Page 43 of Sawyer
“Do you want to come around and get a better look?” I offered, stepping away from the desk, hoping the extra space would ease the pressure gripping my chest.
Garth’s eyes darkened, a faint glint of gold flickering in them. His smirk deepened as he studied me.
“You and Sawyer seem to be getting closer, huh?” he said, his tone low, taunting.
Before I could respond, Chris emerged from the back room. “Hey, Case, I’m done with—oh.” His eyes darted between Garth and me. His face hardened. “Everything okay here?”
Garth’s expression shifted in an instant, the smirk widening and his eyes fading back to their usual brown.
“Since business is doing so well,” Garth said smugly, “I think it’s time we revisit the rent. My aunt’s rates were set a decade ago, after all.”
My stomach twisted. This wasn’t about the money at all.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my voice steady. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to discuss this at another time.”
Garth’s smirk stretched even wider, amusement flashing in his eyes. “Sure. Just let me know when,” he said, his voice casual as if we were discussing nothing more than the weather.
Without another word, he turned and strolled out of the shop, the door swinging shut behind him.
The second he was gone, a wave of anger hit me like a punch to the gut. My vision blurred, and it wasn’t until Chris stepped up beside me that I realized I’d been gripping a pair of scissors so tightly my knuckles had gone white.
His hand gently pried mine open, and I blinked, glancing down at the silver-coated blades.
I didn’t even know when I had grabbed them from the stationery cubby.
Lisa had given them to me as a store-opening gift, and at the time, I’d thought it was an odd choice—fancy scissors to celebrate a new business?
She’d mentioned they were silver-coated, and it hadn’t fully clicked until now why she chose them.
The cold metal felt heavy in my hand, and I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
“Maybe I should man the desk for the next couple of weeks,” Chris said.
“Did something happen at work?” Sawyer asked.
“Huh?” I blinked, pulling myself back to the present. Sawyer's eyes were locked on mine, worry written all over his face.
I barely registered his words. My thoughts were stuck in a loop, replaying the moment Garth walked into the shop earlier.
Sawyer and I were in a pet store, and I was staring at a shelf full of toys, absentmindedly scanning it as Benny trotted between us, casting hopeful glances our way. I managed a half-hearted smile for him.
Sawyer’s question lingered, and for a split second, I wondered if I should brush it off.
I didn’t want to pull him into the mess with Garth. The tension between the two of them was already thick enough, and I knew only pieces of the story.
But before I could stop myself, the words spilled out. “Garth came by the store earlier.”
Sawyer’s expression darkened immediately, and for a moment, his eyes flickered with that faint golden hue.
My chest tightened. The last thing I wanted was for Sawyer to react impulsively, to make this worse by overreacting.
Without thinking, I reached out, wrapping my fingers around his and gently tracing circles over his pulse. Anything to keep him grounded.
“He just wanted to raise the rent, that’s all,” I continued, keeping my tone light. “Probably noticed business has been doing better.” I forced a small smile, trying to downplay it.
Underneath my touch, I finally felt his pulse start to slow. I let out a quiet breath, not realizing how tense I’d been until that moment.
Even as he calmed down, though, there was still that glint in his eyes—something lingering just beneath the surface, something I wasn’t sure I could fully reach.