“Hey there,” Mike said, pulling up alongside them with a wry smile, tipping his hat at Lily in greeting. “Are you guys having some trouble?”
Sawyer wanted to slap the smile off of his face. “Um … yeah. The wave runner won’t start, and Lily needs to get back so she can catch her flight.” He clenched his jaw, fighting against the words and forcing them out before he could overthink them. “Could you give her a ride back to my place?”
Mike’s face brightened. “Of course!” He moved forward on the seat, waving Lily over to join him. “It’s lucky I decided to go out for a quick ride tonight. I didn’t know anyone else was on the lake.”
“Yeah. Lucky.” Sawyer’s heart lurched. He wasn’t ready to let Lily go, and to have her leave with Mike only added insult to injury.
She turned to him; her expression torn. “I can’t just leave you here.”
He shook his head. “I’ll be fine. If I don’t get it started before Tim and Roberta come, I’ll hitch a ride back with them. Get going so you don’t miss your flight. You can take one of my cars, and I’ll pick it up from your mom’s later.”
“No need for that,” Mike interjected. “I’m happy to give her a ride wherever she needs to go.”
Sawyer gave him a cold stare and nodded once before turning back to Lily. He hated that this was how they would say goodbye—with Mike as an audience. But maybe it was for the best. The sooner she left, the sooner he could stop hiding how gutted he was. When Lily bit her lip, he looked away. It wouldn’t help to fixate on her lips right now. He sensed her moving toward him before she put her arms around him in a brief hug. He cursed the fact that they were wearing their life jackets which created a barrier between them. What he wouldn’t give to feel her softness against him one final time. He returned the hug half-heartedly.
“Thank you, Sawyer. For everything,” she whispered before pulling away. She kept her gaze down, avoiding eye contact as she climbed onto the back of Mike’s wave runner.
“Good luck, Sawyer,” Mike said. “I’ll tell Gavin to come check on you when I get back to his place.”
“Thanks.” You’re a real pal.
Lily turned her face to the side so he couldn’t see her expression as she and Mike pulled away from shore, but he did note with satisfaction that she didn’t hold onto Mike. At least that was something.
He watched them until they rounded the bend in the lake and moved out of sight before he turned back to his wave runner. He tried the engine again. It was dead. Just like the cold, dead emptiness of his heart now that Lily was out of his life for good.
14
It was strange to be in Sawyer’s house without him, so Lily hurried to the guestroom to change. She grabbed her phone off of the nightstand where she’d left it and dialed Sadie’s number. She picked up on the second ring.
“Hey, Lil,” she answered cheerfully. “Mom was just about to call you.”
“You’re with Mom?” Lily asked in surprise.
“Yeah. Something came up at the shop and she asked if I could come in and help. Here, I’ll pass the phone to her, but first—how’s your date with Sawyer going?”
Lily swallowed around the golf ball in her throat at the mention of his name. “It was good,” she said, wincing at the understatement. The date had been better than good. It was unforgettable—until the last part where her heart had splintered into a thousand pieces.
“Are you okay? You’re not crying, are you?”
“Me?” Lily cleared her throat, forcing a light laugh as she dashed at the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes. “Of course not. I’m just getting ready to drive back to town to meet Mom.”
“Oh, well that’s what Mom was about to call you about. Here she is.”
“Okay.” Seconds later Meredith’s voice came across the line.
“Lily, honey, I’m so sorry, but Heidi’s daughter went into labor a little early and she had to leave, so I called Sadie to see if she could help me with this order for the festival. It kills me not to see you off in person—but is there any chance Sawyer could give you a ride to the airport instead?”
“Oh,” Lily swallowed again, blinking back more tears. “Of course. It’s no problem. Don’t worry one bit. I hope Heidi’s daughter will be okay?”
“Heidi texted to say that she’s doing fine. She was basically full-term, but it was just unexpected.” Meredith paused and Sadie could hear her frown over the line. “I’m so sorry about this sweetheart, but Sadie and I are planning to fly out and see you soon. We’ll have a girls’ weekend together … and at least this gives you a little more time with Sawyer.”
