Page 21 of His Middle

Noah nodded with enthusiasm. “We are, thanks to you.”

Sawyer tempered his inner frustration, so his tone didn’t come off too harsh. “And to you. Don’t discount your contribution. Despite how ineffective you believe you’ve been, if it wasn’t for you, this place would’ve closed a long time ago and the other hardworking men here, including Arlen, would’ve been out of a job.”

Sawyer leaned forward. “You need to start giving yourself some credit. You hung in here despite how badly you were being treated, how stressed out you were and more significantly, while you were grieving the sudden loss of your father.” Sawyer smiled. “You deserve a fucking medal. So, no more tearing yourself down, got it?”

Once again, the visual of spanking a naughty Noah jumped into Sawyer’s head. Considering this was his first day on the job, he needed to knock that shit off right away before he crossed a forbidden line.

Noah furrowed his brow then slowly nodded. “Okay. I promise.”

Sawyer leaned back in his chair. “Good boy.”

Noah’s eyes rounded like saucers and Sawyer tore his gaze away, coughing into his fist. He was a grown ass man. Disciplined. In control. He needed to keep himself in check.

Sawyer rose and made a show of brushing off his jeans. “Well, I finished clearing out the expired food in the kitchen, and the staff you have on duty now seems to have things well in hand.” He regarded Noah. “You worked your ass off today. I’m proud of you.”

Can’t shut up, can I?

But Noah needed the praise, deserved it. If Sawyer didn’t give it to him, who would?

Noah beamed up at him. “Thanks. You were amazing with the staff. I can tell they really like you.” He shut the lid of his laptop then rose as well. “And I seriously appreciate how much you got done today, I mean damn.” Noah snorted. “I’ve been so caught up with all the administrative stuff and trying to figure this business out, I wrongly assumed everyone up front were staying on top of things.” He rolled his eyes. “Talk about deluded.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re starting fresh. Everything goes up from here.”

“Yeah. Up.” Noah gave him a grin then started loading his laptop into a computer bag.

Sawyer pointed to the desktop computer. “That’s password protected, right?”

“Hell yes.” Noah glanced up. “Took a while to get the password, though. Jonathan wouldn’t give it to me, but I knew my dad well enough to figure he’d have it handy. His forgetfulness was notorious. I found it on a Post-it note he’d taped to the keyboard tray with the keyboard covering it.” Noah slung the bag’s strap over his shoulder. “Not gonna lie, though. I was having a panic attack there for a while.”

Sawyer chuckled. “I bet. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Noah remained strangely quiet as they exited through the side entrance. Sawyer walked him to his car, intent on making sure Noah was safely inside and the car running before he himself took off.

Noah clicked the key fob but didn’t open the door. He stood still, his head lowered and the tips of his fingers resting on the door handle. After a beat, he whirled around and faced Sawyer.

“I heard you say something to Arlen earlier about staying here longer than you’d originally thought you would.” He fidgeted with the car keys, his leg jiggling. “So uh, I was thinking, you know…I was thinking it doesn’t make sense for you to stay in a rental. Like I said before, you shouldn’t pay when I’ve got that enormous house. Especially now that you’ll be here longer. And I’d totally pay for it if you want your…” Noah shrugged. “You know, privacy and all that. But I’m guessing you wouldn’t accept the money.”

“You got that right. I wouldn’t.”

Sawyer was about to launch into another ‘don’t worry about it’ speech but stopped himself short. He crossed his arms as he pondered what it was Noah was really asking. Noah’s body language screamed unease and anxiety. What if Noah didn’t want to be alone? Had the break-up with Garth hit Noah harder than he was willing to admit? What about being in that big empty house with no one but himself for company when he’d been so accustomed to living with Oliver?

Noah spoke the truth about the house. It was a modern, three level home built in the cliffs of Sausalito. The structure was open and airy, with spacious rooms throughout. They didn’t need to be in each other’s face hair, but Noah would have the comfort of knowing someone was there. If Noah also needed someone to talk to, then Sawyer would be at his disposal. All Sawyer needed to do was choose a bedroom that wasn’t next to Noah’s.

It could work.

“Are you sure it wouldn’t be a problem?”

Noah’s head jerked up and his mouth formed an ‘o’. “Really? You’ll stay? Awesome!” He smacked his forehead. “I mean, no. I don’t mind.”

Sawyer chuckled. “It’s official then. Let me grab my stuff at the rental, then I’ll meet you at home. I shouldn’t be more than an hour.”

“Cool. See you soon.” Noah ducked his head with a smile then got in his car.

Sawyer waited until Noah was out of sight, then climbed in his truck. A tinge of concern reared up as he drove to the Airbnb to retrieve his bags. Was this such a good idea after all? And had he done it more forhisbenefit than Noah’s?

Sawyer gripped the steering wheel. All he had to do was focus on what was best for Noah and remember the promise he’d made to his best friend.

No big deal, right?

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