“There are a few contracts.The legacy paperwork, which covers what will happen with the business if one party isn’t involved anymore, and there’s also the business name and structure, which I believe Victoria and you have already discussed.I also have copies for the trademark applications and copyright notices for your files.”
Nodding, I walk farther inside but then look up and come to a halt.I should’ve thought about this before I invited him in.The kitchen is a complete mess.All my bowls and tools are out, ready for a long night of soapmaking.Laundry dries on a rack in the sun, my simple cotton underwear that I grabbed in the bargain bin last month on a trip to Williamstown on full display.Unread books are piled near my armchair, with my drawing pad and pencils on top.It’s the spot I used to always curl up in to read or sketch, but that indulgence isn’t something I’ve had time for lately.Noah and Kevin are standing in the living room, watching Sawyer like he’s the devil.Kevin looks to be about a minute away from telling him to leave and Noah’s wearing a pinched expression that’s supposed to be tough and intimidating, but it’s just too darn cute.
“Sorry, I wasn’t expecting visitors.Kids, say hello to Mr.Silvers.He’s a friend of Tanner’s and Victoria’s.”At that, Kevin’s shoulders lower.
When Victoria first moved to town and into Marie’s Place years ago, Kevin helped her with her animals.It was a means to an end.I was newly widowed, with no job and barely two dimes to my name, and Kevin rode his rusted bike down to Marie’s Place to milk her cow, bringing a bucket of milk back home.He did this so we would have milk for the day and for his brother’s nightly bottle, our own cow not always producing enough.
I flick my eyes to my youngest son, seeing Noah’s cute scowl morph into a full-blown grin.
“Tanneeerrrrr!!!!”Noah laughs, his giggle enough to have me smiling.He loves Tanner, probably because Tanner always buys him ice cream whenever we happen to see him in town.Which is rare, but obviously impactful to a three-year-old.
“So do I need to sign them now?I can clear a space.”Feeling a little overwhelmed, I scoop up the math tests from school that I need to correct tonight, which I had dumped on the dining table when I got home.
“I can leave them here for you to read over in your own time and then come back to collect them.You seem a bit… busy.”
I stop what I’m doing and look at him.It’s obvious he doesn't think much of my home, but that’s exactly what it is,my home,and regardless of his good looks, I conclude that this man is a stuck-up city lawyer who probably wouldn’t know a hard day's work if it bit him on the ass.As I move papers around, his words filter through my mind, and I’m somewhat confused.
“How can you come back to collect them?Aren't you from the city?”
“Yes, but Tanner has me working a few days a week from the law office in town.”He doesn’t seem enthusiastic by that prospect, if his tense body language and tightened jaw have anything to say about it.
It’s always the same with these city people.They have their head shoved so far up their own asses they can’t see the beauty around them.Whispers is the most stunning place ever and he’s acting so put off, like he’s landed on Mars.
“Jerry’s office?”Everyone knows Jerry is retiring.I’ve been wondering what we’ll all do without him, assuming that we’d need to drive to Williamstown to get anything we need on legal matters.
“With Jerry retiring, Tanner seems to think I can work here and support the town in his place.”It’s obvious he’d rather be anywhere else and that Tanner made him come to Whispers.But it makes sense.With Jerry gone, we need someone new, and Tanner is the kind of man to always have a plan for this town.I know Tanner Whiteman well; the two of us have something in common with both losing our partners when our kids were young and single parenting becoming both our journeys in life.Tanner was the first person to help me when I lost my husband, ensuring that Kevin was kept busy and providing the odd bag of groceries that we desperately needed at that stage.
“Is Sawyer your real name?”I continue clearing an area on my table, not sure if we need to sit down.
“It is… Why would you ask that?”
I look up at him, seeing a frown of confusion on his face, and I bite my grin back before I shrug my shoulder.
“It’s just… alawyercalledSawyer?Sounds like an intro to a joke or something.”His frown deepens and he pulls the lapels of his jacket, clearly not amused.He’s so straitlaced, I wonder what he would do if he accidentally fell into my vegetable patch and got that crisp white shirt of his dirty?
That thought makes me bite the inside of my lip to tame a smile.
3
Sawyer
The smile she’s trying to hold back looks both sexy and evil as hell.It’s the only brightness in this small, dark, creepy house.
When Tanner told me to drop off these contracts, I assumed it would be a short drive to somewhere close to town.But I was wrong.With nothing but bare fields, trees, and roads that have seen better days, I thought I was lost until I spotted her small weatherboard place from the road.The entire drive was like something out ofThe Twilight Zone.I was waiting for an axe murderer to jump out at me at every corner.Had I known that a beautiful woman like this was waiting, then I may have driven a little quicker, because as rustic as she is, she’s stunning.She’s not what I expected at all.A petite pocket rocket of a woman, whose eyes are startlingly blue, with messy, long blond hair.
As I look over the house again, my teeth grind as memories swirl.It looks similar to my family home as a kid, taking me back to memories of my life I’d rather forget.Sure, I was in an apartment in Queens, but the toys, clothes, cramped quarters, and clean but cluttered look is somewhat recognizable.The feeling of it all has my spine straightening.Ineverwant to go back to those days.At that thought, I glance back at her kids.The older one looks ready to pounce on me and gut me from navel to nose if he gets the opportunity.
She’s isolated out here.No nearby neighbors, her house small and run down, with paint peeling on the outside, the grass needing to be mowed.It’s a solo dwelling, with a large, rusted shed out back, surrounded by fields of what looks to be lavender and roses, and grassy spaces where some cows and chickens roam.
“So, I can come by maybe next week to collect them.Will that give you enough time to review and sign everything?”I should’ve just dropped the paperwork off to her outside and got the hell out of here.But I’m inquisitive by nature, the practice of law coming very naturally to me, and there’s something about her that’s made me want to stick around a little longer.
I’m not sure if it’s the way her jeans cover her perky ass or the way she looked holding that garden hoe like it was her only lifeline, ready to do battle with it.She’s small, and I’m not sure that garden tool would’ve done much.But she comes across as tough and probably would’ve hit me with it before burying my body if she needed to.
“Um, sure, I think a week will be fine…” She sounds unconvincing.My eyes narrow, watching her.Does she need me to sit and explain the contracts to her?Some people can be a little overwhelmed by legal documents.
I wonder how old she is.She’s young, much younger than I thought.When Tanner mentioned this new business venture that Victoria is getting off the ground, I assumed her partner was an older woman.But the beauty standing in front of me can’t be any older than maybe late twenties, meaning she’s at least a decade younger than me.Her youngest boy is small, but her older kid seems well into school age.I try to estimate their ages, wondering how early she started her family.
Having worked in law all my life, my skills for noticing things that other people don't is one of my strengths.My brother and I had a good life as kids, but we struggled, raised by a single mom, with a dad who didn’t give a shit and took off when things got too hard.But my mom had enough love for both parenting roles, and we always knew we were her number ones.Now, as I look around, I see no signs of a husband or partner and vaguely remember Tanner telling me that she’s a single mom.My chest feels warm at the thought, knowing how hard she must be working out here on her own.My mom scraped together every last dime to support Sutton and me, something we’ve now both repaid to her tenfold.Retirement in Florida looks good on her.
