The Magic of Light

Chapter

Nineteen

Sawyer

Sunday came around faster than I anticipated, but I did some soul searching over the last couple of days and was determined to relax and have fun. Rob drove while Talia and I chatted most of the way to Soren’s house and I tried to relax. Rob had remained quiet for the first part of the trip, however when Talia and I had reached a lull, he asked, “Am I supposed to play the tough big brother, or am I playing more of a wingman?” Talia and I both laughed.

“Neither!” I retorted between laughs. His sense of humor was one of my favorite things about him.

“I didn’t bring a shotgun and I feel less effective pulling the tough guy act without one.” His voice took on a twang as he added, “You wantin’ to go sparkin’ with my little sister, son? I’m going to need your date of birth, social security number, and credit score.”

He glanced back in the rearview mirror, his eyes sparkling with humor.

“No shotgun needed, babe,” Talia advised, patting his forearm. “Besides, your courtroom stare-down is intimidating enough.”

Talia and I both knew that was true. I wouldn’t want to be on the opposing side in a courtroom when it came to Rob Sharpe. He was intimidating enough at six foot five, but his dark green eyes could cut like a knife. Talia and I sat in on a significant trial he had a couple of years ago where Rob prosecuted a man that had killed his own neighbor. Talia had wanted to support him and didn’t want to be alone. I would have confessed right away if I was on the receiving end of his persuasive presentation skills and intense stare.

“I’m not sure he wants to ‘spark’ me!” I could barely hold back my laughter at the antiquated term.

“Let me be the judge of that, li’l sister,” he quipped in his twang again. It was undoubtedly the most exaggerated twang I had ever heard. I laughed again at his ridiculousness. I was beyond thankful for my friendship with Talia and Rob. They both knew me better than anyone, and their teasing helped to distract me. I was a fish out of water when it came to dating or even being around a man. I’d never dated, and although this wasn’t a date, it felt new and different and dating adjacent. After everything I’d been through, the idea of unnecessarily engaging in an interaction with a man had not been high on my list of things to do. In all honesty, I avoided it whenever I could.

“Thank you both for coming.” My eyes watered at how much they meant to me and how they had sacrificed their time to come with me.

“All kidding aside, Sawyer. You deserve all the good things in life, and I hope Mr. Soren Montgomery Roberts realizes that.” My mouth dropped open at the same time Talia swatted at Rob’s arm.

“Hey, hey!” He raised his arm to shield himself, his smile taking over his whole face.

“You investigated him and didn’t tell me!” Talia squealed.

“I’m going to an unknown man’s house with two of my favorite ladies. Of course, I looked him up! You’ll be glad to know he’s got a good credit score.”

I knew he was kidding about his credit score, but it cracked me up all the same.

“Oh my word!” I exclaimed.

Talia laughed, her eyes dancing with amusement. I loved these moments of seeing a healthy relationship like theirs up close. They were best friends, but there was no mistaking the way they were attracted to each other. Talia and Rob were lucky to love each other so fiercely. If I ever were to fall in love, I’d want a relationship like theirs where I could be fully myself and be loved, flaws and all.