Page 83 of For the Record
Everything was so clear now. The school year had already begun. Bree could have left a month ago if she’d wanted. Sawyer was getting by then, and with Cindy’s help, could have successfully managed the restaurant.
Slowly, Bree shook her head. “If it’s alright with you, I’d love to just keep doing this. We work well together, no?”
“We do.” A smile threatened to take over Sawyer’s face. She stared in wonder at her daughter, the purest form of love filling her chest. Before she knew it, she was enveloping Bree in a bear hug and swaying back and forth in the middle of the kitchen. “Sais-tu à quel point je t'aime, ma chérie?”
“Je t’aime, aussi, Maman. Tellement.” Bree buried her face in Sawyer’s chest. “You know, if Cindy took over all the stressful stuff, with Barb as her sous-chef, you and I could do this every day. You’d still be the boss, right?”
“Technically, no. The executive chef runs the kitchen,mon amour.” That was the problem right now, wasn’t it? Sawyer had dreams of earning another Michelin star, of really putting Desmarais on the map at an international level. If she wasn’t putting every ounce of fiber into the job, could she rely on others to do it for her? It didn’t sit right with Sawyer.
She patted Bree’s head, pushing her away enough to study her face. The eagerness in Bree’s eyes was unmistakable. She wanted this, probably had been dreaming of the day she could get Sawyer’s attention without the restaurant always coming first. God, how many school events had she missed over the years because she was tied up on the hot-line?
“I almost lost you.”
Bree’s words from days after Sawyer’s heart attack plagued her on the best of days. The reality of her mortality was disconcerting. If she died, Bree didn’t even have siblings alive to help her through life. She’d be completely and utterly alone.And so here she was, giving Sawyer a way to let some of the unnecessary stress in her life fall away. And then there was McCoy. Her McCoy. Her lover and friend.
Sawyer knew McCoy would stand by and watch her clock in fourteen-hour days if she chose to, but at what cost? The fact was, she couldn’t work as much as she had pre-heart attack. She physically wasn’t capable. In admitting that, Sawyer could also admit that relinquishing her tight hold on the restaurant didn’t seem as terrifying if she had Bree and McCoy in her life.
“Well, even if Cindy was the executive on paper, everyone knows you’re still the boss,Maman.” Bree grinned and gestured up and down at her. “After all, you’ve got all that boss energy Coy loves so much.”
“Bree.” Sawyer fought back a smile and flicked a light dusting of flour at her daughter. “Think Cindy could earn us another Michelin star?”
“Chef, sorry to interrupt,” Mikey’s voice sounded from behind them. He was rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet with a huge grin as he held out a bouquet.
Sawyer inwardly groaned. Seriously, this again?
“You’ve got another delivery from—”
“I know who it’s from, Mikey,” Sawyer cut in, stepping forward to snatch the note from the peg in the middle of the red roses. Straightening to her full height, she narrowed her gaze as, once again, every team member in her kitchen paused to take in the situation. “Esti. Back to work, people!”
As they all wheeled around again, including Cindy, satisfaction settled over Sawyer. She smiled coyly. Yeah, she was still in control.
Chapter 43
McCoy
Coy: How long doesa femme take to get ready? This is insanity.
Coy sent the message to the Fab Five group chat before expelling a long breath outside Sawyer’s bedroom door. Her girlfriend had been in there for an hour or more. Coy had snuck in to say hi once she’d arrived, and Sawyer had just been going in the shower. She’d kept Patches company downstairs until she felt like she needed to dosomething. That impulsivity had taken her out to the garage, where she found herself changing the oil on the Range Rover. Now she was pacing the hallway with an oil stain on one of her favorite shirts after scrubbing her hands and face clean in the downstairs bathroom before coming up.
Multiple messages came in at once.
Tauni: It takes however long it takes, babe.
Abi: Get used to it, playgirl.
Abi: Can’t wait to officially meet Sassy Sawyer.
Coy groaned, quickly firing out a remindernotto mistakenly call Sawyer that.
Krystal: I’ve been asking that for yrs. Tauni takes so long once I thought she’d made her own dress.
Tauni: Bitch, please. You’re just jelly you can’t pair an outfit to save your life.
There was nothing from Sloane, even though Messenger confirmed she’d seen their conversation. Coy’s shoulders drooped a little as she thought of her twin. They’d barely spoken two words since that day three weeks ago. Whether it was the fact that Coy had been staying at Sawyer’s more often or that any time she even looked at Sloane, her sister would shoot daggers at her was anyone’s guess. Coy didn’t know how Sloane would grin and bear it around her when they went to Nana’s with their father and Miranda next week. It was Christmas, and every year they went to her house and spent a few days there. Coy had been trying to convince Sawyer and Bree to come, but so far was met with resistance.
Sighing, she typed out another message.
Coy: I’m going in. Maybe she slipped or fell asleep.