11. Beckett
BECKETT
For as much as I dug my heels in when my father demanded I return to Pinecrest for his special project, I’d left his office with a renewed sense of purpose and a plan.
No matter what it took, I was going to find the copper-haired beauty and ask her, politely, for a second chance. At what? I wasn’t exactly sure, but I was nothing if not determined. I could figure the rest out later.
Sawyer had been on my mind since I woke up that pivotal morning nearly six months ago to a cold and empty bed, with nothing but her pink cotton panties and a child-sized teddy bear to show for it.
At first, I thought I’d find her on the back porch with a cup of coffee in her hand, watching the sun rise over the water.
That’d been my plan, had I gotten more than two hours of sleep, anyway.
It didn’t take me long to realize she wasn’t outside or downstairs or even hiding in a fucking closet.
She was gone.
No note. No goodbye kiss. No awkward small talk.
If it’d been any other one-night stand, I would’ve been relieved. Hell, I might’ve even rejoiced. It was every bachelor’s dream. But this wasn’t the same, and I couldn’t find a single reason to celebrate her leaving without saying anything.
I didn’t even do overnights, and yet when I walked out of the bathroom after we had sex, I’d been sick to my stomach over the thought of her trying to sneak out so quickly. And then I’d asked her to stay. Begged her, really.
Yet, she left anyway.
And now she was kneeling on the ground before me, surrounded by a mess of scattered boxes in neon pink sweatpants.
“Sawyer?” I asked, staring down in disbelief.
She blinked. Large green doe eyes, rimmed with silver, stared back. When the first tear fell, I couldn’t fucking stand it. I crouched in front of her, taking her shaking hands in mine and helping her up.
She winced, gaze slicing behind me to where Duke was standing at my back in concern.
While he’d done nothing but glower at me from the moment I walked into this bar, it was his wife, Olivia, who put me on edge.
She glanced between Sawyer and me, as if she was privy to a secret I wasn’t. It was unsettling.
Sawyer didn’t say anything. She dropped my hands and dusted off the dirt on her very bright pink sweatpants. Her eyes swung to Olivia. “I’m sorry, I tried to be quiet.”
“The only thing you need to apologize for is carrying those boxes when you know you aren’t supposed to be,” Olivia said, looking from me to Sawyer. “Mr. Montgomery was supposed to be here earlier, but he ended up running late. I’m so sorry, Sawyer.”
“Totally okay. No worries at all,” Sawyer said, already reaching for her purse.
It must have fallen to the ground when she did.
I bent down to help, but she snatched everything up before I could do anything.
She pointed toward the door, forcing a smile, but it wasn’t enough to cover up a slight tremble in her lip.
“I’ll, uh, call you later? We can reschedule our lunch. ”
Olivia looked like she wanted to say something, but Sawyer hurried for the door before she could even call out a goodbye. I took one look at the owners of this goddamn bar before following after her.
To hell with the scattered mess around me or the important meeting I’d just run out of. My focus was on Sawyer.
“Sawyer! Hey, wait up!” I called to no avail. She was already stepping into her vehicle. Her eyes met mine through the windshield. All I could see was fear staring right back at me.
Had I done something to put that there? Is that why she had left that night? I wracked my brain, searching for some kind of explanation and finding none.
I stopped near the front of her car, calling after her one more time. Yes, I was in Pinecrest for my own selfish reasons, but I was also there for her. She had to know that.
Sawyer paused for only a minute, hand hovering over her gear shift, before she threw that old car in reverse and tore out of the parking lot. I could do nothing else but watch her go.
I waited until the dust from her tires settled and the sound of her old car clunking down the road vanished before I headed back inside. I had no idea what had sent her running. She looked like she’d seen a ghost, and I doubted I looked much better.
If it hadn’t been for my deal with my father or the people waiting on me inside, I might’ve gone after her. No. Scratch that. I definitely would’ve followed hot on her heels to make sure she was okay, but duty called. If I had any chance of getting my freedom, I had to put this first.
Edward Montgomery was a petty asshole, even on his best day.
I still didn’t understand what was so special about this town.
Yes, he wanted to get his grubby hands on John Hart’s former portfolio, but why?
