Chapter Two
Sawyer rounded the cabin, praying Bella hadn’t gotten too far. The dog was going to be the death of him one day. She had not a single survival instinct that didn’t involve being so cute some dumbass human saved her. He’d caught her trying to make friends with Maurice the same day Maurice christened Wyatt’s neck. The moose had some serious saliva. What he hadn’t told Wyatt was the myth about the moose.
Maurice welcomed people who belonged in Bliss.
Wyatt belonged here, and Sawyer kind of dreaded the moment he found a place of his own and met a friend who wasn’t a curmudgeonly asshole and settled down with some nice lady into his white picket fence life.
Actually, a fence would be a good wedding present. Nice. Ornate. He could put a pretty finish on it. He always ended up making a chair or something. He was pretty sure Ty was going to tie the knot with Lucy soon. With Michael, for some reason.
Where the hell was Bella?
The cold was getting through his heavy jacket, the snow coating everything now. He heard Bella bark and looked to the drive.
Where a woman stood, hat around her head, shivering as she reached out to pet the dog’s head.
“Hey, sweetie,” she said in the voice all women seemed to use on dogs and kids. It was lilting and soothing. “Is your mom or dad around?”
Damn it. He was not a dog dad. He moved in closer, ready to start a monster of a lecture because what the hell was this woman doing walking down the road wearing a light jacket in the middle of a blizzard? And she didn’t have boots on. She was wearing freaking canvas sneakers. He could see clearly they were already wet and would cost her a toe or two if she stayed out here much longer. She wasn’t prepared for the weather in any way.
Then her head came up, and he realized he was the one who was in trouble. So much fucking trouble.
He stood there when he should run and lock the door because that spark hit him again, every bit as strong as the first time.
The woman from the Christmas party last year was standing in the snow. In the middle of a terrible blizzard.
Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “Hi. Uhm, I’m looking for Sawyer Hathaway. I was on my way up the road but I swerved off, and now my car is kind of in a ditch and I think I left my cell phone at school.”
“There’s a school in Bliss?” He should have gotten together with his friends more often. Or at all. He’d pulled away from them, and now he didn’t even know there was a school.
She nodded. “Yes. Uhm, could I use your cell?”
Wyatt came up behind him.
“We have trouble,” Sawyer said, glancing his way. His idiot best friend was grinning.
Yeah, he might not ever tell him, but Wyatt had become his best friend. Ick. He sounded like a high school kid.
She made him feel like one, and it was a problem.
“Hi,” Wyatt said like they were at a bar looking to pick up some random woman not about to make the horrific mistake of getting stuck inside a smallish cabin with her for the entirety of a blizzard.
Snowed in. They were getting snowed in, and he would be forced to be close to her and to keep his hands off her.
He pulled his cell. No bars. How could he have no bars? Wasn’t he closer to the freaking satellites or whatever it was that pinged cell phone calls around?
Of course communications could be hard in a blizzard.
“Hi,” Sabrina said as Bella danced around her knees. “I was hoping to get a little help.”
“Absolutely,” Wyatt said, hurrying toward her. “Let’s get you inside first. You need to warm up.”
“No,” Sawyer said before he could even think about the words coming out of his mouth.
The woman’s eyes flared with hurt.
Not what he’d meant to do. “I mean we only have so much time to get you off the mountain. They’ll close the road soon, and you’ll be stuck here.”
Stuck with him. Stuck inside, trying to stay warm. If the power went out, body heat was the only way to go. Cuddled up naked under covers with those soft breasts pressed to his chest because his arms would be around her since skin to skin was also the best way to preserve warmth. And obviously sex created heat.
Nope. No way. He was not sleeping with a soft, sweet woman who would be utterly horrified at his background. Not to mention the shit Wyatt had been through. Wyatt’s background would send her running.
What the hell was she doing here?
“I’ll drive you back into town.” Getting her home was the best move. Get her out of here and back to her own people, who likely never had to join criminal organizations so they could save their brothers. Her people were probably tourists watching the weather like it was something magical.
Wyatt looked at him like he’d grown an extra head. “Uh, if you try to get her back to town, you’ll be stuck there. If you can even get down the mountain at this point.” He shrugged out of his jacket and approached the gorgeous, shouldn’t-be-here, big mistake woman. “Here. Come on inside and get warm and we’ll figure out how to help you.”
