Page 21 of Break My Heart (The Haydon Falls #2)

Sawyer

Last night with Gina was probably the best date I’ve ever had, and it wasn’t even a date. But it felt like one, especially when I kissed her. The kiss was so great I almost forgot she’s the girl I’m supposed to be angry at for opening a brewery that competes with mine.

Why does it have to be her? I finally find a girl I really like, and like spending time with, and it’s Gina freaking Slater.

I really wanted to hate her, but now that I’m getting to know her, I really like her.

As much as her opening a brewery annoys me, I respect her drive and determination to succeed.

I’m the same way. I don’t like losing or failing or admitting defeat.

Gina’s the first girl who’s really challenged me and I love that about her.

It forces me to do better and excites me in a way that also turns me on.

Talking to her last night, I learned stuff about her I never knew.

She’s had to overcome a lot to get to where she’s at.

I can’t believe her dad sent her to camp right after her mom died.

I wish I’d known what had happened. I wouldn’t have been so hard on her.

She says she liked that I treated her that way, like she was just any other kid, but I don’t.

I feel like shit for being that way to her and wish I could take it back.

‘Well, this is a surprise,’ my mom says as I walk into the kitchen. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were coming over?’

‘I’m not staying.’ I give her a quick hug. It’s a rule when you come over, always give Mom a hug. ‘I just wanted to get some of your apple pastries.’

‘Help yourself.’ She points to a tray of them, fresh from the oven. ‘I made apple streusel muffins too if you’d like to try one. They’re a new recipe.’

‘I’ll take a few. Do you have something I could put them in?’

‘Just take a container from the cupboard,’ she says, pouring coffee in her mug.

‘I need something you don’t want back, like a paper plate or some foil.’ I open a drawer and see a box of plastic bags. ‘I’ll just use one of these.’

‘Are they for Wade? I remember you saying you were going to bring him some of my pastries.’

‘No. They’re for—never mind. Where are the muffins?’

‘In the oven.’ She opens it and takes out the pan. ‘I was keeping them warm for when your father gets down here.’

‘Something smells good.’ Nash, my cousin from Chicago, walks in. He sees me and smiles. ‘Sawyer, I didn’t know you were coming over.’

‘I’m only here a few minutes. When did you get to town?’

‘Last night. Callie had all these questions about the wedding so I decided to just bring her up here so she could go over everything with Lyndsay.’

Nick’s girlfriend, Lyndsay, has taken over the wedding plans since my mom’s busy with all the orchard stuff and getting ready for the fall festival .

‘Those two were up past midnight,’ my mom says, smiling at Nash. ‘They’re having so much fun planning the wedding.’

‘The baby shower’s next,’ Nash says, sitting down at the kitchen table. ‘They’re already planning it.’

‘Oh, I can’t wait!’ my mom says, setting a tray of pastries on the table. ‘I hope it’s here at the orchard.’

‘One of them is,’ Nash says, helping himself to a pastry. ‘She’s having another one in Chicago. Sawyer, why don’t you stay a few minutes? You’re always rushing off.’

I check the time. ‘I need to be somewhere at eight, but sure, I’ve got a few minutes.’ I join him at the table.

‘Where are you off to?’ Nash asks as Mom brings him some coffee.

‘I’m helping someone fix a few things.’

‘On a Sunday morning?’ Mom asks, her brows rising. ‘Who are you helping?’

‘My guess is a girl,’ Nick says, chuckling, as he appears from the hall.

‘Hey, Nick,’ I say. ‘You already been out in the fields?’

‘Been out there for an hour now,’ he says, refilling his travel mug with coffee. ‘So who’s the girl?’

‘What girl?’

‘The one you’re fixing stuff for.’

‘I didn’t say it was a girl.’

‘You didn’t say it wasn’t.’ Nick brings his coffee to the table and sits down.

‘You guys sound just like me and my brothers,’ Nash says. ‘We always know when a girl’s involved.’

‘It’s not a girl,’ I say. ‘I mean, it is, but she’s just a friend.’

‘Yeah, right,’ Nash and Nick say at the same time.

I ignore them and get up to get some coffee.

‘Is it the girl from your camp?’ Mom asks.

‘You went to camp?’ Nash asks.

‘When I was seven.’ I bring my coffee back to the table and grab a pastry from the tray. ‘I met this girl there and now she lives here in town.’

‘She owns the new brewery,’ Nick says to Nash.

‘So you like her,’ Nash says to me. ‘But she’s your competitor. That complicates matters. How’s that gonna work?’

‘It’s not. I’m not dating her. I’m just helping her out. We played pool yesterday and I agreed to fix stuff at her apartment if I lost.’

‘And if Sawyer won, he was having her over for dinner,’ Nick says.

‘Sounds like a date,’ Nash says.

I sigh. ‘It wasn’t a date. We just had dinner. Can we talk about something else? Nash, how are the wedding plans coming?’