He could set up shop in any small town across America.
He’d been snatching up business and land in rural areas for the past few years.
What did this place have to offer that he couldn’t get somewhere else?
He’d seen John’s death as the waving of a green flag, the start of a race that didn’t even fucking exist. Dear old Dad had immediately flown down for the man’s funeral, hoping to put the charm on John’s niece, Duke’s wife, who was rumored to inherit everything.
He’d assumed he could manipulate a grieving family into handing over millions of dollars in assets.
Instead, he was sent packing with his tail tucked firmly between his legs. I’d borne witness to my father’s many temper tantrums over the years. Even earned a few scars as trophies. But I’d never seen him as furious as he was the night he came home from Pinecrest.
After spending five minutes in their presence, I understood why they’d ruffled him so badly.
Neither Duke nor Olivia gave a shit about business propriety.
They didn’t play nice to placate potential investors.
Instead, they said what they meant and meant what they said.
My father must have realized there was no way he could shake them into submission, so he’d have to get creative.
Enter me.
I could hear Duke and Olivia’s harsh whispers, and watched their eyes sharpen as I walked back into the room. The boxes Sawyer left behind had been cleaned up. They sized me up like I was a cockroach who just wouldn’t die, and their assessment wouldn’t be far off.
But I was just willing to bet the reason they thought I was here and the reason I actually was were two vastly different things.
“Let’s get this over with,” Duke muttered, rising to his full height. “Your father has been hounding my wife, pressuring her to sell things she has no interest in selling, and we’ve told him to go to hell every time. Now, you’re here, interrupting our plans for the day with this bullshit meeting.”
“Now I’m here,” I parroted, splaying my arms wide before tucking my hands casually in the pockets of my slacks.
“But I’m not the omen of misfortune you seem to think I am, Mr. Bennett.
Yes, I’m here on official business. Yes, my father is the one who sent me.
But think of me as the guardian angel you never saw coming. I’d like to help you fight back.”
Duke and Olivia silently stared as I approached the bar and slipped onto a stool. I was sure they were either confused or wondering what kind of trick I was trying to pull. The truth was just that I really hated my father.
For years, I’d been stuck beneath his thumb, forced to do his bidding, but if the past few weeks had taught me anything, it was that life was too goddamn short to be miserable.
I didn’t want any part of his legacy, or even his money.
I could make my own, could build something bigger and better than he ever dreamed of.
Something that wasn’t built on the graveyard of others’ misfortunes or failures.
Plus, call me sentimental, but I’d grown fond of the little town Sawyer called home. The moment I realized my dad was gunning for the place she worked, I knew I had to stop him.
“All I’m asking for is five minutes,” I paused, lips quirking. “And maybe your manager’s phone number.”
Olivia sat a little straighter, glancing at Duke, who still hadn’t stopped trying to burn a hole through my skull with his stare. “We’ll hear you out, but when it comes to our staff? Absolutely not. If you need to know something about the bar, you’ll come to us.”
It was a long shot, but I had to try. “My business with her is more of a personal nature,” I said, slowly. “We met the last time I was here. I promised to take her out on a proper date if I ever got back.”
Duke guffawed. “Pardon my French, but fat fucking chance. She all but ran out when she saw you. Do you really think we’d just give you her contact information without ensuring she was okay with it?”
On his other side, Olivia’s gaze narrowed. “You were here? In our bar?”
I shrugged sheepishly. The idea of my paying a visit without their knowledge probably didn’t help my cause.
But if this had any chance of working out, I needed to lay all my cards on the table.
“About five months ago, give or take. It was before I knew what my father had planned, I promise. I stopped by to have a drink before heading back to my cabin, and that was it.”
Duke opened his mouth to undoubtedly spew some smart ass comment, but his wife beat him to the punch. “How about this? You leave your number with me, and I’ll pass it along to Sawyer. It can be her choice to reach out.”
I nodded, swallowing thickly. That was all I wanted. A single fucking chance to talk to her. Regardless of how goddamn beautiful she was, Sawyer had looked like a goddamn cornered animal when she’d fled the scene.
I just wanted to make sure she was all right.