Chapter 9 #3
She’d avoided dating and relationships at all costs.
Too much disappointment involved. Men were either intimidated by her success or competitive with her because of it.
She told herself her reaction to Sawyer was merely a symptom of loneliness.
And…hot cowboy. Which was a whole new species of man in her world of chefs, television producers, and corporate tycoons.
“They all look the same to me. I’d say whichever one makes the most ice cream at one time.” His lips ticked up in the corners. It was obvious to Gina that he knew just how charming he was.
There was no question he had a healthy ego. And why shouldn’t he have one? Good looks, impressive job, a killer smile, and a drool-worthy set of abs. On top of that, he was part owner of a nice chunk of real estate. He was a fabulous catch by anyone’s standards.
The thing was Gina didn’t think Sawyer wanted to be caught; otherwise he wouldn’t still be single. In her experience, the emotionally available ones were always the first to get taken. All the rest had dated her at one time or another.
She’d grown so tired of putting herself out there that she’d focused on work instead of finding her one and only. Because he didn’t exist, she reminded herself and turned her attention back to ice cream makers.
She narrowed the offerings down to two, including the ChefAid, which delivered the most features.
In the end, the ChefAid won out. Sawyer carried it to the cashier’s counter while she continued to browse.
She’d never been much of a shopper—a passive-aggressive swipe at her mother, whose second home was Saks Fifth Avenue.
But she could get lost in a kitchen or restaurant supply store for hours.
About twenty minutes later, with a basket full of crockery and gadgets she didn’t need, she found Sawyer in the barware section, talking with a middle-aged blonde who smiled up at him with obvious familiarity.
Though she was dressed like one of Gina’s late mom’s friends—lots of gold jewelry, white designer capri pants, and a pair of Jimmy Choo sandals—she wasn’t a tourist up from the city.
She appeared to know everyone working in the store.
Sawyer caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye and silently signaled that she should stay away. Gina crossed the floor and took the stairs down to the lower level to hide out. It wasn’t a hardship because there was a clearance rack to explore.
She was immersed in the Moosewood Cookbook when Sawyer found her.
“The coast is clear.” He tilted his head to see what she was reading. “You ready to giddyup? The store is mostly empty now.”
“I’m ready.” She handed her basket to him and he rolled his eyes but didn’t balk at carrying it up the stairs.
“Who’s your girlfriend?” When Sawyer appeared confused, she said, “The blonde wearing Fort Knox around her neck and on her wrists. You too looked quite cozy, chatting next to the Riedel stemware.”
“Jealous?” He winked and flashed another one of his I’m-sexy-and-I-know-it smiles. “That was Tiffany, Jace’s former campaign manager.”
“Campaign manager?” This didn’t seem like a place where one needed a campaign manager. But what Gina knew about small towns and politics she could fit in a quarter-teaspoon. “For what election?”
“Sheriff. It was a pretty contentious race.”
When it was their turn at the counter, the cashier graced Sawyer with a blinding smile that hurt Gina’s eyes, even with her sunglasses on. The woman mostly ignored Gina while she paid for her items. It appeared that as long as Sawyer was around, Gina didn’t need a disguise.
“What do you mean by contentious?” Gina asked as they were leaving the store. The idea of small-town life intrigued her for some odd reason.
“Jace had a fierce opponent.” Sawyer rolled his eyes and laughed. “A local hardware store owner with zero law enforcement experience ran against him and almost kicked his ass.”
“Holy crap, I’m living in freaking Mayberry.” God, she missed LA: the smog, the crime, the corruption, the bullshit. At least she understood those things. Everything here was so…quaint.
“Not Mayberry.” He tweaked the brim of her hat. “It’s just folksy. Nothing wrong with that.”
She didn’t understand how someone as erudite as Sawyer loved living in the sticks. She did, however, like the hot cowboy shtick he had going on.
Her purse rang. Sawyer stopped on the sidewalk until she rescued her phone from the bottom of her bag. She checked the caller ID and grimaced.
“Who is it?” Sawyer glanced over her shoulder at her display screen.
No sense keeping it a secret, since she’d already confided in him. “Danny Clay,” she said.
Sawyer’s expression darkened. He pierced her with a long, hard look and took off toward the car at a swift pace.
