Page 47 of Icebound Hearts

My phone buzzes again in the hallway on my way back to the kitchen, so I stop to check it and find a text from Callie, Reese’s girlfriend.

CALLIE: Hey, stranger! I feel like I’ve barely seen you since you’ve been back in town. Let’s fix that! Want to get drinks with me and the rest of the Aces girls tonight? I know it’s a Sunday, but we won’t keep you out too late, I promise!

Honestly, despite how tired I am after the house hunt and dinner, after the pressure cooker conversation I had with Sawyer a bit ago, a distraction sounds great. But I’m not sure how Sawyer would feel about that given I’m supposed to be with Jakein the morning, so I decide to ask him first before I say anything to Callie. I find him in the kitchen standing over the sink with bright yellow rubber gloves on his hands.

“Hey, would you mind if I stepped out for a while tonight?” I ask, and he turns to give me a curious look.

“You’re going out?”

“Yeah, Callie and the rest of the Aces girls want to meet up, and I haven’t gotten to see them much.”

Sawyer’s face almost instantly relaxes, and his shoulders slowly slide down from their raised position. “Oh. Yeah, sure. I wouldn’t want to piss Callie off by denying her the chance to see you.”

“Yeah, you don’t want to get on her bad side,” I joke back, since Callie is one of the sweetest people in the entire world, and we both know it.

I text Callie back, and we exchange a few messages before agreeing to meet at a bar downtown. Before putting my phone away, I call for an Uber since I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait for one.

“Do you need a ride?” Sawyer asks.

I shake my head, shooting him a grateful look. “Thanks, but I’ll get an Uber.”

“Use the card I gave you to pay for it.”

“What?” My head snaps up, and I fix him with a look. “A girl’s night out isn’t a business expense, Sawyer.”

“Keeping you safe definitely counts as a business expense,” he says and goes back to washing dishes.

A smile spreads across my face, something warm curling in my stomach. “Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll use the card then.”

I cancel the ride so I can update the payment information—I’m not sure my own card would’ve gone through anyway—then call for another. “I’m going to go get ready before the car gets here.”

“Have fun. Tell them I said hi.”

“I will,” I say and dash upstairs to change. I’ve only got about ten minutes before the driver arrives, so I have to hurry, but I manage to throw on some makeup and a cute dress.

“You did all that in that amount of time?” Sawyer asks, his gaze immediately landing on me when I re-enter the kitchen a few minutes later.

My hands freeze in my hair, which I’m still working into a loose ponytail, and our eyes lock. Something shoots through me like a lightning bolt, a kind of heady awareness, and my stomach does flips at the sensation.

“Never underestimate a woman in a hurry,” I joke to break the tension, but his eyes rake over me, soaking in every detail like he thinks it’s the last time he’ll see me. Like he hasn’t already seen me completely naked.

“You look amazing,” he says, his voice low. A shiver ripples down my spine, but headlights flash across the front lawn and the driver honks once to signal he’s here, mercifully breaking the moment.

“Thanks. Uh, see you later. Don’t wait up.”

Sawyer chuckles. “Text me when you’re on your way home so I know you’re okay.”

“Got it. Bye!” I sling my bag over my shoulder and head outside, eager to put some distance between us and to feel some cool air on my face. I climb into the backseat and find an older guy in a well-worn hat like the kind my grandpa used to wear smiling at me in the rearview.

“You’re Violet, right?”

“Yes, sir,” I answer while I buckle myself in. The guy drives a bit slowly and cautiously compared to me, but it doesn’t take long to get to the bar, and as soon as we pull up to the curb, I spot Callie, Margo, and Becca standing outside the entrance waitingfor me. They’re all dressed and look like the hockey girlfriends and wives they are.

I climb out of the back seat and make sure I’ve got everything before I close the door. “Thank you for the ride.”

“You’re welcome. Have a good night,” the driver says and pulls away.

“There you are!” Callie hurries over when she catches sight of me, pulling me into a hug. “I was starting to think you were trying to give me the slip.”

---