Page 34 of Sawyer
It wasn’t hubris. The painting was fucking brilliant. Even his ego couldn’t take a shot at it. God, he couldn’t wait to see what Beverly thought.
Okay, that brought the first barrel roll in his stomach. Better not to think about that yet…
He swung around for the sink to start cleaning up, feeling the pressing need to take care of the human needs of hunger and thirst. He was suddenly starving.
Once he was finished, he picked up his phone. Phoebe had texted him instead of calling him back. But even Axel would appreciate the text. For this was no mere text.
“When shall we three meet again in thunder, lightning, or in rain?When the hurlyburly's done, When the battle 's lost and won.”
Macbeth.He thought about his response. That it needed to be clever was a certainty. She loved Shakespeare. He decided he would speak the language of her heart with a quote from Sonnet 43.
“All days are nights to see till I see thee, And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.”
Sending it off, he was sure he had a satisfied smile on his face. They could handle the details tomorrow. While he fed his body, he could think about where to take her.
Because she was a goddess—a muse—and a woman like that deserved the world.
CHAPTER
TEN
Kyle was on Operation Sawyer duty.
The new antique clock in the salon had finished chiming the eleven o’clock hour. Doc still hadn’t come down, having worked in his studio again all day. Of course, they’d been bringing takeout to his door. Brooke had ordered it, and Kyle had delivered it.
His last run to the third floor to drop off food had been at seven o’clock.
There’d been no sign of Sawyer since.
It was Friday night, and Kyle was mostly alone in the house. Now that half of their roommates had their Plus Ones, date night was a hot commodity. So here he was, working alone. But his heart wasn’t in it. He missed being with his friends.
One in particular—Madison.
Since the restaurant had opened, she’d been coming home around eleven thirty every night. When she got home, she usually went up to her room pretty fast, saying she needed to get out of her food-scented clothes.
Not something he needed to think about.
But she still wasn’t home tonight, and he figured she wasprobably avoiding him since she knew Sawyer was MIA and everyone else was out.
If she came home at the usual time, they’d be alone together, something they were having trouble with. Their attraction was so hot it could sear a steak, and they both knew it.
Which left him unsettled and out of sorts. He wanted her. She wanted him. They were best friends. Wasn’t that the basis for a good relationship?
But God, the risk. They both knew what was at stake, and she was under enough pressure. It would kill him to add more on her shoulders.
He lay back on the couch and closed his eyes, only rising when he heard someone trudging down the stairs.
Sawyer. He emerged from the salon to greet his friend, and his paint-covered friend jumped. “Whoa! What are you doing down here? It’s almost midnight.”
He wasn’t going to mention he was waiting up for Madison like he did every night—to make sure she was okay; to see if she needed anything; to simply…see her, if only for a moment.
“I was working,” he answered, leaning against the doorway. “Like you. You seem to be over youragonizing over every detailstage.”
“Oh, there’s still agony.” He pushed his glasses up his nose. “But I limit it to a few minutes before diving into painting. Axel and I agree speed is my friend, so it’s become my new process. When I paint nonstop, I don’t think. I don’t even know time passes. It’s freaking awesome. I don’t know how I didn’t know this before.”
Kyle couldn’t help but grin. “Glad you’re figuring out what works. You certainly look happier with yourself. Hungry?”
“Starved,” he admitted. “Thanks for the takeout today. I’m sorry if you have to be around the house to receive it.”
