In the bedroom, she found him sleepily stretching and was disappointed that he was seemingly 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 that 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 back in the bed. When she walked around and 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 of this.”
“I know I didn’t need to; I just wanted to. That’s what made it fun.” His expression told her that 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; merely 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 that he can schedule the crew accordingly. Then I’ll meet with my crew and hand out assignments for the week so that 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-process for years. Don’t worry; we’re not staying there.”
She laughed. “I didn’t think that 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 that I’ve lived in for like ten years now. It’s essentially a storage closet for me. I rent a place where I keep all of my tools and things for the job but the apartment is basically no 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 of moving on so that they can find a replacement host or do whatever it is that they want to do. I didn’t commit beyond this season but I think they were hopeful 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 really 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 that 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 and do something wild in the back yard 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 great space that when I got older, I would envision what would look great 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 and 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 part of the back deck done with a pergola with a wonderful seating area done under it. Then another area out in the yard with a fire pit and another seating area there. This way when you were entertaining, guests would have multiple areas to choose from to sit and gather. There would need to be a grilling area or, more preferable, 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 even know the names of the things that I like. But I do know that I love butterfly bushes. Mom has one out in the front yard that just grows wild and in the summertime it’s just so picturesque with all of 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 bought 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.” To erase any thoughts of any other man from her mind, Sawyer 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.”
There was no point denying it. “So?”
Regan stroked a hand down his cheek. “I like it.” She pulled herself free of his arms and continued to smile. “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 that Sawyer and the crew were coming over and that 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 general 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 and 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 that 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.”
“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 of making people react a certain way and stirring up drama just isn’t my thing. I’m sure the network can find someone who is 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 of the drama? That’s for somebody else.”
“I’m proud of you, Sawyer,” Max said and then waved off when his son went 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 that Max was expecting and his shocked reaction 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 is lined up for the week.”
They walked into the kitchen and Sawyer pulled out his plans and his 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 that 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, sensing that he wasn’t going to like what Sawyer was planning to say.
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 that 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 mom and daughter fight? Seriously? You’d walk away from what will be a multi-million 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 and 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 that people have argued about the jobs we’ve done? Wake up! I’m just starting to capitalize on something that’s always been there.”
Sawyer held his ground. “Like I said, I am sure that you are going to be successful with it but it’s just not my thing. I want to design; I want to build things. I don’t want to have 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 that 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 that you never do another show on the network. Ever.”
Sawyer stood silent for so long that he was sure that Devin felt confident that 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 that 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 naïve 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 actually have a future.”
“What brought on this big revelation may I ask?”
Sawyer knew that 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 simply 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.”
Max felt himself swelling with pride. “You’re a fine man, Sawyer. And I think that 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 of that and finding your true passion and making the future that you want actually happen.”
“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 and 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.”
&n
bsp; “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 that it would. Devin likes to get his own way and to be in control; I’m messing with his plans.”
“Well that’s just stupid. Doesn’t he realize that if they bring in a new guy that he’ll have all of 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. Now, with Sawyer, things were damn-near perfect and she didn’t want to jinx it by opening up her mouth too soon and asking where they stood. 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 that he enjoys to do as a hobby but he’s never had the money to make it into his dream space. We’re going to make sure that the building is up to code and then design the space to include all of the tools that he needs and then make the space upstairs more functional by adding a bathroom, a sitting room and studio space for him to display his work.” He reached for a third slice. “It will take about three weeks.”
A Touch of Heaven Page 13