Page 101 of S.O.S. Mizzay

“Now, I want to give you a short list of Sawyer’s accomplishments while he was off the grid.” Baskins extracted reading glasses from his shirt pocket, then withdrew a paper from inside his jacket. He shook the page a few times to straighten it out.

Clearing his throat, he began. “During his time in hiding, Sawyer held down seven different construction jobs—”

A cheer broke out from one table off to the left, and one at the rear. They were filled with people Sawyer had worked with on building houses over those many years.

Cobble, true to his word, had looked up each and every one of the co-workers with whom he’d previously felt a connection. He’d gone on to explain exactly what had happened, and to a person, they’d understood, sympathized, and been ecstatic to be invited to meet the real Sawyer, attending his and Andy’s nuptials.

Baskins let the huzzah’s wind down, then continued. “But did his involvement in his temporary communities stop with his employment? No,” Baskins apprised the now rapt crowd. “He upped his game at every turn. He went to college, completing degrees in psychology, environmental science, and business management. He was also certified as a Wilderness First Responder, an outdoor education instructor, and an adventure expedition leader.”

The audience looked awed.

“He took classes in welding, cooking, and glass blowing. He learned how to sail. He volunteered at soup kitchens and homeless shelters,” Baskins enlightened them. “And also became one hell of a pitcher.”

Those in the know, laughed and cheered.

“When others might have folded,” Baskins went on, “or given up under the pressure of having a non-life, Sawyer Blueembraced it. He became not only a friend to many, but a valuable addition within each community where he lived.”

“Here, here,” Daire yelled from somewhere to Andy’s right, and the room erupted in whistles and applause.

Baskins waited patiently for everyone to settle down before he started up again. “Of course, this was all done, unfortunately, under a raft of aliases. Which meant Sawyer couldn’t take credit for any of it. He couldn’t keep the friends he made, nor could he put any of his accomplishments in a resumé to secure a job at his next stop. He couldn’t take credit for any of the good that he did. But that never stopped him.

“On sheer personality alone, Sawyer continued to find people who believed in him, trusted him, hired him, and befriended him. It speaks loudly of just the kind of person Sawyer is.

“So now, it’s time to give back to this amazing man.” Baskins beckoned Cobble’s way. “Sawyer? Can you step up here for a minute?”

Cobble looked at him, confused

“Don’t worry. You won’t be marryingmetoday,” he added, and everyone laughed. “Nor will you be seeing me as your intended’s maid of honor, thank God.”

Andy snickered.

“What’s this all about?” Cobble whisper-asked Andy before she turned him so his feet pointed toward the front of the room. Andy merely “hmphd” before giving him a push; elated when he didn’t hesitate, but moved forward.

“Ahh. Here’s the man of the hour,” Baskins stated as Cobble joined him. Everyone clapped and stomped loudly again.

Baskins cleared his throat. “Sawyer Blue, you can thank Agent Vessers and Agent Smalley for what I’m about to show you, but you also need to know that it was your almost-wife who started the ball rolling.”

Cobble looked a bit bemused, but he smiled back toward Andy.

Baskins, with a flourish, took the cover off the box he’d placed on the podium.

“Have a quick look inside,” Baskins told Cobble. “I think you’ll get the gist of things without digging through it all.”

Cobble gingerly lifted the first folder from the box, opened it, and…his mouth dropped open.

“Can you tell the folks what it is?” Baskins prompted.

“It’s… It’s a degree. In Business Administration.” Cobble blinked twice, as if he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. “And… It’s in my real name.” He pulled out a second file, and shook his head, clearly astounded.

“Here’s another, in Soil Science.” He swallowed hard and shuffled around in what lay in the box. “It’s full of…everything I’ve done.” Cobble looked up and caught the eyes of both Vessers and his cousin Chuck. “You two…did this?”

Chuck didn’t hesitate to stand. “We did. I only wish it could make up for all the years you lost, but it’s the least we could do. There are more degrees in there, as well as certifications and papers of your course completions. All now under the name of Sawyer Blue.”

Andy didn’t know if she’d ever seen Cobble quite as lost for words. He kept opening his mouth and closing it, before finally heading toward Chuck to embrace the shit out of him. Once he was done with that, and had swiped the unabashed tears from his eyes, he did the same with Sloane Vessers-Perkins.

Andy smiled wetly as after that over-the-top display, Cobble strode directly for her.

Picking her up and burying his head in her neck, he squeezed her hard and bit back a sob. “Thank you, Andy. Thank you, a million times, over. I’m not sure what I did to deserve you, but… This is an unimaginable gift.”

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