Page 67 of Sassy Love
“You’re here early.” His eyes are full of worry, nothing else.
“I wanted to catch up. What’s your excuse?”
“Same.”
“I guess having a week away wasn’t great for business.”
“I have full faith we can catch up and then some.”
“That makes one of us.”
He chuckles and falls into step as I walk past, heading for the fish tank.
“You opened the doors early?” he asks as we walk in and dump our belongings.
“The shelter needs to be open at all times... I couldn’t leave her out there, she?—”
A stone explodes in my throat. I screw up my face, desperate to stem back the emotion that is trying its hardest to claw its way back up from the pit of my stomach.
Lawson stills, his hand frozen on his laptop where he slid it onto his glass desk.
My chin wobbles.
Fucking traitor.
What the hell is wrong with me?
One week away with this man, and I go from impenetrable to inconsolable.
I clear my throat and turn back to my bag.
Baggage.
We spent a week unpacking ours, and this is the outcome. The soft version of me. The weak, blubbering mess that is Carlie Marie Lamont.
Fuck it.
When I turn back, Lawson is standing mere inches from me. “Need a hug?”
I scoff at him, but the sound breaks, disintegrating into a muffled sob.
Fucking great.
He’s wrapped himself around me before the next breath fills my lungs. A large, warm hand runs over my hair, and I suck back a wobbly breath.
“We can do something about it, Carlie. We have that privilege. But we’re going to have to work together.”
I compose myself and push from his hold.
Part of me doesn’t want to leave. It’s been a long, long time since I have felt at home this close to a man. So long, it’s merely a vague memory. And I think it’s all the weeks we spent hating each other, being in each other’s business. After all, attention is still attention, regardless of whether it’s negative or not. Looking at him like I hate him is still looking at him.
The way we were before Manuel and his clipboard feels like an old skin we’ve shed. We’ve changed.
I’ve changed.
Who knew seven whole days could do that to a person.
I dry my face for the second time in an hour and set my shoulders back. “Right, in that case, we should dig deep. Get on the same page and make plans to make this place thrive, no matter which one of us stays.”
