Page 32 of Sawyer

Chris raised his hand as if he was about to start clapping, but I grabbed it, stopping him just in time. A low murmur began to spread through the room.

“That felt like a slow clap moment,” Chris whispered, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Shut up,” I muttered, sinking deeper into my chair, wishing I could disappear as a few more people glanced our way, undoubtedly curious about my little speech.

“That bit about remembering your coffee order seemed oddly specific,” Chris continued, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Didsomeonedo that for you?”

“Please shut up,” I groaned, covering my face with my hands. I silently thanked the universe that Lisa wasn’t there to add fuel to the fire.

“Fine,” Chris said, leaning back, though his grin remained. “But seriously, what’s gotten into you?”

I didn’t answer him. I was still in shock. What had I just done?

I couldn’t decide which was more surprising—standing up in front of a crowd and giving a speech out of nowhere, or the fact that I had defended shifters, considering my past.

An older man’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Young man, what do you suggest?”

It took me a moment to realize he was talking to me. Chris gave me a hard poke in the ribs, snapping me back to reality.

Still dazed from what I had just done, I found myself standing again before I could even process it.

“I—uh—I know a shifter who’s high up in the pack hierarchy,” I stammered. “I’ll bring him to the next meeting.”

Before I could collapse, Chris yanked me back down into my seat. My knees were threatening to give out entirely.

“What did you just do?” Chris asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and amusement.

What the heck did I just do?

I spent the rest of the night after that disastrous meeting tossing and turning, wondering how I could possibly ask Sawyer to come to the next one.

It wasn’t like I could just shoot him a quick text and say, "Hey, mind being the spokesperson for all the Pecan Pines shifters?" Right?

Would he have to run it by his lead alpha? Did the pack even know the humans in town were having meetings about them?

And if they didn’t, how would they react to finding out about it now?

This definitely wasn’t something I could handle through a text or call. It needed to happen face-to-face.

Still, I had seriously considered texting him last night. But a 2 a.m. "Come over" request could definitely send the wrong message.

So, after a sleepless night, I decided to wait for morning.

It was Thursday, and the last time Sawyer had come by the shop with Benny was also a Thursday morning. There was a decent chance he might walk in any minute.

If he didn’t show up by lunchtime, I’d ask him out for coffee—or maybe dinner. Either way, I needed to talk to him.

I grabbed my phone and started drafting a text, my mind racing with what I wanted to say when the door swung open. I looked up, quickly deleting the half-finished message.

“Hey there, handsome! Good to see you,” I greeted, trying to keep my voice steady, even though my nerves were clearly getting the better of me.

Was my voice higher than usual? I hoped not.

“Well, thanks. Good to see you too.” Sawyer smiled warmly, but his eyes carried a more serious vibe as they swept around the room.

His smile faded slightly as he continued scanning the space, like he was looking for something.

“I was talking to Benny,” I joked, bending down to pick up the dachshund.