Panic. This was what panic felt like. He had stared down entire gangs of strapped dudes ready to murder him, but the idea of sharing a cabin with a petite woman sent him into a tailspin.
Because he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her.
What if she ended up liking Wyatt?
WHO THE FUCK WAS HE?
He had to get her off his mountain. He was allergic to her or something.
“Nah. Get into the Jeep. I’ll take you back down,” he said, hearing the desperation in his voice. He cleared his throat and tried to sound like he wasn’t a complete asshole. Which was hard because he was. “We’ll get your car going once the storm clears out. I’ll sleep at the bar for a couple of days. No problem.”
That was friendly, right?
Wyatt rolled his eyes as he settled his coat over her shoulders. “Come on, Ms. Leal. Let’s get you warm.”
“My car is kind of blocking the road, actually,” she said to Wyatt, not paying Sawyer any mind.
“I can handle your car,” he heard himself saying as he followed them up the steps and into the cabin, Bella bouncing along like this was the greatest thing that had ever happened in the history of all time. “I can tow you all the way down.”
Wyatt closed the door behind him. “Why don’t you call the sheriff and see if it’s even possible to get to the road at this point? I’d like for someone to know she’s here.”
The sheriff. Yes. There was zero way the sheriff left a sweet tourist hanging out with two dudes he was waiting for a reason to arrest. The sheriff could save him. He moved to the landline and dialed the non-emergency number. Although maybe he should call 911. Maybe they would send a chopper to rescue her.
“My sister is Deputy Leal,” she said, her teeth still chattering.
Wyatt hesitated for the first time. “She’s a deputy?”
Sawyer snapped his fingers, pointing Wyatt’s way. “Yes. Apparently, yes, she is. I’ll get her on the line.”
He took the headset and walked away from the living room so the deputy’s sister couldn’t hear how desperate he was to get rid of her. Wyatt was starting a fire in the fireplace, and she now had a blanket around her.
“Bliss County Sheriff’s Office, how can I help you?” Gemma Wells’ no-nonsense voice came over the line.
“Hey, Gemma. This is Sawyer Hathaway. I own the bar on the mountain west of Nell and Henry’s place.”
“Yes, Sawyer, I know who you are. What can I do for you? I’m going to warn you no one’s here. They’re all out closing down the roads. If you’re complaining about not being able to get to your cabin, well, you should have known better. Hunker down at the bar or get your ass to Nell and Henry’s. They’ll put you up for the night.”
“No, that’s not the problem. I’m at my cabin.”
“Good,” she said. “Stay there. We’ll dig you out in a couple of days.”
The woman was not listening to him. “I’m not alone. There’s a woman here, and she can’t stay for days.”
A snort came over the line. “Are you serious? You have a hookup who waited too long to leave and now you want us to… What? Send a chopper up to save you from some one-night stand?”
“I absolutely did not sleep with her. She just showed up. I don’t know why she’s here, but you have to come and get her. She says she’s some deputy’s sister. The new one. The one who’s living with Hale and Van.”
“What?” Gemma suddenly sounded interested. “Are you telling me Sabrina Leal is stranded on the mountain and she’s going to have to stay with you and the new guy?”
Wyatt wasn’t really new. He’d been around almost… Damn. Had it been a year? “Yes. That is what I’m telling you.”
“The schoolteacher is going to have to shack up with the MC boys?”
Schoolteacher? She was the new schoolteacher? He’d known she was a schoolteacher but now she was the schoolteacher. It was practically a stereotype. The sweet schoolteacher with the generous hips and soft breasts and lush mouth. Okay, maybe not a stereotype except in his wet dreams. MC boys? “I have not been in an MC for over ten years, Gemma. Do you want me to remind you about the time you ripped out Catherine’s fake hair, or whatever it was you ended up clutching in the viral video we’ve all seen?”
Gemma had a colorful past herself. At least his hadn’t been captured for the Internet.
She huffed. “It was Christina Big Tits, and it was her actual hair. And good point. Oh, there’s the sheriff. Nate, Sabrina’s stuck on Sawyer’s mountain, and he’s got his panties in a serious wad about it. Like he’s a fainting, nineteenth-century virgin whose reputation is about to be ruined, and he won’t be able to go to the marriage mart.”
