Page 81 of Sawyer
He nodded crisply, clenching his hands on the table. “Yeah. It’s either that or I go after her, and I don’t think it’s a good moment to talk.”
Sawyer winced. “Probably not, but you get big points for manning up. You’ve decided, then?”
Kyle gave a rueful smile, his jaw tight. “The song says it all, Doc. There’s no denying it to myself anymore.”
“Yeah, you’d have to be an idiot not to get the message. ‘I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You’ played over and over again, man.” He held out his fist to Kyle. “Props to you for going after what you want.”
“We’ll see.” He gave a dark laugh. “She might be sharpening her cleaver as we speak.”
She wasn’t sharpening her cleaver.
When Sawyer headed into the kitchen for a brandy snifter a few minutes later, he found her standing near the back door, which she’d propped open. Had he come in there to check on her? Yes, absolutely, but he’d figured it would be better to have a cover story.
“I needed some air,” she called out. “It’s hot in there.”
Indeed.
“I was getting a brandy snifter from our special stash back here. Wasn’t sure there’d be one out in front.”
She tugged on her dress like it was too tight and fanned herself. “There is. You coming to check on me, Doc?”
Busted. He walked over until he felt the biting cold on his skin. “You’re my friend, so yeah. Wanna talk?”
She rubbed the back of her neck, her sadness and vulnerability as tangible as the winter weather outside. “Not really.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m here for you.” He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.
“I know you are, but it feels like you have an opinion about how things should go.” Her eyes narrowed as she crossed her arms warily.
Lowering his hand, he shrugged. “Maybe I do.”
She straightened, no longer leaning against the doorway. “Let’s hear it.”
“Well…” He chose his words as carefully as he had when defending his dissertation. “You and Kyle have everything to make a relationship work. You’re best friends. You’re attracted to each other.”
“But we work together and have a group of friends we both value like family.” She wet her lips nervously. “Two big things to screw up.”
No way was he pointing out it was already rocky. Negative thinking had been counterproductive for him, and he couldn’t imagine Madison wanted it. “You’re right about that.” He wanted to play with his cuff link as he gathered his thoughts. “But what if it makes everything easier once you cross the line? Because dude, you two… When you’re in the flow with each other, you finish each other’s sentences. You make the other person better. Like him helping with your duck and cherries recipe and you helping him with Paisley.”
“That’s what tipped the scale, Doc.” She rubbed her forehead as she wearily closed her eyes. “Don’t ever kiss someone and think it’s not going to mean something.”
It was time to call bullshit. He dragged her hand away and loomed closer, so close he could see the green and brown rings around her irises. “Yeah? You think me putting my mouth on yours is going to make us both wild and crazy for each other?”
She sputtered out a laugh and shoved him back. “Fine. You’re right. Dammit! Sawyer, I don’t know what to do. I have enough on my plate without this.”
“Loving someone—the person who gets you and loves and accepts you and wantseverythingfor you—is the grand prize. The Holy Grail. I’ve found that with Phoebe, and I would fight to the death to keep it. I understand all of literature now. Why dudes got up at dawn to defend the honor of the woman they loved.”
She tipped her head back against the door and sighed. “Oh, Doc.”
“I’m being serious.”
“I know,” she said softly.
He released a passionate breath. “When you feel like this—with that one person who clicks with you and you click with—you’ve gotta move mountains for it.”
She blew out a breath so harsh it ruffled her short black bangs. “Everywhere I look are mountains, Doc. All right, that’s enough introspection. Go find a cognac for Kyle. I’ll rejoin you in a minute.”
“How did you know it was for Kyle?”
