Page 43 of One Weekend in Seattle

Guilt flashed through his body. “It is.”

“Damn it, Sawyer. Gabby doesn’t care about your money. She cares about you, and you abused that. Plus, you lied about the one thing she just got done unraveling her life from. Money.”

He opened his mouth to defend himself, but he couldn’t. She was right. He should have told Gabby the truth on Sunday, but he didn’t. He had chosen the selfish road, preferring anonymityrather than risk the usual butt kissing because he had money. Except his instincts told him Gabby wouldn’t treat him like that. But he’d never given her a chance to prove herself. He’d thrown her in with every other woman without giving her a chance. He was a complete ass. “What do I do to get her to talk to me?”

Lindsay side-eyed him. “Why should I help you?”

“I love her.”

Lindsay’s eyes widened. “Grovel.”

“How can I do that if she won’t talk to me?” He was willing to do anything to get Gabby to talk to him.

Lindsay stared at him, and something must have told her how serious he was, because her features softened. “You’ve got a mountain to climb.”

“Help me climb it because I’d do anything for Gabby.”

“All right,” Lindsay said. “We need someplace quiet to talk.”

“Let’s go to my office.” Sawyer stood and guided Lindsay upstairs.

“First things first,” Lindsay said, poking him in the chest. Hard. “You hurt my best friend again and I’ll roast your nuts.”

Sawyer held up both hands in surrender. “I’m sure there will be others who will help you.” He had no intention of hurting Gabby again, even though he hadn’t meant to the first time. No. He wanted her in his life.

***

Gabby closed the front door to her apartment and leaned against it. She was tired. Her flight had been at nine, it was now almost one. She’d put her phone in airplane mode, but when she landed and reconnected on the network, her phone nearly blew up.

Texts from Sawyer. She wasn’t ready to talk with him yet. After sending a quick text to Lindsay to let her know she’d landed, she ordered a ride share to take her home. Her apartment feltdreary, like all the joy had been sucked out of it. She’d never been completely happy here, but she’d been content. Now, it just reminded her of every failure in her life.

Wheeling her suitcase into the bedroom, she left it by the door and went into the bathroom. A quick shower would make her feel better. On the flight home, she’d thought a lot about what she and Lindsay had discussed.

She was tired of working long hours, and she wanted something different. Opening her own place would mean long hours again, but it would be her place, not working for someone else. Until she could afford that, some of the jobs she applied for would give her more freedom.

Gabby slipped on her favorite yoga pants and a t-shirt and made her way to her small living room. Once there, she opened her laptop. No time like the present. She quickly typed up a letter of resignation and sent it to her boss at the restaurant.

Tomorrow she’d take a signed copy to him as well. No one was going to be happy about it, but it was time. Two weeks was plenty of time for her to pack up her place and arrange to move in with Lindsay.

Her stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten much today, only a bagel at the airport. Pushing to her feet, she went in her tiny kitchen and opened the fridge. Well, darn. There wasn’t much there. She hadn’t gone shopping before she left.

She put on the tea kettle while she tried to decide what she wanted to have delivered. Once her tea was brewing, she sat down in the overstuffed chair she loved, her feet curled underneath her. Gabby began typing on her tablet, making a list of things she needed to do. Half an hour later, she glanced at the list and sipped her now almost cold tea.

Not a bad list. The thing was, could she do it? She pulled up her bank account and noted the balance in her checking andsaving accounts. She’d given her two weeks’ notice, so she’d have one more paycheck from her job.

She wouldn’t have rent if she lived with Lindsay. Gabby shook her head. There would still be rent but not as much as she was paying here. She calculated in food and other things. Okay, she could go without a job for about two months.

Could she set up her own business in two months? Doubtful, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t work. One of the jobs she’d been looking at was a personal chef. Mainly for dinner and dinner parties. While she checked out the job, she couldn’t resist and put Sawyer’s name into the search.

There was article after article, so she started reading about his days in tech and how he’d sold his company and then bought The Vault. There was very little gossip about him, mainly business information.

A yawn escaped. She’d been up early this morning so Lindsay could get her to the airport. Maybe a little nap would help. Scooching down in the chair, she set her tablet aside and closed her eyes. She’d rest here for a few minutes.

***

An insistent knocking brought Gabby awake. “Just a second,” she yelled. A groan left her lips as she tried to straighten her body. She’d fallen asleep in the chair, and now everything hurt. She shifted, put her legs straight out, and wiggled her feet.

At least that wasn’t too bad. She braced with her hands and pushed up out of the chair. Her legs were steady. Another good thing. She made her way to her front door and looked out the peep hole.

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