She was frustratingly sarcastic. “I am not. But you bring up a point. The schoolteacher certainly shouldn’t be left alone for the weekend with two men.”
A low chuckle came over the line as the sheriff took over. “Well, we wouldn’t be Bliss if she didn’t. So Sabrina’s at your place and you want her gone. Interesting.”
“It is not. I am merely trying to look out for her.”
“Nah. You’re trying to keep your distance. Like you did at the Christmas party last year. You know we’re still talking about it. We have a couple of bets going,” the sheriff said.
“I might want to change mine,” Gemma said, proving they had him on speaker phone.
A pit opened in his gut. “Sheriff, you cannot leave the county schoolteacher with two dangerous men.”
“Dangerous?” He could practically see the sheriff’s eyes rolling. “From what I can tell the two of you are only dangerous to a bucket of hot wings. You know for a man of your reputation, you turned out to be a softie. Look, man, this storm is serious, and don’t tell me I should call Del Norte and ask to borrow their chopper. It’s not happening. We’re in a bad situation, and you and Wyatt can take care of Sabrina. I’ll let everyone know she’s safe and warm, and we’ll come clear the road as soon as possible. Now, if you have a serious emergency, call me. Until then, let me give you some advice on how to take care of a lady…”
“Sheriff, do you know what’s going to happen if you leave her here?” Sawyer asked.
Wyatt pried the phone out of his hand. “She’ll be kept warm and well fed. Don’t worry about us, Sheriff. We’ll take excellent care of her. We’re stocked up and ready to hunker down for a couple of days. You get back to your important work and thank you.” Wyatt paused and then a smile crossed his face. “You think so?” Another pause. “Well, we’ll see about that. Give her sister this number so she can call. I think everyone will feel better if they can communicate. Thanks. Yes. We’ll let you know. Huh, I never thought of myself as sweet. I like it. Bye, Sheriff.”
Sawyer watched in horror as Wyatt hung up. “What the hell did you do?”
Wyatt started back for the kitchen. “Saved you from acting like a fool. She’s a nice lady and she’s here, and we’re not shoving her out into the night to die. Deal with it. Also, according to the sheriff, there’s always a sweet one and a hardass in relationships like this. Guess which one you are? Now, do we have any wine? She looks like a Cab girl. I think it would go nicely with the stew. I’m going to put it on and find something for her to change into. Her clothes are damp. I think maybe one of my shirts. It’ll be like a dress. What can I make for dessert?”
Sawyer watched him walk away.
He was fucking doomed. Doomed.
* * * *
He was an asshole. Sabrina had zero idea how she’d managed to get here. Well, she did. She’d procrastinated for so long she had to fix the problem no matter what.
She’d thought she would have more time. The snow wasn’t supposed to get truly bad until nightfall. She’d gotten caught up in talking to a couple of the parents at pickup, and she should have followed through with her original instinct to go to her sister’s, steal a bottle of wine, and head home to watch Bridgerton for the fifteenth time. But no, she’d decided to pull up her big-girl panties and get the job done so she wouldn’t think about it all weekend since she knew she definitely wouldn’t get up the mountain tomorrow.
And then she’d decided it was fine. Her car could totally make it up the mountain. She’d driven in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains plenty of times.
This was no foothill.
Now her car was nestled against a tree, half on and half off the road, and she was stuck with Mr. Nope and his bestie, who seemed to have gotten all the charm.
Next time she was procrastinating.
If there was any way off this mountain, she would find it. She shivered in front of the fire as both men walked back into the living room of the surprisingly cozy cabin.
The not-asshole one gave her a smile that threatened to melt her insides. He was a hottie. “Well, the sheriff knows you’re here, and he’s going to have your sister call. I think you should take a warm shower and change clothes and I’ll get you a glass of whatever we have while I make us all some supper. We’ll be warm before you know it.”
“I want to know why she’s here,” the asshole grumbled.
“She obviously got lost,” Not Asshole replied, sending Asshole a stare before flashing a movie-star-worthy smile her way.
Now he wanted to make her sound like an idiot. “I came up to find someone.”
Asshole crossed his arms over his muscular chest. “No one lives up here except me. You’re on the wrong mountain. You probably want the one closer to Creede. Lots of folks live there.”
Not Asshole shook his head. “I live here, too. And if she got confused, it’s understandable. All the mountains kind of look alike. Maybe we should all introduce ourselves since we’re going to be stuck here for a couple of days.”
