Exclusive / a Touch of Heaven

by Samantha Chase

  In the bedroom, she found him sleepily stretching and was disappointed that he was already awake. He smiled when he saw her. “I thought I smelled something good.”

  Holding out the tray for him to see, she smiled back. “I was inspired and decided we needed breakfast in bed.”

  Sitting up and adjusting the blankets, Sawyer took the tray from her hands and motioned for her to join him in the bed. When she went to climb under the blankets, he stopped her. “Nuh-uh, this is naked breakfast in bed—lose the robe.” His tone was light and teasing but his eyes were full of heat, and Regan quickly divested herself of the offensive garment and climbed in beside him. “That’s better,” he said and leaned in to kiss her. “You didn’t need to do all this.”

  “I know I didn’t need to. I just wanted to. That’s what made it fun.” His expression told her she wasn’t making sense. “Making breakfast for you isn’t a chore, Sawyer. I wanted to do something nice for you. I had hoped to surprise you, but you were already awake.”

  “But you did surprise me. No one’s ever made me breakfast in bed, so this is…” He stumbled a little on his words. “This means more to me than you can know. Thank you.”

  They ate in silence, enjoying each other’s presence and the food. When they were done, Sawyer took the tray and placed it on the floor before returning to his position reclining against the pillows. “That was delicious.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” she said, leaning against him. “So what’s on the agenda for today?”

  Sawyer sighed sadly. “Unfortunately, I have to meet Devin at the house later and finalize the plans for the week so he can schedule the camera crew accordingly. Then I’ll meet with my guys and hand out assignments for the week so we can finish on time.” Turning his head, he smiled. “And then we can ride off to the coast and into the sunset.”

  “Mmm…sounds wonderful. Max has a house on the coast, doesn’t he?”

  Sawyer nodded. “His place is in Wilmington. It’s been a work in progress for years. Don’t worry, we’re not staying there.”

  She laughed. “I didn’t think we were. I was just thinking how nice it must be to live there year-round.”

  “I wouldn’t know, and honestly, I don’t think he does either. We spend so much time on the road with the show that I don’t even remember what it’s like to stay in my place.”

  “Tell me about your house.”

  He shrugged. “I never invested in a house. I’ve been single for so long and I worked such long hours, even before the show came along, that it never made sense to buy one. I have an apartment in New Bern I’ve lived in for about ten years now. It’s essentially a storage closet for me. I rent a place where I keep my tools and things for the job, but the apartment is not much different than the hotels where I stay.”

  “Well, that’s just sad, Sawyer.”

  “I know. Right when we started your mom’s house, Dad and I discussed the future a bit and we’re both ready to be done with the show. I’m going to address that with Devin today and start laying the foundation for moving on. I didn’t commit beyond this season, but I think they were hoping to take the show in a different direction and I’m just not into it anymore.”

  “The drama angle?”

  Sawyer nodded. “That, and it’s just not…fun anymore. I don’t get to choose the jobs and it’s becoming very routine. Your house was a challenge, but that was mainly because I wanted to impress you.”

  Regan blushed. “You did not!”

  “It’s true. I went a little over the top with some of the designs because I was determined to win you over where the house was concerned.”

  “Only the house?” she fished.

  “Well, maybe I was trying to show off a little in hopes of winning you over for me personally, too.”

  “You succeeded,” she said and gave him a smacking kiss on the lips.

  “There was a lot more I wanted to do for your mom’s house, but the network wouldn’t go for it.”

  “Like what?”

  “Oh, I wanted to branch out and do the landscaping—do something wild in the backyard to really make it great for entertaining.”

  Regan sighed. “I always pictured something great back there. It’s fine enough and we never did a lot of entertaining, but it’s such a fantastic space that I could envision what would look good there.”

  “Tell me about your vision,” he prompted.

  “I always wanted a pool,” she began and then laughed self-consciously. “I know it’s not very original, but the yard is so big and private. I just always imagined how wonderful it would be to have a big in-ground pool.”

  “I think the yard is perfect for that. Tell me more.”

  “A pergola. I would have loved to see a pergola with a wonderful seating area on the back deck. Then a fire pit and another seating area out in the yard. This way when you were entertaining, guests would have places to gather and sit. There would need to be a grilling area or, even better, an outdoor kitchen type of setup. In the summer you could cook outside and not have to heat up the house at all.”

  “What about greenery? What do you like?”

  “I have a black thumb,” she said sadly. “I kill everything, so I don’t know the names of the things that I like. But I love butterfly bushes. Mom has one out in the front yard that just grows wild. In the summer, it’s so picturesque with all the different colors of butterflies all around it.”

  “They are beautiful. What about color? Did you picture flowers in the yard or just greenery?”

  Regan considered his words. “I think a little of both.” She faced him excitedly. “I love bold colors, like the ones in the bouquet you brought me last night. The reds and the purples—they are just so amazing. I could never maintain such a thing, so while I’m fantasizing about the perfect yard, I’d have to fantasize about the perfect gardener.”

