quickly.

It’s not the whole truth, but it’s close enough, and it’s all Jake really needs to know. Sawyer scoots over in the booth to let Jake sit down and focuses intently on him, almost as if he’s trying to avoid looking at me.

Does he feel weird about what just happened between us? But why would he? It was nothing. Wasn’t it?

I shake that thought out of my mind as Sawyer ruffles Jake’s hair.

“So what did you wish for?” he asks his son.

Jake fixes him with a stare, as if the answer should be obvious. “I’m not supposed to tell, remember? If I do, it won’t come true.”

Sawyer’s deep chuckle rumbles in his chest. “Right. I forgot. Good job keeping it a secret then. Are you ready to go?”

“Yup!”

Jake nods, and Sawyer glances quickly at me. “Violet?”

“Sure,” I answer and follow them out of the parlor, making sure not to forget my rabbit prize.

“See you next time!” Alex calls after us.

Sawyer waves as we leave, his hand linked with Jake’s as the little boy skips along beside him. I watch the two of them with a grin tugging at my lips, but no matter how much I try to ignore it, my mind keeps replaying the small moment of our kiss over and over in a loop inside my head.

It’s completely stupid, but my stomach flutters every time I think about it. It was probably one of the most chaste kisses of all time, but it affected me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. And the way he was looking at me when we broke apart almost makes me think it affected him too.

Was that real, or am I just imagining it?

I let out a slow breath as we reach the parking lot. It doesn’t matter either way, because Sawyer is firmly off limits. For starters, he’s my brother’s teammate. Not to mention he’s my boss now. And the corn flakes on top of the ice cream is the fact that he’s several years older than me. That’s way too many strikes to even entertain.

I need this nannying job, and more than that, I’m trulyenjoyingit. I can’t afford to mess this opportunity up by doing something as monumentally stupid as fanning the flames of my crush for a man I can never have.

Chapter 11

Sawyer

Everywhere I look, I see something that reminds me of Violet, and I feel like I’m starting to go a little crazy. First, it was her bottle of body wash and appropriately violet loofah in the shower, then it was the soft almond and cherry scent of her shampoo lingering in the hallway. She’s been living with us for almost three weeks now, and it’s like I can’t escape her. Her presence is beginning to fill the house, slowly taking over.

And then there’s that kiss we shared the other day.

No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about it. Abouther. I’ve always known she’s a great person, but I never thought of her in any other light than that until recently. And now I can’t seem tostopseeing her that way, which is a fucking problem.

I know damn well that I can’t have her, not like that. There are a million reasons why it would be a terrible idea to ever think otherwise—not least of all being that she’s one of my best friend’s little sisters. She also works for me now and watches my kid, so it’s problematic all around.

I shake my head as I tug a t-shirt over my head. I’ll be dropping Jake off at his friend’s house for a birthday party this afternoon, and honestly, I’m grateful for the opportunity to getout of the house and away from Violet for a while to clear my head. Jake’s friend lives in the neighborhood, so it’s not that far of a drive, but I feel so steeped in Violet right now that even five minutes alone will be a reprieve from the constant temptation I’ve been warring against.

As I leave my bedroom and head for the stairs, I hear Violet and Jake laughing in the living room. I don’t know what they’re doing, but I can make out soft thuds and some kind of music coming from the TV.

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