“Yes. It’s fine.” Her voice was thick, and she bit her lip, needing to end the conversation before her emotions gave her away. “Is Gavin there with Sadie?” she asked.
“No, he had a conference call at his house he had to take care of. Why?”
“It’s nothing. I was just curious.” She didn’t want to bring up the situation with Sawyer and the wave runner. Her mom had enough on her plate at the moment, and Lily knew if she brought up Sawyer she would fall apart. “Give Sadie a hug for me. I’m holding you both to that visit.”
“Soon,” Meredith promised. “I just need to get this festival behind me, and then we’ll come out. I’ll give Sadie a hug for you,” she added. “I love you, sweetheart. Safe travels and tell Sawyer thanks for running you to the airport for me.”
Her heart stung. If only he could run her to the airport. If only they could have had a proper goodbye—but what good would it have done? She would still be leaving, and her heart would still be throbbing like it was bleeding out. “Yep,” she choked, feeling strangled. She cleared her throat. “Love you too, Mom. Bye.” Lily ended the call, feeling guilty for not telling her mom the whole truth, but she wasn’t ready to have that conversation. Her emotions were too raw.
She hurried and dialed Gavin’s number, but it went to voicemail, so she left a message. “Hey, Gavin, it’s Lily. My mom told me you were home, and I have a favor to ask. Sawyer is stranded on his wave runner out on the lake and I was hoping you could go help him.” She described where he was and asked him to call her when he got the message before ending the message.
The more she thought about Sawyer, the more her chest ached at the fact that she’d left him. Just do the next step. Just get on the airplane. She kept her focus on leaving, grateful her eyeliner and mascara were waterproof as she swiped a bit of concealer under her watery eyes and sniffed several times before collecting her suitcase and straightening her shoulders. She could do this. He would be fine. Leaving was the right decision. It was better to rip the bandage off than to prolong the pain with a lengthy goodbye.
She left the guestroom and made a beeline for the front door, not wanting to look around at Sawyer’s house and be reminded of what she was leaving behind … of the life she might have had.
Just before reaching the front door, Lily noticed a study off to her left that she hadn’t seen before. Sawyer hadn’t taken her into that room on the tour, and against her better judgement, she went in. She glanced at the various framed awards and photographs of his patented lawncare formula and smiled with pride at his achievements. There were pictures of him with his mom, and before and after pictures of his restored truck.
A bookcase held several books on chemistry, landscaping and agriculture, making her smile deepen, but when she moved to his desk, her breath hitched. There, on Sawyer’s desk, was a small framed picture of her and Sawyer back in high school. It was a picture she hadn’t seen before and must have been taken by one of their friends. She was laughing at something, her smile bright, and Sawyer was looking at her, his brown eyes shining.
Lily stood transfixed, unable to look away from the girl in that picture. The girl who was perfectly happy … because she had Sawyer.
Her phone dinged with a text, breaking her from her trance and she glanced at the screen. It was Mike.
I’m out front whenever you’re ready.
Comin
g, she replied. She hesitated a moment, debating with herself, before taking a picture of the photo. It was stupid, especially considering how long it would take her to get over him … if she ever could. But she couldn’t resist. She was a glutton for punishment.
She met Mike in the circle drive out front. He stood in front of a shiny sports car and smiled as soon as he saw her.
“Let me get that for you,” he offered, taking the suitcase from her and putting it in the trunk.
“Thanks. Did you see Gavin?” she asked.
“Yeah. He was on a conference call, but as soon as I told him about Sawyer, he got off and is heading out with his boat to help.”
Lily’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Good. Thank you.” Now she could leave without so much worry weighing her down. The heartache still felt like a lead ball in her chest, but she would have to get used to that. She was doing what was best for Sawyer, and that was all that mattered.
They climbed into the car and Mike started up the engine. “Should I head to the airport?” he asked.