“Days?” This was worse than she’d imagined. She was going to be stuck here with two of the most beautiful men she’d ever seen, and one of them obviously hated her on sight. Asshole, despite his assholiness, was a stunning man. He was at least six and a half feet of gorgeous man, with dark hair and eyes. And Not Asshole was his counterpoint. Sandy hair that curled slightly and angelic blue eyes. His strength was lean where Asshole was big muscles. Both of them made her feel petite and dainty, and she was absolutely neither of those things. Well, she was short and knew damn well her curves weren’t exactly fashionable these days. “I need to get back to the valley. I have school tomorrow.”
“No one’s going to school tomorrow. Maybe Monday, but we’ll still be here. You’re almost three thousand feet up from town. The weather hits different this high up,” Asshole said with a dour look. “We’ll be about two days behind the town. Maybe I can stay in the shop.”
“You are not staying in the shop. It’s not heated,” Not Asshole shot back.
Were they a couple? They argued like one. “I can stay out there. All I need is a sleeping bag. I don’t want to disrupt whatever the two of you have going.” She needed to be an adult about this. “I’m Sabrina Leal. I’m new in town. I already know his name. It’s Mr. Nope.”
A young adult.
Not Asshole’s smile notched up. “Well, I guess that makes me Mr. Hell Yeah.” He held out a hand. “Seriously, though, I’m Wyatt Kemp, and this is my friend Sawyer Hathaway, and the dancing girl is named Bella.”
The dog was dancing. She seemed to be a black and tan ball of pure motion.
She took his hand despite the sinking feeling taking over her whole being. She’d been hoping Not Asshole was her landlord, but naturally her luck was running true. Warmth immediately flashed through her as she touched Wyatt’s big hand. The dog sat back on her haunches, tongue lolling out as she watched the human interactions. When Wyatt let go of her hand, she felt the cold again. “Bella seems sweet. And I’m sorry for the trouble. I thought the storm wasn’t coming in until later tonight. I needed to talk to my landlord about how he’s been ignoring my reasonable requests.”
Sawyer’s frown went from what-are-you-doing-here disdain to what-the-fuck. He seemed to have an endless repertoire of frowns. “Requests? You’re a tenant?”
So he was an attentive businessman. “Yes. I signed a lease months ago for the cabin on Aspen Street. I’ve been complaining about the electricity for a couple of weeks.”
Sawyer shrugged. “Electricity’s fine. It’s haunted. Marie left out the haunted part in her description, didn’t she? See, I thought we should disclose the whole haunted thing, but Marie is a tricky one. The valley cabin hadn’t been occupied for a while, so Marie didn’t tell you. Also, I haven’t gotten any complaints.” He turned to Wyatt, his eyes narrowing. “Have you gotten complaints?”
Wyatt simply smiled. “I bet they’re on my desk at the bar. I’m so sorry. I’ve been swamped lately. I will absolutely get someone on it.”
Was he lying to her? Why would he lie to her?
“Sure,” Sawyer said under his breath. “But it won’t work ’cause there’s nothing wrong with the electricity. It’s the ghost. Happens a lot around here. Nothing to worry about. My grandpa told me it’s a friendly spirit. It likes to play around. That’s all.”
Was he freaking kidding? “You’re saying my cabin is haunted?”
Sawyer nodded. “Yeah.” He seemed to think of something, and his expression brightened for a moment. “You want to move? Because I’ve heard there are some nice places up in Creede.”
She felt her eyes narrow. Now he was pushing all her buttons. If he thought he could scare her off, he was in for an awakening. Normally she was polite and tried to be charming, but she knew how to deal with a bully. Every teacher did. “Or I could sue you for nondisclosure of alien life-forms.”
“What?” Wyatt asked, his angelic eyes widening.
She wasn’t about to get lost in those eyes. No way. She focused all her mad-teacher energy on Sawyer. “Check it. It’s on the books. In the town of Bliss, Colorado, it is illegal to sell or rent property without a full alien life-form disclosure. They have a form and everything. Did you file with the city?”
In this case the “city” was Cassidy Meyer, who kept impeccable records.
He stared at her for a moment. Yes, he was definitely giving her a you’re-a-moron frown. “It’s a ghost not an alien. Granddad thinks it’s probably the guy who originally built the place back in the eighties. Definitely a ghost.”
