“I was literally coming to look for you.”
“You found me. What’s up?”
I crook my head at the nurse’s office, and he follows me in.
“I had to come here once when I got a bloody nose during Capture the Flag,” he says. He looks at the single bed and desk. The space is even smaller than a standard exam room. He frowns at the bed. “You don’t think Warren and Debbie—”
I clap my hands over my ears and glare at him.
He lies down on the cot. It’s narrower than a twin bed and he has to bend his knees to fit. “It’s definitely gross to think about them in here. We should test it and see if it’s even possible. For science.”
His dark eyes glint at me, and my jaw drops the tiniest bit. I think he’s joking, but all I’d have to do is take the two steps to reach him, and neither of us would be laughing. We’d be—
Natalie pops her head in the door. “You didn’t shut this all the way and we can hear you,” she hisses. Sawyer makes a face like,Oops, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing. “Also, we’ve totally tested it, and it definitely works.” Then she disappears, leaving us gaping after her.
“That was information I could have lived without.” He jumps to his feet so quickly that I do laugh. His mouth twists. “Yeah, yeah, it’s funny because you aren’t the one who laid on it.”
“And I can’t thank you enough for making sure I never do.” Thunder rumbles. “Since we have a rain delay, I’m going to go into Creekville. My sister called because she heard I was at camp. She’s in town to move her boyfriend out to Charleston, and I’m going to hang with her for a bit.”
He gives an easy shrug. “I had a pretty good Plan B lined up, but that sounds more fun. I’ve always wanted to see Creekville.”
I freeze. This is awkward. “Oh, I didn’t mean…”
The tops of his ears go pink. “That you wanted me to come,” he finishes.
My stomach drops in an I-did-a-bad-thing way. “It’s not that I don’t want you to.”
His forehead furrows. “So you do want me to come?”
“Um, well, not that either. It’s just…we’re going to go visit my grandparents’ graves and the only slightly more exciting place we’ll go is the hardware store. You’re not missing much.”
He doesn’t say anything, only watches me for a few seconds.
“Can I get a raincheck?” Another low rumble of thunder sounds, and I point to the ceiling. “Like a literal one? Just until tomorrow. We could do our third hang tomorrow, right?”
“I can’t,” he says. “I have to help make sure we’ve got everything ready for the—”
“Gala,” I finish, embarrassed I forgot the whole reason I’d come here. Even though I hadn’t needed to do much work beyond designing the menu, my “star power” will still be a big perk for the VIPs, according to Natalie. “Right, of course. Don’t know why I said that. What if we make the gala our third date?”
He smiles, but I can tell it’s taking effort. I’ve hurt his feelings by not bringing him with me to Creekville, but…that’s home. And Sawyer is Camp Oak Crest.
“Good plan,” he says. “Guess I’ll go check with Ben to see what he needs help with.”
“Right, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
He steps out of the office, not meeting my eyes. “Enjoy Creekville.”
“Cemetery should be a blast.”
He winces. “Wow, I’m a jerk.”
I grin. “No, I am. It’s not sad to go there. They died when I was young, so I’ve had plenty of time to get used to it. Our family likes going.”
He comes back in and reaches out to cup my jaw, his thumb running lightly over my lips. My breath turns shallow. “Is there such a thing as a Tabitha onion?” He doesn’t take his eyes off my mouth.
“No,” I say, and the movement presses my lips against his thumb, like a kiss.
He lets his hand drop and meets my eyes. “There should be. Layers and layers.”
