Where the Heart Is

Chapter 17

CHAPTER

17

Sawyer opened the door to his room and snuck a glance left and right to see if Shazza might be strolling the motel car park, because he remembered the last time he’d been in a room here.

Back then, Shazza had flung open the door so hard it cracked the plaster of the wall behind it and Sawyer had almost crapped himself. Simone had been ballsy, standing up to her mother, but he’d been a wreck, knowing the ridicule he’d face. He didn’t mind the laughs when he deliberately solicited them but being teased … he hated it.

He wouldn’t have been surprised if Shazza had grabbed his ear and twisted it as she dragged him out of the motel room. Instead, she’d settled for yelling so loud he had tinnitus for a week and pinning him with the evil eye until his mum had come and picked him up.

It had been the most embarrassing moment of his life and he’d never expected to find himself back here.

Mila better appreciate the hardship he was going through for her.

With the coast clear, he pulled the door shut and headed for his car. He’d nearly made it when an ear-splitting whistle shattered the early morning silence.

‘Well, well, well. If it isn’t Sawyer Mann himself, still sneaking around my motel.’

Feeling like a recalcitrant seventeen-year-old all over again, he fixed his best smile and turned to see Shazza glaring at him, arms folded, her frizzy brown hair now streaked grey, and sporting a lot more wrinkles.

‘Hey, Mrs Knowles. Long time no see.’

She waggled her fingers at him. ‘Don’t you Mrs Knowles me, young man. I haven’t forgotten what you did, corrupting my poor Simone.’

Sawyer stifled a laugh. If anyone did the corrupting back then, it was Simone. She’d targeted him relentlessly—texting him, slipping notes into his backpack, staring at him in class—but he’d keep that to himself. The last thing he needed was Shazza booting him out of the motel before he’d solidified plans to help Mila.

Not that she’d be foolish enough to evict a paying customer, considering how empty the car park was, but he knew this woman was tough and had a memory like an elephant.

‘How is Simone?’

‘Better off without you,’ she muttered, fixing him with a baleful stare. ‘What are you doing back in town anyway? Thought we’d seen the back of you.’

‘Thought I’d revisit my youth and your wonderful establishment.’

His droll response earned a bark of laughter.

‘Still a cheeky one, huh?’

‘I try.’

Her expression softened and she jerked a thumb over her shoulder. ‘Fancy a cuppa? I’ve got a brilliant new espresso machine in the back office.’

The last thing he needed was to spend time with Shazza, being grilled about every aspect of his life since he left town, so he shook his head.

‘Thanks for the offer, but I’m lining up some meetings while I’m in town.’

When her eyes narrowed like she thought he was bullshitting, he added, ‘I’m a land broker.’

The grudging respect in her eyes made him want to stand a little taller. ‘Looks like you made something of yourself after all. Good lad.’

He didn’t need her approval, but it went some way to easing his defensiveness. He knew he should be over his feelings of inadequacy by now, that he’d proved to himself rather than the narrow-minded judgemental fools in this town that he was better than what they thought, but perhaps old habits die hard.

The thing was, if one brief encounter with Shazza raised his hackles, imagine how he’d feel if he ran into any other old ‘acquaintances’ while in town?

Stupid, to be bothered by opinions after all this time, but this town and its inhabitants had made his life hell—even if he’d never let them know it—and he’d be damn sure to stride down Main Street without a care in the world shortly.

‘I better get going,’ he said. ‘Nice seeing you again.’

‘Yeah, right.’ Shazza winked. ‘So you’re staying a few nights?’

‘At this stage, yes.’

‘Don’t hesitate to holler if you need anything.’

‘Thanks.’

He’d almost made it to his car when Shazza called out, ‘From the view back here, I can see why Simone risked getting grounded for a month.’

Embarrassed that she’d been checking out his arse, he raised his hand in a wave without looking back and slammed the door on her loud cackling.

He made it to the bakery in under two minutes and, thankfully, didn’t recognise the young women working behind the counter.

After ordering a latte and the Big Breakfast, he took a seat at the table furthest from the window and got out his mobile to peruse the pesky subdivision clause on Mila’s land. Having access to records was a major perk in his job and was coming in mighty handy today.

However, after demolishing his fried eggs on sourdough, bacon, hashbrowns, mushrooms, and spinach, he realised coming up with a workaround to the clause would take more time, and he wouldn’t be able to present Mila with a solution today.

Meaning he was back to square one.

Though all wasn’t lost, and as he contemplated a last-resort solution to Mila’s problem, he knew that following through with this plan might cost him her friendship.