A Place to Rest Part 17

* 140 *

Well, it served them both right that Sawyer hadn't dated anyone new in more than three months. Had it really been that long? Yes, she'd been at Drake's for almost two months, and since she'd met Jori, she hadn't looked at another woman.

* 141 *

* 142 *

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

Sunday morning, Jori mounted the steps to Brady's house and rang the bell. She was hoping she would run into Sawyer here, but she didn't see her Solara in the driveway.

Between Sawyer's responsibilities at Drake's and visiting with her parents, Jori hadn't spent much time with her in the past two days. But the distance didn't have the desired effect. Jori thought about her even more, especially when she glimpsed her throughout her s.h.i.+ft.

Now, though she was here to see Erica and the new baby, she was disappointed that she wouldn't see Sawyer. She tried to shove that feeling aside as Paige opened the door.

"Good morning, Jori. Come on in."

She s.h.i.+fted the brightly wrapped present from under her arm into her hands and followed Paige to the living room. Erica sat on the couch and Tia, holding the baby, sat beside her. Tom and Brady occupied the love seat opposite them.

"Hey, Jori. Thanks for coming by," Erica said.

"How are you feeling?" Jori placed her gift on the coffee table in front of Erica and sat in a nearby armchair.

"Good. I'm taking advantage of all this help, because once I go home and Mom and Dad leave, I won't be sleeping much."

"Would you like to hold her?" Tia asked as she rose.

* 143 *

"She's beautiful, Erica," Jori said, carefully accepting the bundle wrapped in a soft pink blanket. "h.e.l.lo, Taylor," she whispered to the sleeping baby.

Erica wondered if Jori was also thinking of the day she expressed doubts about her plans to keep the baby. Those doubts had dissolved the instant the doctor had placed Taylor on her chest. Distantly, she heard the front door open.

"Erica, are you here?" Sawyer called as she came down the hall.

Erica, Paige, and Jori shushed her in unison.

"Taylor's asleep," Paige said as she stood and offered Sawyer her chair. Sawyer waved her off. Instead, she perched on the arm of Jori's chair.

As she sat, Sawyer glanced at Jori. "Hi."

Erica watched Jori return the greeting with a shy smile. Oh, no.

"Hi there, gorgeous niece." Sawyer stroked Taylor's cheek with one fi nger. Her other hand rested on Jori's shoulder, and Jori didn't seem to mind.

d.a.m.n, I was hoping that wouldn't happen. Erica had been expecting the energy that burned between Sawyer and Jori to fi zzle out. When Jori had told her she'd rejected Sawyer's advance, she'd expected that would be the end of it.

"Do you want to hold her?" Jori asked.

"You keep her. I don't want to wake her." When Paige asked Tom and Tia about their plans to drive back to Florida, Sawyer leaned closer to Jori and murmured, "I've missed you."

"We've been at work together every day," Jori whispered, and despite having rebuffed Sawyer's last advance, she felt a sizzle of excitement in response to Sawyer's words.

"Sure, but I haven't gotten you alone so I could-"

"Sawyer," Jori hissed, aware that any one of Sawyer's family members could overhear.

"I was just going to say I want to-"

"I mean it." Jori pinched the outside of Sawyer's thigh and * 144 *

smiled as Sawyer tried to smother her yelp, but the baby in Jori's arms stirred anyway.

When she began to cry, Erica glared at Sawyer. "Nice going.

I should make you change her."

"Oh, no. Let Grandpa have her." Tom took Taylor from Jori's arms. "Where are the diapers?"

"They're in the guest bedroom, Dad. But I can take care of it."

"I don't mind. I wasn't around to change your diapers, but I can make up for it with my grandchildren." He headed down the hallway toward the bedroom, murmuring softly to the still-fretting infant.

"I should get going. She really is gorgeous, Erica. And if you need anything, please call me." Jori rose.

"Thanks for stopping by."

Sawyer stood as well. "I'll walk you out." She followed Jori to her car and opened the driver's side door. "I really have missed you," she said when Jori paused beside her. "Maybe we could have lunch one day, or go out for a drink after work."

"Sawyer, I don't know how many ways I can say it. I'm not looking to get involved." She sighed. "And if you can't accept that, then maybe I shouldn't continue to work at Drake's."

"What? You wouldn't leave."

"I don't want to. But I will." Jori's expression was serious.

"I can't keep telling you no."

"Why can't you give us a chance?"

"I don't need to. I know how it would end."