“Yes. Thanks again for giving me a ride.”
“It’s my pleasure.” He smiled and pulled out of the driveway. “To be honest, I couldn’t be happier about the situation. I feel like fate is giving me another chance to spend time with you since our date was interrupted.”
“Fate,” Lily repeated softly before she turned and stared out of her window. ”Do you really believe in that?”
Mike chuckled. “I’m starting to … don’t you?”
“I used to,” she said simply, pulling up the picture of her and Sawyer on her phone. Her stomach twisted, so she closed the screen again.
Mike paused. “I’m guessing there’s a story there. Anything you want to talk about?”
“Not really.” She swallowed against the thickness in her throat. She needed to change the subject. She didn’t want to cry in front of Mike. “Tell me how your climb went this morning.”
He brightened. “It went great. They were a group of skilled climbers, so we were able to do a more challenging climb.”
Lily pretended to listen and nodded in the right places, but her mind was back on the lake with Sawyer. Hopefully Gavin would reach him soon—and hopefully once she was in the air on her way to New York, her heart would stop throbbing with every mile that took her farther and farther away from him.
15
“Hey there, mate. I heard you were in a spot of trouble,” Gavin called from his boat.
Sawyer stood, relieved that help had come sooner than he’d expected. “You heard right. Thanks for coming to help me out.” He guided the boat in slowly and tied it off before Gavin hopped out to inspect the wave runner with him.
Gavin scratched his head as he examined the engine. “I have to admit, I don’t know much about these machines. I’m more of a car guy.”
Sawyer nodded. “It’s the same principle. That’s the engine there, and the carburetor. I think it might be an issue with the starter, but this machine is practically brand new and shouldn’t be needing maintenance already.”
“Sounds like rotten luck,” Gavin sympathized.
“Yeah.” Sawyer frowned. It wasn’t the inconvenience that bothered him, it was the fact that this wave runner had cost him time with Lily, as well as a decent goodbye. The idea that she was getting a ride with Mike rankled. “Did Lily ask you to come and help me?” he probed.
Gavin shrugged. “Yes and no. I was on a conference call when Mike came to explain your situation and I got a voicemail from Lily too, so I came as soon as I could.”
Sawyer grunted. “I’m sorry about your conference call. It wasn’t an emergency.”
Gavin lifted a hand. “Actually, you did me a favor, mate. I was talking with my marketing team and those calls always bore me to tears. I’d much rather be out on the water on a nice evening like this.”
Sawyer smiled briefly. “In that case, I’m happy I could help.” He wanted to ask for more details about Mike or Lily, but it wouldn’t do any good. She was gone. And she didn’t want to give their relationship a try. It was none of his business what she did now, or who she did it with. He fiddled with the starter, trying a few more attempts to start the wave runner with no luck before he straightened. “I’ve done everything I can think of, so at this point I say we just tow it back to my place.”
“I reckon that’s the best plan,” Gavin agreed.
They secured a rope between the wave runner and boat before Sawyer hopped into the boat with Gavin and they slowly motored off.
“Sadie was thrilled that you and Lily were spending time together,” Gavin said with a knowing smile. “Other than the mishap with the wave runner, how did things go with her?”
Sawyer’s heart stung. He didn’t want to talk about this right now—but then again, it was all he wanted to talk about. “Truthfully?” he asked.
Gavin cocked an eyebrow and nodded.
Sawyer blew out a breath. “Spending time with her was amazing. She’s amazing. Even more than I remembered.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at his hands. “I asked her if she’d be willing to give our relationship another try. I didn’t care if it meant long-distance. I just wanted another chance with her.”
Gavin grinned. “That’s fantastic, mate! Sadie and I were hoping that’d be the case. I could tell by watching you two the other night that you were a good match.”
Sawyer winced. “Unfortunately, Lily doesn’t see it that way.”
Gavin’s smile slipped. “Oh no … don’t tell me she turned you down? Anyone can see that she’s a goner for you.”