He needed to understand she was not playing this game with him. “Oh, it’ll be an alien by the time I’m done. Blinking lights? Alien interference. The crackling sound I keep hearing? The alien ship must not have all its sound dampeners on. The fact that the lights go out for precisely two minutes every day at 7:02 p.m.? Aliens keep a tidy schedule, my friend. I will type up a report, and I assure you my new dad will take you down. I’m not joking. I’ll tell my dad you sold me an alien stronghold and he will never stop.”
Sawyer actually took a step back. “Mel? Are you talking about Mel Hughes? He doesn’t have any kids.”
Wyatt sent him a what-the-hell look. “Do you listen to anyone? The new deputy is his bio kid, and Mel’s adopting this one. I mean in theory. I don’t think he’s legally adopting her. You need to get on Nextdoor sometime.”
“What is Nextdoor?” Sawyer seemed deeply confused. “I don’t have a next-door neighbor. The closest I had was Michael, and now he lives in the valley. Hey, we could probably get to his cabin.”
“We are not taking her to that ramshackle piece of crap. It doesn’t have heat, and I’m pretty sure it’s got a nest of possums living there,” Wyatt countered.
She was not staying with possums. Though they would likely be nicer hosts.
She needed one good thing to come out of this debacle of a day. Her car was wrecked, and she was stuck with this duo of temptations reminding her of just how school-marm wallflower she’d become. “Are you or are you not going to fix my electricity? I can have my future brother-in-law do it, but you are going to pay him because you are the landlord, and fixing things is your responsibility because the cabin is your asset, not mine. You should understand if you do not live up to your end of the bargain, beyond bringing my new dad into the scenario, I’ll bring in my friend Nell, who will help me protest your many infractions of the Bliss County code.” She gasped, exaggerating it for the drama. “You know, I’m almost certain I saw a Reticulan Grey in the backyard, and he was obviously dumping toxic waste in the river. And all because of you.”
“You are really fucking mean. I did not expect you to be so mean.” Sawyer seemed to think the problem through. “Well, put like that I suppose I will pay for someone to tell you there’s nothing wrong with the electricity, but you have to promise not to sic Mel on me. Or Nell. Those two are a team up no one needs.”
So at least she’d won one thing. “Excellent. Now I’m going to take a shower and then I will lock myself into whatever spare room you might have, and you won’t see me again until I walk out of this place. Call me when the snow melts, asshole.”
She turned and started to walk away and realized she did not know where she was going. The cabin was cozy, but it wasn’t as small as her own.
“The bathroom is the second door on the left, and you can stay in the guest room,” Sawyer said. He was staring at her again, likely trying to figure out a new tactic to get her out of his house. “It was my room when I was a kid. The bed is small, but the mattress is new. The sheets are in the dresser. You should know Bella usually sleeps in there.”
“Bella is welcome.” At least she would have a companion.
“I, uhm, I suppose I will make you a tray and put it outside your door.” Wyatt’s smile had amped down. “Let me know if you need anything else. We’ll leave you alone, of course.”
He turned and walked toward what she suspected was the kitchen.
Sawyer’s brow had furrowed. “He was looking forward to having company. Now you made him sad. You know we don’t get many guests.”
“I can’t imagine why.”
“You’re going to starve because you don’t like me?” Sawyer asked, every word a challenge.
“I have a protein bar,” she announced. “And I think half a Snickers. And also, I could probably use a cleanse. I’ve been around some toxic people lately.”
He moved into her space, but Sabrina held her ground. “He’s not toxic. Wyatt’s been through more than you can imagine, and he wants to be a good host. Don’t be stubborn.”
Sawyer Hathaway had not one ounce of self-awareness. “The problem isn’t him. The problem is you.”
He loomed over her, his expression softening and making her breath catch. When he wasn’t frowning he was stunning. Who was she kidding? He was always stunning.
“Yeah, I get that a lot. I’m sorry. I had a bad reaction to you.”
Bad didn’t begin to cover it. “Clearly. Look, I don’t know why you disliked me at first sight…”
“Didn’t. Pretty much the opposite.” He was staring down at her like he wanted to memorize her face. “Saw you, wanted you, knew I shouldn’t have you, so I escaped.”