“Hold up,” she shouted, then remembered she was in public and in a quieter voice called, “Sawyer!”
He didn’t stop and she had to jog to keep up.
By the time she got to the car she’d worked up a sweat in the blazing heat. “What? Now you don’t believe me?”
“You told me you barely know the guy and yet he’s calling you on your private cell phone number. What do you want me to believe? I’m not that fucking gullible, Gina. I was trying to help you but I don’t like getting used. Or played.”
“Can’t you let me explain? He’s a victim in this too. His reputation is shot and his wife won’t talk to him anymore. All because someone did this to us.”
“How do you know his wife isn’t talking to him? You told me you’ve never said more than a few words to the dude. Now, suddenly, you know his whole goddamn story.”
Gina let out a long breath and unlocked the car. Sawyer put her shopping bag in the trunk and folded himself into the passenger seat. Granted, she hadn’t known him long, but she’d never seen him this angry, not even when he’d found her squatting in his apartment.
She got in the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition just to get the air-conditioner going and rested her forehead against the steering wheel.
“He’s been calling me. I don’t know how he got my private number, but it wouldn’t have been terribly difficult.
We all run in the same circle. He’s just as confused about what’s going on as I am.
Neither of us has a clue about who would want to ruin us or hurt Candace.
Because—let’s face it—she’s probably been the most wrecked by this.
According to Danny, she believes he’s been unfaithful and is absolutely crushed. ”
Sawyer didn’t respond. Gina got the impression he was deliberating on whether she was telling the truth. She couldn’t blame him for being skeptical. The whole story was like something out of The Twilight Zone.
After a long stretch of silence, he turned in his seat and looked at her. “Have you told my mother that the two of you have been in contact?”
She squirmed. “No, not exactly.”
“What does not exactly mean?”
Not exactly meant Gina hadn’t broached the subject at all with Wendy, who would have a complete shit fit if she knew Gina and Danny Clay were exchanging regular phone calls.
“I was afraid she would have the same reaction as you. The first time he called, I didn’t pick up.
But he left a long message, begging me to return his call because he was just as baffled as I was about the pictures, the texts, the entire crazy story that we’d been having a love affair for the ages. ”
“And you did, of course.” Sawyer banged the back of his head against the seat. “Let me drive.”
“Why?” They were having an important conversation and he suddenly wanted to take the wheel of her car? The man was confounding.
“Because I want you to start at the beginning and you have enough trouble finding your way around even when you’re not talking. I’ve never met anyone with a worse sense of direction.”
She started to argue, but he was right. Mill County was a maze as far as she was concerned.
And she had no idea where his mechanic was located.
So why not let him drive? She got out of the driver’s seat and switched sides with him.
Sawyer pulled onto Main Street and headed in the direction of the highway.
“Start with his first call,” he demanded. The man was bossy.
“There really isn’t much more to tell. We’ve talked a few times since his initial message.
The first time was when I came to Dry Creek Ranch.
He wasn’t going to give up, so I figured what was the harm in taking his call.
In any event, neither of us can figure out who’s behind this or why.
He told me that at first he thought I had staged the entire scandal as a publicity stunt.
But he quickly realized that the rumors were hurting me as much as they were hurting him.
Together, we’ve been taking your advice and brainstorming who our possible enemies are. ”
Sawyer hopped on the on-ramp, one hand on the wheel, totally at home driving her car.
“It’s a supremely bad idea for you two to be talking on the phone.
If it ever leaked the press would have a freaking field day.
And inevitably it will leak. Everything does.
Take it from me, leaks are my bread and butter. ”
Of course, he was right. He was a reporter and knew how these things worked. But in this situation it seemed like her only hope was to team up with Danny to prove their innocence.
“Given that we’re both affected, what’s the harm in us working together to find out who’s trying to screw us?
What else do we have to lose? Candace has already filed for divorce.
The future of both our shows is in jeopardy.
And our brands…Ha.” She laughed. “We can both kiss future endorsements good-bye.”
Sawyer turned to the side and pinned her with a look. “You’re kidding me, right? The entire world thinks the two of you are having an affair. Your phone calls…Come on, you’ve got to realize how incriminating it looks.”