Page 107 of Sawyer
“I happen to have benefited from Madison’s badassery.”Phoebe gave a grin. “Also, thank you for your offer to help me with my new reinvention scheme.”
“You’re going to be just fine.” Brooke gave her a knowing wink. “You’ve got fire and a whole lot of people who are here to help. One of the best is a man I happen to think a lot of. Dr. Sawyer Jackson.”
“Maestro Sawyer Jackson,” Axel corrected.
“I know.” Phoebe kissed him softly. “He’s the other best thing to ever happen to me. I’m more hopeful than I’ve ever been starting a new year. It’s good to have new friends.”
Brooke held out her hand, and Phoebe took it. Sisterhood. Damn, he almost wished Thea and Jean Luc were here to further cement the moment, along with Nanine and Carl, who’d chosen to have a night at home.
The call button announced an arrival. Brooke went to the panel to let the person in since Dean was out dancing. Moments later, Sawyer opened the door and felt relief spread through him. Madison stood in the doorway, dressed in a long black coat with black boots, her face lined with dread.
“Sorry I’m late.”
“We were worried you got caught up at the restaurant,” Brooke said, joining them.
“We had a few stragglers, but once we cleaned up, I realized I couldn’t show up in my chef’s outfit. I had cherry stains and God knows what else, and I reeked of food. Since I needed to put Pierre to bed anyway, I ran home, took a quick shower, and changed.”
She shrugged out of her coat with Sawyer’s help, revealing a tight, long-sleeved black dress. “I hope I’m not breaking the dress code.”
“You look nice.” Brooke stepped forward and yanked on the neckline. “But you’re supposed to wear this off the shoulder.”
When Madison instantly put it back the way she’d had it,Sawyer muffled a laugh. “I do green goddess dressing. Not Grecian goddess dressing.”
“Clever,” Sawyer quipped. “Come on. Let’s get you a glass of champagne.”
When they shuffled back to the now stuffy salon, Madison’s gaze swept the tiny area as Brooke poured her a glass of bubbly. “Is Kyle out on the roof with Dean and Jacs?”
Brooke shared a worried glance with Sawyer before handing Madison the flute. “No, he thought we needed more champagne.”
“But I didn’t see him at the house,” Madison protested before shaking herself. “Well, he’ll show up.”
Sawyer checked the time. “He’s cutting it close.”
He watched Madison’s hand tighten around the stem as she drank deeply. Yeah, they were both hurting. He looked at Brooke and saw his own feeling of helplessness on her face.
Phoebe’s hands slid around his front, making him smile. She leaned around him. “How’s my personal burglar?”
Madison snorted. “Terrific. Eager to go again. You guys good?”
Sawyer grinned as Phoebe exclaimed, “Perfect! I have the best man in the world here. A bunch of great new friends. Oh, and my dad showed up and went for Father of the Year. Tell her, Horatio, since she missed the news.”
By the time he’d finished the retelling, Madison wasn’t gripping her flute. In fact, her amused smile had him relaxing a little about her mood.
“I’m glad to hear there are some people in the world who don’t suck—parents included.” She lifted her glass. “Sawyer, this is great! For both of you. Cheers, you two.”
They clinked glasses. Brooke came in and offered Madison some appetizers, and Dean and Jacqueline came through the window.
“Three minutes to go, folks,” Dean said cheerfully. “Timeto singAuld Lang Syne.” He already had his Sharpie in hand, a laughing Jacqueline by his side, as he burst into song.
Dude wasn’t terrible. At least he knew all the words. Sawyer didn’t, but he knew the story behind it.
“You know, Robert Burns wrote the poem in 1788,” he told Phoebe when the song finished, “but it wasn’t printed until 1796 after his death. Dude never enjoyed the acclaim or had an inkling of it becoming a legend. Imagine. A poem becoming a song that people around the world sing every year on one night. Boggles the mind, and the guy was six feet under the whole time, not having a clue.”
“You would think that.” Phoebe cupped his jaw. “I believe it’s about midnight. Now be quiet because I plan to give you a New Year’s kiss you won’t forget.”
He shut up instantly.
As her lips hovered over his, she whispered, “Beware, though. I plan to top it next year and the year after that.”