“Escaped?” Now she did step back. She had no idea what he was doing, but she wasn’t about to let it happen. “What exactly did you think I would do to you? Jump your bones? Try to force you to go to a hotel with me?”
He shrugged, and his eyes spent way too much time on her lips. “It happens. Usually I’m up for it, but you… I can’t explain it but I felt something and I didn’t like what I felt. So I took myself out of the situation because you looked soft and sweet and I thought there was zero way you would be able to handle a man like me.”
“A man like you? Arrogant and rude? I know exactly how to handle a man like you. You throw him out with the trash and then you don’t have a problem anymore.”
His lips curled up. “See, this was the part I didn’t catch. The mean part. I like it.”
He was so frustrating. “Let me get this straight. You realized I can’t leave and you can’t leave, and now you think because we’re stuck here we should… What?”
“I think we should start over,” Sawyer admitted. “I think you should take a shower and change into dry clothes, and then we’ll sit down and have dinner made by a former one percenter who got out and now for some reason wants to be the world’s best host. He’s serious about hospitality and making things nice. His family, well, think of them like a violent cult. He wasn’t allowed much contact with the outside world, and when he finally got out, I’m pretty sure the first thing he watched was Top Chef. It imprinted on him. I’m also pretty sure he’s the one who didn’t tell me about the complaints since I know for damn certain nothing gets past Wyatt. Which makes me think he wanted this to happen.”
She was confused. “Wanted me to get into a car accident and get stuck here?”
“No. Wanted you to come out and meet me in person, where he would almost certainly be because he’s my shadow these days. Or maybe I’m his. I don’t have a lot of family anymore so Wyatt’s pretty much it.”
“Family doesn’t have to be blood,” she replied, not liking how she was already warming up to him again.
“As you’re learning with Mel and probably Cassidy,” Sawyer allowed. “Now that I think about it the last time she came out here to do her biannual check to see if the…I don’t remember the name of the damn things…mating spaces were laid out, she mentioned her new baby. I thought she got another dog or something.”
“It’s the Neluts.” How weird her life had become. She knew exactly what he was talking about. “According to Dad, they have a biannual mating schedule, and they come to Earth to do it, so to speak. They’re seafaring. Star faring. They live on spaceships. They like to mate in mountainous regions for religious purposes.”
“And you’re a weirdo.” He said the words with a smile.
Yep. It was way better when he frowned. “You’re a bully.”
A startled expression took over his handsome face, and the man actually looked hurt. “Am not. I don’t like bullies. I’m sorry. Again. Not something a bully would say. I am maybe not so good at handling certain emotions. Like most of them, with the exception of annoyance and anger. I’m excellent at those. Everything else I’m a little slow at. But I can come around. So how about you join me and Wyatt for dinner and we’ll see where the night goes from there. I mean apparently they’re not sending a chopper up to rescue you from my clutches.”
“I don’t think you’re going to clutch me.”
He seemed to consider her statement. “How about I promise no clutching. Unless you ask me to.”
“I’m not going to ask you.” Her stomach rumbled. “But I will have dinner, and I won’t make Wyatt eat alone with you. I bet you don’t even compliment his cooking.”
“I eat it,” he said like that was supposed to be enough.
What did poor Wyatt have to go through? And what was a one percenter? Sawyer said it like she should know what it meant.
“I’m taking a shower now,” she announced. “I don’t suppose you have anything I could change into.”
“I’ll get some of Wyatt’s clothes. They’ll be too big, but they won’t fall off you. I’ll leave them on the bed.” Sawyer stepped back. “And Sabrina, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. It wasn’t my intention, and despite my reputation for being an asshole, I don’t like to run around hurting women’s feelings. Which is why I didn’t talk to you the night of the Christmas party. If I’d talked to you…would you have been polite to me?”
“Of course.”
“Then you might have been safe,” he said.
Again with the confusion. “Safe? And I’m not now?”
“I haven’t decided. The mean thing throws me off.”
Such an odd man. “You are safe from any interest from me, Mr. Hathaway. All I want from you is to fix my electricity and to let me stay here until someone can come get me. I’ll stay out of your way and you can stay out of mine.”
“Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to happen, sweetheart.”
“Oh, and a third thing.” She leaned in, giving him her best sit down and do your work and stop talking stare. “Don’t call me sweetheart.”
She turned and walked away, Bella hard on her heels.
It was going to be a rough couple of days.