Chapter 6 #2
He still remembered the day he heard Malachi Walker complaining in the weight room about having to deal with the stink of the animal shelter because it was where Shayla Kirkland, his assigned tutor, had to tutor him.
It was like finding a golden ticket. Despite being a straight-A student, Sawyer purposely failed two math tests so that Coach would sign him up for tutoring.
Three days a week for two months straight, Sawyer would come over to the animal shelter.
While Shayla tutored him in mathematical equations that he could complete in his sleep, he’d watch Paxton out of the corner of his eye as she showered the affection he’d wanted from her onto helpless strays.
The girl who was always so tough with people had a soft spot when it came to animals.
Sawyer cringed when he thought back to his awkward attempts to get her to talk to him. He’d tried to ask about the different breeds, or engage her in conversation about types of vaccinations, but other than a quick hello, Paxton barely said a word to him.
After the first couple of weeks he’d told himself to forget about her.
He didn’t even have to snap his fingers to get a girl to notice him.
He was the star quarterback. He always had enough dollars in his pocket for dinner and a movie on Saturday night.
And even Sawyer could admit that when he looked in the mirror, the guy staring back at him was pretty easy on the eyes.
He had been a damn good catch back in high school.
But none of those things—the looks, the money, the popularity—had made a difference to Paxton. It wasn’t as if she’d played hard to get, either. It was like he’d been invisible to her, like he wasn’t even on her radar.
She may have felt that way about him in high school, but Sawyer knew for a fact that she damn well saw him now. She could no longer ignore him.
Actually, she could. Because, at the moment, all of her attention was focused on the animals.
As soon as they entered the shelter, she went straight for a pen that held a litter of puppies.
Everything about her seemed to change in an instant.
She went from being the hard-core professional back to the girl who used to spend hours here every week taking care of sick and frightened animals.
Sawyer studied the soft look on her face as she got down on the floor in her skirt and cuddled the puppies, taking turns holding each close to her chest.
He propped his shoulder against the wall and casually slid his hands into his pockets. Tilting his head to the side, he asked, “Where did the love of dogs come from?”
Paxton didn’t so much as glance up at him. She had eyes only for the puppies.
“I just always loved dogs,” she said with a shrug.
“It used to drive Belinda crazy every time I would find a stray and bring it home. She used to say she had a hard enough time keeping me fed—she couldn’t keep every stray in Landreaux’s belly full, too.
She’s the one who told me to work at the shelter. ”
Paxton shook her head as she lovingly petted the mutt’s thick fur. “There’s something about strays that calls to me,” she said. “They’re tough, resilient. They have to be in order to survive.” She looked up at him. “I guess they remind me of me and my mom.”
Sawyer didn’t know what to say to that. He just continued to stare at her, pondering her statement.
A couple of minutes later, the shelter’s director, Webster Detellier, came over to speak with them.
His mother, Gina, ran the shelter back when they were in high school, and Webster would often be there with them after school.
Sawyer’s jealousy over how well Paxton and Webster got along used to eat him up inside.
It wasn’t until years later that Sawyer discovered his jealousy was unwarranted. He often ran into Webster and his partner, Glenn, every now and then on his evening jogs. They lived a couple of blocks down the street from him.
Still, Sawyer couldn’t deny that seeing her in this setting again had drummed up a cadre of feelings that he hadn’t felt in a while.
Longing. Inadequacy. That ridiculous adolescent hopefulness that he would figure out a way to win the girl.
Sucking in a deep breath to steady himself against the onslaught of emotions rioting through him, Sawyer approached them.
He greeted Webster, then asked, “Do you know if the shelter had ever had this type of flooding in the past?”
“Sandalwood Drive slopes down toward the creek, so it may get standing water from time to time, but nothing like we got with Lucy,” Webster said. “Oh, by the way, thanks for the donation.”
“You’re welcome,” Sawyer said.
Paxton’s confused expression begged for an explanation. Before he could say anything, Webster did it for him.
“His family’s foundation made a huge donation to the shelter last year. It helped to vaccinate every animal. We’re still purchasing food with the money from the donation.”
Sawyer shrugged. “It’s the foundation that was started in my mother’s name. She had a soft spot for animals, but my dad was allergic, so we couldn’t have any. I know my mom would approve of helping the shelter.”
