Chapter
Eighteen
Sawyer
I had overanalyzed going to Soren’s on Sunday until I couldn’t dissect it anymore. I wanted to get to know him better but my curiosity battled my anxiety. I knew I needed to call Talia to talk me down before I sent a text to cancel. I was twenty-six years old. I needed to woman-up and just go. I unloaded my work bag with my laptop and drudged everything inside. Once I had traded my work clothes for a set of oatmeal-colored, cozy loungewear and settled into my nest of weighted blankets in my overstuffed chair, I called Talia. She answered right away.
“Hey, what’s up?” Her voice was vibrant and cheery.
“I think I made a mistake.”
I put the phone on speaker, tugging my weighted blankets up to cover my shoulders.
“Oh. How so?”
“I saw Soren today, and he invited me to his house for dinner on Sunday, but I told him I couldn’t come without you. Puh-lease tell me you’re available.”
Talia laughed.
“How’d you run into Soren?” She asked.
I caught her up on how I’d seen him today and what had happened with my tire.
“Ooooh. So you’ve been getting sexy tire changing lessons?” Talia teased in a saucy voice. I was so deep in my panic, I couldn’t even laugh at her teasing tone.
“Tal. I’m such a freak. Why can’t I just go to dinner like a normal person?”
“Would you let someone call me that?” Her question caught me off guard.
“What?” I asked, my brow scrunched.
“Would you let someone call me a freak?” Her calm therapist voice was out on full display.
“No, of course not.” Talia was the best human I knew.
“Why would I let my best friend who is brave and fierce and kind and smart and funny call herself a freak?” My heart momentarily stopped in my chest and tears filled my eyes as she gently added, “You deserve good things Sawyer Brannan. The best things, and it’s time that you saw that.”
I sniffed, trying to keep my tears at bay even as one slid down my cheek.
“Okay,” I finally said, unsure of what to say.
“Ava is due for some grandparent time with Gigi. Rob and I can go, but I’m not tolerating any of this freak talk about my best friend okay?”
“Okay,” I answered. I wished I could see myself the way she saw me. “Thank you, Tal. I panicked, and then I was debating sending a text to cancel.” I rubbed my thumb over the inscription on the tags.
“You better not cancel on that hot cowboy!” she chastised. “Besides, going will give me a better chance to investigate him, since I can’t find him online and Rob won’t do any of my dirty work. What’s the point of being married to an ADA if they won’t be nosy for you?”
She laughed since we both knew she had FBI-level social media stalking skills and that she was as obsessed with Rob as he was with her.
“Oh, good grief!” I laughed, knowing I had the best friend in the world.
Soren:
* Photo of Freckles and Delta *
Your friends say “Hi.”
Sawyer:
*five heart eye emojis*
Tell them “Hey” back! Delta is already so much bigger!