my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me that I am not too late…”
Those were undoubtedly the most romantic words Jamie had ever read. But having them pressed against her heart while trying to make polite conversation with Sawyer when she hadn’t set eyes on him in fifteen years was more than she could take. Honestly, it was full-on, one-hundred-percent agony.
What was he doing here? His mom had moved away years ago, and he certainly wasn’t in town to see Jamie. She hadn’t heard from him at all since their breakup back when they were eighteen. Not a single word. He’d been her first love, but more importantly, her very first heartbreak. Sometimes she even wondered if the reason she hadn’t been able to fully commit to a relationship with Matt was because deep down, she knew she’d never fully gotten over Sawyer.
But that was ridiculous. She’d moved on long ago. Still, she couldn’t keep standing there, talking to Sawyer as if the past decade and a half hadn’t happened. Not when he looked so handsome in a navy peacoat that suddenly seemed far too Wentworth-esque. And certainly not here, in a place that had so many shared memories for them.
“Why don’t we go for a walk?” she blurted, interrupting Sawyer mid-sentence.
Not that he’d been saying anything important. Neither of them had managed to get past benign pleasantries such as talk about the weather.
“A walk?” He cocked his head. “Sure, that sounds nice.”
Good. She needed air, and she definitely needed to get as far away from Jane Austen as possible.
She shoved the copy of Persuasion onto the nearest bookshelf and led him around the corner, past the blooming flower wall and out the French doors onto the smooth pavement of the courtyard. Thank goodness no one was busy getting engaged out there at the moment.
Sawyer glanced around at the twinkle lights woven through the latticework fencing and the elegant topiaries arranged in large potted plants. “I don’t remember this courtyard.”
Exactly. That was the entire point of ushering him outside. It was neutral territory—mostly, anyway. The cafe tables and sitting area hadn’t existed back when Sawyer had been quarterback of the Waterford High football team.
He looked like he could still score a winning touchdown, though. The peacoat couldn’t hide his broad, muscular shoulders. There were new crinkles around his eyes and the slightest touch of gray at his temples, but those little details just made him seem more manly. More grown up.
She averted her gaze to look at something that didn’t make her heart feel like it was about to beat right out of her chest. “Oh, but you remember the tree, right? The tree was always here. In fact, they actually built the bookstore around it so they wouldn’t have to take it down.”
Sawyer tilted his head back to see the very top of the old Oregon ash. Its pale gray branches looked almost white against the clear blue sky. A muscle flexed in the corner of his chiseled jaw, and Jamie almost tripped over a fern.
She cleared her throat. “But yeah, this courtyard was completely overgrown. I talked Mr. Ogilvy into letting me clean it up a few years ago. And we’re hoping to expand. Or I should say were hoping to expand.”
Was she rambling? It felt like she was rambling.
“You were? But not anymore?” Sawyer arched a brow.
“Ah, it’s a long story.” Jamie kept walking, making a wide loop around the courtyard. “These developers are buying all of the land in the business district. And, I mean, you know they’re just going to destroy everything.”
Sawyer stumbled a little. “Destroy?”
She was getting ahead of herself. The town council meeting was still scheduled for later in the afternoon, and Jamie definitely intended to make her thoughts on the subject heard. She refused to believe all hope was lost already. “Well, it’s not decided yet. But they’re having a meeting later to see if they’re going to move forward with the project. You know what business developers do, though. They just tear everything down and put up something hideous.”
Sawyer slowed to a stop and frowned. “It might not be hideous.”
Did it even matter what they built if it meant the end of True Love? “Well, I’m sure they will not leave my little bookstore unscathed.”
“Your…” He glanced at the store and back at her. “Wait, you…you bought the bookstore?”
“Yeah. Oh, yeah.” Had she not made that clear already? “I bought it a few years ago, just like I always