Page 46 of Sawyer
Dean started humming. “Ah…l’amour.No better feeling out there.”
He picked up his café and took that first perfect sip.
“Wait!” Brooke snapped her finger in front of his face. “You didn’t even bother to deny it. You’ve gone out twice?—”
“The heart knows what the heart knows,” Dean interrupted, placing his hand over the organ in discussion.
“It’s like Nanine always says,” Thea chimed in. “You always listen to it. Oh, Sawyer, I’m so happy for you.”
Sawyer didn’t like the dragon breath he heard from Brooke any better than Kyle’s distinctive silence. “Don’t worry, Brooke, I’m just in serious like,” he assured her, taking another drink of his café. “True, it’s at a level I haven’t experienced before, and yes, it’s early, but I have a good sense of myself. Phoebe fits me. She listens. She knows how to laugh at herself and life, but then she can get all soulful. She brings out good things in me.”
“That’s when you know you have something special, Sawyer,” Thea offered as she rearranged the croissants. “Jean Luc does the same for me.”
“And my Lady Jacs for me,” Dean continued.
“I’m not trying to rain on your parade, Sawyer,” Brooke assured him with a hand on his arm. “I’m just being protective.”
“We all are, Doc.” Kyle stood up and grabbed another croissant from the basket Thea had placed on the island. “But you look happy, and you’re painting. Two big indicators things are going well. When I got engaged to Paisley, I wasn’t happy. I wish you guys had been around to point that out. I hate to dash, but I have an errand I need to run.”
They all watched Kyle walk out. Thea’s eyes were still wide as the sound of his footsteps receded through the house. Dean gave a soft whistle.
“Well…”Brooke said.
“He never mentions Paisley.” Thea was gripping her apron ties. “What do you think brought that on?”
Sawyer had some insight into that, but he wasn’t sure thesoul sharing he and Kyle had done the other night should be passed around like the salt. They were roommates and friends, sure, but you didn’t do that to a bro when he was sharing the tough shit.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Dean reached for another croissant, disrupting Thea’s fanlike display. “He and Madison are running on high octane gas right now. We’d better hide all the matches.”
“Leave them be,” Brooke ordered softly. “It can’t be easy for them, and we don’t want to make things tougher.”
Thea’s throat moved as she swallowed, tears burning in her eyes. “No, we don’t. I wish there was something we could do.”
“We are.” Brooke rose, yanking on her navy suit jacket. “By giving them space to let them work it out. Now, I need to run. I’m meeting Axel.”
“I’m off too.” Dean finished off his croissant. “For now… Lady Jacs and I are driving up to Reims to sample some champagne. Be back before dinner.”
“Oh, that sounds delicious.” Brooke already had her phone out. “Bring some bottles back to the house.”
“Count on it.” Dean kissed her cheek before turning to Sawyer, who playfully shoved him back when he feinted leaning in for a cheek kiss like the clown he was. “Thea, what about you?”
She untied her apron and walked over to put it in the pantry. “Maybe I’ll go do some Christmas shopping with Jean Luc since Brooke has everything so organized for the wedding. I don’t feel like I have much left to do. Even though I’m counting down the days until the twenty-eighth.”
Sawyer noted she was practically floating now. Wedding talk made her incandescent. Suddenly he wondered if he should ask Pheobe to be his Plus One for the special occasion.
“It’s what I’m good at,” Brooke reminded her as theyshared a sisterly smile. “Besides, you made it easy by asking for a smaller wedding.”
The ceremony and reception would be held at Nanine’s.
“Come on,” Brooke told Thea. “I’ll walk with you to Jean Luc’s, and we can talk about the flowers.”
She gasped. “But they’re all ordered, aren’t they?”
Brooke took her arm and led her away. “Yes, but it makes you happy, so that’s why we’ll go over them again. Later, boys.”
Dean gave him a playful salute. “Have fun with your colors, Doc.”
“I plan to.”