‘Not sure. I’m staying out of it.’ He leans back in his chair, smiling at Nick. ‘Did Sawyer just admit to having this girl over for dinner?’

‘Yeah, and he didn’t even win the bet, which means the dinner was definitely a date.’ Nick looks at me. ‘So how’d it go? It was last night, right?’

‘Yes, and it wasn’t a freaking date.’ I get up. ‘I need to go.’

‘Just let me finish wrapping these up,’ Mom says as she tears some plastic wrap from the roll.

‘You’re bringing her Mom’s pastries?’ Nick says. ‘Must be serious.’

‘Would you stop?’ I bring my coffee cup to the sink. ‘You know I don’t want a girlfriend, and if I did, it sure as hell wouldn’t be Gina Slater.’

‘Sawyer, don’t be like that,’ Mom says, putting the pastries in a sack. ‘Gina seems like a very nice girl and you two have a lot in common. I don’t know why you wouldn’t at least consider dating her.’

‘Because she’s taking all my customers! That’s why.’

‘Matt said your place was packed last night,’ Nick says. ‘He and Tessa went there for a drink and said they couldn’t even get a seat.’

‘It’s because of the special. It ended last night. Now that it’s over, we’ll see if anyone shows up.’

‘So how was the dinner?’ Nick asks. ‘Did you guys get along?’

‘Yes. It’s not like I hate her. I just don’t get why she had to open a brewery. Why couldn’t she open some other business?’

‘Did you ask her?’ Nick asks.

‘Yeah, and she said she just likes making beer. She worked at a microbrewery back in Green Bay, learned about brewing, and decided to open her own place.’

‘You should stop being so hard on her,’ Mom says, handing me the sack of pastries. ‘It’s not easy to pick up your life and start somewhere new where you don’t know anyone. You should take her around town, introduce her to some people.’

‘She meets plenty of people working at G’s. She doesn’t need me to introduce her to people.’

‘Nash?’ Callie, his fiancé, pokes her head in the kitchen. She’s wearing a bathrobe and looks like she’s about to get sick. ‘Could you get me some crackers?’

‘Sure, babe.’ He hurries to get up.

‘Oh, honey.’ My mom races over to her. ‘Morning sickness?’

Callie nods and holds her stomach.

‘Let’s get you back to the bedroom.’ My mom takes Callie’s arm and leads her down the hall.

‘I don’t know why they call it morning sickness,’ Nash says, getting the crackers from the cupboard.

‘It lasts all damn day. I wish I could help her more, but there’s only so much I can do.

’ He looks back at Nick. ‘Stock up on crackers and bread. It’s the only thing that seems to help with the nausea.

’ He takes off, down the hall to the guest room.

I look at Nick. ‘Lyndsay’s pregnant?’

‘No.’ He smiles. ‘Nash is just preparing me for when it happens.’

‘When’s it happening?’

‘We plan to start trying as soon as we’re married. At our age, we can’t be waiting.’

‘You guys are only 33.’

‘Almost 34. Lyndsay’s freaking out because her doctor said it’s harder to get pregnant the closer she gets to 40.’

‘When do you think you’ll propose to her?’

Nick gets up and comes over to me, lowering his voice. ‘I haven’t told anyone this yet so this is just between us for now.’ He checks to make sure we’re alone. ‘I’m going to propose to Lyndsay the last night of the fall festival.’

‘Holy shit.’ I smile and give him a hug. ‘Congratulations!’

‘Thanks. I know we haven’t dated that long, but I’ve known Lyndsay forever and I have no doubts she’s the one.

We’ve already talked about marriage and agreed we don’t want to wait.

And the festival seems like the right time to pop the question.

The place will be all decorated with lights, we’ll have a band, good food.

And Lyndsay loves the festival. She has a lot of good memories of it.

This will make for another good memory.’

‘Mom’s gonna be thrilled. Dad too.’

‘Yeah, but it means you’re next. Mom’s going to be pushing you even more to find someone.’

‘Who am I going to find in this town? I know every girl here who’s around my age, and dated most of them.’

‘What about that girl I saw you out with at dinner a few weeks ago?’

‘That was Maci. I’m still kind of seeing her, but it’s nothing serious. She’s not ready to settle down, and even if she was, we’re not a good match. We run out of things to talk about after five minutes. She’s just someone to hang out with.’

‘For sex.’

‘Hey, she agreed to it. She made it clear that’s all she wants. Don’t be judging me for that.’

‘I’m not. I’ve done it myself, but it didn’t help me find the one. You’re in your thirties now. It’s time to stop the friends with benefits thing and get into a real relationship.’

‘I don’t have time, and if I did, I’m back to the problem of not having anyone to date. I love Haydon Falls, but trying to date here really sucks. There just aren’t enough girls.’

Nick leans back against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. ‘What about Gina?’

‘No. Never. She’s off limits.’