Page 8 of Beehive Yourself
“Afternoon,” I correct, my gaze sliding down her body, my mouth dry as I take in her matching pink tank top and sleep shorts that somehow feel scandalous in my backyard.
And sexy.
Shit.
“Coffee,” she says, lifting her mug in my direction, “morning.”
“Should you eat something with that coffee?” I ask, pocketing my phone and moving to where she’s now leaning on the banister.
“I’ll make a frozen waffle.”
“What?” My expression must be horrified because she rolls her eyes.
“There’s nothing wrong with frozen waffles.”
“I can’t let you commit such atrocities in my kitchen,” I deadpan, ushering her back inside the house.
“Sawyer—”
“Seriously, my mother’s Southern hospitality alarm will go off in Tennessee and thenyou’llhave to deal with her.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” she hisses even as she sits on the barstool at the island and clutches her mug in her hands.
She looks tired but so damn beautiful andI want to take care of her.
All of this is temporary.
And I need to accept that, so I grab a mixing bowl and whisk and get to work.
6
HALLIE
“Agirl could get used to this,” I tease, watching Sawyer plate the most perfect waffle I’ve ever seen. He’d spared no expense, topping it with fruit, whipped cream, and powdered sugar.
“Yeah, well, it’s no trouble and I’d rather know you’re getting actual food instead of something from the freezer section.”
I’m just about to argue when his phone lights up on the island between us.
What in the world?
“Is that…an update for a pregnancy app on your phone?” I ask in half disbelief, half amusement and an obvious caffeine deficiency. “Do I even want to know why you have this?”
“My sister is pregnant.”
I have to rack my brain for a minute, sifting through years of details before landing on the one Ithinkis right. “Indie?”
“Yeah.” He nods. “She’s about your age and we’ve never been really close. I was already living my life and had moved here when she was in high school so it made it hard to really connect with her.”
“That makes sense,” I tell him, stabbing a bite of waffle before adding, “Beth and I weren’t always close growing up, hence why I askedyouto pick me up from that party. Did you ever tell her?”
He smirks, leaning a hip against the opposite counter and staring at me. “No.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because you asked me not to.”
My heart flutters a little in my chest because I hadn’t wanted to go to that party but my sister had called meboringand told me tolive a little.The irony isn’t lost on me, especially with how she ended things with Sawyer and went on tofind herself.