“That’s wonderful,” Paxton said, her eyes soft and full of admiration.
As ridiculous as it seemed, that annoyed him.
Why did it take something like that for her to see him as someone worthy of her respect?
Unlike his shenanigans with the pet food back when they were in high school, there were no ulterior motives to his actions these days.
He gave out of a sense of responsibility, out of respect for his parents, who, despite their money, had raised him with a sense of humility few with their means would even think to do.
It had always irritated him that Paxton couldn’t be bothered to see past his moneyed upbringing.
Sure, his father had built a company that grossed millions, but Earl Robertson had come from humble beginnings, something he’d never forgotten.
He never allowed Sawyer to take anything for granted.
And Sawyer was grateful for every lesson he’d been taught.
That was why he did everything he could to live up to his parents’ expectations, even at the expense of his own happiness.
Even to this day, it made his stomach hurt to think about everything he’d sacrificed to fulfill his father’s final wish, like marrying a girl he didn’t love.
His marriage had been a mistake from the very beginning.
He’d known it. Angelique, his ex-wife, had known it as well.
They’d both gone along with it in order to make their families happy, but both knew the marriage was never going to last.
Sawyer shook that thought out of his head.
That murky water needed to remain where it had been since his divorce: under the bridge. He needed to focus on the things that really mattered. Mainly, figuring out a way to make the girl he’d always wanted see him as someone she could potentially share her life with.
It wasn’t a pipe dream to contemplate it. They had chemistry. He refused to believe what had happened between them three years ago was a one-time thing. He’d felt something that night, and he knew Paxton had felt it, too. He needed her to actually believe in it.
She giggled—actually giggled—when three of the puppies ganged up on her, climbing up her chest at the same time. Seeing her so carefree right now, it made him aware of just how few times he’d seen her this way. She’d always had a seriousness about her, even back when they were in high school.
Sawyer could recall with startling clarity the day he’d fallen for her.
It was during their sophomore year, when Paxton discovered that a group of their classmates were planning a cruel practical joke on Mrs. Baker, their substitute science teacher.
She had always quietly flown under the radar, never doing anything to stand out from the crowd.
Until that day.
She called out their classmates before they were able to play the joke.
She had been brave enough to do something that Sawyer hadn’t had the courage to do for fear of losing cool points in front of his friends.
She’d changed his way of thinking that day.
Because of her bravery, Sawyer decided that his convictions, and not his social standing, would dictate how he conducted himself.
That day in science class, he saw Paxton Jones as more than just the girl who hung out with Shayla.
He’d finally taken notice of how beautiful she was underneath her unassuming clothes and reserved demeanor.
She didn’t clamor for attention. She didn’t have to—at least as far as Sawyer was concerned.
From that day forward, he’d set out to win her approval.
But he wanted more than just her approval. He wanted her to see him as more than just a jock or a spoiled rich boy. He wanted her to see him as someone who was worthy of her.
He wanted her. Damn, did he want her.
As he watched her with the animals, showering them all with love, allowing them to climb all over her as she sat on the floor in her pricey business skirt, Sawyer was pummeled with all the reasons he continued to want her.
Underneath that no-nonsense facade, she had a softer side that he’d fallen in love with so long ago.
He had to make this woman his. Had to. He’d waited too long for her, and he’d be damned if he let her get away this time.
They still had a couple of other sites to visit before they returned to the office, but Sawyer couldn’t bring himself to break up her puppy love-fest. He selfishly wanted to see this side of her for as long as he possibly could.
After another half-hour had passed, Paxton was finally able to tear herself away from the animals. She thanked Webster for his continued work with the shelter and, looking over her shoulder with every step she took, reluctantly walked out of the building.
Sawyer could tell she was still shaken up. Knowing that the animals she’d cared about so much had been in danger seemed to be a shock to her system, but her demeanor changed back to the efficient and practical Paxton before he could offer her the comfort he desperately wanted to give.
“See you back at the office?” she asked, her eyes darting over his shoulder to the shelter again.
“Sure,” Sawyer said. He looked back at the shelter, then to her. “Are you okay, Pax?”
She shook her head and gave him a false smile. “Of course. I’ll call The Jazzy Bean and order some lunch on the way.”
“That sounds good,” he said.
She nodded, then, with one last look at the shelter, she got in her car and drove away.