Page 47 of Break My Heart
‘You stole my ice cream?’
‘Only once. It was after you beat me at swimming. You went back to your tent to change when they were handing out ice-cream treats. I told the girl handing them out that I’d take yours and give it to you.’
‘I remember that. You told me they ran out.’
‘They didn’t. I ate yours because I was pissed at you for beating me again.’
‘It’s okay.’ I laugh. ‘I forgive you.’
‘Gina, if you would’ve told me about your mom I—’
‘Would’ve treated me differently, and I didn’t want that. I just wanted to be a regular kid. I didn’t tell anyone there that my mom died. I didn’t want them to know. And as much as I didn’t want to go to camp that summer, it turned out to be good. I liked that you were so competitive with me. It took my mind off what had happened and made me focus on winning the competitions. I looked forward to them. And it made me laugh when you’d get so upset that I won.’
‘Which made me even angrier.’
I smile. ‘You were a good kid, Sawyer. You really helped me get through that summer.’
It must be the beer talking because I never intended to tell him that. I didn’t want him ever knowing how much he meant to me that summer. His competitiveness lit a fire in me, one that burned out when my mom died, but quickly returned that first week of camp when Sawyer almost beat me on the obstacle course. He tripped and I raced ahead and beat him. He was so mad. I remember his friends teasing him about being beat by a girl. That night Sawyer stormed over to me at dinner and said he’d never let me win again, that he was going to win every competition. I thought he was cute when he was angry so I made him even angrier by telling him there was no way he would win. And from that moment on, I made it my mission to beat him, my thoughts about my mom replaced with thoughts about how to win the next competition.
‘I was not a good kid.’ Sawyer picks up his plate. ‘I was a horrible kid. I got in trouble all the time. Out of all my brothers, Iwas the worst. Brody was a close second, but he’s the youngest and the youngest are always getting in trouble.’
‘What’d you get in trouble for?’
‘Everything. I couldn’t sit still in class. I played pranks on the teachers. I’d skip school and go fishing down at the lake. I stole candy from the drugstore. If you talked to my mom, I’m sure she could make you a list that’d go on for a few pages with everything I did.’
‘I did stuff like that too.’
‘But I bet you didn’t get in trouble. Girls get away with shit that guys can’t.’
‘You’re right. I got off easy, but only because people at school and around town knew what happened to my mom. They felt sorry for me so they didn’t punish me.’
‘Why would your dad leave after she died? I don’t understand that.’
‘He had to go back to the base. It was his job.’
‘Yeah, but can’t they make exceptions?’
‘No. It’s the military. You do what you’re told. They told him he had to go back so he did.’
‘He could’ve asked to be stationed here in the States. At least that way he would’ve been closer to you.’
‘He didn’t want to be closer. He’s not a family guy. It’s just not him. It’s not his personality. I’m learning to just accept that and not take it personally.’ I finish the last of my fries and put my plate on the table. ‘Enough about me. Let’s talk about you. What made you want to own a microbrewery?’
We talk about that for almost an hour, getting sidetracked by a heated discussion about what type of beer is the best. I’m clearly a fan of the darker beers and Sawyer likes the lighter, hoppier ones. I love talking about this, especially with someone who understands it. Ryder and I used to talk about beer, but when we did, he’d talkdown to me, like he was teaching me instead of us having a discussion. But Sawyer’s not like that. He’s still learning like I am. We can talk about beer without it becoming a lesson on how to make it. We haven’t even brought up the topic of making it because we both know it could lead to one of us spilling a secret about our beers. Knowing that, we shouldn’t even be talking about beer, but I’m enjoying it too much to stop.
Chapter 11
Gina
It’s almost midnight when Sawyer finally gets up to take our plates to the sink.
‘What’s for dessert?’ I ask.
‘All I have is that cheesecake in the fridge, but I tried it and it’s not very good. Sorry, I should’ve ordered something else.’
‘Sawyer, I’m kidding. I wasn’t expecting dessert.’
‘I have some apple pastries my mom made. They’re different than her fritters. They’re like mini apple pies. You should try one.’ He brings me a small pastry with icing drizzled over it. ‘They’re a big hit at the orchard.’