Sawyer couldn't argue that point; she had a pretty good idea how it would play out as well. But for the fi rst time in a very long time, she feared she might not be the one to end it. She wanted Jori in ways she'd never wanted anyone, and it had her so confl icted that she didn't know whether to grab Jori and pull her close or run.

"Maybe the journey would be worth it," she said quietly, but Jori had already turned away.

* 145 *

"What the h.e.l.l was that?" Erica demanded as soon as Sawyer walked back into the living room. She hurried across the room and confronted Sawyer before she could escape.

"What?"

"You and Jori."

Never one to be left out, Brady jumped in. "What about them?"

"Didn't you see the way they looked at each other?"

"Obviously I didn't. So why don't you just tell me what you're talking about."

"Something is going on between them. Has anything happened that you didn't let me know about?"

"No," Sawyer said quickly. But Erica turned her accusing look on Brady.

Brady shrugged. "I guess they seemed pretty friendly the night we all went to the concert. But you know how Sawyer is.

She's like that with everyone."

"Not like that," Erica practically snapped. Brady could be so aggravatingly un.o.bservant sometimes. He had apparently missed whatever had transpired between Sawyer and Jori. She turned to Sawyer. "d.a.m.n it, I told you to stay away from Jori."

Tia laughed. "You tried to warn Sawyer off Jori?"

"What's so funny?"

"Well, that's like shoving them together." Tia's expression clearly indicated she thought that should have been obvious.

"Mom," Sawyer protested.

"No, it's not," Erica said. "I had a serious talk with her and asked her to leave Jori alone. There are a ton of other women around. Why does she have to go after the best pastry chef we've ever had?"

"You're worried about the restaurant?" Brady asked.

"Yes. And about Jori."

* 146 *

"Maybe Jori will ground her." When Erica gave him an incredulous look, he rushed on. "It could happen. Paige managed to tame me."

"But we're talking about Sawyer."

"Hey, I'm in the room," Sawyer interrupted.

Brady went on as if he hadn't heard her. "Okay, I wasn't as bad as she is. But does that mean there's no hope for her? She's our sister. Aren't we supposed to have any faith in her?"

"Brady, I'm not saying Sawyer is a bad person. Or even that her intentions aren't good. But Jori isn't someone I want her pa.s.sing time with for a few weeks until she decides to move on."

"How do you know she doesn't really care about her?"

Sawyer sighed loudly.

"That's just it-she always thinks she cares for whoever she's involved with. But eventually she'll fi nd fl aws-either they're too tall, too short, too thin, too needy, or not needy enough. The list goes on, Brady, and you know I'm right."

"Hey!" Sawyer threw her hands up between them, and they both stopped and stared at her. "When you two are done listing my shortcomings, can I speak?"

"Unless you're going to tell me nothing's going on between you and Jori, I don't want to hear it."

"Well, we-"

"I don't want to hear it," Erica repeated, folding her arms over her chest.

"Mom, help me out here."

"Ha," Erica exclaimed before Tia could speak. "It'd be easy for her to take your side. She doesn't have to be here to clean up the mess you always make."

"Whoa, hold on. No one has ever asked you to clean up anything." Sawyer knew where Erica's irritation came from.

Sawyer had been away at college the last time she'd allowed herself to really love someone, and she'd never shared that part of her life with her sister. Erica had witnessed only Sawyer's more * 147 *

recent quick escapes from relations.h.i.+ps, and she still blamed Sawyer for the breakup that had cost her a close friend. Though Sawyer had insisted the relations.h.i.+p was never substantial enough for Erica's friend to sever their so-called friends.h.i.+p, Erica blamed Sawyer when her friend refused to answer her phone calls.

Tia fi nally interrupted. "Okay, girls. Enough."

"Think hard before you do this. Do you really want to hurt Jori?" Erica didn't wait for a response before she strode toward the kitchen.

When Sawyer turned away as well, Tia stopped her. "What's this all about? Are you dating Erica's pastry chef?"

"Jori, Mom. Her name is Jori. And she's not Erica's anything.

She happens to work at Drake's, but I don't see what that has to do with-"

"Are you dating her, or not?"

Sawyer sighed and sat on the sofa. "No. We're not dating.

But there's something-there's an attraction there. And I know she feels it, too."

"So, what's holding you back?"

"Erica's been on my case since the fi rst day I met Jori. And I don't want to hurt her." Sawyer hesitated, not comfortable discussing Jori's background. "She had a tough life, and she deserves to be happy."