Sawyer huffed a soundless laugh and looked out over the lake, his heart twisting. “She’s gone, all right.”
Gavin frowned and sat back in his seat as he continued to steer the boat. “I’m sorry to hear that. Sadie thinks that Lily’s unhappy in New York and she wishes she’d move back. If it’s any consolation to you, maybe it’s not that she doesn’t care, maybe she’s just gotten too caught up in her business and the fast-pace of the city.” He tipped his head. “I’ve known my fair share of people like that, especially in my line of work. They get to a place where money or status or whatever’s driving them begins to trump everything else, including relationships.”
Sawyer shifted. He didn’t like to think of Lily that way, but he had to admit it wasn’t too farfetched. The old Lily was never glued to her phone the way she was now. “Maybe,” he admitted.
Gavin shrugged. “I’ve been guilty of it myself, especially when I was trying to break into my acting career. I was lost for a while.” He shook his head and looked at Sawyer. “It may be the same with Lily. And when she finds herself, I’m betting it’s you she’ll come searching for.”
Sawyer groaned and ran a hand down his face. “I don’t know if I can afford to hope for that anymore. What if she never ‘finds herself’?” He dropped his hand in a hopeless gesture. “I’ve been waiting for her to come back for five years already. How long am I supposed to wait for her?”
Gavin studied him. “That depends. How long are you willing to wait?”
“If I knew she would come back someday …” Sawyer paused, shook his head once and sighed. “I would wait as long as it took.” Even without knowing if she would come back, he would always be waiting for Lily. He couldn’t help it.
Gavin leaned back and gave him an apologetic frown. “And therein lies the catch, mate. With love, there are no guarantees. The weeks when I thought I’d lost Sadie were pure agony. I don’t envy you that.” His forehead creased in thought. “But I can talk to Lily if you’d like or ask Sadie to talk to her. I’m sure this can all be sorted out.”
Sawyer shook his head. “Thanks, but I’d prefer if you didn’t. Lily was pretty clear about what she wants. I’ll just have to make my peace with that and try to move on.” Or pretend to. There was no point in getting others involved. If she ever did come back to him, he wanted it to be because it was her choice and not someone else’s influence.
>
“Sure. No worries.” Gavin squinted as he steered the boat toward Sawyer’s dock. “But if you ever need someone to talk things over with, I’m here for you, mate.”
“Thanks, man.” Sawyer gave him a grateful nod. “From what I’ve read of Sadie’s biography, it was spot on—you’re a pretty okay guy,” he said with a wry smile.
Gavin scoffed and waved a hand. “Don’t go believin’ everything you read. She made me sound better than I am—but I’ll be forever grateful for that book. It brought Sadie into my life.”
“I’m happy for you,” Sawyer said, and he meant it. Sadie was a great girl and she and Gavin were obviously meant to be.
They tied off on the dock and Gavin helped him secure his wave runner before saying goodbye and motoring across the lake to his place. Sawyer docked his wave runner. He was too frustrated with it to do anything more at the moment.
When he walked back into his house it felt emptier than before. He stopped by the guest room where Lily had changed, but there was no evidence that she’d been there, not even the subtle scent of her perfume left behind.
She was gone.
His chest throbbed and he felt like he was being strangled. An urgent need to move overcame him and he knew if he didn’t do something right that second, he would lose his mind. He went to his room and showered and changed. He was heading to the garage for a ride on his Harley when the doorbell rang. His heart stopped.
Lily?
He ran to the door and threw it open, his heart beating double-time.
“Sawyer, I was hoping to find you at home,” Monica said with a flirtatious smile.
His hopes screeched to stop. “Hey, Monica.” He attempted to return the smile but knew it fell flat. He hadn’t spoken with her since their fateful double date on the boat months ago when they’d run into Sadie, Gavin, and Mike. Mike. He clenched his teeth. His only consolation was that he would have dropped Lily off by now and she would be safely out of his clutches.
The Billionaire's Second Chance: Billionaire Bachelor Mountain Cove Page 10