13. When a Plan Goes Right
Chapter thirteen
When a Plan Goes Right
Neil
This is what I’d wanted when I’d set Sawyer up to work with Leon. So why did I feel like someone had pierced my chest with an arrow?
It had seemed brilliant at the time—set him up with another guy who could give him what I couldn’t.
Now, it just seemed stupid. Walking up to hear them joking and laughing with each other… I knew right then that I’d messed up royally.
For the rest of the morning, I threw myself into my work, determined to forget about my stupid crush on the cute Cali surfer— ex -surfer, since he hasn’t gone to the beach lately due to the dogs. A shame. I wondered what he’d look like on a surfboard, water glistening on his chest, wet board shorts clinging to his—
Argh, this wasn’t working. I massaged my eyes with my palms.
A knock on the door made me jump. Leon loomed in the doorway with Sawyer behind him, nervously looking over his shoulder.
Bubblegum was tucked out of sight, asleep under my desk, and, after looking around, Sawyer relaxed and put his arm around Leon’s shoulder to lean into the doorway. I hoped she stayed asleep while Sawyer was here.
“We’re done with the cats, and we’re taking off,” Sawyer said, waggling his eyebrows.
“Great. How did the shift go?” I asked with a significant glance at Leon.
“I told him,” Sawyer said, flushing. “And it went good.”
“Did you forget about that dog jump scare?” Leon laughed and gently elbowed Sawyer, who took the ribbing with a good-natured grin. “Plus, I had to do all the laundry by myself.” Leon stuck out his tongue.
“Oh, is that what that scream was?” I frowned. I’d assumed it was Sawyer, but when I’d gotten downstairs, I’d seen him and Leon in the kitchen joking around, so I’d come back upstairs without bothering them.
“It was nothing. Just startled me,” Sawyer said, then abruptly changed the subject. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”
Baffled, I glanced at the clock. “No. It’s not even noon.”
“It will be in like two minutes. So…” Sawyer trailed off. Leon gave him a thumbs up. “So… make sure you eat.” He pointed two fingers at his eyes and then turned them on me.
I squinted at him. Was that a threat?
We stared at each other in silence for a moment.
“I’ll get my Tupperware back from you on my next shift.” Sawyer dropped his arm off Leon and speed-walked away.
Leon looked torn, reaching after Sawyer before turning back to me. “Uh, thanks. See you tomorrow,” he called, then dashed after Sawyer.
Oookay.
Another of Sawyer’s screeches echoed up the stairs. Bubblegum woke up with a yelp and started barking as she scrabbled against the blankets in her bed. One of the shelter dogs downstairs barked in response, and the next thing I knew, it seemed like every dog in the shelter was barking up a storm.
Shit. I shut Bubblegum in her kennel and ran downstairs. I burst into the lobby just in time to see Sawyer fleeing across the parking lot. He jumped into his car and peeled out of the parking lot in a cloud of burning rubber.
Leon still stood in the lobby, hands in his pockets. Over the din of the barking, Leon yelled, “Sawyer’s fine, Neil. Just panicked. I kept the dog away from him.”
I ran a hand through my hair and blew out a breath. “What happened?”
“Dog slipped her lead and charged Sawyer.” Leon shrugged. “I got between him and the dog, but he panicked and ran. All the barking didn’t help either.”
“Thanks for looking out for him,” I told Leon.
Leon held out his hand for a fist bump, which I gave him before heading back upstairs.
I waited to have lunch to show Sawyer couldn’t push me around. When I finally got around to eating Sawyer’s lasagna around an hour later, I regretted waiting. This lasagna was about the best I’d ever eaten. The perfect ratio of cheese, hamburger, pasta, and tomato sauce. Damn. Amazing.
He’d even included a small side salad and a homemade cookie for dessert.
Mister not-a-date was even more of a catch than I’d thought.
Me: Sawyer, You are an amazing cook.
Sawyer: Don’t forget a great artist.
Sawyer: And handsome. [blowing kiss emoji]
Me: [tongue stuck out emoji] And oh so humble.
Sawyer: Don’t you forget it.
Sawyer: [Image, a colored pencil sketch portrait of me hugging a cute sheepdog]
Sawyer: I was thinking of you and doodled this.
Me: Aww, so cute! [Heart-eyed face emoji]
After lunch, I took Princess Bubblegum on a walk around the neighborhood. Not that there was much to see since the shelter was in the industrial area of town. Seagulls cawed overhead. Sweat soaked my undershirt by the time I got back to the office.
As I walked up the street toward the shelter, the first thing that caught my eye was the big blank white space along the second floor. The shelter’s name over the front door seemed small in comparison.
I returned from lunch with renewed vigor and threw myself into work. Before I knew it, it was closing time. Sawyer’s admonishments about working too much rattled around in my mind, making me leave my laptop on the desk.
On my way home, I stopped at the beach. I took off my shoes and socks, letting the sand squish between my toes as Bubblegum ran around in circles at the end of her lead, barking at the seagulls.
Watching her antics made me smile. I could see why Sawyer loved it here. I hadn’t been sure what to expect when moving to California.
I did miss the mountains looming over me; the sky felt very empty without them. But I didn’t miss how the dry mountain air would give me frequent nose bleeds or how it made my skin crack and bleed if I forgot moisturizer for even one morning.
I wasn’t a fan of the heat. I hoped I’d get used to it. One thing was for sure: the polos and khakis I wore weren’t helping. Most everyone else on the beach wore loose-fitting, light weaves. Lots of oversized t-shirts, board shorts, and the like were common. There were fewer bikinis and speedos than I’d expected to see, but then again, it was later in the evening, the setting sun wavering just over the horizon. A cool breeze blew in from the ocean, making me shiver.
I returned to my truck, ignoring the sand I scattered all over from my shoes and Bubblegum’s paws.
It was one of the downsides to the beach. But then again, it beat goathead seeds, or puncture vines, as they were otherwise known. —nature’s caltrops. More than once, I’d gotten one of those stabbing my ankle over my shoe, and once, when wearing sandals, I’d stepped into a whole patch of those. Hurt to walk for a week. So I could deal with a little sand in my shoes.