  “Wait a minute,” he said and pulled her into his arms. “I don’t think I like where this is going. No fantasizing about the gardener.” Then he kissed her with a thoroughness that took her breath away. When they finally came up for air, he saw the knowing smile on her face. “What?”

  “You were jealous.”

  He shrugged. “So?”

  Regan stroked a hand down his cheek. “I like it.” She pulled herself free of his arms. “Maybe my perfect gardener looks just like you. What do you think of that?”

  Now it was Sawyer’s turn to smile. “I think I like the sound of that.”

  * * *

  When Sawyer arrived at Caroline’s home, he wasn’t surprised to see his father’s vehicle already there. He said a quick prayer that they remembered Sawyer and the crew were coming over and they were decent.

  When Caroline opened the door for him, Sawyer released the breath he was holding.

  “So good to see you, Sawyer,” she said. “You’re the first one to arrive, well, after your father, of course.”

  As if on cue, Max walked into the room. The two men embraced and made small talk before Caroline excused herself. “I promised Regan I’d go in to the spa today and do some paperwork.” She sighed dramatically. “It’s a tough job but somebody’s got to do it.” She collected her keys and purse, then kissed Max senseless before waving to Sawyer and leaving.

  Sawyer chuckled softly as his father watched Caroline until she was out of sight, and then reached out and placed a hand on Max’s shoulder. “You’ve got it bad, Dad.”

  Max smiled. “Don’t I know it.”

  “So how are things going?”

  “Great. We were talking this morning about how once this place is sold, Caroline would like to move to Wilmington with me.” He watched his son to gauge his reaction. “How do you feel about that?”

  “Dad, seriously? Why would I have a problem with it? You’re happy, she’s happy…you deserve to have a life of your own.”
r />   “I know we haven’t talked a lot about the show—”

  Sawyer cut him off. “We’re going to address that today with Devin.”

  Max arched a brow at him. “We are?”

  Sawyer nodded. “We are. It’s time. I don’t want to drag this out. I have enjoyed this job, but the added pressure to stir up drama just isn’t my thing. I’m sure the network can find someone more suited to that kind of thing, but it’s just not me. I’m just a guy who likes to build things. Reality TV with all the drama? That’s for somebody else.”

  “I’m proud of you, Sawyer,” Max said, waving a hand when his son tried to interrupt him. “No, I’m serious. You’re taking a stand and walking away before things get ugly. Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do when it’s all said and done?”

  “I’m thinking of buying a house.”

  Those were not the words Max was expecting and his shock left him speechless.

  “Say something,” Sawyer prompted.

  “I…I don’t know what to say. I guess I was expecting you to talk about a job or a project. I never thought of you wanting to commit to home ownership.”

  “I think the time is right,” Sawyer said cryptically.

  Max suddenly had a ton of questions but was interrupted by Devin’s appearance. “Gentlemen!” he boomed as he walked into the house like he owned the place. “Things are looking great as usual, Sawyer. Max, you and your team have done a hell of a job.” He looked from father to son. “So tell me what’s lined up for the week.”

  They walked into the kitchen, where Sawyer pulled out his plans and tablet and outlined his schedule for the week. “As you can see, everything will be done and in place by Friday morning. If all goes well, you’ll be done shooting by lunchtime and then…we’re good to go.”

  Devin slapped Sawyer on the back. “Perfect! Nothing like ending a job early on a Friday afternoon so everyone can go home and enjoy the weekend. From the looks of things, the budget went well, and that, my friends, makes the network very happy. They’re already talking about the next couple of shows and are anxious to look ahead to next season.”

  Here it was, the moment of truth. “Actually, Dev,” Sawyer began, “I’m glad you brought that up.”

  “Is there a problem?” Devin asked.

  Sawyer looked at his father, who simply nodded. “I think my time with the show is done. We’ve had a good run and I’ve enjoyed working with you, but honestly, I’m ready to move on to other things and Dad is ready to retire.”

  Devin looked at the two men as if they were crazy. “Do you hear yourself? The show is at the top of its game. We’re going to explore a whole new aspect and you’re just going to walk away? Were you hit in the head with something heavy?”

  Sawyer couldn’t help but chuckle as he shook his head. “Devin, you and the network have been great to work with and I think you can have a lot of success with where you want the show to go. I’m just not the guy to host it.”

  “Why? Because I made you make the mom and daughter fight? Seriously? You’d walk away from what will be a multimillion-dollar contract because you don’t want anyone to feel bad?” He sat back in his chair with disgust. “Get a grip, Sawyer, and think about what you’re doing. This is a great opportunity for you. I can understand that it will be different. You’ll have to get used to working with someone other than Max, but don’t be such a damn baby. Life is full of drama! We’re just bringing it out in front of the cameras! You don’t think people have argued about the jobs we’ve done? Wake up! I’m just capitalizing on something that’s always been there.”

  Sawyer held his ground. “Like I said, I’m sure you are going to be successful with it, but it’s not my thing. I want to design, I want to build things. I don’t want to stand back after handing out boxing gloves to a family. I know there’s an audience for it and, sure, maybe someday I’ll look back and think differently, but for right now, I just want to be done with it.”

  “Max, please,” Devin said, “talk some sense into your son. Don’t you want to see him be successful?”

  “He already is,” Max said confidently.

  Devin stood and looked at the two of them with disbelief. “I thought you were smart, both of you. I thought you wanted to be a success, but at the first signs of change you’re running scared. Well, let me tell you, if you walk away from this, Sawyer, I’ll make sure you never do another show on the network. Ever.”

  Sawyer was silent for so long he was sure Devin felt confident he had used the right tactic to get his way. Finally, Sawyer stood and walked up to Devin and extended his hand. “You do whatever it is you feel you need to do. I’m okay with it.”

  “What the hell happened to you, Sawyer?” Devin yelled. “We’ve worked our asses off together to create this and we’ve got a hit on our hands! You don’t just walk away from something like this! Think about it.”

  “I don’t need to, Dev, my mind’s made up.”

  Devin shook his head, refusing to listen. “You have until Friday. I won’t tell the network about this conversation. Take the next few days to get your head out of your ass and think about what you’re saying.” He walked toward the door. “Think long and hard about this, Sawyer, because once it’s done, it can’t be undone.”

  And then he was gone.

  “Well, that went well,” Max said sarcastically.

  Sawyer shrugged. “It was about what I expected. Devin doesn’t like to be challenged. He forgets that we started together, and we were both naive about the whole thing. We’ve ridden a good wave of success and now that he knows more about what he’s doing, it will only benefit him to start a new show with a new host who’s as green as I was when I started. He’ll get to play puppet master, and that makes him very happy.”

  “You know the network isn’t going to be pleased.”

  “I can live with that, Dad. I’m not fishing for another show. I’m done living out of a suitcase. It’s hit me lately that I want to stay in one place and have a future.”

  “What brought on this big revelation, may I ask?”

  Sawyer knew he could tell his father anything and he’d take it to the grave, but with the new addition of Caroline, he wasn’t sure it would be fair to ask him to keep a secret from her, so he shrugged again. “I look at what you and Caroline have, and I have to admit, I’m a little envious. I want that. I want to find someone to settle down with and have a life with. A life where we travel for leisure, not for work.”

  “You’re a fine man, Sawyer. And I think this is going to be your time to shine. It’s not about the spotlight of fame and fortune. Your greatest success is going to be walking away from all that and finding your true passion and making the future you want.”

  “I learned from the best.”

  Max pulled his son into his embrace. When he pulled back, he looked at the man before him and felt tears sting his eyes. “I never knew from one day to the next if I was doing the right thing with you. I always felt guilty that you didn’t have a mother around.”

  “That was her choice, Dad, not yours.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Max said. “Maybe if I had been a different kind of man, she would have stayed. But every day since she left, I did my best to provide for you and to teach you right from wrong. Now I’m standing here and realizing that I’m learning a lot from you, too.”

  “Me?” Sawyer said with disbelief. “What did I do?”

  “You’re true to yourself. You’re an honest, hardworking man who just wants to be happy.”

  “No, Dad, I learned that from you.”

  * * *

  “So it didn’t go well,” Regan said later that night when Sawyer returned with a pizza for them to share.

  “I didn’t think it would. Devin likes to get his own way and to be in control. I’m messing with his plans.”

  “Well, that’s just stupi
d. Doesn’t he realize that if they bring in a new guy, he’ll have all the power and control?”

  Sawyer stared in amazement. “That’s exactly what I thought, too!”

  “Great minds,” Regan said as she reached for a second slice. “How many more episodes are you committed to?”

  “Only two. They’re both short gigs and are already scheduled, so once they’re done, I’m free of my network obligations.”

  “Tell me about the jobs?” she asked when she really wanted to ask what his plans were for when he was done. Things had been going so well that Regan hadn’t wanted to push her luck. In the past, whenever she pushed for more of a commitment from a man, that was when it ended. For now she was forcing herself to learn to be okay with living in the moment.

  “The first one is a workshop makeover, if you can believe it. The family has an old barn on their property that the husband has been using as his workshop for the woodworking he enjoys as a hobby, but he’s never had the money to make it into his dream space. We’re going to make sure the building is up to code and then design the space to include all the tools he needs, add a bathroom, a sitting room, and studio space to display his work.” He reached for a third slice. “It will take about three weeks.”

  “Wow! That sounds fantastic. Where do they live?”

  “Not too far from here. They’re in Durham.” He waited a moment to see if Regan would comment on it or ask if he was going to continue to stay at his hotel here in town. But she didn’t, and he had to tamp down his disappointment. He’d like to stay here with her and if she’d only ask, he’d pay his tab at the hotel and pack up immediately.

  “And what about the second one?”

  “It’s a master suite makeover for a couple of empty-nesters. They want to knock down the wall between their current bedroom and a guest room to make one master suite with a spa-like bathroom and a sitting area. I haven’t had a whole lot of time to look at the specs, but I believe that one can be done in a week if we don’t hit any surprises.”